Bloodline Upgrade - Viltrumite Soldier

A-Train is coming to Brooklyn tomorrow?

Lu Heng stared at the news on his phone, his mind racing.

A community run event was, to put it bluntly, just a PR stunt orchestrated by Vought.

A-Train would run a set route with cheering crowds lining both sides, drones filming, live broadcasts, and autograph sessions afterward to boost his popularity.

A perfect offline engagement.

But in the original story, it was right around the time of this public event that A-Train, high on an overdose of Compound V, sprinted at full speed through the streets and turned Hughie's girlfriend into a bloody mist.

He tapped on the news details, where the event route map had been released.

The starting point was Brooklyn Bridge Park, running all the way along Atlantic Avenue to Prospect Park, a total distance of about six kilometers.

And Hughie's electronics store was right next to Atlantic Avenue.

It looked like it was going to be tomorrow!

Current Ability Points: 6,217 / 10,000

Lu Heng popped up his panel.

The speed of collecting ability points online was getting faster and faster.

Mainstream media was pushing the name "Guardian" out to the masses.

However, before that, it would be best to get an upgrade.

With his current strength, trying to intercept A-Train was still not very reliable.

The kinetic energy of A-Train sprinting at full speed was terrifying; if he intercepted him with the wrong posture, he could end up killing everyone in the vicinity.

If Hughie were to be barbecued, it would certainly change the fate of a key character.

But whether the system would grant a reward for that was another matter entirely.

With four thousand ability points still needed, relying solely on passive online collection was too slow!

He had to take the initiative.

Lu Heng scanned the streets of Brooklyn; there was much less super-powered crime during the day compared to the rampant chaos of last night.

He figured that after he had swept through them, many criminals didn't dare to show their faces.

But he had a better way.

The livestream channel of that Black kid from last night had already surpassed one hundred thousand followers and was still growing.

The most common comment in the section was: When will the Guardian appear?

Lu Heng found an empty alley, took off his hoodie, and revealed the cheap clothes he wore underneath.

He rose directly from the alley, shooting up into the Brooklyn skyline.

It was broad daylight, and the sun was shining brightly.

A figure hovered in the sky thirty stories up, casting a shadow over the streets below.

A very high-profile entrance.

"Look! It's the Guardian!"

"He's appeared again!"

"Quick, film it, film it!"

Lu Heng didn't rush to fly away.

He deliberately paused in the air for over ten seconds, allowing enough people to capture him on camera.

Then, he unleashed a full-speed sprint, pushing directly to his subsonic limit.

An afterimage pierced the sky over Brooklyn; while he wasn't moving fast enough to create a sonic boom, the wake of his flight was clearly visible in the sunlight, like a white ribbon hanging in the sky.

The streets below erupted in gasps.

Videos were being frantically uploaded to phones.

Twitter, Instagram, TikTok... the hashtag #GuardianAppearsInDaylight surged to the top of the trending topics within ten minutes.

The numbers on his panel began to jump wildly.

+87 +134 +56 +203 +91 +167 +78 +245...

Lu Heng curled his lips into a smile.

Traffic was all about farming exposure.

He couldn't stop; if he stopped, the momentum would die.

He flew two laps over Brooklyn to ensure people from every angle could get clear footage, then dove headlong into another street.

Just in time.

He heard a commotion.

A residential building was billowing thick smoke, and tongues of fire were licking out from a fifth-floor window.

The fire trucks were still on their way, and a large crowd had gathered downstairs, with some people screaming.

"There are still people trapped inside!"

A woman was slumped on a fifth-floor windowsill, clutching a child to her chest as thick smoke billowed out from behind her.

This scene was simply perfect!

Saving people in full view of the public was the most efficient way to harvest emotions.

Lu Heng dove straight toward them from the sky.

The wind whistled.

The crowd below was startled by the sound of him breaking the sound barrier, then they caught sight of the figure.

"It's the Guardian!"

Lu Heng reached the fifth-floor window in three seconds.

A wave of heat hit his face, the temperature soaring, but his bio-field kept the heat away from his skin; he didn't even break a sweat.

"Give me the child."

