Marcus's aggressive timeline began five days later.
The Scavenger Clan operated in Neo-Seattle's eastern industrial zones, specializing in theft, smuggling, and illicit salvage. Unlike Black Talon's professional operation, the Scavengers were opportunistic—hitting targets of convenience rather than executing planned heists. Their leader, a man called Rust, had metal manipulation abilities that made him invaluable for breaking into secure facilities.
According to the Archive's intelligence, the clan had approximately thirty members, mostly D and E-rank with a handful of C-ranks. Rust himself was estimated at high C-rank, possibly low B-rank depending on available metal in his environment.
Rebecca had provided detailed analysis:
*"The Scavengers are disorganized but dangerous. Rust rules through fear and brutality. Members are loyal because they're terrified of him. He's killed at least twelve people personally, usually in creative ways involving metal spikes through vital organs. Not someone to underestimate."*
Marcus read this while sitting in his school cafeteria, appearing to study while actually planning an assault.
"Earth to Marcus," Sarah said, waving her hand in front of his face. "You're doing the zone-out thing again."
"Sorry. Just thinking."
"About your mysterious science project?"
"Something like that."
Sarah stole a french fry from his plate. "You know, you've been even more distracted than usual lately. Is everything okay? Like, actually okay?"
Marcus looked at her. Sarah's concern was genuine—she'd appointed herself his friend and took that role seriously. It would be easy to dismiss her, but maintaining this relationship was strategically valuable.
"I'm fine. Just working on something complex. It's taking more mental energy than expected."
"Can I help? I mean, I'm not a genius like you, but maybe talking through it would help?"
"It's not that kind of problem. But I appreciate the offer."
Sarah studied him for a moment, then sighed. "You're very good at deflecting, you know that? Every time I try to get you to open up, you give me just enough to satisfy me without actually revealing anything."
"Is that a complaint?"
"An observation. I don't mind, really. Everyone has secrets." She smiled slightly. "Just know that when you're ready to share whatever you're dealing with, I'm here."
*You'll never be ready for what I'm actually dealing with,* Marcus thought. *Nobody will be.*
His phone buzzed with an encrypted message from Void Raven:
*Scavenger Clan confirmed at their main hideout tonight. Twenty-seven members present, including Rust. Three are out on a job. Optimal strike window: 11 PM to 2 AM when they're relaxed but not yet drunk enough to be unpredictable.*
Marcus typed back: *Confirmed. Meet at staging location 10 PM.*
He pocketed his phone and returned his attention to Sarah, who was watching him with knowing eyes.
"Study group?" she asked.
"You could say that."
"Right. Well, your 'study group' must be very demanding." Sarah finished her lunch and stood. "I've got to get to class. But Marcus? Be careful with whatever you're doing. I know you're smart and capable, but sometimes smart people take risks because they think they've calculated everything."
"I'll be careful."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Sarah left, and Marcus sat alone, considering her words. She was more perceptive than he'd initially given her credit for. Not enough to understand what he was actually doing, but enough to sense something was off.
*I'll need to be more careful around her,* Marcus noted. *Or more convincingly normal. Probably both.*
---
The Scavenger Clan's hideout was a converted warehouse near the shipping yards. Three stories of rusted metal and crumbling concrete, surrounded by other abandoned buildings. Perfect for criminal operations—isolated, defensible, with multiple escape routes.
Marcus arrived at the staging location at 9:45 PM. Void Raven, Crimson Chain, and Shade were already there, reviewing the facility's layout on a tablet.
"Twenty-seven confirmed inside," Rebecca said without preamble. "Thermal imaging shows they're mostly on the second floor—some kind of gathering or meeting. Rust is in his office on the third floor with two guards. The ground floor has sentries at each entrance, four total."
"Patrol patterns?" Marcus asked.
"Irregular. They rotate every thirty minutes but not on a strict schedule. Rust doesn't believe in discipline—he thinks unpredictability is better security." Rebecca zoomed in on the building. "The metal structure plays to his advantage. If he detects an attack, he can manipulate the building itself as a weapon."
