NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: Hard to choose!!!
In the living room, May settled down after completing her household chores and cooking, watching a Korean drama on television while repeatedly glancing at the clock.
"Where is he...?" she whispered with worry, thinking about her beloved nephew, who had become everything to her since her husband's untimely death.
[--9:50 PM--]
She let out a sigh, unable to focus on the TV show as her thoughts drifted to unsettling concerns. The last time Peter came home late, he had been badly hurt, and she dreaded the possibility of a similar situation occurring again.
She had messaged him, but he hadn't responded yet, which only heightened her unease.
May remembered how shaken she felt when she found Peter covered in bruises and with a bleeding head. Since that incident, Peter had changed; he seemed to have matured and become different. She suspected he was dealing with some kind of trauma.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
"Could that be Peter?" She quickly got up, opened the door, and found Peter standing there, unharmed this time. With a deep breath of relief, she exclaimed, "Goodness! Peter!! Where have you been?" She clutched her chest and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the house.
[POV: Peter]
"Uhh..." I paused for a moment, then looked at May, who appeared worried as she focused her serious gaze on me.
"May… I went to a dojo to learn self-defence," I told her honestly because there was nothing to conceal.
May seemed taken aback; her expression was surprised when I first mentioned wanting to join a gym, and now I was discussing a dojo.
"What's going on, Peter?" she asked in a tone filled with concern, examining my face.
"Peter, please don't keep anything from me. I know you've been through a lot, but I'm here for you," she urged as she embraced me tightly.
I felt a bit surprised by the depth of her concern for me. I had never experienced this kind of care before. My mother had passed away from cancer when I was young, leaving me traumatized and in despair.
Having someone worry about you feels unusual, yet it warms my heart.
"I'm sorry, May, for making you anxious." I hugged her back tightly, but other thoughts began to distract me. What if she discovered I wasn't the original Peter, but rather an otherworldly soul that had taken over his body? She would surely despise me if she learned the truth.
But for now, I didn't care. I had someone who cared about me, and I would make sure she didn't meet the same fate as in the original MCU. In a world filled with constant chaos and disasters, peace of mind seemed difficult to achieve.
As we pulled away from the hug—one that I cherished, as it felt incredible—I shrugged.
"Now come on, let's eat! You must be starving!" She led me to the dining table and served my food. During dinner, May shared stories about her busy day as a nurse managing patient care.
After washing the dishes, I went to my bedroom and locked the door while May drifted off to sleep, but not before giving me a warm embrace.
As much as I would love to go out and confront some thugs for money, I had something significant to accomplish.
"Well... here it goes!"
I accessed my inventory and retrieved a few new laptops I had bought earlier with the money I obtained from those thugs.
I placed one of the laptops on my desk, connected it to the internet, powered it on and began browsing online for college-level textbooks that were available.
First, I searched for digital books about mathematics and science at the university level and started reviewing the material with a notebook for calculations.
[2 hours later]
I paused from reading and note-taking, coming out of my concentration. "Wow... it never ceases to amaze me how easily I grasp everything," I murmured, picking up a book related to Python, cryptography, network security, and programming.
Soon, I absorbed a wealth of concepts and ideas, especially regarding hacking and cryptography, which would benefit me in the future to avoid being hacked by S.H.I.E.L.D. or any other organizations. I was determined to make sure no one could access any social media accounts that I will create in future .
"Now it's time to put all the knowledge I've acquired into practice," I grinned and began constructing an anonymous laptop from the components of the other laptops I purchased.
This new anonymous laptop would be more secure against hacking and tracking. I was amazed at how advanced the IT field was in this world compared to my previous one; perhaps it was due to the larger number of scientists here.
With this advanced laptop, I could navigate the internet in every conceivable way, and any accounts I set up would be untraceable. It would be as if all my online actions were like a ghost, with nothing being linked back to me. I smirked at my creation, filled with pride.
"Hah..." I let out a weary sigh as I glanced at the clock—it was already 2 AM. "Damn... I need to get some sleep. I can finish this later."
I need to gather as much money as I can before Tony gets kidnapped on his Afghanistan trip, especially since Bitcoin will be launched in 2009.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and summoned the "system," as a blue panel materialized.
[prototype evolutionary system]
-Abilities-
[Appraisal]- The host can identify anything as per the host's strength]
[Merge/Evolution]-Host can merge sentience/Non-sentience and gain Abilities into himself or objects ]
[WARNING -Host can't merge beyond his current limit of body/some special cases]
[After merging with the main body host will get their basic abilities and their weakness but host can train to reduce weaknesses]
[Inventory]--- Host can store non-living objects in the infinite space of the system.
After examining the information on the panel, I asked a question ,
"System, how long until the next fusion occurs?"
[The host requires an additional 2-3 days since gene fusion is intricate.]
"Why is there a delay after each merge?" I asked in frustration, realizing I needed to adjust my plans and select suitable insects, as I didn't want to wait for the next fusion that could take months.
[Because the host's body remains human, the integration with each cell will vary in duration depending on the species the host assimilates with.]
"I understand..," I muttered.
"So will the next fusion take even longer?" I asked to clarify my uncertainties.
[Yes, host.]
"Damn... what should I select for the next fusion?" I pondered which abilities were essential for my survival.
"Perhaps regeneration? Or some form of adaptive abilities? But which insects or species should I choose?" I considered while browsing data online about various insect types and their abilities.