American Comic Book: Sign in As a Saiyan, Steal the Dark Phoenix
Chapter 1: On the experimental table, I achieved the Awakening of the Saiyan bloodline.
"Start the injection."
Through the glass, the White-haired researcher gave the order.
When Lin Yao opened his eyes, he happened to see the mechanical arm press down the needle.
His hands and feet were locked to the experimental table by alloy rings, and his neck was also fixed.
On the screen beside him, the numbers representing vital signs beat frantically.
"Subject Seven has woken up."
"Should we re-administer anesthesia?"
"No need." White didn't even look at him. "The data in a conscious state is more complete."
Lin Yao struggled hard.
The lock ring didn't budge at all.
Unfamiliar memories flooded into his mind at the same time.
New York, Damage Control Bureau, illegal experimental base.
This body had no identity, no relatives, and not even any social records could be found.
He had been captured just three days ago, and today he was sent to the experimental table.
Those people couldn't even be bothered to arrange a crime for him.
Anyway, if he died, no one would look for him.
"Mental Strength transmission preparation complete."
Lin Yao turned his head.
A red-haired girl was lying in the adjacent experimental chamber.
Her face was pale, electrodes were attached to her temples, and a black suppressor was around her neck.
Even though she was already too weak to raise her hand, she still stared at the researcher outside, her eyes full of hatred.
Jean Grey.
The moment he recognized her, Lin Yao also understood which timeline he had come to.
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day."
The Jean in front of him, in order to save her sister, was currently being imprisoned and experimented on by DODC Director Metzger.
The equipment started.
Jean suddenly tightened her body, and the suppressor lit up with red light.
An invisible force was forcibly extracted by the machine and injected into Lin Yao's brain along the pipeline.
Countless noises instantly rang in his ears.
Crying, screams, chaotic Ran memories.
Lin Yao's vision went black, and fresh blood surged from his nasal cavity.
"Subject Seven's intracranial pressure continues to rise."
"Brain death is expected in forty seconds."
White's tone was calm: "Record the whole process."
At this moment, a Dao voice appeared in Lin Yao's mind.
[Major plot node detected.]
[Heavens Plot Check-in System activated.]
[Do you want to check in at the DODC psychic laboratory?]
Lin Yao didn't hesitate at all.
"Check in!"
[Check-in successful.]
[Obtained: Pure-blood Saiyan bloodline · Initial Awakening.]
The next second, a force rushed out from the depths of Lin Yao's body.
The brain that was about to be split open by Mental Strength quickly stabilized, and the weak heartbeat suddenly accelerated.
Power continuously poured into his limbs, and the lock rings that had just been indestructible suddenly became fragile.
The data on the screen instantly went out of control.
"Cellular activity increased by four hundred percent!"
"No, it's still rising!"
"His body is actively devouring the injected energy!"
White finally changed his expression.
"Stop the experiment, inject neurotoxin!"
The mechanical arm changed direction, and a needle filled with green potion stabbed towards Lin Yao's neck.
Lin Yao exerted force with his right hand.
Click!
The alloy lock ring cracked directly.
Before the needle could fall, he grabbed it and pulled it down along with the mechanical arm.
The laboratory was quiet for a moment.
"Fire!"
The guards pulled the triggers at the same time.
Bullets hit Lin Yao's chest and arms, and his clothes quickly developed a row of holes.
But it was only his clothes that were torn.
Deformed bullet heads fell all over the floor.
Lin Yao looked down; there wasn't even blood on his skin.
"Is this a Saiyan?"
He raised his head, and the last bit of panic in his heart was gone.
With strength in both arms, the remaining lock rings burst open at the same time.
Lin Yao turned and landed, the metal plate under his feet dented on the spot.
A guard rushed up with a gun.
Lin Yao grabbed the gun barrel, closed his five fingers, and the steel deformed directly in his hand.
The guard was dumbfounded.
Lin Yao slapped him away, and took the momentum to knock down several people behind him.
More bullets swept over.
Lin Yao didn't dodge.
He rushed into the crowd facing the muzzle, smashed a bulletproof shield with one punch, and kicked over two guards with one kick.
Using this power for the first time, he still couldn't control it well.
Clearly he had already reined in his strength, but the person who was kicked still flew seven or eight meters away.
"Activate the experimental area lockdown!"
"Release the anesthetic Qi!"
The explosion-proof door began to descend.
Lin Yao raised his hand to support the bottom of the door.
The hydraulic device made a harsh friction sound, and the heavy metal door was forcibly pushed back by him.
White turned around and wanted to run.
Lin Yao picked up the gun on the ground, casually bent it, and threw it to his feet.
"Weren't you quite calm when experimenting on living people?"
The researcher's face turned White.
"You have no idea who you've offended. This belongs to the Damage Control Bureau, you can't escape—"
Lin Yao punched the control console.
The control console and the wall behind it collapsed together.
The researcher swallowed back the rest of his words.
Lin Yao ignored him further and turned to walk towards Jean's experimental chamber.
Jean was also looking at him.
There was no joy of being rescued in those eyes, only deeper vigilance.
Lin Yao's reason for saving Jean was also very simple.
Wanting to survive in this world where superheroes and villains are as common as dogs is not an easy task.
Although he had activated the Saiyan System, it was still not enough.
It would be best to establish an organization similar to superheroes, and one not affected by the regime of this world.
And the Jean in front of him was the top existence among Mutants.
And now was the best time to subdue her.
As soon as Lin Yao approached, the shattered glass all over the floor suspended, with all their tips aimed at his vital points.
"Don't come over."
Jean's voice was very weak, but her attitude was very firm.
