The phone vibrated on the nightstand.
Lucian opened his eyes, stared at the ceiling for a second, then reached for his phone.
It was a text from Hughie.
"Something happened. My teammates have been exposed, and Black Noir is hunting them. The girl we brought back, the one connected to Compound V, was nearly killed by Black Noir too. Are you safe over there? Do you know what Vought is planning next? How many of us have been exposed?"
Lucian leaned against the headboard and thought. Black Noir had already made his move, so it looked like they were not far from all being exposed.
But that had nothing to do with him. Right now, he was playing an isolated Avenger deep undercover in enemy territory.
"All right, I'll look into it for you."
He typed those words with one hand and hit send. Then he tossed the phone back onto the nightstand.
Meanwhile, at the Boys Team's temporary hideout.
Hughie gripped the phone Butcher had handed him, staring at the single brief reply on its screen. He looked up at Butcher, who sat across from him cleaning a gun.
"Are you satisfied now?" Hughie shot to his feet.
"I told you, it's dangerous for him to be undercover at Vought alone! And you want him to investigate Black Noir and Vought's next move? You're sending him to his death!"
Butcher stopped what he was doing.
"Calm down, Hughie. We're blind right now. Your Supe helper is our pair of eyes into what Vought has up its sleeve. If he doesn't make himself useful, what do I need him for?"
"He's not your tool! He told us the secret about Compound V!" Hughie raised his voice, veins bulging in his neck.
Butcher sneered.
"That's all it took to move you?" He stood, casting a shadow over Hughie. "Nobody in this game is innocent. If he's got the balls to play double agent, he needs to prove his worth. Or would you rather watch Black Noir chop Frenchie into mincemeat?"
Hughie opened his mouth, but under Butcher's vicious stare, all the courage he had gathered deflated. He gritted his teeth, averted his eyes, and sat back down.
He knew Butcher was right. They needed information. But he felt this was the wrong way to go about it.
While Butcher turned away to grab a magazine, Hughie quickly typed a few words and hit send.
"Stay safe."
Lucian looked at the new words on his screen and scratched his head helplessly.
The earlier request for help had definitely come from Butcher.
Butcher would never truly trust any Supe. In the original story, he had forced Hughie to install spyware on Starlight's phone. Naturally, he could now force Hughie to squeeze whatever value remained out of an "undercover agent" like Lucian. Butcher was testing his limits, trying to see just how deeply he could access Vought's core secrets.
Lucian silenced his phone and tossed it aside.
He would leave them hanging for a few days first.
He opened his laptop and launched a hidden program. Several surveillance feeds appeared on the screen, showing footage from the hidden cameras he had previously installed at that run-down motel in Queens.
Only the four babies were in the footage, still asleep. Looking at the yellowed sheets, Lucian keenly felt the hardships of entering the child-rearing stage of life early, while eagerly awaiting Wednesday. He closed his laptop and reviewed the current developments.
Frenchie, that hopeless romantic, definitely would not abandon Kimiko. Kimiko currently suffered from severe selective mutism and could not speak at all, and the experiments had left her memories a complete mess. Lucian was not sure how strongly she could care about her younger brother in that state.
If the suggestion he had planted in her subconscious did not lead her to come to this motel alone to look for clues about her younger brother, Frenchie would most likely seek out Mesmer, the washed-up Supe who could read memories through touch, to find out what she had been through.
But whichever direction things took, the outcome would not change. He would wait and see.
Lucian got out of bed, washed up, changed into clean clothes, and headed straight for Professor Brink's office.
Brink sat behind a large rosewood desk, holding a cup of black coffee and reviewing data on a tablet. When he saw Lucian enter, he immediately put on a warm smile, bunching up the wrinkles around his eyes.
"Lucian! Did you sleep well last night?" Brink gestured toward the leather sofa opposite him. "Sit down. Have you come to start planning your hero image?"
"Not exactly." Lucian sat on the sofa. "I wanted to share a few thoughts about my suit."
"Of course! That's essential." Brink's eyes lit up, and he set down his coffee. "I've already had PR draw up a few proposals. You're Chinese American, so we could go with Eastern mystique, or..."
"I don't need any of that. Just make it lightweight and durable. Ideally, it should withstand high temperatures and radiation."
Brink froze.
He studied Lucian. At Vought International, every superhero wanted a suit as eye-catching as a neon sign. Capes, skintight fabric, reflective materials, exaggerated emblems-those were the selling points, the things that made merchandise rake in money.
"High temperatures and radiation?" Brink frowned. "Lucian, you need to understand, we're superheroes, not workers going into Chernobyl to handle nuclear waste. Your suit is your packaging, your brand. With requirements like yours, the design department will struggle to produce anything commercially valuable."
