Ultimate Evolution.
Or you could call it the "Ultimate Omnitrix." The principle was to place an alien species in the worst simulated environment, then allow it to evolve freely for around a million years, obtaining the new DNA after evolution for transformation.
It was a new function Albedo added after stealing the unfinished core of Azmuth's Little Broken Watch.
When Bant sensed that divine power capable of driving evolution, he couldn't help thinking of the Ultimate Watch.
Azmuth looked down on Ultimate Evolution, but that was only because it broke the natural course of biological evolution, turning the Little Broken Watch completely into a weapon that boosted destructive power, betraying his original intention. It could also cause the DNA inside the watch to develop self-awareness.
That didn't mean Ultimate Evolution was useless.
Bant did want to add Ultimate Evolution to the watch. But right now, the "evolution" he controlled was still very weak, and applying it to a machine was a difficult problem for him.
A moment later, he ended the transformation and then recorded Loki's genes.
This time, the watch did not split into two different silhouettes.
The Frost Giant silhouette was also humanoid, though its details were clearly different.
Bant didn't try transforming.
Among the Frost Giants, Loki was the weakest. A normal giant's body was enormous. Transforming rashly would only draw unnecessary attention.
On the other hand, after obtaining Cosmic God and Old God, Bant honestly wasn't that impressed by Frost Giant genes anymore.
You could tell from the fact he couldn't even be bothered to come up with a special nickname for Frost Giants. He was that perfunctory.
After doing all that, Bant settled down for the moment and planned to wait for Loki to send out the Destroyer.
The Destroyer didn't come, but Peter's call did.
"Hey, Xiao Ban, how's the trip going?"
New York.
Peter held a hot dog and climbed up to a gargoyle on an old-fashioned building. He lifted half his mask and called Bant.
He talked while eating the hot dog, so his words came out a little muffled.
Luckily, Bant was used to him and could still understand what he was saying.
"After you went back that day, was it you who saved Councilwoman Andrea's daughter and the other victims?" Peter asked without waiting for Bant to answer.
He only found out this morning when he went to the Daily Bugle.
At the time, Jameson poked him in the head and chewed him out.
He said Spider-Man saving Councilwoman Andrea's daughter had already spread through other newspapers, but Peter, Spider-Man's exclusive photographer, didn't know a thing.
Peter was completely confused until he read the paper. Only then did he learn that after being rescued, Andrea immediately told the media that Spider-Man saved her. At the same time, the culprit behind the incident was identified.
Peter recognized him. It was the freak he and Matt had tracked that night.
"Spider-Man… killed the culprit?" Peter muttered in disbelief as he read.
"Exactly!" Jameson lowered his dress-shoed foot from the desk, cigar in hand, wearing an expression that screamed "I knew it." "See? The criminal finally showed his true face! Who does he think he is? Disrespecting the law! Killing people!"
Robbie couldn't listen anymore. He said awkwardly, "Sir, the dead man was a criminal, and Spider-Man saved nearly a hundred people…"
Peter stood there in a daze, the arguing voices of Robbie and Jameson fading farther and farther away.
To be honest, he found it hard to imagine Bant actually killing someone.
That news hit him like a brick. After thinking about it for several hours, he still decided to call Bant, and that led to this moment.
"It was me," Bant said.
There was nothing to deny. For now, New York didn't have a third Spider-Man.
But Peter had trouble accepting it.
"But… you killed him!"
The moment he heard that, Bant on the other end already knew what Peter wanted to say. He didn't care.
He switched the phone to his other hand, leaned against a wall, and asked Peter instead.
"What's the problem? You know how brutal that guy was. Just the victims discovered this time were already in the hundreds. Even among the survivors, plenty had their hands or feet sawed off. Do you think he didn't deserve to die?"
Peter fell silent.
In truth, he could understand Bant.
Just seeing the bloody photos and text in the newspaper had lit a fire in his chest. He'd wanted to punch Muse to death himself. Let alone Bant, who had been at the scene.
Still, Peter felt Bant's choice lacked consideration.
No matter what, he believed a person should hold one bottom line. No matter how angry you were, you couldn't kill. Otherwise you were no different from criminals.
"But you could've handed him to the police and let the law…"
"Give it a rest," Bant cut him off.
"That Muse was a lunatic. Who knows if some judge would go easy on him because he's mentally ill?"
Actually, that possibility wasn't very high. The more likely scenario was that someone who understood Muse had special abilities would try every possible way to protect him.
Peter seemed like he still wanted to argue, but Bant changed the topic.
"Alright, Peter. How's the progress on rebuilding the school?"
"Uh… looks like we won't be back in class for at least the next month," Peter said, just like that, his attention already diverted.
A month?
Bant thought about it. A month should be enough.
So he said, "Tell Uncle Ben and Aunt May my trip might be extended."
"But…"
"Peter. I just want to clear my head."
On the other end, Peter went silent.
He thought Bant had gone far away because he felt guilty after killing someone, and he wanted to relax and cope by getting away.
Xiao Ban probably feels awful inside, and all I did was blame him…
Peter felt guilty.
"Alright. I'll cover for you," he said, sounding pained. "Promise me you won't overthink it, okay? Don't walk into a dead end. It's not your fault."
"What dead end? Why would I overthink?" Bant muttered.
After he hung up, Bant frowned in confusion. Peter had clearly misunderstood something.
"My stupid cousin. I really am going to clear my head. It's just a bit far, that's all. So far it's not even on Earth!"
Shaking his head, Bant looked toward the distance, dozens of miles away.
There, a massive tornado kicked up sand and dust, connecting sky and earth. The light dimmed in an instant. Thick clouds pressed down, as if the heavens were collapsing.
The Destroyer had arrived!
/-\
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