"Were you also arranged by Metzger?"
"First pretend to be an experimental subject, then trick me into believing you?"
Lin Yao stopped his footsteps.
Having been locked up for so long, if Jean believed someone just because they smashed a door, she would have died countless times already.
Lin Yao raised his arm, letting her see the needle holes and strap marks on it.
"Just like you, I was lying on the experimental table just now."
Jean didn't put down the fragments.
"Let me out."
"I'll judge for myself."
"Alright."
Lin Yao punched the experimental chamber.
The reinforced glass cracked on the spot.
The second punch landed, and the entire piece of glass shattered completely.
He tore off the pipelines on Jean's body, and finally grabbed the suppressor on her neck.
Jean instinctively tightened her body.
"Don't move."
With a slight exertion of force from Lin Yao, the suppressor broke into two pieces in his hands.
The moment suppression was lost, the tables, chairs, instruments, and fragments in the laboratory all floated up.
A Mental Strength force also approached Lin Yao.
But it only stayed for a moment and then retreated.
Jean didn't forcibly read his memories.
She supported herself on the experimental chamber and walked out, still maintaining a distance from Lin Yao.
"I want to find V-Max."
"Before my sister went missing, she only left behind this word."
"As long as I find it, I can know where Sarah is."
Lin Yao was silent for a moment, and raised his hand to point at the ceiling.
Jean looked in the direction of his hand.
Next to the silver-gray ventilation duct, several White letters were printed.
V-MAX.
Jean was stunned.
That fragmented memory in her mind surfaced again.
The cold ground.
The increasingly blurry vision.
And those few letters seen at the end.
Exactly the same.
"No..."
Jean shook her head, her breathing becoming more and more Ran.
"V-Max should be a project, or a place."
"Sarah asked me to find it."
Lin Yao looked at her.
"She didn't ask you to find it."
"That was just something she saw before she died."
The color on Jean's face drained completely.
The items suspended in the air fell one after another, smashing all over the ground.
"Before dying..."
Her voice trembled.
"You mean she's already dead?"
"I only know V-Max is not what you think it is."
Lin Yao didn't lock down all his words.
"How she died, why Metzger kept lying to you, the answer is still in the base."
"If you collapse now, you'll never find out."
Jean lowered her head, her shoulders trembling continuously.
She had held on for so long by searching for V-Max.
Yet now she discovered that the so-called clue was likely just a label her sister happened to see before dying.
After quite a while, she raised her head.
"Why do you know these things?"
"After we get out, I'll tell you what I can say."
Lin Yao reached out his hand to her.
"For now, survive."
Jean stared at his hand, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally grasped it.
[Jean Grey's destiny has deviated.]
[Obtained world line deviation value: 100.]
[Current attitude: Temporary trust.]
As soon as the System prompt fell, the base alarms sounded fully.
Red lights flashed.
Explosion-proof doors fell Dao by Dao.
Metzger's cold voice came from the broadcast.
"Jean Grey has broken out of control."
"Subject Seven is confirmed to have Awakening of unknown abilities."
"Authorized to use lethal force."
Outside the corridor, dense footsteps rapidly approached.
Jean turned to look at the doorway, her gaze becoming sharp again.
"They are coming."
Lin Yao let go of her hand and walked to the very front.
He clenched his fists, feeling the power still growing within his body.
"You rest first."
"I'll test how strong this body really is."
Chapter 2: Punching Through DODC, Jean Begins to Trust Me
"Fire!"
The blast door had only risen halfway when over a dozen guns spat fire simultaneously.
Bullets, taser rounds, and power-suppression rounds blanketed the entire corridor.
Lin Yao stood at the very front, making no attempt to dodge.
Bullets tore through his clothes, and the deformed warheads clattered to the ground one after another. Electric currents crackled across his skin, only causing his arms to feel slightly numb.
The moment a power-suppression round detonated, Jean let out a muffled groan and leaned against the wall for support.
Lin Yao's gaze turned cold.
"You're courting death."
He took a step forward, and the metal plate beneath his feet sank directly.
Just as the soldier at the very front was about to reload, Lin Yao was already in front of him.
A fist descended.
The riot shield, along with the soldier behind it, was smashed into the wall. His chest collapsed completely, and he went silent instantly.
The two men beside him still tried to raise their guns.
Lin Yao grabbed one by the neck and slammed him into the other.
The sound of fracturing bones rang out as they both collapsed to the ground.
The remaining soldiers froze for a split second.
In that exact split second, Lin Yao had already charged into the crowd.
Since they had received lethal authorization and had actually opened fire on him and Jean, they were no longer ordinary people who deserved any mercy.
The gunfire lasted for only a few seconds.
By the time Lin Yao stopped, there was no longer any enemy left standing in the corridor.
"Heavy units!"
A roar came from behind.
Two three-meter-tall exoskeleton armors crashed through the crowd.
The armor on the left raised its mechanical arm, launching a heavy hydraulic punch straight at Lin Yao's chest.
Lin Yao caught it with one hand.
Boom!
The metal floor cracked, but the mechanical arm stopped dead in midair.
The pilot pushed the power to its limit, and the armor let out a deafening roar, yet it still couldn't force Lin Yao back even half a step.
"You call this a heavy unit?"
Lin Yao clenched his fingers, and the mechanical arm deformed on the spot.
He grabbed the armor's shoulder, lifted the entire machine up, and hurled it at the other exoskeleton.
The two armors collided, and the cockpits caved in instantly.
Lin Yao immediately followed up with another punch.
Boom!
Both armors, along with the control room behind them, were punched clean through.