"Then we don't give him time to react." Marcus pulled up his own tactical display, showing monster positions. "I'll have Gamma-One and Gamma-Two create the initial breach. Their combined power will overwhelm the sentries before they can alert the others. Beta-tier monsters will secure the second floor while Alpha-tier handle ground-level cleanup. Lord-tier will focus on Rust specifically."
Crimson Chain frowned. "You're using your strongest monsters to take out Rust? Isn't that overkill?"
"Rust is the lynchpin. Remove him immediately, and the clan collapses. Let him get established in a fight, and he becomes exponentially more dangerous as he manipulates his environment." Marcus highlighted the third floor. "Gamma-One can counter his metal manipulation with gravity distortion. Gamma-Two's energy projection is faster than Rust can redirect metal. Combined assault, three seconds maximum. He dies before he understands what's happening."
Rebecca nodded approvingly. "Brutal efficiency. I like it. What about the rest of the clan?"
"Recruitment offers to anyone C-rank or higher. Everyone else becomes resources. I want this operation completed in under ten minutes—fast enough that hero response won't arrive in time."
"And us?" Shade asked quietly.
"You three stay here as backup and observation. If something goes wrong, you extract me. If everything goes right, you document which members surrender for recruitment." Marcus checked his watch. "We strike at 11:00 PM exactly. Questions?"
"Yeah," Crimson Chain said. "How do you stay this calm? You're sixteen and you're planning to kill two dozen people like it's a school project."
Marcus met his eyes. "I've accepted what I am. You should do the same."
He didn't wait for a response. At 10:55 PM, Marcus released his strike force.
Two Lord-tier, seven Commander-tier, fifteen Elite-tier, and thirty Awakened-tier monsters emerged from compressed form. Fifty-four creatures total, enough to overwhelm the Scavenger Clan through sheer numbers even without the power differential.
At exactly 11:00 PM, Marcus gave the signal.
Gamma-One and Gamma-Two struck simultaneously.
The warehouse's main entrance exploded inward, metal tearing like paper under gravitational manipulation. The four sentries barely had time to shout before Gamma-Two's energy beams cut them down. The monsters moved through the opening like a living flood, spreading throughout the ground floor with terrifying coordination.
Marcus followed twenty seconds later, walking calmly through the destroyed entrance while his monsters secured the perimeter.
Upstairs, he heard shouting and the sounds of combat. The Scavenger Clan was reacting, but too slowly. Beta-tier monsters had already breached the second floor, their combined abilities creating chaos among the disorganized criminals.
Marcus took the stairs to the third floor, Gamma-One clearing the path. The two guards outside Rust's office managed to activate their powers—one with fire manipulation, the other with enhanced strength—before they died. Gamma-One's gravity field crushed them both in less than two seconds.
The office door was reinforced metal. Gamma-One tore it off its hinges and threw it aside.
Inside, Rust stood behind a desk, hands already glowing as he manipulated the room's metal structure. The walls began warping, forming spikes and barriers.
"Who the fuck—" Rust started to say.
Gamma-Two fired. The energy beam punched through Rust's hastily formed metal shield and struck his shoulder, spinning him around. Gamma-One followed with gravitational manipulation, pinning him to the floor before he could recover.
Marcus entered the office, looking down at the infamous Rust—a man in his forties with a scarred face and metal implants visible along his arms. He struggled against the gravitational field, veins bulging with effort.
"Rust. Leader of the Scavenger Clan. Sixty-three confirmed kills, thirty-seven suspected. Wanted by the Hero Association with a bounty of two hundred thousand dollars." Marcus crouched beside him. "I'm offering you a choice. Join my organization, and you live. Refuse, and you become raw materials."
Rust spat blood. "Fuck you, kid. I don't work for anyone."
"Wrong answer."
Marcus stood and nodded to Gamma-One. The gravitational field intensified until Rust's bones began cracking. The man screamed, defiant until the very end, before the pressure crushed him entirely.
*Loyalty born from fear is unreliable anyway,* Marcus thought, watching his monsters consume Rust's corpse. *Better to harvest his abilities and eliminate a potential problem.*
The metal manipulation power would be useful. Marcus felt it flowing back through his connection as Gamma-One absorbed Rust's abilities. The Lord-tier monster's already impressive power grew incrementally stronger.
