Chapter 18: Assimilation
Thank You 'BinRasas' for becoming by pa*tron.
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At this moment, Zane is cooking in the kitchen, while Lorna is in the living room reviewing the textbooks she bought back at noon. After hearing the good news from Skynet, Zane excitedly waved the spatula in his hand.
"Well done! Be discreet and bring the Cosmic Cube to me."
That night, Skynet transformed into an ordinary middle-aged man and handed the box, pretending to be the Cosmic Cube, to Zane.
Instead of immediately checking the Cosmic Cube, Zane reached out to touch Skynet's body.
"Wow, this touch is almost like a real person. Skynet, how did you manage this?"
"Boss, I developed a mimicry program using special liquid metal that can transform in a thousand ways."
"What is the energy source for your body?"
"Due to time constraints, I didn't have time to develop a new energy source. I simply simplified Stark Industries' Ark Reactor and installed it beneath an abandoned military base in the United States. Then, through long-distance energy transmission technology, it's done. I could have miniaturized the Ark Reactor and installed it directly in this body, but the drawbacks would be too obvious. If the reactor is hit, this body would be useless. It's quite simple," Skynet said with a smile.
Zane's eyebrows jumped as he listened. How could the miniaturized Ark Reactor, a product of Tony Stark's hardships, seem like a toy in Skynet's eyes? And what is this long-distance energy transmission technology? He had never heard of it; if such black technology were disclosed, a world war might not be far off.
In the end, Zane didn't continue questioning. The world of top genius people is not something that a mediocre person can touch.
Fortunately, Skynet is completely under Zane's control. Otherwise, dealing with such an enemy would probably be a nightmare.
Zane opened the box, took out the Cosmic Cube glowing with a deep blue light, and in the palm-sized cube, countless energies seemed to surge. It was hard to imagine that the energy contained in this small cube could easily obliterate the Earth.
[Ding, detected an object with immense energy. Would you like to merge it into the Magic Furnace?]
"Add."
Zane decisively gave the command. After all the trouble, wasn't it for this moment?
At the same time Zane gave the command, an inexplicable force appeared from the void. This was the first time the power of the system manifested in reality. This invisible force penetrated the Cosmic Cube as if scooping out a blue stone, the essence of the Space Stone. The Cosmic Cube was just a shell formed by the leakage of energy from the Space Stone.
The Space Stone is an extraordinary treasure in the Marvel Universe, one of the six created during the universe's grand explosion. It possesses the ability to instantly move oneself or all objects to any space. It can also twist or reorder space at will, making abilities like space teleportation and stasis as simple as breathing. Moreover, it contains infinite energy.
When the system took out the stone, it seemed as if the Space Stone sensed its future fate. It trembled violently, occasionally releasing tremendous energy to resist the system.
But all this struggle was futile. The system's power tightly enveloped the Space Stone, preventing any leakage of its bursting energy. Otherwise, just a slight leak could obliterate the Earth.
Then, the system directly dragged the Space Stone into the first slot of the Magic Furnace. At the moment the Space Stone merged into the Magic Furnace, a powerful force surged from Zane's heart, spreading rapidly throughout his body.
Zane's flesh and bones were effortlessly torn apart by this force, as if cutting through butter with a hot knife. Then, they were reshaped in a continuous cycle. Each time after being torn and reshaped, Zane's body became stronger and more perfect.
However, the pain was like a tide incessantly assaulting Zane's soul. Zane held on to the last trace of clarity and roared at Skynet:
"Quick, completely isolate the study from the outside world."
Skynet also saw that something was wrong with the owner. Without a word, it transformed into liquid metal at the fastest speed and enveloped the entire study. Then, it differentiated into two layers, creating a vacuum layer, blocking all sound and light inside the study.
Seeing that Skynet had completely isolated the study from the outside world, Zane, who could no longer hold back, roared like a wild beast. He vented by smashing various furniture in the study, but the pain continued like an endless tide. Finally, Zane, in a relief-like manner, passed out.
However, his body was still undergoing energy transformation, convulsing like a sheep having seizures. After two hours, the transformation finally stopped, and Zane woke up.
Looking at the study, which now resembled a post-disaster scene, Zane breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was damn painful."
After sitting on the ground for half a day, Zane finally recovered. Attempting to stand up in his usual way, using one hand to support himself, he inadvertently created a large pit in the floor. Zane stared in astonishment at the pit he had made, suddenly realizing that he seemed to have become stronger after the hellish torment he endured earlier.
Quickly reaching up to feel his hair, Zane was relieved to find it still intact; he hadn't gone bald. After all, going bald and getting stronger had a certain cause-and-effect relationship.
In this way, Zane cautiously explored the study, gradually adapting to his newfound strength. This had to be controlled immediately; otherwise, going out might accidentally harm Lorna.
Fortunately, the energy of the Space Stone had strengthened Zane's entire being, including the control of his body's nerves. Therefore, Zane adapted to his strength in just half an hour. However, the consequence was that the entire study was now a mess, with handprints and footprints embedded in the walls and floor. If it weren't for Skynet protecting this destructive range, it would probably have spread throughout the entire villa.
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