A few days after the bank robbery, peace returned to the orphanage. After all, the orphanage had merely been caught up in the robbery, with nothing particularly noteworthy about it, so everyone soon forgot about it.
In a small room at Mary Orphanage, a delicate-featured little boy sat in a chair, carefully studying an ancient Scroll of Truth in his hands. He was Xia Zuo, and the scroll was precisely the treasure he had seized from that Hydra squad.
There had to be some secret to something Hydra had gone so far as to send its men to steal. Xia Zuo was curious too, so he had spent the past two days trying to decipher the secrets within the Scroll of Truth.
The result, however, was obvious: he could not understand a single thing recorded on the Scroll of Truth. Moreover, from what he remembered, nothing he knew of in the Marvel Universe matched this parchment. In other words, it was something outside the plot.
"Forget it. I'll stop thinking about it. There'll be a chance to find out someday."
Unable to discover what the Scroll of Truth did, Xia Zuo did not dwell on it much longer and simply put it away. The next moment, he turned his attention back to his abilities.
Although Xia Zuo had been deciphering the Scroll of Truth's secrets over the past two days, he had spent more of his time learning about the Ultimate Eye. After all, it was the foundation of his foothold in this world. How could he possibly neglect to understand it thoroughly? After these past few days, his understanding of the Ultimate Eye had deepened.
According to the information the Ultimate Eye provided, he could unlock an Eye Ring whenever he met certain conditions, but those conditions were not necessarily the same each time.
The condition for unlocking his first Eye Ring, the Geass Eye, had been a change in his own emotions. However, if he wanted to unlock the second Eye Ring, the conditions he needed to meet might change. He might have to reap a certain number of lives, obtain enough money, or gain a great deal of renown. None of these was necessarily the same.
Unfortunately, the Ultimate Eye would not communicate with him. Incapable of communication-that was Xia Zuo's assessment of it. The Ultimate Eye was like a program, carrying out only its fixed functions. Once the conditions were met, it unlocked. It was that simple.
That was Xia Zuo's understanding of how to unlock the various Dōjutsu. Next came another matter: strengthening them.
Dōjutsu varied in strength. Taking his already unlocked first Eye Ring, the Geass Eye, as an example, the Geass Eye he had unlocked was only its most basic form. At this stage, it could only command ordinary people with relatively weak wills. Against someone like Professor X, Charles Xavier, Xia Zuo could not control him at all, and might even suffer a backlash.
That was inevitable. Professor X, Charles Xavier, had already progressed far in the mental and psychic domain. He was an exceptionally terrifying being, far beyond the current Xia Zuo's ability to influence. Only by strengthening the Geass Eye could his Geass become unstoppable!
As for the conditions for leveling up, they were the same as those for unlocking an Eye Ring. For example, the condition for unlocking the first Eye Ring, the Geass Eye, was a sufficient change in emotion. As long as enough of these emotional changes accumulated, he could continue strengthening the Geass Eye. The same principle applied to the other Dōjutsu.
In other words, whatever the conditions for unlocking his other Eye Rings in the future, those would also be the conditions for strengthening them. There was no difference whatsoever.
Right now, however, the only thing Xia Zuo wanted to do was raise the Geass Eye to its ultimate limit. Imagine it: with a single glance, even gods would have to obey his commands. That would be utterly outrageous, and all of it required only that he obtain more emotional changes.
"In other words, if I want to strengthen the Geass Eye, I can only gather more emotional changes. Oh, Natasha, where are you? I'm starting to miss you."
Xia Zuo sighed. It seemed he needed to get closer to Natasha more often. Only then could he make the Geass Eye stronger. That was his path to strengthening it.
If Natasha knew what Xia Zuo was thinking at that moment, she would definitely stay far away from him and never appear before him again. In fact, Natasha was already somewhat afraid to get close to him.
"I really am not trying to take advantage of you. I only want to strengthen the Geass Eye."
Xia Zuo voiced his feelings, though how much truth there was in those words remained unknown.
Tap, tap!
Just as Xia Zuo was sighing, faint footsteps sounded nearby. His expression shifted slightly, and he immediately hid in a corner, took out the handgun he had taken from the robber, and quietly chambered a round.
It was late at night, and everyone in the orphanage had long since gone to sleep. That meant whoever had appeared now was very likely an outsider. Someone coming to the orphanage in the middle of the night was either a thief or had some purpose in mind.
The only major incident here in the past few days had been the bank robbery two days earlier. S.H.I.E.L.D. and the police had already investigated many times over those two days, so they had no reason to appear here at this hour. Besides, he still had the Scroll of Truth he had seized.
Hydra's men?!
A cold glint flashed through Xia Zuo's eyes as he murmured inwardly.
Only Hydra's men would show up here at a time like this. That was normal, though. Once Hydra discovered that its men had not returned, they would definitely come looking for the Scroll of Truth. Xia Zuo had anticipated that long ago.
But Xia Zuo felt no fear. Since Hydra's men had come, they must be here to retrieve the Scroll of Truth. To retrieve it, they could only question him. As long as they did not try to kill him immediately and came before him, their lives would no longer be theirs to control.
With that thought, Xia Zuo had a plan. A fluorescent red light appeared in his eyes, and an inverted V symbol resembling an eagle spreading its wings flickered into view. He immediately stepped openly out of the corner, sat down in the chair, and waited for Hydra's men to arrive.
"Since our guest is here, why not come in?"
Xia Zuo called toward the door. At the same time, an arm with a gloved hand slowly pushed it open, and a cold, stern man slowly walked inside.
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