Inside the safe house—
The calm atmosphere was broken only by the sounds of a cartoon playing in the living room.
Emily was sprawled across the couch, completely engrossed in the show. Nestled on her shoulder, a tiny mechanical Spider-Man drone blinked its optical sensors and twitched its little metal legs. The two of them had matching expressions—big eyes wide open, mouths slightly agape, completely fixated.
"Hurry up and find him! Hurry up!" Emily shouted, fists pumping into the air.
Tiny Spider-Man mirrored her, lifting his front legs in unison, shaking them as though cheering for the on-screen character.
Just then, Claude entered the room with a tablet in hand and a weary expression.
"Alright, after this episode, it's time to get back to studying," he said.
Emily's excitement vanished instantly. She slumped on the couch like a deflated balloon.
But surprisingly, the mini Spider-Man perked up, hopping up on her shoulder with a gleam in his robotic eyes.
A stark contrast: one defeated, one eager.
Claude sighed and rubbed his temples. "Emily, look at him. Then look at yourself. Is studying really that painful?"
Emily nodded rapidly.
Claude shook his head. "We haven't left the house lately, and disguises are off-limits. There have been… disappearances. Homeless people all over New York have gone missing. We can't afford risks. Best to stay put."
Emily obediently responded, "Okay…"
---
Somewhere in the shadows of the city...
A dark, foul-smelling chamber deep underground.
Rows of unconscious homeless people lay on steel shelves, their wrists pierced by long transparent tubes. Blood flowed through the tubes, down into a central, sealed stone coffin. Some had already been drained to the point of mummification, eyes still open but lifeless—no pain, no fear, just a haunting vacancy.
As the last of the blood reached the coffin, the lid slowly creaked open.
A terrifying aura of cold death flooded the room.
From inside, a pale hand with long black nails emerged, gripping the edge.
Black Void—a being on her 82nd evolutionary cycle—rose slowly, her jet-black hair now flowing all the way to her waist.
Before her, a group of cloaked followers knelt, heads bowed and hands folded in reverence.
"How was the sacrifice, High Priestess?" one of them asked.
Black Void's crimson eyes flickered. "Excellent. I've gained a fraction of the evil god's true power. I can feel it coursing through me."
She paused, then smiled faintly. "Now… I'll hunt down that man myself."
"The one the evil god seeks?" the elder asked, confused.
"Yes," Black Void replied. "His body possesses astonishing cellular activity. He's the perfect vessel. If we can awaken the latent potential in him, he'll become the strongest Black Void this cult has ever produced."
"The last team failed," she added coldly. "So now—I go."
A thick black miasma spread from her hands as she began preparations to move.
---
Inside the military base…
Deep beneath layers of reinforced steel and electric fencing, Nathan dashed through complex pathways hidden in the circuitry. As a bolt of lightning in human form, he zigzagged through miles of tangled wires, processing dozens of intersecting current flows.
It almost made him dizzy—but finally, he reached his target.
He emerged at a small wall socket near the laboratory's main floor.
The room inside came into view.
Luke Cage lay submerged inside a glass chamber, his powerful body hooked up to multiple tubes. Glowing liquid swirled through the pipes, coating him in a strange, viscous substance.
Though Luke's eyes were closed, Nathan's trained senses picked up on the faint rhythms of breathing and heartbeat. The man wasn't asleep—he was aware.
Dozens of lab technicians in white coats worked frantically around him.
Suddenly, Nathan's attention was pulled to a figure sitting in the corner.
Bronski.
The mercenary-turned-monster sat with arms folded, exuding arrogance and barely concealed violence. His presence was like a black hole of tension in the room.
"So it really is Bronski," Nathan thought. "He's here to oversee the procedure. Probably to neutralize any interference… like me."
As Nathan scanned the operation, confusion crept in.
"This doesn't look like a study of Luke's abilities… they're injecting something. Strength-enhancement serums?"