Several researchers inside didn't even have time to escape before they were buried under the collapsing wall.
Lin Yao did not look back.
These people experimented on living humans; they had no right to expect him to hold back.
"Jean."
"I'm here."
Jean suppressed the discomfort caused by the mental-suppression round and walked to the doorway.
"Search their memories."
Lin Yao pointed at the commanding officer on the ground, who still had a breath left in him.
"Find the archives, the other test subjects, the self-destruct sequence, the vehicle exit, and the person with the highest clearance. Find all of it."
Jean glanced at the corpses littering the floor without showing any discomfort.
She had been imprisoned by these people for too long.
If Lin Yao hadn't awakened, she would still be lying in the experimental capsule, having her mental energy drained bit by bit.
"He might turn into an idiot."
"As long as he can speak the clearance password, that's fine."
Lin Yao squatted down and grabbed the officer by his hair.
"For everything else, look through it as you please."
Jean's eyes flickered slightly.
In the next second, an invisible wave of mental energy pierced directly into the officer's brain.
The man's body convulsed violently, blood streaming from his nose and ears simultaneously.
A few seconds later, Jean opened her eyes.
The officer collapsed completely onto the floor, his eyes vacant.
"The archives are in Sector B."
"Seven test subjects are locked on the second basement level. Their suppressors are centrally managed by the main control room."
"The base will self-destruct in one minute and fifty seconds."
"There is a vehicle exit on the west side, which requires Class A clearance."
She looked toward the end of the corridor.
"The highest clearance is held by the person in charge of the central control room."
Lin Yao released his grip.
The officer was no longer of any use.
He raised his foot and snapped the man's neck.
"Lead the way."
Jean didn't try to dissuade him, nor did she spare another look.
The two rushed straight toward the central control room.
DODC lowered three consecutive alloy blast doors.
The first door had only dropped halfway when Lin Yaopunched it, sending it flying sideways.
The second door weighed several tons.
He grabbed the bottom of the door, ripped the entire thing out of its tracks by sheer force, and hurled it at the soldiers pursuing them from behind.
The screams had barely begun when they were drowned out by the metallic crash.
Behind the third door, over a dozen guards had already formed up.
The person in charge of the central control room stood behind the crowd, holding a red controller in his hand.
"Take one more step, and I will detonate the suppressors of all the test subjects on the second basement level!"
Jean's face darkened.
"He isn't lying."
Seeing Lin Yao stop, the person in charge immediately wore a smug expression.
"Kneel."
"Have Jean put the suppressor back on."
"Otherwise, all seven of those people will die."
Lin Yao looked at him.
"You think you've won?"
"The controller is in my hands."
The person in charge pressed his thumb against the button.
"You can try me. Let's see if you're faster, or if I—"
His words suddenly cut short.
A bullet pierced through his wrist from behind.
The controller dropped to the floor.
Clutching his severed wrist, the person in charge screamed and spun around in terror.
The guard who had been shielding him just moments ago was now aiming a gun at him.
The guard's eyes were vacant.
Standing beside Lin Yao, Jean slowly lowered her hand.
"Now, we are faster."
Lin Yao smiled.
"Good job."
In the next second, he charged into the crowd.
These guards had heard the command to surrender, yet they still chose to raise their guns.
Lin Yao spared none of them.
A dozen seconds later, the control room fell completely silent.
The person in charge slumped against the wall, his face deathly pale.
"Don't kill me!"
"I have Class A clearance! I can shut down the self-destruct sequence!"
"Then shut it down."
Lin Yao dragged him to the console.
The person in charge completed the identity verification with his severed hand, only to find that the self-destruct sequence had been locked down by headquarters.
"I can't shut it down..."
"Metzger has taken remote control of the system."
Jean read his memory directly and confirmed he was telling the truth.
She took the clearance card from his chest.
"The Class A clearance is real."
Lin Yao reached out and snapped the neck of the person in charge.
"That's enough."
Jean used the clearance card to deactivate the suppressors of the seven test subjects, then unlocked the underground cells and the west garage.
On the surveillance monitors, the seven children stood at the cell doors, none of them daring to leave.
Jean turned on the intercom.
"The base is about to blow up."
"If you want to live, head to the west garage."
The people on the screen still didn't budge.
Lin Yao glanced at the countdown.
"They're scared stiff."
"I'll go get them. You find Sarah's file."
Jean didn't hesitate.
"See you in the archives."
The two split up.
Lin Yao rushed down to the second basement level and punched straight through the sealed passageway.
Among the seven test subjects, the youngest girl was curled up in a corner, her neck covered in scars left by the suppressor.
"Get up."
Lin Yao looked at the group.
"Those who can walk, keep up. Those who can't, speak up."
Someone asked in a trembling voice, "Are you going to sell us to someone else?"
Lin Yao swept his gaze over him.
"I just slaughtered my way through this base."
"If I really wanted to sell you, there'd be no need to save you."
No one asked any more questions.
One boy had a broken leg, so Lin Yao hoisted him onto his shoulder and led the group toward the garage.
On the other side, Jean burst into the archives.
A researcher was stuffing documents into an incinerator.
Jean raised her hand and clenched it.
The researcher was sent flying, slamming heavily against the wall.
"Sarah Grey's file."
"Where is it?"
The researcher gritted his teeth and remained silent.
Jean directly invaded his memory.
The man only held out for two seconds before collapsing to the floor with his eyes rolling back.
Jean opened the innermost safe and took out Sarah's file, a list of secret facilities, two sets of backup identities, and two hundred thousand dollars in cash.
The crucial death records had already been deleted.
In the list, one facility was marked as 'Gamma Suppression Technology Test Site'.
