White Robe Gandalf

"What did you see?" Upon hearing this, the thin black man, George Carl, straightened his back. No one likes to have their life spied on, especially if certain unknown fetishes are made public; that would be social death for him.

"You possess extraordinary abilities within you." Doctor Death ignored George Carl's reaction, mechanically reciting his own lines. "Perhaps you yourself have noticed that you differ from others in certain ways; this is the perception arising from your latent power."

Everyone goes through a phase of youthful idealism, fantasizing that they are unique and one of a kind in the world. The harsh reality can feel like a slap in the face, but this is the Marvel World, where anything is possible.

Even if you're an addict who breaks into a lab to get some medication to relieve your symptoms and accidentally drinks a potion prepared by the lab owner, you might still make contact with a newly born universe, gain the power of a million exploding stars, and thus become a superhero.

Having his long-held thoughts touched upon, George Carl looked at the serious-faced old man before him with anticipation and asked, "What is my ability?"

"I don't know," Doctor Death said. "Your power is currently dormant, like Schrödinger's cat. Before observation, it's a superimposed contradictory state. We can only know the result after opening the container."

As he spoke, Doctor Death entered the password to open the briefcase, took out one of the twenty-six neatly arranged large USB Drive, and pushed the USB Drive with a huge "A" logo off the table to George Carl.

"It's a coincidence that I've been researching people with latent power, and I have my own research on activating the power you possess. This is a tool I made; using it, you can rediscover your true self."

George Carl picked up the USB Drive and examined it closely. He initially thought it was just an ordinary object, but after a couple of seconds, he discovered that this thing that looked like USB Drive actually had a life of its own, responding to his presence.

"How... how do I use it?" Holding the USB Drive tightly in his hand, George Carl felt as if he were holding the future in his grasp.

His father disappeared when his mother was pregnant with him. Born prematurely, he was weak and unable to excel in sports like other Black children. He could only think about learning to change his fate and escape the quagmire of the Black community where there was no hope of advancement.

But with his mother working alone, George Carl couldn't afford expensive private schools, and the "happy education" in public schools didn't teach anything useful... No, the Black teacher with a certain level of higher education taught them how to behave when facing the police, otherwise they would be shot dead on the spot because of their skin color.

This is the most useful knowledge George Carl has ever possessed.

Even though public schools teach useful things, the environment doesn't allow him to study properly. In Black communities, and indeed in all public schools, nerds are isolated figures; girls are attracted to tall, brainless guys like the football team captain.

To avoid being isolated, or even ridiculed like a clown, George Carl joined a clique, engaging in petty theft and bullying other students alongside them. He strayed from his initial dreams and became increasingly aimless.

In schools, physical contact between teachers and students is not allowed. It is considered harassment or bullying by the teacher as an act of power.

After barely graduating from high school, George Carl joined a gang of Bad Ghost Gang with his friends. His future seemed to consist of nothing but prison and cemeteries. But the appearance of this old white man gave him a chance to turn his life around.

Hearing George Carl getting more and more involved, one of the Bad Ghost Gang couldn't sit still any longer. He slammed his fist on the table, wincing in pain from his injuries. "You white pig, trying to scam money with a few USB Drive? Do you know who we are?!"

The gang member thought that if Doctor Death was a fraud, he could extort money from him by force, since the other party must have a lot of cash on him, given how readily he handed over the money.

If what Doctor Death said is true, that would be even better. There were more than twenty large USB Drive drives in that suitcase, enough for everyone present to have one. After gaining superpowers, he would definitely no longer be a street thug.

As for what he can do in the future, with his intelligence, which is no better than that of a chimpanzee, he can't think of anything.

To bolster the gang's morale, the others stood up, looking menacing. The bar owner quickly covered his head and shrank under the counter to avoid being caught in the crossfire, while also complaining that he was going to lose money again that day.

"As a demonstration, I'll show you my abilities." Without turning his head, Doctor Death waved his hand casually, as if shooing away a fly. A bolt of electricity shot out from his hand, knocking unconscious the street thug who had first stepped forward.

Seeing this, the other members of the Bad Ghost Gang stopped themselves from going forward to Doctor Death. After muttering a few curses, they subconsciously backed away.

Doctor Death downed the beer in one gulp, then looked at George Carl, whose face was filled with disbelief, and said, "Well, have you made your decision?"

"Then, sir, what price must I pay to obtain this power?" George Carl gripped the USB Drive tighter.

"Fifty thousand dollars." Doctor Death casually quoted a price, knowing from the troubled look on George Carl's face that a small-time crook like him definitely couldn't come up with that much money, but this was within his expectations.

"Don't worry, as a being beyond human comprehension, I won't be so harsh on you. Besides, my product is consumable; it will lose its effectiveness after a few uses." Doctor Death looked at George Carl and said, "This one in your hand is a trial version. You can use it to earn money to buy a second one from me—once you possess power, money won't be a problem. In other words, being able to buy power for fifty thousand dollars is a great deal."

George Carl nodded and said, "I promise you."

"Very good," Doctor Death said. "From now on, I will come to this bar for a little while every week at this time. If you have made enough money, come find me."

Having achieved his goal, Doctor Death closed his briefcase and was about to leave when George Carl stopped him. "Excuse me, how should I address you, and how do I use this?"

Doctor Death said, "This thing is the Gaia Memory. Press the button on the side to activate it, and then just press the interface against your body."

"As for me, you may call me Gandalf, White Robe Gandalf."