Social Experiment

In a world where superheroes seem far from rare, how does one hide their special abilities while still making constant progress?

This must be explained by the origins that make up these superheroes.

Top-tier combat units are basically divided into three categories: technological, mutant, and magical.

Technology is the primary productive force, and among the factors that trigger mutations, technology-led causes account for more than half.

Looking at the situation in the Marvel world, occultism, represented by magic, is basically equivalent to "over-modeled" technology that hasn't been cracked yet.

Therefore, to hide the identity of a magic-side caster, a scientist's cover identity could not be better.

At the very least, if some major commotion is stirred up, it can largely avoid the gaze of certain troublesome fellows.

Isn't it standard operating procedure for scientists in the Marvel world to cause a bit of a stir?

Take the representative Bruce Banner, for example. He created a big guy like the Hulk; have you seen Kamar-Taj or Asgard come looking for him?

Well, as for why one needs to hide...

Haven't you heard that reaching the max level is only the beginning?

The waters of this world run so deep; if you don't develop in a low-profile manner, do you want a certain Sorcerer Supreme to wipe you directly from the timeline?

In short, after six years of low-profile development and obtaining a doctorate in biology, Oaks finally had a certain degree of confidence in securing the opportunity to live to the end in this seemingly precarious world.

However, he soon declined the invitation to stay at the university and left. The doctorate was just for cover; he had no intention of spending too much effort on it.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen Cornell, which was closest to home.

During these six years, Oaks's mastery of the power of nature and his studies went hand in hand, complementing each other.

Indeed, in a sense, magic and science have common ground.

The orange cat form was the ground travel form Oaks chose; it could basically reach most parts of the city and was completely inconspicuous.

Plus, it came with a movement speed bonus.

The orange cat ran and jumped skillfully through the streets and alleys. The place Oaks was heading to was a "social experiment" he had spent his entire fortune on after graduating with his doctorate—

He had rented a large abandoned factory in the poorest district of Brooklyn and transformed it into an ecological testing ground.

"Little Rainforest."

This was no ordinary ecological park; inside the towering walls were special magical plants developed by Oaks.

As for why it was a "social experiment"—

"Line up! Everyone line the hell up! Take your share and get moving!"

At the entrance of Little Rainforest, a fierce-looking Latino brute waved a baseball bat in his right hand, directing several black men to maintain order.

"If anyone dares to cut the line or loot, your corpse will be hanging on the basketball court's chain-link fence by tomorrow! I guarantee it!"

His left lower leg was gone, so he needed to lean on a single crutch with his left hand, but the poor people present respected him greatly.

This was the poorest area in Brooklyn, with African Americans and Latinos making up the main population.

It was dirty, dilapidated, and filled with violence and crime—simply two different worlds compared to the western and southern districts just a few blocks away.

Not to mention compared to the bustling Manhattan.

Yet here at Little Rainforest, the poor were actually able to barely form a line under the supervision of the men maintaining order, receiving items in front of a stall run by a group of black and Latino brutes.

While queuing, their faces were full of urgency and longing, and when they received the items, they were full of joy.

Because this was high-quality fresh fruit comparable to the most upscale fruit shops in Manhattan; most of them, who relied on social welfare to survive, would normally have no chance to enjoy such things.

Delicious, nutritious, and free.

It was said that this was welfare distributed by a mysterious big shot for the most destitute group among the poor.

Although not much, it was already precious to them.

This welfare was only for the elderly, young, sick, and disabled who could not survive on their own, and it had a strict screening mechanism.

If anyone wanted to try and cheat the system, the elderly and young were one thing, but this group of brutes would make them truly sick or disabled.

If things got even more out of hand, there might not be corpses on the basketball court's fence, but the plants in Little Rainforest would certainly grow more vigorously.

In this place, the disappearance of a few people who likely didn't even have household registrations was the most normal thing in the world.

A pair of emerald cat eyes watched the crowd in front of Little Rainforest coldly.

Hmph... quite clever. Every time a camera is installed in the surrounding blocks, it gets smashed. The police can't even be bothered to care.

Oaks paced with cat-like steps, nimbly slipping through a small gap in the wall to carefully inspect his testing ground.

The main purpose of this mysterious "social experiment" was to study the effects of magical plants on ordinary people.

From environmental impact to the effects of consuming the fruit, as well as the self-defense capabilities of the testing ground.

Oaks was no misanthrope; the reason he conducted this experiment here was purely because...

Not long after he first transmigrated, Oaks had come here once and was kidnapped by a few vicious thugs.

They not only wanted to sell the handsome-looking Oaks, but also wanted to... cough... before that.

In short, Oaks didn't hold back that time; the anger of two lifetimes turned into primitive savagery, and he vented it all that day.

The nearby police station was on high alert for a while afterward, searching everywhere for large beasts.

Oaks's perspective on these slum dwellers shifted from calm to indifferent.

Since it had gotten off to a bad start, he no longer felt any psychological burden.

He hadn't intended to retaliate against everyone in the slums; he had merely starved a few batches of drug-addicted criminals for a few days and thrown them in for experimentation.

But he hadn't expected that with just a little guidance, the strange phenomenon of the Little Rainforest would miraculously persist.

The first criminal he threw in was the burly Latino man now maintaining order, while the people maintaining order were from later batches.

Whether they saw it as a gift from God or a blessing from Mother Earth...

In short, Oaks would temporarily have no contact with them unless absolutely necessary. With his methods, these people wouldn't be able to trace any connection between here and him.

After his inspection and collection of new data, Oaks was quite satisfied.

However, as he prepared to leave, a commotion outside caught his attention.

It was normal for this place to be a bit chaotic, but this time, amidst the screams and the heavily accented English pleas for mercy, there were a few rather spirited remarks...

"Hmph, you can watch the excitement at home, but not abroad... It's one thing not to let us watch, but to lay hands on us is truly uncivilized!"

"Ah! My phone... Oh well, it's a domestic model anyway, no signal here, I was going to replace it, consider it a down payment for your coffins!"

"For the past few days, I've felt breathless upon waking, yet my body remains as robust as ever. After much thought, it must be the air. Seeing you in the air today, it's understandable that it's polluted!"

"Ah! Don't hit my face!"

Cold sweat broke out on Oaks's round head.

That's right, those few sentences with strong personal characteristics were spoken in Chinese.

Hopping onto the fence, Oaks saw a Chinese youth wearing black-rimmed glasses being held by two large black men and thrown onto the street.

As the youth groaned, a Nokia phone flew out again, hitting him squarely on the nose.

With a pained cry, the youth, tears streaming down his face, fell. Struggling, he shouted in English the most common piece of advice he'd seen on forums before going abroad--

"Don't call an ambulance!"