Jean packed the items into a fireproof case and turned to leave.
Only thirty seconds remained on the countdown.
The alloy door of the west garage was closing.
Lin Yao threw the boy with the injured leg into the transport vehicle and turned to hold up the gate.
"Jean!"
A red-haired figure dashed from the end of the corridor and tossed the fireproof case into the vehicle.
Once Lin Yao saw her slip through the gap under the door, he exerted sudden force with both arms.
The alloy door, weighing several tons, was ripped right off.
He held the door panel behind him like a shield.
At that moment, the depths of the base exploded.
Flames and debris slammed into the door panel, the massive impact sliding Lin Yao back over a dozen meters.
The children inside the vehicle were tossed around but remained unharmed.
Lin Yao tossed aside the deformed door panel and climbed into the driver's seat.
Jean sat in the passenger seat and inserted the Class A clearance card into the vehicle's system.
The transport vehicle successfully started.
Two hundred thousand dollars, two sets of identities, the surviving pages of Sarah's file, the list of secret facilities, and seven living test subjects.
This trip wasn't a loss.
Jean looked back at the burning base.
"You killed a lot of people."
"Do you regret coming out with me?"
"No."
Jean withdrew her gaze.
"They didn't plan on letting us live either."
Lin Yao glanced at her.
Jean's voice was very calm.
"The next time we run into Metzger's people, there's no need to remind me to hold back."
"I was never planning on reminding you."
The two exchanged a look.
The last trace of wariness in Jean's eyes faded a bit more.
Just then, she suddenly looked up.
A red-and-blue figure was swinging on a web, rapidly approaching from the direction of New York.
Finally, he landed in front of the transport vehicle.
Spider-Man looked at the burning base, then at Jean and the seven test subjects inside the vehicle.
"Hold on, don't move."
Peter raised his hands.
"I need to find out what happened here."
Lin Yao pushed open the car door.
Spider-Man had originally come to save Jean.
Unfortunately, he was already too late.
Chapter 3: Spider-Man, You're a Step Too Late
Spider-Man landed in front of the transport vehicle, glanced first at the burning base, and then looked at Lin Yao.
His clothes were tattered, there were no injuries on his body, and his feet were surrounded by DODC bullet casings.
Inside the carriage sat seven children who had worn suppressors, and Jean stood beside the passenger seat holding an Level A clearance card.
"Everyone stay where you are."
Peter raised both hands and did not approach immediately.
"I'm not with DODC."
"I just need to confirm who the victims are and who the kidnappers are."
Lin Yao closed the car door.
"You're late."
"There's no one left here who needs you to save them."
Peter looked at Jean.
"Did he control you, or force you to go with him?"
Jean's gaze instantly turned cold.
"The ability to control people is mine, not his."
"Lin Yao is the one who rescued me from the experimental pod."
Peter didn't relax.
He knew that Jean possessed telepathy and possession abilities.
"The people in the car need to be checked."
Peter said, "A lot of DODC personnel died here, and I also need to know why they were chasing you."
Lin Yao glanced at him.
"Checking injuries is fine, and asking questions is fine too."
"But who goes with you is not up for you to decide."
Peter was silent for two seconds.
"I didn't say I was going to take everyone away."
"You're blocking the only exit, the meaning is already very clear."
Peter didn't deny it.
"DODC might have problems."
"But you killed their people and took away the vehicle and the files."
"Before I confirm things, you can't leave."
Lin Yao chuckled.
"Then how do you plan to stop us?"
Peter flicked his wrist.
Webbing instantly wrapped around Lin Yao's arms.
He didn't attack vital spots, only wanting to restrict movement first.
Lin Yao pushed his hands outward, and the webbing tightened, but it didn't break.
Just as Peter was about to add a second strand, Lin Yaohad already grabbed the webbing with a backhand.
"Got you."
Lin Yao gave a fierce yank.
Peter was dragged over from more a dozen meters away.
His Spider-Sense warned him in advance, and he twisted his body in mid-air, kicking towards Lin Yao's chest with both feet.
Lin Yao raised his arm to block.
Bang!
Using the momentum to flip over, Peter landed and shot out two strands of webbing, sticking them to the ruined wall and the transport vehicle's chassis respectively.
Lin Yao stepped forward.
The ruined wall was pulled down first, and the transport vehicle also shifted sideways by half a meter.
The children in the car let out screams of alarm.
Jean raised her hand to steady the vehicle body.
"Don't touch the car."
Peter immediately released the webbing.
Lin Yao didn't continue to deal heavy blows.
Peter would doubt and test, but he immediately stopped once he found out the test subjects were frightened.
This kind of person could be talked to and had utilization value.
"Change places."
Stamping his foot, Lin Yao actively rushed toward the open space nearby.
Peter followed after him.
The two figures instantly collided.
Peter threw a punch at Lin Yao's chin.
Lin Yao tilted his head to avoid it, gripped his wrist, and flung him toward the ground.
Proppping himself up with one hand, Peter twisted his waist, his legs scissors-kicking toward Lin Yao's neck.
Lin Yao raised his arm to block, taking the opportunity to slam him into the ground.
Gravel flew everywhere.
As soon as he hit the ground, Peter shot out webbing, pulling himself to bounce behind Lin Yao.
His Spider-Sense allowed him to always perceive attacks in advance.
Perceiving was one thing, whether his body could keep up was another.
Lin Yao appeared by his side three times in a row.
Each time, it could have ended the fight.
On the fourth time, Lin Yao pinned Peter's mask and pressed him against the wall.
"Keep fighting, and you'll die."