"Commercial value doesn't have to come in every color of the rainbow. I just need it not to become a liability at a critical moment." Lucian looked at Brink. "Professor, you saw my abilities last night. I don't want flashy decorations restricting my movements. Besides, in the East, we value subtlety, finding luxury in the ordinary. I think that would help me break into the immigrant market."
Brink stared at Lucian for a few seconds before finally sighing in concession.
"All right. You're an exception. I'll have the equipment department custom-make it to your specifications." Brink leaned back in his chair. "Anything else?"
"I need a private training room," Lucian said, presenting his second request. "Completely private. I don't want people gawking at me like a monkey while I adjust to my new abilities."
Brink laughed.
"That's hardly a request. If there's one thing America has no shortage of, it's space." He pressed the intercom on his desk. "I'll have my assistant take you to the third basement level. Pick any room you like."
Ten minutes later.
Lucian followed Brink's blonde assistant into the restricted area on the third basement level. The soundproofing was excellent. The corridor was so quiet that only their footsteps could be heard.
He chose a training room the size of a basketball court. The walls were entirely made of high-strength, energy-absorbing material, and various heavy machines for testing strength and speed stood in the corners.
"This one." Lucian took the access card from the assistant.
"Certainly, Mr. Lucian. If you need anything, please contact me at any time." The assistant gave him a professional smile, then turned and left.
Once the door closed, Lucian walked around the entire training room.
He carefully checked every vent, every mirror, and every gap in the light fixtures. Only after confirming there were no hidden cameras or listening devices did he walk to the center of the room, take out his phone, and dial a number.
The call connected after two rings.
"Hello? Who's this?" A somewhat impatient young voice came from the other end.
"Lucian."
The other end went silent for a second, then the voice took on a slightly ingratiating tone. "Oh... Lucian. What's up?"
It was Electroshock Kid, the one with the mohawk.
"Got time? Come to training room D-04 on the third basement level and spar with me."
"What? No, no, no, Lucian, I just remembered I've got a date in a bit..."
"In return, I'll put in a good word for you with Professor Brink." Lucian offered the bait outright. "He's been listening to my opinions lately. Haven't you always wanted to move up in the rankings?"
Heavy breathing came from the other end.
For these Godolkin University students, Professor Brink's name was a ticket to fame and fortune. None of them could resist that temptation.
"I'll be right there!"
Lucian ended the call and tossed his phone onto a nearby bench.
This was one of the abilities he had picked out at school. Starlight's abilities were greatly diminished without an external source of electricity. If he could generate his own electricity, he would have an inexhaustible energy source, and might even speed up his development of flight. He just did not know what kind of speed he would get by combining it with Thermonuclear Flight.
Less than ten minutes later, the training room door swung open.
Electroshock Kid walked in wearing a tight-fitting workout outfit. His eyes swept around the spacious training room with undisguised envy. A private training room of this caliber was normally out of reach for a student of his rank.
"Lucian." Electroshock Kid forced a smile. "I'm here. How are we doing this? Just so we're clear, I can't beat you..."
"Close the door." Lucian stood in the center of the room with his back to him.
Electroshock Kid paused, then turned and pushed the heavy soundproof door shut. With a click, the electronic lock automatically engaged.
The instant he closed the door, Lucian moved.
Super Speed erupted, leaving an afterimage where Lucian had stood. Before Electroshock Kid could even blink, he felt a powerful rush of air.
Lucian was already behind him, his left arm hooking around his shoulders while his right hand clamped precisely onto the back of his neck.
"What the fuck! What's going on?"
Startled, Electroshock Kid instantly erupted with blue arcs of electricity.
But it was too late.
Mind Control activated instantly.
Invisible psychic power smashed into Electroshock Kid's mind like a sledgehammer. The blue arcs that had just lit up flickered sharply, then went out in an instant. Electroshock Kid's eyes immediately lost focus, and his body went limp like a pile of sludge.
Holding him by the collar with one hand, Lucian dragged him to the nearby bench and laid him flat.
At the same time, the system panel unfolded in his field of vision.
[Abilities available to copy:] [1. Super Physique LV2] [2. Super Strength LV2] [3. Electricity Coverage LV2 (can release electricity to envelop the entire body; cannot attack beyond the body)]
Select Copy, Electricity Coverage LV2, Lucian silently recited.
[Estimated time: 5 minutes] [Progress: 1%...]
Lucian sat beside him, resting his right hand on Electroshock Kid's wrist to maintain skin contact.
He should use this ability sparingly at school. The more people's memories he altered, the more holes there would be. Although they could not discover that he was copying their abilities, it would sound terrible if word got out that a rising star was attacking people at school every day, then getting intimate with anyone and everyone, male or female.
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