Chapter 22: CH-22. First Servant
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The man shuffled over, helplessly submitting as Michael stretched out his hand, absorbing the man's powers without resistance. Michael then tested his new telekinesis, raising his hand and causing the man's body to float in the air, as though held by an invisible grip. It required some effort, and Michael could feel he would need practice to strengthen this ability.
Releasing his hold, he let the man drop to the ground, unconscious.
Having dispatched the villains and gained new powers, Michael turned back to Nick, Kira, and Casey, who were looking at him in stunned silence.
"You're not going to kill us, are you?" Casey asked cautiously.
Michael shrugged, "That depends on whether you cooperate."
"What do you want us to do?" Nick asked nervously. He couldn't help but fear this mysterious, powerful man who could absorb superpowers.
"Don't worry. You should be grateful you met me now and not earlier." Michael said with a slight smile, "First, hand over the item."
Nick and the others exchanged looks before Casey nodded, "Give it to him... he probably won't break his word."
Kira hesitated before retrieving a hidden box. Michael moved his fingers, and the box opened on its own, revealing the R-gene serum inside. The box floated toward him, and he took it, a flood of images flashing through his mind. They confirmed the serum's authenticity. Silently, he summoned the system space, and the box disappeared, leaving Nick and the others dumbfounded.
"Little Prophet, I told you last time that if I returned, I'd help you save your mother." Michael said to Casey.
Casey's face lit up, "Really? You'll really help?"
"You know where the organization is, right? Take me there. I'll rescue your mother—and take the abilities of all the superpowered individuals in the base, including you and your mother, Casey. I also need their genetic drugs to cultivate more superpowers." Michael paused, "As long as you cooperate and we each get what we need, I won't harm you. Later, I can delete this memory from all of you, letting you live the normal lives you want."
"We agree!" The three exchanged looks and finally nodded.
A chance at normalcy was a rare, precious thing for them. Besides, they didn't exactly have a choice.
---
Michael didn't absorb Nick and Kira's powers immediately. He needed time to adapt after absorbing the two abilities from the boss and his subordinate; he didn't want to risk losing control.
With Casey guiding them, they left Hong Kong and set off for the base to rescue her mother.
After a day of travel, they reached the heavily guarded base.
"This is it." Kira whispered, pointing to the secure building, "There are at least dozens of superpowered people inside."
"So many abilities in one place?" Michael thought aloud, "Absorbing that many might be challenging. But if I can get the genetic serum, I'll never run out of powers to acquire."
He grinned, "This so-called security is meaningless to me. Just stay close and protect yourselves; I won't be watching out for you."
With that, Michael walked toward the building confidently, and the others hurried to keep up.
He raised his hand toward the door, which suddenly began to shake violently. After a moment, it broke away from the frame and was thrown aside.
As soon as Michael entered, several guards rushed toward him, pulling out their guns and preparing to fire. But before they could shoot, the guns flew out of their hands and shattered on the floor. The guards found themselves suspended in mid-air, flung around repeatedly until they were all knocked unconscious.
Telekinesis—what a useful power!
Michael nodded in satisfaction, "Kira, take me to find the serum. Nick, Casey, you can go and help the others escape."
They split up, with Kira leading Michael to the most secure part of the facility, where the genetic serums and formulas were stored. Although they encountered resistance along the way, Michael effortlessly neutralized enemies with his telekinesis.
Though he wasn't very skilled when he first acquired the ability, a bit of practice had made him proficient in its use.
"Who's there?"
Two guards with superpowers were positioned outside the vault containing the serums. When they saw Michael and Kira approach, they immediately prepared to attack.
"Just stay down!"
Michael sneered, accelerating toward them. What was originally a distance of seven or eight meters vanished in a blink, and before the two guards could activate their abilities, he had already knocked them out with a quick strike to each.
These superpowered guards were formidable for ordinary people, but they relied solely on their powers, lacking both combat skills and physical strength. Though Michael wasn't a trained fighter, his enhanced physique made it easy to overpower them.
If this had been Captain America, he could probably have taken them down with a simple shield throw.
Then, Michael's hands ignited in flames, and he punched the vault door fiercely. Though it seemed sturdy, the combination of his strength and the thousand-degree flames made quick work of it. After a few strikes, the door was breached.