Peter grabbed Lin Yao's wrist.
"You've been holding back all along."
"Because you haven't stood on Metzger's side yet."
"If you were really capturing people for DODC, you'd already be dead by now."
Peter didn't get angry.
Lin Yao had killed the armed personnel in the base, but hadn't harmed the test subjects, and during the fight, he had also consistently avoided the transport vehicle.
At least for now, his goal wasn't indiscriminate slaughter.
Just as Peter was about to speak, his wrist suddenly grew hot.
Hiss!
Without passing through the shooter, white webbing sprayed directly from under his skin, sticking to Lin Yao's shoulder.
The two of them stopped at the same time.
Peter lowered his head to look at his wrist.
"This isn't my shooter."
The next second, he abruptly clutched his head.
Exploding flames, the heartbeats of everyone in the car, underground water currents, and even the sound of tires crushing pebbles in the distance were all forcibly crammed into his brain by his Spider-Sense.
Peter staggered backward.
Jean immediately raised her hand.
"His mental state is wrong."
"Don't go into his head."
Lin Yao stopped her.
It wasn't out of consideration for Peter, but rather because Jean had just escaped the experiment; rashly entering the consciousness of a mutating superhero carried too high a risk.
There was no need to let Jean get hurt for an ally whose value hadn't been determined yet.
Lin Yao grabbed Peter's shoulder to prevent him from losing control and rushing toward the transport vehicle.
"Suppress the other sounds, focus only on my heartbeat."
Peter clenched his teeth.
After a few seconds, he finally caught the most stable sound from the chaotic perception, and his headache gradually eased.
"Do you know what's going on?"
"Spider gene secondary mutation."
Lin Yao let go of his hand.
"Organic webbing is just the beginning."
"If you keep stubbornly suppressing it with suppressors, sooner or later you'll completely lose control."
Peter's breathing paused.
He hadn't told anyone about the suppressors.
[High destiny weight character detected: Spider-Man.]
[Substantive combat, intelligence intervention, and destiny alteration have been completed.]
[Character check-in conditions met.]
"Check-in."
[Check-in successful.]
[Obtained: Grandmaster-level Qi control.]
Knowledge regarding Qi surged into his mind.
For the first time, Lin Yao clearly felt that the power within his body could be gathered, hidden, and also released outside his body.
With a thought.
The life aura that previously kept triggering Peter's Spider-Sense warnings quickly converged.
Peter abruptly raised his head.
The second before, Lin Yao was still like a monster standing in front of him.
The next second, the person within his Spider-Sense had unexpectedly vanished.
"What did you do?"
"Controlling power."
Lin Yao's feet left the ground, slowly rising into mid-air.
Jean raised her head, the astonishment in her eyes completely impossible to hide.
"You couldn't fly just a moment ago."
"Now I can."
Lin Yao opened his right hand.
A ball of white light condensed in his palm.
Peter immediately assumed a defensive posture.
Lin Yao didn't aim at him.
The energy blast flew toward an abandoned armored vehicle in the distance.
Boom!
Half the vehicle was directly blown to pieces.
Lin Yao landed back on the ground.
With flight and ranged attacks, his range of movement was no longer limited by the ground.
"Can we talk now?"
Peter glanced at the armored vehicle.
"Look at the evidence first."
Jean took out the remaining pages of Sarah's files and the experimental roster from the car, tossing them to Peter.
Peter quickly flipped through them.
The mental extraction records, suppressor damage reports, and the execution marks of the seven children were all stamped with DODC internal serial numbers.
These things were hard to forge.
"I can lead you through an underground maintenance line."
Peter closed the files.
"The exit is near Queens, and large vehicles can't get in."
"But I need a copy."
"Sure."
The deeper Peter investigated, the greater the pressure Metzger would bear.
"There's one more thing."
Peter looked at Lin Yao.
"Before confirming the complete truth, I won't conceal the dead in the base for you."
"Whatever."
Lin Yao didn't care in the least.
"If they dare to shoot, I dare to kill."
"If you can't accept it, you can continue fighting."
Peter was silent for a moment, putting away his web-shooters.
"I don't agree with your methods."
"But I'll investigate DODC first."
That was enough.
Lin Yao turned around to get in the car, then suddenly stopped.
In his aura perception, dozens of life fluctuations were rapidly approaching from the other side of the woods.
Their movements were neat, and their breathing extremely light.
They didn't look like DODC soldiers, but more like a group of trained assassins.
Lin Yao looked toward the distant darkness.
"We're being followed."
Jean walked to his side.
"Government people?"
"No."
Lin Yao felt those rapidly approaching auras.
"The people coming are not from the government."
Chapter 4 Metzger: Subject Seven Must Die First
As soon as Lin Yao finished speaking, a dark shadow flashed through the woods.
It was not a DODC soldier.
The newcomer's footsteps were very light. They carried no firearms, but had daggers and metallic hidden weapons at their waist.
Lin Yao closed his eyes.
His aura sensing spread out.
Thirteen people.
Five on the left, five on the right, and three behind—they had surrounded the transport vehicle.
"Ninjas?"
Peter also saw the shadows in the trees.
"I'll stay here to protect the kids."
Lin Yao glanced at him.
"You just need to make sure they aren't taken away."
"If even one gets taken, I'll come looking for you."
Just as Peter was about to say something, Lin Yao vanished before his eyes.
It wasn't that he was moving too fast to see.
Rather, even his presence within Peter's Spider-Sense had suddenly faded away.
Aura Concealment.
A Hand ninja was about to approach the transport vehicle when a hand suddenly reached out from behind him.
Crack!
His neck was snapped on the spot.
