I am in marvel with the omnitrix...

It was the next morning; I was drinking some coffee while reading the report Ava wrote about John Pilgrim and Anderson Schultz...

[Subject: Anderson Schultz

Anderson Schultz is a high-net-worth individual from Ohio with strong ties to ultraconservative Christian circles and legacy oil wealth. Publicly, he is a retired financier and philanthropist focused on clean water initiatives and faith-based lobbying. Privately, he is linked to shadow networks that manipulate public narratives to maintain ideological control and suppress opposition.

Currently, he is covertly using his resources to manage a political scandal involving his son, David Schultz, who is being groomed for office. Anderson is hiding John Pilgrim's wife and children in a black site safehouse in northern Vermont, coordinates redacted from maps. The compound operates as a "faith rehabilitation center" and is guarded by armed contractors under non-disclosure agreements. All communications are via hardwired landlines to avoid surveillance. I am monitoring low-bandwidth utility readings from the site, confirming irregular movement patterns consistent with containment security.]

[Subject: John Pilgrim

Real name: REDACTED

Approximate Age: Late 30s to early 40s

Former Affiliation: Aryan Brotherhood (confirmed exit)

Current Role: Enforcer for Anderson Schultz, operating under religious extremism.

John Pilgrim is a reformed white nationalist-turned-Christian fundamentalist whose devotion is more programmatic than spiritual. He is a tactician skilled in close-quarters combat, firearms, and wilderness tracking. His body bears scars from long-term incarceration and self-flagellation, indicators of guilt-centered psychological conditioning.

Pilgrim operates with precision but avoids unnecessary cruelty unless provoked. His motivations stem from survival and fear. His wife is reported to have a terminal illness, and his sons are under Schultz's control, used as leverage for his obedience.]

"Ava, find out where Anderson is keeping John's family and inform me as soon as you learn where they're at, and also book a plane ticket to China again uhh this next Monday, yeah, since helping out Frank would be more profitable." I speak in a calm tone as I drink up all my coffee and lean back on the couch…

Hmm, I smile and look down at the Ten Rings on the table in front of me. It's been a day now. Last day I left the Ten Rings here, and then I took them again when I went to meet Abby…

This was not just because I wanted to keep my ten rings out of Jessica's eyes; this was also because I wanted to test something… And well, the test was a success. I could sense the Ten Rings when I was in college with my Chi; I felt like I could call them to me…

It's something like Thor's hammer, but, well, I have to focus my mind to do it. But this only makes me think more. As Gray Matter, I have had so many ideas. There is just one little problem: this world itself….

Should I first take everything that is powerful? in this world? Or should I test and experiment and come up with new things this world does not have?

This is a question that I just did not even think about before. I was just, well, doing both, but slowly, as I keep doing more and more, I realize I have to choose. because I can't keep doing both…

Ah, I need info. I need knowledge about this world, and then I could plan what to do and what not… Should I not help Frank out? I mean, there is no real reason to help him… It's not like he knows me and will come looking for me if I don't help him. There are actually zero reasons for me to help Frank. In fact, me helping Frank is a little risky; I might get the attention of someone else if I do something...

But if I do help Frank, then I push back going to the Ten Rings. I have already been pushing back going to the Ten Rings because, well, they're in China, and that's fucking far away! I don't have time to stay in that country for too long…

Ugh! Wait, what am I thinking? Gray Matter should have an answer to this planning problem…

"Hey, Ava, sleep mode." I speak calmly, and Ava shuts down for a few seconds, and then I twist the dial of the Omnitrix and stop when the small alien pops up, and I push down, and a second later I am smaller and sitting on the couch, and I frown...

Huh? This plan is shit! Why am I doing this?

One minute later…

I slap my back and turn back into a human and mutter, "My plan was so stupid before; I should stick to Gray Matter for all the thinking…" I stand up and walk to the table and switch Ava back on…

"Hey, Ava, don't book the ticket to China on the Monday… I am going there today." I stand up, casually grab the Ten Rings, put them on my wrists, and walk to the bedroom to change my clothes…

And Ava spoke, "Sir, what about college? Are you bunking today?" And I almost laughed at Ava's question. She was really asking me about college? right now?

"Yes, I am bunking college. Ava, don't worry, I'll go to college the next day for sure, ok? Anyway, I won't be taking a plane to go there, so don't worry. Ok, I won't be staying there for long, plus by the time I am back, make sure the white suit and clothes are ready, ok?" I speak in an amused tone as I change my clothes. I put on a white shirt and a jacket on top and some jeans. This should do for now. Plus, I will only be meeting Xu, so no need to wear all white for the vibes…

I stand up and walk outside the mansion and casually start to walk down the road while thinking, 'Hmm, I should build a fast plane or something just to get me from point A to point B. For sure, I can't just keep running from here to there…' I twist the watch dial and push it down…

XLR8…

A green flash covers me, and then there is nothing but a wind.

