Space Power

Back on the third floor, Yuri's first move was to activate every kind of technological magic array in the room: barriers, defenses, attacks, energy gathering... In an instant, countless flowing golden runes spread across the entire room.

The five guys taking their exam on the second floor all looked up at the ceiling in unison. The next second, Vanax shook the "test paper" in her hand and glared at the others, dragging their thoughts back to reality. "What are you looking at? You're taking an exam!"

Once all the arrays were active, Yuri took every machine Howard had left in the underground lab out of the Black Sphere. The dust covering them had already been removed inside the sphere. Now, their sharp edges gleamed with a metallic sheen.

The main material of these machines wasn't ordinary steel or alloy. They had excellent resistance and resilience to energy, so Hydra had probably sought out or invented some kind of new alloy specifically to extract energy from the Cosmic Cube. After all, an energy beam powerful enough to vaporize a tank in one shot would turn anyone who tried to use it into ash unless they had something capable of withstanding its violent properties.

Under Yuri's control, the energy-gathering array converted all the energy absorbed from the world around them into electricity. He also modified the ports on each machine into magical runes that could connect directly to the array. There was no doubt that if he got these machines running again, the electricity they consumed would far exceed what an ordinary 220-volt household supply could provide. He didn't want to cause a widespread power outage like he had when he created Captain America.

He used his ability to "see through" each machine one by one. Howard didn't have as many tricks up his sleeve as Tony, but Yuri still had to check whether he'd planted some kind of safeguard decades ago to prevent the machines from being leaked or taken away.

"Nothing?"

Yuri checked even more carefully several times. The machines were spotless inside. None of their parts showed signs of tampering, and there was nothing hidden in the gaps—not even dangerous objects.

Since you're being so honest, Howard, I won't hold back!

Yuri started the machines one by one. Soon, a low hum and a faint blue glow filled the entire third floor.

Yuri didn't know how much energy from the Cosmic Cube remained in the machines, so he didn't dare waste a second. He immediately placed his hand on them and used his ability to sense how they worked and what each one did.

"This one stores energy, this one compresses it, this one regulates it..."

Metal pieces flew out of the Black Sphere. Under Yuri's control, they quickly fused and reshaped into rune-covered conduits, connecting the disassembled machines in the proper order. A blinding stream of blue energy flowed from the first machine into the conduits. The ordinary metal pipes visibly began to warp and crumble, but the bright golden runes held them together, allowing them to carry the Cosmic Cube's energy safely into the second machine.

At that moment, the first machine's hum stopped, and the blue light shining through the gaps between its components vanished. Meanwhile, the second machine's hum grew louder, and the blue glow shining through its components flared to life!

Yuri cautiously reached out to the energy inside the machine. Instinctively, he felt its boundless power and the sense that it contained the universe itself. A desire rising from his soul surged forth, urging him to draw closer and understand its mysteries. The runes representing Super Speed unknowingly spread across his entire body, and their flowing, interlocking lines slowly but surely opened up new paths.

"Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink..."

All the machines fell silent. Only a faint blue glow remained, spilling through the gap in the first "drawer" Yuri had pulled open.

The runes representing Super Speed continued to spread and grow, connecting and intersecting in a pattern of striking beauty. Yuri held perfectly still, but the space around him rippled like water stirred by a breeze, sending out one small, lingering wave after another.

His golden eyes still shone brilliantly, but a closer look revealed a hollow, lifeless quality hidden within them.

At that moment, his thoughts were following a blue shooting star, flying an unknown distance. He vaguely sensed the movement of stars, the shifting of space, the birth and death of the universe. But every time he tried to grasp it more clearly, it was as if a pane of frosted glass stood between him and the truth...

Time passed, second by second. The sun slowly sank westward, unnoticed. At last, the Super Speed runes—now several times more complex and profound than before—stopped expanding. At the same time, Yuri finally awoke from his journey through the vast, magnificent cosmos.

"Whew—"

The dizzying shift between illusion and reality left him feeling uncomfortable. After a few deep breaths to steady himself, he finally noticed the changes in his body.

Without warning, he suddenly appeared in a corner more than ten meters away. The next moment, he reached out, but his entire arm inexplicably appeared in front of the drawer glowing with a faint blue light.

"Space Power!"

Yuri instantly appeared beside his "severed arm" and reunited with it. The reason he could perform this incredible feat was none other than the spatial attribute he had comprehended from the Cosmic Cube. He was completely baffled and had no idea how it worked, but Super Speed had actively absorbed and assimilated this higher-level energy attribute, allowing him to use it without understanding the underlying principles.

A strange expression crossed Yuri's face. What was this supposed to mean?

Had his body grown up and learned to improve itself?

Still, the increase in strength was unquestionably a good thing. He was now not only even faster than before, but could also teleport short distances within a twenty-meter radius. No windup, no travel—he only had to think of a destination, and he was there!

Like a child who'd just gotten a new toy, Yuri kept practicing his use of spatial abilities. Thanks to the Mutants' powerful instincts for combat and killing, he quickly came up with a series of useful techniques, including Front and Back Pincer, I Split Open, and Foot of Great Radiance.

Just as he was about to keep going, he was overcome by exhaustion—not only from his dwindling energy, but also from mental fatigue.

Only then did Yuri realize that his body's current energy reserves and energy level were nowhere near enough to sustain prolonged use of a high-level energy like Space Power. Reluctantly, he stepped into the energy-gathering array to recharge while calculating his limits based on what he'd just done.

"Thirty-three times."

Without understanding how it worked, whether teleporting or doing something else, all he could do was use Space Power to anchor a location, then use it again to move to that anchored spot. Under these conditions, the energy cost was exactly the same whether he moved one meter or twenty. His current limit was thirty-three anchors and displacements.

"What kind of control is that?"

Yuri frowned as he opened the drawer. Twelve square blue cubes, each about the size of a fingertip, lay quietly inside. He waved his hand, storing them safely in a corner of the Black Sphere's inner space. Then he put away the machines, now no better than scrap metal without their energy source.

"Energy, energy..."

He glanced at the wall clock. It was 7:25. "I don't have much time left."