Before the corpse even hit the ground, Lin Yao had already appeared behind another tree.
Just as the second ninja drew his blade, a fist slammed into his chest.
He crashed through a tree trunk, going completely silent.
Realizing something was wrong, the remaining ninjas scattered immediately.
Hidden weapons shot toward him from three directions simultaneously.
Lin Yao swept his hand, knocking away all dozen or so shuriken.
One ninja took the opportunity to pounce toward Jean.
Jean stood where she was, unmoving.
The moment the ninja got within three meters, his body froze in midair.
"Who sent you?"
Jean closed her fingers into a fist.
The ninja's mask fell off on its own, and telekinesis squeezed tighter and tighter around his neck.
Instead of answering, the ninja bit down toward a poison capsule hidden in his teeth.
Jean saw right through his intention.
The poison capsule flew directly out of his mouth.
"Wanting to die?"
"It won't be that easy."
Psychic power pierced into the ninja's brain.
His body twitched violently as Jean forcefully rifled through the memories in his mind.
A red handprint.
An underground temple.
Tombstone's warehouse.
And an order that had been received not long ago.
Find Jean Grey.
Confirm the unknown test subject's abilities.
Do not engage, mark the location.
"The Hand."
Jean opened her eyes.
"They're looking for us on behalf of someone else."
The ninja was already foaming at the mouth, having lost consciousness.
Lin Yao walked out of the woods.
The other twelve were all dead.
"Did you see who gave the order?"
"The broker has only met Tombstone's people."
Jean released her grip.
The ninja slumped to the ground.
"This is all he knows."
Lin Yao raised his foot and snapped his neck.
Without intelligence value, there was no need to keep him alive.
Peter stood beside the transport vehicle, watching this scene in silence.
"They were already incapacitated."
"They came to capture Jean."
Lin Yao looked at him.
"Are we supposed to treat them to dinner instead?"
"I didn't say that."
Peter frowned and said, "But you didn't give them a chance to surrender at all."
"I didn't see them giving those kids in the lab a chance either."
Lin Yao walked toward the transport vehicle.
"You don't have to kill."
"Just don't expect me to be like you."
Peter didn't argue further.
He didn't agree with Lin Yao's methods.
However, The Hand ninjas indeed carried poison, restraining equipment, and Mutant inhibitor needles.
These people hadn't come to negotiate.
Jean retrieved a beacon from the ninja's body.
"The Class A clearance card can connect to its communication frequency."
Lin Yao took the beacon.
An encrypted address was pulsing on the screen.
DODC Pier 7 Relay Station.
The positioning system used by The Hand was actually connected to DODC's internal network.
"Now we have the evidence."
Lin Yao put away the beacon.
"First, let's get the kids onto a safe route."
Peter drove the transport vehicle into an abandoned subway maintenance tunnel.
The end of the tunnel connected to Queens' underground lines; the entrance had not been used in years, so DODC's large vehicles could not enter.
Lin Yao had the seven test subjects stay temporarily at the maintenance station.
"If anyone breaks in, notify me directly."
He looked at Peter.
"Don't leave on your own initiative."
"I know how to take care of them,"
Peter said. "Where are you two going?"
"To see how DODC plans to kill me."
Lin Yao and Jean left through another exit.
The Pier 7 Relay Station was located beneath an abandoned warehouse.
Two unmarked cars were parked outside.
Six DODC Agents were scattered around the warehouse.
Lin Yao concealed his presence and entered the underground facility from a security camera blind spot.
The moment an Agent noticed a movement, Lin Yaocovered his mouth and dragged him into the passage.
Lin Yao snapped his neck and retrieved his ID badge.
Jean took care of the guards on the other side.
There were no gunshots.
And no alarms.
After the two entered the relay room, Lin Yao inserted the Class A clearance card into the terminal and plugged in The Hand's beacon.
Dozens of encrypted communications appeared on the screen.
One of them was currently active.
Lin Yao clicked open the audio feed.
A video feed of a conference room was projected onto the screen.
Metzger stood at the head of the long table.
Playing on the wall was the surveillance footage of Lin Yaodestroying the experimental base.
In the video, he lifted an exoskeleton armor with one hand and tore off a multi-ton alloy door with ease.
No one in the conference room spoke.
A technical director spoke first.
"Test Subject Seven's strength is at least fifty tons."
"The actual data might be even higher."
"Ordinary firearms, electric shocks, and ability inhibitor rounds are all ineffective."
"He also possesses flight and energy attack capabilities."
Another person added:
"Spider-Man has already made contact with him."
"A brief fight broke out between them, but Spider-Manfailed to bring him back."
Metzger's face was dark and grim.
"Standard units are to cease pursuit."
"Sending more people will only feed him weapons and intelligence."
Someone asked, "Then what about Jean?"
"Jean must be brought back."
Metzger looked at Lin Yao on the screen.
"As for this Test Subject Seven, he cannot be dealt with directly."
"Starting today, freeze all the identities he took."
"Release edited footage to the media, declaring that he attacked government facilities and abducted Mutant test subjects."
"Send the list of deceased soldiers to their families."
"I want all of New York to know that he is a dangerous alien who massacres government personnel."
Lin Yao leaned back in his chair, finding it almost laughable.
Metzger's reaction was faster than he had anticipated.
If you can't win in a fight, seize control of public opinion first.
The large screen in the conference room lit up with another image.
A tall man with pale grey skin sat in the darkness.
Tombstone.
"You want me to help the DODC find someone?"
Tombstone's tone was flat.
"Since when did the government start needing gangs to wipe their asses?"
Metzger didn't get angry.