Whoosh!

———

In China, in the Ten Rings Headquarters.

There was a man sitting on a throne.

Watching a video of a young man who tore through a bunch of people…

Date: February 10th One month ago…

He first somehow got through the border patrol around the mountain, and then he started to, one by one, break the cameras that had an eye on him…

He was fast, but he did not really hide himself… Before my agents got to him… And, well, he incapacitated most of them without killing them, and then he used their own guns and the jeep…

He got in that jeep, and somehow the jeep moved faster than it could have… to the point it flew through the walls… right inside the main hall…

Then the fight with Death Dealer was just as I expected, but that second where that boy grabs Death Dealer's head… How he improved like a monster, his fighting style itself was weird, a mix of a lot of things. He could be trained by some army, military, or maybe some other secret organization, but still, he seemed to lack one thing: real-life experience…

But he grew... mid-fight like a monster...

But once I myself started fighting him, he was no match for me before he turned into a 4-armed monster… He was on par with me… No, he was stronger… Especially when he got his hands on me, I felt myself getting weaker…

Not only that, he took me out of my own kingdom in front of my army… stole my most powerful weapon and made me a deal I could not say no to…

And what do I know about him? Other than his name' James Lee' nothing… There is no one on earth who has the name James Lee and looks like that young man or shows the powers he showed. I have looked everywhere—nothing… well, close to nothing. There was a 'James Lee' who did fly to China from the USA… But the background? Passport? Nothing… How is that even possible? Unless he has someone in the system who pretty much hooked him up with the plane ticket...

But one little thing: James Lee reached China on January 8, 2006, but he attacked ten rings on February 10th. What does this mean?? What was he doing for one month? in China? He surely was not just hanging out… But again, I see no sight of him. He does not show up on the cameras like a ghost…

Or someone is deleting all the camera footage that he has been seen in, but that will mean he has a team of people behind him… But he fought alone. This does not make sense… He does not make sense. How did he even come to China? The plane ticket does not make sense, and once he got here, he was not seen on the cameras… The only proof there might be is eyewitness accounts, but…

It's a fucking airport… How can you trust an eyewitness at an airport…? It's truly impossible. He does not make sense. He must have a way to fly or become a ghost…

Because if he can't do things like flying or becoming something like a ghost, then, well… he might as well be a 无面人. (Faceless Man)

But that's not even the worst part; the worst part is how he brought Ying Li out of her grave… It's impossible to explain by normal science. But with magic, it's explainable. Even with my own eyes, even though I saw him, I could not read him. He was like a piece of paper full of flaws, but at the same time, flawless…

And what he promised me was something so tempting that even the devil himself could not offer…

Bringing someone back from the dead—it's magical. I have only heard about it being possible in places like Ta Lo… That's the only thing I have, the only possible lead. He could be from Ta Lo, but he himself denies it. And he should have no real reason to lie. A person with that much power does not need to lie…

Hmm, the task he gave me is weird, to say the least: to gather the information about pretty much everyone in this world… every organization, and even the Ten Rings itself…

Which is weird. He seemed to know me and everything about me, but he wanted to know more? No, it was different. He did not seem too eager for knowledge; it's almost like he only wanted to confirm what he knew was true or not…

Or maybe this is a test?

Anyway, whatever it was, this world is much bigger than I thought. Huh, some of the things my information network found out even I myself did not know about… But again, I did not know someone like him existed, so all of this info is tame compared to his existence.

I turn off the video and look outside the window. It was the dawn, and the sun was rising…

Where could he be? He did not give me anything, no way to contact him… I have gathered information from all around the world… But how do I give it to him?

———

While Xu was thinking about thoughts and one man, there was someone else who was also thinking about the same man, but she knew him by a different name…

Huh, Leo did not come to college today… I was going to actually go up to him and try to chat, but he did not come today… Was that a coincidence? that she was going to chat with him, but he just happened to not come to college the day she thought of talking with him…

At this point Jessica did not know just in days this unknown dude had taken over her mind… And even things like this felt like more than coincidence…

But Jessica laughs a little to herself and shakes her head. She thinks, 'Oh, this is a coincidence. I am just overthinking…' And as Jessica laughed at herself, she also casually once again looked up 'JD.' Again, why? Because, well, Jessica was bored in class, but what she found on her phone, she almost screamed out loud…

There was no actually new news about this, but under 'JD's name there was another new company now… Mojang? What? No, no…

If Leo not coming to college because Jessica just happened to think about talking to him was a coincidence, then what the hell was this? This was fucking proof! Leo just happens to not come to college, and on that same day…

JD opens a new company!

This is undeniable proof!