A Much-Welcomed Kidnapping

"Sean..."

Vanessa murmured weakly:

"That ability you mentioned, is it rapid recovery?... If it is, give it to me now!!"

"Uh~"

"Hurry up!"

Sean was conflicted. He was a little worried about what their dynamic would become after Vanessa got on the Black Ledger. Once time passed and the changes seeped in unnoticed... he really did not dare imagine what might happen.

"What are you waiting for?"

Vanessa shot him an annoyed look. "You don't believe in yourself?"

"I really don't..."

"Hurry up and stop dragging your feet! I feel like I'm dying!"

"!!"

Sean's eye twitched. Vanessa was using Elektra's DNA right now... a peak human physique. Only a fool would believe her. She was just tired, at most with a few minor scrapes that barely even counted as injuries.

Vanessa did not mind, and after hesitating, Sean traded the super recovery ability to her through a long-term loan.

Sean was quite friendly to Vanessa. She could pay it off early.

If possible, he still hoped Vanessa could settle this debt as soon as possible.

Vanessa stared curiously as the scrape on her knee healed instantly, looking somewhat incredulous.

"This is really amazing, but... why hasn't my stamina recovered? Isn't it called a recovery ability?"

That stumped Sean. He did not have that ability himself, so how would he know? But if it could not restore stamina... then it would barely improve Vanessa's combat power in certain matters.

Naturally, Vanessa had thought of the same thing. Her eyes widened, and those cold Elektra-brand eyes gave off a trace of killing intent!

"Get out! Don't come back for three days!"

"..." That was too ruthless. Three whole days~

Fine~

He would obediently get out. Vanessa had really been put through the wringer this time. Three days~ How was he supposed to live?

With no car and no money, Sean could only walk all the way to the clinic.

Doctor Ava Ellis was as enthusiastic as ever. Her smooth, watery eyes seemed capable of blooming with flirtatious charm.

As usual, Sean ignored her.

It was not that Sean found her annoying. The main problem was that the more attention he gave her... the more excited she got. She could turn it into a full-blown peach blossom affair.

After changing into his white coat, Sean sat behind his desk and began to think.

He felt that the Ledger's current loan model had limited profitability. Although the markup was quite high, there were not many people who could actually pay. In the end, it was all just paper profit that could not be realized.

The deal he had made with Vanessa today was the one with the greatest future potential: selling superpowers...

If this business expanded, he would definitely land a few major clients—the U.S. military, S.H.I.E.L.D., and other large organizations. Those institutions were not short on money. By then, selling a superpower for several times its original price would be pure profit!

He could even offer superpower rentals and customized superpowers~

Tsk~ He would make money until his hands went numb!

But those were matters for the future. For now, he was still in the primitive accumulation stage.

Linda Carter entered carrying a small notebook.

"Doctor White, there are two special patients. Since you weren't here, I had them leave their contact information."

Linda handed the notebook to Sean, then continued:

"Also, Miss Gwen Stacy called. She said she would come visit you today."

Sean looked up. "When was the last time I made a house call at the hospital?"

"May 13th, three days ago."

"Has it been that long already~" Sean's eyes widened slightly before he continued, "Don't contact the one named Lester. Have the other one come this afternoon."

"All right, Doctor White."

Linda walked out, seeming to move with a catwalk-like sway. Sean could not help taking another look at her swaying back.

Tsk~ Why had this girl started copying Ava lately?

Bullseye Lester~ Heh heh?

He actually wanted treatment here. His information network was pretty good.

Elektra had bought that illness. Doing business from both ends was not very ethical. Besides, she was Vanessa's good friend. Fine, he would do Vanessa a favor. It definitely was not because Vanessa had turned into Elektra last night.

Boring~

He turned on the television.

A breaking news report immediately came on.

"The famous playboy and billionaire Tony Stark, who disappeared three days ago, has been confirmed to have been kidnapped by a terrorist organization. Please watch the video released by the terrorists." (Note 1)

Sean blinked, his mind a little muddled.

Everything had been fine before. How had he suddenly been kidnapped?

Sean lowered his head and glanced at the newspaper on his desk. Every page carried news about Tony Stark's disappearance in Afghanistan.

So he had missed it~

On the television, Tony Stark knelt on the ground with bandages wrapped around his chest, while a masked terrorist held a gun to his head. Another stood beside him, reading out their demands and firmly declaring that if America caused them trouble again, they would kill Tony Stark.

Tony Stark looked rather pitiful. The bandages on his chest were still stained with blood.

Who could have imagined that this playboy would later build a crude suit of armor under the terrorists' watch and escape alive?

Then Tony Stark would begin his legendary life as Iron Man, until his final curtain call as a hero!

What a miraculous man!

This man seemed very rich!

Sean's little brain began turning as he considered how to make a huge profit from this man.

But after thinking it over, he realized that by weight, this man was no different from anyone else. He was only worth a hundred or two hundred thousand, which was not interesting.

It seemed he still had to focus on superpowers. Only something like that could sell for a price far beyond its inherent value.

Actually, given the Black Ledger's abilities, selling lifespans and youth would be the truly profitable method.