Marcus left the office and surveyed the second floor. The battle was already over. Twenty-three Scavenger Clan members lay dead or dying, their bodies being consumed by his awakened-tier monsters. Four survivors knelt with their hands raised, guarded by Beta-tier creatures.
"Status," Marcus commanded.
Beta-Three reported: "Ground floor secure. Twenty-seven hostiles eliminated, four captured alive. No casualties to our forces. Hero Association response detected—estimated arrival time six minutes."
Faster than expected. Someone must have triggered a silent alarm before dying.
"Accelerate consumption and extraction. Beta-One, interview the prisoners. Anyone C-rank or higher gets a recruitment offer. Everyone else becomes material." Marcus headed for the exit. "We leave in four minutes."
The operation proceeded with mechanical efficiency. Of the four survivors, two were C-rank and accepted recruitment immediately. The other two—both D-rank and clearly traumatized—were converted on the spot.
By the time Marcus's force evacuated the building, they'd consumed twenty-nine bodies and recruited two new members. Gamma-One had absorbed Rust's metal manipulation, and several Beta-tier monsters had gained minor abilities from the other consumed criminals.
They disappeared into the industrial district's maze of abandoned buildings just as hero sirens became audible in the distance.
---
Marcus returned to his laboratory at 1:30 AM, exhausted but satisfied. The Scavenger Clan operation had been flawless—total elimination in nine minutes forty-three seconds, zero monster casualties, two useful recruits, and significant ability harvesting.
His monster count had grown to three hundred and twelve through new creations using the clan's resources. More importantly, Gamma-One now possessed metal manipulation in addition to its gravitational powers, making it even more versatile in combat.
His phone buzzed with a message from Rebecca:
*Clean operation. Professional. The two recruits—Marcus Chen and Diana Foster—are shaken but compliant. We're getting them settled in the safe house. What's next?*
Marcus typed back: *Rest and recovery for 48 hours. Then we hit the Poison Garden while the Hero Association is still investigating the Scavenger Clan site.*
*Aggressive timeline.*
*Speed is our advantage. The longer we give them to organize, the harder this becomes.*
*Understood. We'll be ready.*
Marcus set his phone aside and checked on his monster forces. The Lord-tier creatures stood guard, their massive forms filling the laboratory's main chamber. The Beta and Alpha-tier monsters were distributed throughout the tunnel system, patrolling and securing the perimeter. The awakened-tier and micro-monsters were either regenerating from the night's exertion or conducting surveillance across the city.
Everything was proceeding according to plan. Better than plan, actually—he was ahead of schedule.
A notification appeared on his encrypted channel from Oracle:
*The timeline is fracturing. I'm seeing multiple possible futures, all of them dark. In sixty-three percent of branches, Neo-Seattle is unrecognizable within six months. In thirty-seven percent, you're dead and your monsters are destroyed. There's no middle ground anymore, Marcus. You either succeed completely or fail catastrophically.*
Marcus considered this. Oracle's precognition was showing him two possible outcomes: total victory or absolute defeat. No compromise, no partial success.
*Which outcome is most probable?* he typed.
*I don't know. The timelines are too unstable. Every action you take creates new branches. It's like you're forcing reality to choose between extremes.* A pause, then: *What happens in six months if you succeed? What does Neo-Seattle become?*
*You'll find out,* Marcus replied. *But here's a hint: it won't be called Neo-Seattle anymore.*
He closed the conversation and began planning the Poison Garden assault. Unlike the Scavenger Clan's straightforward brutality, the Poison Garden was subtle and dangerous. They specialized in toxins, biological weapons, and assassination. Their leader, a woman known only as Hemlock, was a brilliant biochemist with venom generation abilities.
According to Archive intelligence, the Garden had approximately twenty-five members, all specialists in various forms of poison or disease manipulation. They operated from a hidden facility in the city's underground—literally beneath the streets, in old sewer systems that had been converted into laboratories.
It would be a different kind of fight. Toxic environments, biological hazards, enemies who could kill with a touch. Marcus would need to adapt his tactics.
He spent two hours designing specialized monsters—creatures with enhanced resistance to toxins, biological filters, regenerative capabilities that could counteract most poisons. Using his remaining crystallized Essence, he created five new Beta-tier monsters specifically for this operation.