Nathan didn't act yet. It wasn't the right time. Instead, he zipped away toward the adjacent lab.
There, the room was empty—perfect.
He reverted to human form and landed softly.
Immediately, he rushed to a terminal, typing rapidly. Within seconds, he disabled the surveillance feed, looping empty footage on repeat.
Once secure, he dove into the base's database and pulled up Luke Cage's medical records.
"So his powers were flawed from the start…" Nathan read.
According to the files, Luke's initial enhancement was incomplete, leaving him with a ceiling on his strength and a lifespan-consuming flaw. His condition would have slowly deteriorated over time.
Now it made sense. This "upgrade" was an effort to complete the original experiment—patching the flaws and amplifying his strength.
"If they succeed, Luke won't just be strong—he'll be nearly indestructible."
Nathan grinned. If he could replicate this perfected version, his own steel-body abilities would become unimaginably powerful.
Suddenly—he heard voices.
Researchers were returning.
He quickly transformed into electricity again and disappeared into the wires.
Now armed with the truth, Nathan raced toward the control room.
---
Inside the control room…
Technicians monitored everything—from thermal maps to weapons status to surveillance feeds.
One man typed something into his keyboard—
ZAP!
A jolt of electricity surged from the device.
He jumped back in shock. "What the hell?! Is this thing shorting out?"
Before he could react, a current leapt from the keyboard like a snake and bit into his chest.
CRACK!
He collapsed, eyes rolling up, limbs twitching.
"Call medical!"
"Shut it down!"
But more currents surged—crackling arcs of electricity exploded from screens and consoles.
Within seconds, every operator in the room had collapsed.
Then came silence.
Nathan reappeared in human form, immediately typing commands. He elevated Luke Cage's security clearance—ensuring the man could exit the base once free.
As Nathan completed the hack, he vanished again—returning to the lab.
---
Back above the lab floor—
Nathan perched atop a camera fixture, eyeing Bronski. He knew what he had to do.
Bronski was the final obstacle.
He couldn't allow the brute to block Luke's escape.
"If I strike point-blank, I can overload his nervous system," Nathan thought.
"But I'll lose my elemental form doing it. So I better make it count."
He calculated the odds. Based on Bronski's combat feats and biological stats, he estimated:
His electric discharge could stun Bronski for 30–75 minutes.
If Bronski had evolved further, maybe only 10–30 minutes.
Still, it would be enough.
Nathan slipped into the machine near Luke and whispered via low-frequency current:
> "Luke, don't move. I'm here to rescue you. Once the process finishes, you'll break out. I'll handle the pursuers. Just run.
In exchange, I need your data—for research. It won't harm you. You'll be free after."
Luke responded by blinking—right eye twice, left eye three times.
Deal made.
Nathan flew up to observe the next stage.
The lab floor buzzed with activity.
"Begin injection!" the operator announced.
Syringes deployed their mixtures.
Steam hissed. Mechanical locks clicked.
The enhanced serum surged into Luke's body.
Instantly—he screamed. Veins bulged.
His body contorted in pain as the chemicals took hold. The monitors lit up.
His muscle density soared. His bone strength jumped.
ATP levels skyrocketed.
ATP—the "energy currency" of cells— was being produced at a staggering rate. This allowed for faster neural signals, stronger muscle contractions, and near-limitless power output.
It was a transformation unlike any before.
"Yes!" Nathan grinned. "It's working. This is perfect!"
But then—something caught his eye.
"No… wait."
Buried in the scrolling data logs, a warning appeared.
Lactic acid levels were spiking.
"That doesn't make sense," he murmured. "He hasn't moved a muscle, so why is his body flooding with lactic acid?"
Then realization hit him.
If it continues, every muscle will seize. Cramp. Tear. Rupture.
"He'll die! The experiment will fail!"
Nathan's eyes widened.
He had to act—now.
---
End of Chapter 090.
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