Inside, Michael found the genetic serums and the formulas, stashing everything in his personal storage space. He turned to Kira.
"Are you going to steal my powers?" Kira asked.
Michael smiled without answering, placing his hands on her head. Kira didn't resist, but instead of absorbing her ability, he erased specific memories and replaced them, ensuring her unwavering loyalty.
As the protagonist, Kira had both beauty and skills. In this world where he could do as he pleased, Michael decided to make her his loyal servant to help him manage the organization.
When he released her, Kira's expression changed subtly, her gaze now filled with admiration and obedience.
"Take over here and prepare all the cash for me." Michael ordered.
"Yes, Master." Kira responded, and promptly left.
Michael then found Nick, Casey, and Casey's mother, who had been freed.
"Alright, I'll be absorbing your powers and altering your memories. Once you leave, you can live your lives without any connection to this place." Michael explained.
"Where's Kira?" Nick asked curiously.
"Don't ask questions you shouldn't." Michael replied coldly, grabbing Nick's arm. He absorbed Nick's powers and altered his memories.
He did the same with Casey's mother, who also had a powerful ability to foresee the future, stronger than Casey's own.
With everything settled, Michael let them go.
Now… this base was his, and he had two days to rest and… find Li Xiaolu!
---
Mind control is indeed a powerful skill. Kira was now a different person. Michael had erased any memories that could cause her to resist and replaced them with false ones, ensuring her complete loyalty.
Kira's ability to manipulate minds made it easy for her to maintain order within the base. As for the low-level guards, they didn't need to be controlled—just following the boss's orders would suffice. Kira collected all the cash in the base and handed it to Michael, a sum of around three million dollars in cash alone.
This type of organization lacked for nothing when it came to resources.
Michael chose not to absorb any more powers, as he could already feel instability in his body from the abilities he'd recently acquired, especially Casey's mother's.
"System, when can I unlock a second copy world?"
Michael sipped his drink, enjoying Kira's massage, and asked the system.
[With the next upgrade, a second dimension will unlock. However, upgrading requires significant energy, and without a strong power source, it will be difficult to achieve this quickly.]
The system responded.
"A powerful energy source?" Michael pondered, then asked, "What about the Aether? Could it serve as a power source? It's dangerous, but could the system store it safely?"
The system didn't answer right away, as though it was weighing the option.
The Aether is one of the Infinity Stones, more commonly known as the Reality Stone. It typically seeks a host to stabilize itself within a body, and few can handle its immense energy. Perhaps that's why the system hesitated.
"Yes, it can."
Michael's excitement was palpable.
If the system could safely store the Aether, its energy would almost certainly enable an upgrade, allowing Michael to open a second dimension. In that case, he wouldn't need to abandon this world.
If he remembered correctly, the events of *Thor: The Dark World* would be followed by *Captain America: The Winter Soldier*, leading to the disbanding of S.H.I.E.L.D., then *Guardians of the Galaxy*—though that had little to do with Earth—and then *Avengers: Age of Ultron*, when Ultron would emerge as a significant threat. Whether facing the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. or an enemy as powerful as Ultron, he would need to establish his own forces.
But for now, that was far off. He'd take things one step at a time.
Fortunately, with the decision to keep this dimension intact, he could fully commit to its development.
Three days passed quickly. From seizing control of the base to consolidating his new powers, the time flew by. Michael also tried searching for Li Xiaolu, but despite his stronger predictive abilities, he couldn't locate her. Resigned, he decided to wait for another opportunity to find her. Before leaving, he gave Kira some final instructions.
Her first objective was to continue developing genetic enhancements and training superpowered individuals. Her second was to keep generating income, and third, to find Li Xiaolu.
Once his directives were clear, Michael's time in this dimension ended, and he returned to his original point of entry.
Straightening his clothes, he withdrew some cash from his system space and left the facility.
Finding a nearby bank, Michael opened an account and deposited his earnings, verifying that the currency could indeed be used here. His efforts had paid off! Admittedly, he'd worried that the money would be considered invalid here, but luckily, it was accepted without issue.
Just as he stepped out of the bank, his phone rang.
"Hey, I trust you haven't forgotten what I told you? Where have you been these past three days? Why couldn't I reach you?" Phil Coulson's voice came over the line.