By 4:00 AM, Marcus had completed his preparations. He allowed himself three hours of sleep before school, setting an alarm and collapsing on a makeshift cot in his laboratory's corner.
---
The next morning at Lincoln Standard, Marcus was noticeably tired. Sarah commented on it immediately during homeroom.
"You look terrible," she said bluntly. "Seriously, Marcus, are you sleeping at all?"
"Enough to function."
"That's not an answer." Sarah leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Look, I know you're working on something important. Your secret project or whatever. But you're going to burn out. I can see it happening."
"I'm managing fine."
"No, you're not. You've got dark circles under your eyes, you're distracted constantly, and you barely eat anymore." Her concern was genuine and frustrating. "Whatever you're doing, it can wait. Your health matters more."
Marcus wanted to tell her that no, it couldn't wait. That every day he delayed was a day the Hero Association might discover him, a day some random precognitive might see through Oracle's blind spot, a day his carefully constructed cover might collapse.
But he couldn't say any of that. So instead: "I'll take it easier. I promise."
"You said that before."
"This time I mean it."
Sarah didn't look convinced, but she dropped the subject. Throughout the day, Marcus noticed her watching him with worried eyes, clearly debating whether to push harder or give him space.
During lunch, Marcus's phone buzzed with an urgent message from Whisper at the Archive:
*Emergency. Oracle had a vision. Something big is coming. She says you need to accelerate your timeline. The Hero Association is mobilizing faster than expected. Operation Cleansing has been moved up—it's happening in three days, not two weeks.*
Marcus felt ice in his stomach. Three days. That changed everything.
He typed back quickly: *Why the acceleration?*
*They found evidence linking the various monster attacks. They're treating it as a coordinated villain operation now. S-rank heroes are being recalled from other cities. This is becoming a priority threat.*
*How many S-ranks?*
*At least three, possibly five. Oracle's vision is unclear—too many variables. But she's certain: the Association is taking this seriously now. They're preparing for war.*
Marcus stared at his phone, mind racing. S-rank heroes. Multiple ones. Each equivalent to his Lord-tier monsters, but with years of training, experience, and tactical coordination. If they mobilized against him before he was ready...
*I need complete intelligence on Operation Cleansing. Targets, deployment schedules, hero assignments. Everything Oracle can see.*
*I'll compile it. But Marcus—Oracle says you have a choice to make. Either you go to ground now, hide and rebuild slowly, or you accelerate to the point of recklessness and try to outrace their response. There's no middle ground anymore.*
Hide or accelerate. Caution or aggression.
In his previous life, Marcus had been cautious. Measured. Careful. And it had taken him fifty years to achieve a fraction of what he'd accomplished in three weeks.
*Tell Oracle I choose acceleration,* Marcus typed. *Send me the complete intelligence. I'm hitting the Poison Garden tonight and the Underground Railroad tomorrow. By the time Operation Cleansing begins, I'll be strong enough to exploit the chaos completely.*
*You're insane.*
*I'm committed. There's a difference.*
Marcus pocketed his phone and looked up to find Sarah staring at him with concern that had deepened into something approaching alarm.
"Marcus, what's wrong? You just went completely white."
"Nothing. Just... received some bad news about my project. A complication."
"What kind of complication?"
"The kind that requires immediate attention. Sarah, I need to cancel our plans for the next few days. Something urgent came up."
"How urgent?"
"Very."
Sarah studied him for a long moment, then reached across the table and grabbed his hand. "Marcus, listen to me. I don't know what you're involved in. I don't know what this project really is. But I can see it's consuming you. If you need help, if you're in trouble—"
"I'm not in trouble."
"Then why do you look terrified?"
Because S-rank heroes were mobilizing, because the Hero Association was treating him as a priority threat, because his timeline had just compressed from weeks to days, because one mistake now would mean complete annihilation.
But he couldn't say any of that.
"I'm not terrified. I'm focused. There's a difference." Marcus squeezed her hand briefly, then released it. "I need to go. Thank you for caring, Sarah. It means more than you know."
He left before she could respond, heading directly to the school office and claiming he felt sick. They let him leave early—he'd been a model student, never caused problems, so one sick day was acceptable.