Sean simply did not want to deal with those elderly rich people. They had too many schemes.

Exhausting!

The patient Linda had notified arrived very quickly. While Sean was still watching the news and thinking about how to make a fortune, she had already reached the clinic.

She was a young mother pushing a large stroller.

A five- or six-year-old little girl lay quietly inside.

Cerebral palsy?

That was the first condition Sean thought of.

There were not many illnesses Ava Ellis could not treat, and cerebral palsy happened to be one of them.

Before Sean entered the examination room, Ava softly said one word: "Mutants."

Mutants?

Tsk~ She looked like an Epsilon- or Gamma-level mutant. Otherwise, she would not have come here.

The so-called Epsilon and Gamma classifications had both been established by Professor X. Epsilon mutants made up roughly 20 percent of all mutants. They had serious defects, found it difficult to live normally, and had weak abilities. Gamma-level mutants, meanwhile, possessed powerful abilities but also had defects and difficulties in daily life.

Sean first asked about the girl's condition. The young mother nervously explained:

"Kelly keeps breaking her bones. She's been like this since she was little. Now, she breaks them more and more easily, and they take a long time to heal. But other doctors told me there was nothing wrong with her bones. They said her muscles were simply too strong, as strong as an adult's. That's why the fractures happen. They said she would get better once she grew up..."

At this point, the young mother sobbed:

"But I found that as she gets older, she only gets stronger, and she breaks bones even more easily than before... I don't want her to keep lying there. She still has such a long, long road ahead of her... I heard you can cure any illness. Please, help Kelly!"

"I don't want her to go on like this, and I don't want people to treat her like a monster..."

The young mother was already crying her eyes out. She had thought countless times about giving up on this child, but no matter what, she could not make that decision.

She simply could not do it!

Little Kelly watched her mother cry. She wanted to speak, but her jaw was currently fractured, and she could not move her mouth. She could only look at her mother anxiously.

Even this child had to breathe lightly. Breathing even slightly too quickly could fracture her ribs. A five- or six-year-old child... who knew how much suffering she had endured.

Sean drew a deep breath and said calmly, "In theory, I can cure her."

The young mother was still sobbing and constantly wiping away her tears. For a moment, she did not react to Sean's words.

"You can cure her?"

Her face was covered in tears and snot, making Sean feel a little disgusted.

She was quite pretty, but looking like this... sigh~

"Yes."

Surprises were not always a good thing when they came too quickly~

Just like this woman. Her face suddenly turned red, and her entire body trembled, making Sean think she was having a cerebral hemorrhage.

"You... can cure her?"

The mother asked shakily, as if afraid that raising her voice even a little would frighten away her daughter's hope of being cured.

"Yes, but... it might be a little expensive."

"No matter how expensive it is!"

The young mother answered immediately. She truly did not care how high the price was. As long as her daughter could be cured, what was money?

Sean fell silent for a moment, causing the mother's heart to rise again. She began to feel anxious and uncertain, afraid that this was only a joke.

"All right."

Sean did not let her anxious uncertainty last long.

When he opened the Black Ledger, the names of little Kelly and her mother, Wendy Duncan, had already appeared within it. Wendy was the debtor.

Seven current fractures, and 213 old injuries left behind by fractures. How carefully must this little girl have been cared for to survive until now?

Her mutant ability was very powerful. Her muscle strength was extraordinarily high. With her current level of muscular strength, even bullets might not penetrate her. But that immense power made it difficult for her bones to support her. Any slightly strenuous movement would cause her own tremendous strength to fracture her bones.

For her to have lived until now... she was truly fortunate.

Without Sean, this girl would absolutely have died young. She would never have had the chance to grow up.

Weight: 14 kilograms. Mutant ability: 5,400 points.

Total: 5,414. Price: 10,828,000.

When Sean quoted that number, Wendy froze for a moment, then gritted her teeth and nodded.

The treatment was simple: remove her mutant ability, remove the fractures and old injuries.

The Black Ledger once again displayed its incomparable power.

The little girl was completely healed!

"Mom~"

Little Kelly called softly. She still did not dare use too much strength.

"Kelly, don't talk. Doctor White can cure you!"

"I'm already cured~"

"..."

"Mom, I feel like all my injuries are healed. Look~"

Kelly raised an arm and waved it.

In the past, that movement would always be accompanied by a radial fracture, but this time, nothing happened.

Wendy suddenly covered her mouth to keep herself from crying aloud.

The wave of joy that struck her once more was more than she could bear. Her body went limp, and she collapsed to the floor.

Then she... burst into unrestrained tears!

Storm: Why would she be at that bastard's clinic?

Phoenix: This is the address Professor gave us.

Over 3,000 chapters. Another day as a diligent little tree!

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Note 1: There are two versions of when Tony Stark was kidnapped: one says February 13th, and one says August.

I lean more toward February 13th, with his rescue taking place in early May.

But considering Miss Elektra was wearing hot pants earlier, it was moved to May instead—May 13th. He would be rescued on August 1st, leaving enough time to fight the big bald guy before the end of the year.