Space Power

Back on the third floor, the first thing Yuri did was activate all the various technological magic arrays in the room: isolation types, defense types, attack types, energy-gathering types... In an instant, countless flowing golden intricate patterns spread across the entire room.

The five people taking the exam on the second floor all looked up at the ceiling at the same time, but the next second, Vanax shook the "exam paper" in her hand and snarled fiercely, pulling the other four's thoughts back to reality: "What are you looking at! You're taking an exam right now!"

After all the arrays were fully activated, Yuri took out all the machines Howard had left in the underground lab from the Black Sphere. The dust covering them had long been removed inside the Black Sphere, and now they stood sharp-edged, gleaming with metallic luster.

The main material of these machines wasn't ordinary steel or alloy; they had excellent resistance and toughness against energy. It seemed they were some new type of alloy that Hydra had specifically sought out or invented to extract the Cosmic Cube's energy—after all, it was an energy beam capable of obliterating a tank in one shot. Without a vessel able to withstand its violent nature, anyone who tried to use it would turn to ash and scatter into nothing.

Under Yuri's control, the energy-gathering array converted all the energy absorbed from heaven and earth into electricity, and he also modified the machine ports into magical runes that could directly connect to the array. Without a doubt, if these machines were to resume operation now, the electrical power they consumed would be far beyond what 220V household voltage could supply. He didn't want to cause a large-scale power grid blackout like when Captain America was created.

Using his ability to "scan" each machine one by one, Yuri knew Howard might not have as many tricks up his sleeve as Tony, but he still had to be wary of whether the man had planted some means decades ago to prevent the machines from leaking or being taken.

"Nothing at all?"

Yuri checked again more carefully. These machines were completely clean—no traces of tampering on any parts or components, no foreign objects or dangerous items in the gaps.

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

He started the machines one by one, and a low hum along with a faint, ethereal blue light soon filled the entire third floor.

Yuri didn't know how much of the Cosmic Cube's energy remained in these machines, so he didn't dare hesitate. He immediately placed his palm on them and used his ability to perceive the machines' operating principles and specific functions.

"This one seals, this one compresses, this one regulates..."

Pieces of metal flew out from the Black Sphere and, under Yuri's control, quickly fused and reshaped into transmission tubes covered in runes, connecting the disassembled machines in order. A blindingly bright ethereal blue energy stream entered the first machine and flowed into the transmission tube. Visibly, the tubes made of ordinary metal instantly began to deform and collapse, but under the golden runes' effect, they ultimately carried the Cosmic Cube's energy and successfully delivered it into the second machine.

At that moment, the first machine's hum and the ethereal blue light flickering between its component gaps vanished simultaneously, while the second machine's hum and the ethereal blue light flickering between its component gaps burst forth brilliantly!

Yuri carefully made contact with the energy inside the machine, instinctively sensing its vast, boundless power and the characteristic of seemingly containing an entire universe. A surge of soul-deep longing erupted, driving him to approach and comprehend the mysteries within. The runes representing Super Speed spread across his body without him noticing, and lines of flowing circulation slowly but steadily carved out new pathways.

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

All the machines fell silent, leaving only a faint, ethereal blue light seeping from the gap of the "drawer" Yuri had first pulled open.

The runes representing Super Speed continued to spread and grow, interconnecting and intersecting, displaying a unique beauty. Yuri remained motionless, but the space around him rippled like water stirred by a gentle breeze, sending out circle after circle of tiny, spreading waves.

His brilliant golden pupils still shone brightly, but careful observation revealed the hollow emptiness hidden within.

At this moment, his consciousness followed an ethereal blue meteor flying who knew how far. He vaguely sensed the shifting of stars, the transformation of space, the birth and death of universes, but every time he tried to grasp it clearly, it was like looking through frosted glass—unable to see the truth...

Time ticked by, second by second. The sun unknowingly slanted westward. At some point, the Super Speed runes, now many times more complex and profound than before, finally stopped expanding and extending. At the same time, Yuri, who had been roaming through the vast and grand, finally woke up.

"Huff—"

The huge shift between reality and illusion made him uncomfortable. After taking a few deep breaths to calm his mind, he finally sensed the changes in himself.

Without any warning, his figure suddenly appeared at a corner wall over a dozen meters away. The next instant, he raised his hand to reach forward, but his entire arm eerily appeared in front of the drawer emitting the faint blue light.

"Space Power!"

Yuri instantly appeared before his "severed arm" and rejoined it. The reason for this miraculous scene was none other than the spatial attribute he had comprehended from the Cosmic Cube. Though he was completely baffled and couldn't grasp the method, Super Speed had actively absorbed and assimilated this higher-order attribute energy, allowing Yuri to use it without knowing the how or why.

A strange expression flickered across Yuri's face. What was this?

Had his body already matured and learned to improve itself?

But an increase in strength was undoubtedly a good thing: not only was his speed now a level above before, but he could also perform short-distance teleportation within a 20-meter radius—no startup, no process, just a thought and he arrived at the destination!

Like a child who had just gotten a new toy, Yuri kept practicing his use of space power. Thanks to the Mutants' powerful combat instincts, he quickly developed a series of practical abilities like Front and Back Pincer, I Split Open, and Foot of Great Radiance.

Just as he was about to keep going, he felt immense fatigue: not only the depletion of energy within his body, but also mental exhaustion.

Yuri realized that with his current body's energy storage and energy grade, it simply couldn't support prolonged use of a high-level energy like Space Power. Helpless, he had to step into the energy-gathering array, charging up while calculating his limits based on his recent usage.

"Thirty-three times."

In his state of knowing the effect but not the cause, whether teleporting or doing anything else, all he could do was use Space Power to anchor a certain position, then use Space Power to move to that anchored position. In this case, whether moving one meter or twenty meters, the consumption of Space Power was exactly the same. And his current limit was thirty-three anchors and displacements.

"And this is supposed to be control?"

Yuri frowned and pulled open the drawer. Inside lay twelve square blue cubes, each the size of a fingertip. He waved his hand to store them safely somewhere in the Black Sphere's space, then packed away the machines, now as worthless as scrap metal without their energy source.

"Energy, energy..."

He glanced at the clock on the wall—7:25—and muttered, "Time is running out for me."