Marcus took the bus to the industrial district, descended to his laboratory, and began preparing for the most aggressive forty-eight hours of his life.
If the Hero Association wanted war, he'd give them war.
But first, he needed to be strong enough to survive it.
---
At 7:00 PM, Marcus stood in his laboratory surrounded by his complete monster force. Three hundred and twelve creatures, from microscopic scouts to Lord-tier behemoths. He'd divided them into three strike teams:
**Team Alpha:** Gamma-One, Gamma-Two, five Beta-tier monsters, ten Alpha-tier. Assignment: Poison Garden assault.
Team Beta: Three Beta-tier, five Alpha-tier, twenty awakened-tier. Assignment: Underground Railroad recruitment or elimination.
Team Gamma: One Beta-tier, five Alpha-tier, thirty awakened-tier. Assignment: City surveillance and intelligence gathering.
Reserve Force: All remaining monsters. Stationed at the laboratory, ready for emergency deployment.
Void Raven, Crimson Chain, and Shade stood before him, along with the two new recruits from the Scavenger Clan.
"Tonight we hit the Poison Garden," Marcus announced. "Tomorrow, the Underground Railroad. Then we rest for twelve hours before Operation Cleansing begins. Questions?"
Rebecca raised her hand. "The timeline is insane. You're hitting two major organizations in two days. That's—"
"Necessary. The Hero Association is accelerating their operation. We need to secure resources and eliminate competition before they can interfere."
Marcus pulled up a tactical display. "The Poison Garden will be the most dangerous operation we've attempted. They operate in a toxic environment that would kill normal humans in minutes. My monsters are resistant but not immune. We'll need to be fast and surgical."
"What about us?" Diana Foster, one of the new recruits, asked nervously. She was a C-rank with minor pyrokinesis. "We're not ready for something like this."
"You won't be frontline. You'll provide support and evacuation assistance if needed." Marcus looked at each of them. "Understand this: the next forty-eight hours determine whether we survive or are destroyed. The Hero Association is mobilizing against us. We need to grow strong enough, fast enough, to weather what's coming. That means aggressive action and acceptable losses."
"Acceptable losses?" Marcus Chen, the other new recruit, sounded horrified. He had enhanced reflexes, nothing spectacular. "You're talking about people dying."
"I'm talking about survival. Evolution. Transformation." Marcus's voice hardened. "If you can't handle what's necessary, leave now.
I'll convert you painlessly. But if you stay, you follow orders without question. Choose."
Both recruits paled but nodded. They'd chosen survival over principle.
Good, Marcus thought. I need pragmatists, not idealists.
"Rebecca, you're in command of the support team. Crimson Chain and Shade will accompany you. Chen and Foster stay here on reserve." Marcus began distributing equipment—communications gear, emergency medical supplies, extraction tools. "We move in thirty minutes. Be ready."
As they prepared, Marcus received the complete intelligence from Oracle. He reviewed it quickly, his expression darkening with each page.
Operation Cleansing was massive. The Hero Association was deploying seventy-three heroes across twelve simultaneous strikes. Three S-ranks were confirmed: Celestial Judge (light manipulation and flight), Titan Force (supreme strength and durability), and Void Striker (spatial manipulation). All three were among the Association's most powerful heroes.
If they turned their attention to him before he was ready...
Marcus pushed the thought aside. Worry was unproductive. Action was all that mattered.
At 7:30 PM, Team Alpha descended into Neo-Seattle's underground, heading for the Poison Garden's lair.
Marcus led from the front, Gamma-One and Gamma-Two flanking him. Behind them, the strike force moved in disciplined formation—a nightmare army of monsters advancing through forgotten tunnels beneath the city.
Somewhere far above, Sarah was probably worried about him. His parents were on patrol, hunting monsters they didn't know their son commanded. Oracle was watching timelines fracture and darken with each step he took.
And ahead, in poison-filled laboratories beneath the streets, the Poison Garden waited unknowingly for the predator that had come to consume them.
Marcus smiled in the darkness.
Three weeks since his awakening.
Thirty-seven confirmed kills.
Three hundred and twelve monsters.
And forty-eight hours to become strong enough to face S-rank heroes.
Let's see if evolution happens fast enough, Marcus thought.
The hunt continued.