"What I want are transport routes, hideouts, and underground intelligence."
"Once it's done, part of the superpower equipment confiscated by DODC can be sold through your channels."
Tombstone smiled.
What he truly wanted was never the hundred-million-dollar bounty.
It was access to DODC's black market.
"I can help you."
"But The Hand also wants Jean."
"They believe that girl's ability can control every key figure in New York."
Metzger said, "Let them participate."
"Jean can be handed over to me."
"After the research on her abilities is complete, you can negotiate the remaining value among yourselves."
Jean stood in front of the screen, her gaze growing colder and colder.
"They're already divvying me up."
"Let them."
Lin Yao copied all the conference recordings.
"Once everyone gathers, we'll deal with them all at once."
Killing Metzger now would only make Tombstone and The Hand go into hiding immediately.
Letting them continue to collaborate actually saves the trouble of hunting them down one by one.
The meeting continued.
Metzger tapped four words onto the table.
Identity.
Public Opinion.
Companions.
Civilians.
"This test subject is not without weaknesses."
"He took Jean and seven test subjects with him."
"As long as we lock down their identities and transportation, he'll have to find a new hideout."
"Stage a public attack in a densely populated area."
"If he uses large-scale power, it will cause civilian casualties."
"If he doesn't use it, let Scorpion hold him off."
A supervisor hesitated and said:
"Scorpion's old armor is already damaged."
"Then give him a new one."
Metzger pulled up a weapons list.
Enhanced exoskeleton, anti-gravity thrusters, high-energy tail stinger, and a miniature power core.
"At 2:00 AM, transfer Mac Gargan to Hangar 46."
"Release him immediately after the armor fitting is complete."
Lin Yao noted down the time and location.
Jean looked at him.
"Go kill Scorpion first?"
"No rush."
Lin Yao closed the copying program.
"Since they want to give chase, let them chase."
He picked up The Hand's beacon.
"We'll keep this positioning device for now."
"Find a place to feed them a false route."
Jean immediately understood his meaning.
"Make DODC, Tombstone, and The Hand all come up empty-handed together?"
"Coming up empty-handed is only the first step."
Lin Yao pulled out the clearance card.
"I also want to follow their people and dig out all their warehouses, funds, and bases."
After clearing out the remaining Agents in the relay station, the two left through the underground passage.
Meanwhile, in DODC Hangar 46.
The iron door opened slowly.
Mac Gargan sat tied to a stationary chair, looking up at Metzger who walked in.
A robotic arm lowered a set of green armor in front of him.
The new mechanical tail stinger gleamed with a cold glint.
"Who do you want me to deal with?"
Metzger placed photos of Jean and Lin Yao on the table.
"Capture Jean."
"As for Lin Yao—"
He stared at the surveillance footage showing the exoskeleton armor punched through in a single strike.
"Don't get close to him."
Chapter 5: Pursuers Are Always One Step Behind
After the transport vehicle drove into the abandoned maintenance tunnel, Lin Yao did not leave immediately.
"Engine off."
Peter stepped on the brakes.
Just as the seven test subjects in the vehicle breathed a sigh of relief, Lin Yao pried open the dashboard casing.
A black tracker was hidden behind the onboard system, its indicator light blinking continuously.
"A tracker?"
Jean looked under the vehicle.
"And more than one."
Lin Yao closed his eyes, sweeping his aura sensing across the entire vehicle.
Electronic devices had no life aura, but the scent left by several DODC technicians inside the vehicle was clear.
Circuit boards, inside the tires, roof interlayers—everything had been tampered with.
This vehicle was never an escape vehicle.
It was a tether let out by the DODC.
Peter crawled under the vehicle and soon removed another silver-gray device.
"Military shortwave locator."
"Even if you cut off the vehicle's power, it can work for seventy-two hours."
In the vehicle, a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy suddenly raised his head.
"There's more."
His name was Noah, one of the test subjects who had just been rescued.
"Next to the rear wheel, there's a piece of metal that shouldn't be there."
Lin Yao glanced at him.
"How far can you feel?"
"I don't know."
Noah was a little nervous.
"When there's a lot of metal, it buzzes in my head."
Lin Yao squatted down and pulled out a third tracker from inside the wheel axle.
Three sets of positioning devices.
One out in the open, one backup, and one hidden in the hardest spot to check.
"Remove them all?" Peter asked.
"Remove two."
Lin Yao reinstalled the last one back onto the wheel axle.
"Leave one for them."
Jean quickly understood.
"You plan to give them a fake route?"
"Don't they like to chase?"
Lin Yao closed the underbody protective plate.
"Let them make a few extra trips."
Jean had tried two sets of backup identities, both of which were invalid, and the bank cards in Lin Yao's hands had been locked simultaneously.
Peter pulled out his phone and brought up an old map of New York's underground facilities.
"This maintenance line leads to three exits."
"The north exit is near an abandoned canning factory, the east connects to the drainage system, and the west side leads into the suburban freight area."
"There's a decommissioned warehouse near the freight area that originally belonged to a cold chain company. There are no networked surveillance cameras there, and the ground space is large enough."
Lin Yao quickly made arrangements after looking at the map.
"You drive to the canning factory."
Peter looked up.
"Me?"
"Park the vehicle inside and leave through the underground maintenance shaft."
"Before the first batch of DODC personnel arrives, I will meet up with you."
Peter looked at the children in the vehicle.
"What about them?"
"I'll take them."
Lin Yao took out the cash and files stolen from the baseand opened his system space for the first time.
The fireproof box vanished from his hands.
Jean's eyes flickered.
"Where did you hide the stuff?"
"A place only I can open."