The woman was paralyzed with fear, clutching the child tightly with vacant eyes.

Lu Heng had no time to wait for her to react. He wrapped one arm around her waist and used the other to shield the child, carrying both of them as he flew straight out of the window.

Three seconds later, they landed steadily on the ground below.

The woman collapsed to the ground the moment her feet touched the earth.

She held a child of about three or four years old, whose face was covered in soot, but fortunately, the child was uninjured and staring blankly at Lu Heng.

Then, the child reached out a soot-stained little hand and touched Lu Heng's face.

Click! Click!

Camera flashes went off, freezing the moment in time.

The reporter's eyes were filled with fanaticism as he constantly adjusted his angle.

This silhouette, this lighting, this composition, the significance of this image... I'm going to win the damn Pulitzer Prize for this!

The surrounding crowd erupted completely at the sight.

Lu Heng stood in the center of the crowd, and the numbers on his panel scrolled like a floodgate had been opened.

+346 +512 +287 +198 +423 +156 +378 +267 +445...

Total for this session: +4,127

He was stunned for a moment.

Over four thousand? Over four thousand from just one act?

I worked all night last night and didn't get as much as this single moment!

Current Ability Points: 10,344 / 10,000

The panel shuddered violently, and several golden, glowing characters appeared.

[Ability points full! Bloodline upgrade conditions met!]

[Upgrade to Lv.2: Viltrumite Soldier immediately?]

[Warning: The upgrade process will take approximately 30 seconds, during which the body may release energy fluctuations.]

Lu Heng glanced around.

This place wouldn't do.

He nodded to the crowd as a farewell, then tapped his toes against the ground and shot straight into the sky.

He pushed his speed to the limit.

Ten seconds later, he was already hovering above an abandoned industrial zone.

Below lay desolate factory buildings and empty parking lots, with not a soul in sight.

Lu Heng hovered in mid-air and took a deep breath.

"Upgrade."

The next moment.

An unprecedented power erupted from the depths of his bone marrow.

Every muscle fiber in his body was being reconstructed, his bones became denser, and it felt as if a star were slowly igniting within him.

Expanding heat spread from his core to his limbs.

The bio-field on Lu Heng's skin expanded suddenly, shimmering ripples radiating outward from his body like water disturbed by a thrown stone.

He stood in mid-air, the air beneath his feet pushed away by the force field to form a visible spherical shockwave.

Dust on the ground instantly kicked up.

The transformation process lasted for a full half-minute before slowly returning to calm.

Lu Heng lowered his head to look at his hands.

There was no significant change from before, but he could feel that every breath he took and every slight movement was completely different from before.

The actual change—it was worlds apart!

He clenched his fist tightly.

The air let out a sharp "pop."

This was a display of pure power; that single motion of clenching his hand had actually generated a micro-sonic boom around his fist.

What did generating a sonic boom signify?

The panel refreshed and popped up with new information.

[Bloodline upgrade complete]

Bloodline Rank: Viltrumite Soldier

Strength: 62 tons

Speed: 1.8 times the speed of sound

Defense: Immune to heavy weaponry, such as missiles

Flight: Supersonic

Space Survival: 2 hours

Bio-force Field: Intermediate

New Skills Unlocked: Viltrumite War Cry, Bloodline Perception

Battle Suit: Soldier Battle Suit - Unlocked (Summonable)

Ability Points: 344 / 100,000 (Next Level: Lv.3 Elite Warrior)

Sixty-two tons.

That was nearly eight times what it had been before.

Supersonic flight, and not even missiles could kill him.

Lu Heng slowly exhaled, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

And the battle suit was unlocked!

Whether it was strong or not was secondary; looking cool was eternal!

With a thought, he activated it.

A layer of dark gray substance seeped out from his skin, spreading like liquid metal, covering his entire body in just two seconds.

It was a dark gray, skin-tight combat suit with a metallic sheen on its surface.

Right in the center of the chest was a winged "V" totem.

It was dark gold, understated yet highly recognizable.

The design was minimalist and sophisticated, far superior to the cheap undershirt he had been wearing.

Lu Heng looked himself over and nodded in satisfaction.