Lucian withdrew his gaze and wiped away the last trace of sensation on his cheek, mingled with ketchup and some kind of perfume.
He turned and headed toward Queens.
Back at the monthly rental, the four Supe babies still lay quietly on the bed. The hypnosis had yet to wear off.
He methodically checked their diapers and changed the two wet ones. Then he mixed their formula.
After feeding them, he followed a parenting tutorial on TikTok to burp them, then put the four little ones back on the bed and tucked them under a light blanket.
Only after finishing all this did he sit on the room's only chair, take his phone from his pocket, and pull up a number.
Brink.
The call rang three times before someone answered. Indistinct conversation sounded in the background.
"Lucian?" Brink's voice carried just the right hint of admonishment. "My staff tell me they haven't seen you at the training center for several days. Son, I know you've been making tremendous progress lately, but that's precisely when you mustn't slack off. The future is watered with sweat, isn't it?"
Old fox. You're worried about recouping your investment, but you just have to dress it up so nicely.
It seemed the niche he occupied at Godolkin University really had encroached on the space that originally belonged to Jordan, making the professor keep an eye on the quality of his "merchandise."
Lucian ignored the admonishment.
"Professor... I... something's happened to me."
There was a noticeable pause on the other end. The background noise faded too, as though Brink had moved to a quiet corner.
"What happened? Take your time. Don't rush."
"I think... I've awakened another superpower." Lucian kept his voice low, filling it with confusion and fear. "You were the first person I thought of. Professor, do you know why this is happening? I... I'm a little scared. I... can't quite control this power."
The other end fell silent for a full five seconds.
Lucian could imagine Brink's expression right then.
A rising star with Super Physique and a shockwave ability who could open up the Asian immigrant market was already enough to make him pop champagne. But while that combination of powers might be formidable in actual combat, it lacked commercial showmanship. Not flashy enough, not memorable enough.
But what if another, more visually striking ability were added on top of that?
"What superpower?" Brink's tone changed. His veneer of a mentor's concern gave way to the eager enthusiasm of a businessman.
"I... I realized I could suddenly run really fast." Every pause Lucian made brimmed with the bewilderment of someone facing something new. "I can't control it. I've nearly crashed into people several times. My body... it seems to be going through changes I don't understand. Professor, I really am a little scared."
Scared?
Good. Excellent.
Brink loved this sort of dependency most of all, especially between a piece of merchandise and its owner. Fear and bewilderment would make the merchandise cling more tightly to its master, seeking protection.
"Son, don't be afraid!" Brink's voice grew exceptionally gentle, filled with a reassuring strength. "Listen, come back to campus immediately and go straight to my office. Trust me, I'll help you figure this out. With me here, nothing will be a problem."
"O... okay, Professor."
Lucian hung up and looked at Brink's name on his phone screen.
I'll dangle LV3 Super Speed as bait first and see how you handle it, you old fox. This will also lay the groundwork for the plan to replace A-Train later.
Godolkin University, the professor's office.
Brink hung up, no longer able to suppress the smile on his face. He walked to the enormous floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the brilliantly lit campus, rubbing his hands excitedly.
Lucian! Lucian!
You really are an inexhaustible treasure trove!
He returned to his desk and took a contract from a locked drawer. He flipped to the last page, where a glaring figure caught his eye in the profit-sharing column.
A ninety-ten split.
Brink picked up another, encrypted phone and dialed the head of his team.
"Prepare a top-of-the-line Supe ability testing facility for me. The highest specifications, with every analyst and piece of equipment in place. Yes, immediately."
After hanging up, he pondered for a moment, then dialed another number, one buried deep within Vought's system.
"It's me, Brink. Pull up a file for me. Highest clearance. Lucian, a first-year student at Godolkin University... no, not that damned admissions file. I want everything on him from birth until now. Everything!"
This time, he would uncover the full background of this piece of "merchandise."
A few minutes later, an encrypted file arrived on his computer.
Brink opened it. When he read several lines of the records, his entire body froze.
[Subject: Asian male orphan, number 7749] [Location: Hope Hospital] [Record: Multiple injections of Compound V, including iterative versions. No signs of any superpower awakening observed. Classified as a failed subject and transferred to Vought's Orphanage No. 7.]
An orphan classified as a failed subject had not only awakened powers at eighteen, but was undergoing a second, even a third awakening at a rate that defied reason?
He could think of only one explanation.
Brink closed the file, seized by an unprecedented frenzy. He looked out the window, as though he could already see countless banknotes and supreme prestige drifting toward him like snowflakes.
When Lucian returned to Godolkin University by taxi, he spotted a familiar figure standing at the campus gates from a distance.
It was Brink.
He had actually come to wait for him at the gates himself.
Lucian's heart sank. This wasn't normal. In his expectations, however highly Brink valued him, he would at most have an assistant wait downstairs. A professor with real authority, who held the key to the Seven, personally lowering himself to welcome a student at the campus gates?
This was too much goodwill. So much it burned.
"Son!"
The moment Brink saw him, he hurried over, spread his arms, and pulled him into a firm embrace.
"Don't worry. Don't be afraid." Brink patted his back, his voice more earnest and sincere than ever. "We'll get to the bottom of your condition. Please... you must trust me."
Lucian let him hold him, his body stiffening for an instant.
He could feel Brink's arms tightening slightly around him, like an appraiser caressing a priceless treasure.
"Professor, I..."
"I've already assembled the finest team at the university's secret testing center." Brink released him, but kept an arm firmly around his shoulders, leaving him no room to pull away. "They'll test your abilities thoroughly and help you find a way to control them."
A secret testing center?
Lucian maintained an expression of tearful gratitude and absolute trust, while his mind raced at top speed.
If this old bastard really discovers that I don't just have one or two abilities, but more...
In the worst case, if I really am exposed, I'll have no choice but to act. Kill everyone in the testing center and go underground.
"Come along, son." With an arm around him, Brink affectionately led him toward an unremarkable building deep within the campus. "Let's uncover your secrets."
The two walked side by side through the deserted campus late at night.
One harbored ulterior designs, playing the benevolent guide.
The other concealed murderous intent, playing the lost lamb.
They reached a heavy metal door with no markings. Brink raised his hand and pressed his fingerprint against the scanner.
After a soft beep, the metal door slid silently apart, revealing a corridor whose depths were lost from sight.
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