Lin Yao didn't explain further.
Peter looked at the seven test subjects again.
"They can't keep up with you flying."
"So we'll take the eastern drainage line."
Lin Yao pointed at the map.
"Jean is responsible for mental early warnings, Noah finds metal mechanisms. I'll clear the path ahead."
"If the pursuers really block the exit, I'll lead a forceful breakthrough."
No one objected.
The transport vehicle restarted and drove toward the northern canning factory alone.
Lin Yao led Jean and the seven test subjects into the eastern drainage channel.
Along the way, he kept his aura hidden.
Overhead, several DODC drones searched back and forth, but it was as if they couldn't see them at all.
Jean occasionally paused, sensing the action intentions of nearby personnel.
"There are two plainclothes officers at the inspection hatch ahead."
"They're waiting for the transport vehicle and don't know what we look like."
"Bypass them."
Lin Yao didn't let her continue reading.
It wasn't out of concern for those two plainclothes officers.
Perimeter personnel knew too little; deep reading would only increase mental strain and might leave abnormal traces.
"Just watch what they plan to do."
Lin Yao said, "Perimeter personnel aren't worth wasting your mental power on. The ones you should really search are Commanders and researchers."
Jean nodded.
What she needed was not to abuse her ability, but to use every reading on the most valuable targets.
The group bypassed the inspection hatch and successfully entered the freight area.
Lin Yao then flew back to the canning factory alone.
The transport vehicle was already parked in the middle of the factory building.
Peter was crouching on a beam, observing the activity outside.
"Three teams."
"DODC is coming in through the front door, another group has no uniforms and looks like Tombstone's men."
"There are ninjas on the roof as well."
"The more that come, the better."
Lin Yao dropped into the shadows.
When the first batch of DODC Agents rushed into the factory, they only saw an empty vehicle.
"Target is not in the vehicle!"
"Check the underground exits!"
Tombstone's men rammed into the factory gate on the other side right after.
Both sides immediately pointed guns at each other.
"This is a DODC operation zone!"
"Who knows if you guys want to keep the bounty for yourselves?"
Just as the argument broke out, The Hand ninjas on the roof had already begun searching downward.
Everyone thought the other two parties had moved Jean in advance.
Lin Yao concealed his aura and moved around to the back of the factory.
Two remaining Agents were checking a supply truck.
Just as one of them turned around, Lin Yao covered his mouth and snapped his neck.
The other tried to draw his gun, but Lin Yao shattered his sternum with a single punch.
Lin Yao removed the tracker from the transport vehicle and installed it under the DODC supply truck.
A few minutes later, DODC confirmed there were no targets in the factory and could only retreat.
The supply truck drove out of the canning factory.
The tracking signal moved along with it.
Tombstone's men were the first to notice.
"They hid Jean in their own truck!"
Three black sedans immediately gave chase.
Standing at a high vantage point, Peter watched Tombstone's fleet intercept the DODC supply truck, both sides exchanging gunfire directly at the intersection.
"You deliberately made them think DODC wanted Jean all to themselves."
"It's not just thinking."
Lin Yao looked at the distant gunfire.
"They never trusted each other to begin with."
"I'm just giving them a reason to fight."
The DODC supply truck broke through the interception and eventually drove back to the Pier 7 supply point.
The tracking signal stopped inside DODC's own warehouse.
The Hand arrived soon after.
Instead of showing themselves, they snuck into the warehouse to look for Jean.
The DODC alarm sounded again.
In less than an hour, the three groups of pursuers came up empty one after another.
The first group suspected each other at the canning factory.
The second group exchanged gunfire directly on the highway.
The third group broke into DODC's own supply point.
Even if Metzger discovered the tracker had been moved, he would first have to deal with the trouble left by Tombstoneand The Hand.
Peter was silent for a moment.
"You never intended to get rid of the tracker from the start."
"Removing it would at most make them lose our location."
Lin Yao said, "Keeping it is how we know where they're coming from, how they act, and how many people they have."
Peter had to admit that this was far more useful than simply destroying the device.
When the two returned to the suburban warehouse, Jean had already brought everyone to clean out a rest area.
The warehouse conditions were poor, but the water and electricity were still functional.
Lin Yao used Flight Technique to continuously bring in food, medicine, mattresses, and spare clothing.
The cash hadn't gone through banks, so DODC's freeze order couldn't affect them for the time being.
Peter left the complete underground route map on the table.
"Only municipal maintenance workers know about these few tunnels."
"Don't go into the red zone; there are surveillance cameras there."
Lin Yao took the map.
"You can go now."
Peter looked at the children who were eating.
"I'll bring medicine over tomorrow."
"And check your body while you're at it?"
Jean suddenly spoke.
Peter paused in his movement.
"I'm fine."
"When you lie, your heartbeat changes."
Jean stared at him.
"Just now on the way, your Spider-Sense went out of control at least twice."
Peter didn't answer; he just pulled down his mask.
Lin Yao didn't press further either.
If Peter chose to hide it, that was his business.
When his body truly went out of control, he would naturally come back.
Jean walked over to Lin Yao's side.
"What do we do next?"
This time, she didn't wait for orders.
Instead, she actively participated in the plan.
Lin Yao looked at the list of DODC facilities on the table.
"Rest first."
"Tomorrow we start investigating from Sara's files."
Just as Jean was about to nod, she suddenly looked up at the warehouse roof.
Her mental power spread out instantly.
"Someone's coming."
Lin Yao also sensed those rapidly approaching auras.
Steadier and colder than the last batch of ninjas.
Jean's gaze darkened.
"In their thoughts, there is only killing and the mission."