Do You Crave Power?

‘Splash…’

The translucent nutrient fluid spilled across the floor as the mutant girl, still tethered to the instrument tubes, rolled out onto the ground with her eyes closed and her body curled up.

With a wave of his hand, Kyle drew out a White Item Card and transformed it into a large trench coat, which he draped over her naked body.

"Who are you? Let go of the test subject!"

"Damn it, if she stays out here any longer, she’ll die!"

Crowded at the doorway, the two researchers who could not make sense of the situation began shouting curses. Kyle impassively raised a Japanese firearm, aimed it at them, and pulled the trigger several times. The bullets struck the medical staff directly in the forehead, blowing their heads apart. The isolation room fell quiet once more.

"Thank you…"

A weak sound entered his mind again. Kyle turned back and saw that the electrocardiogram on the screen connected to the unconscious mutant girl had grown even fainter, its waves barely rising and falling, indicating that her vital signs were fading.

Kyle paused in hesitation, then, without giving it much thought, drew a white Ability Card and used it on the mutant girl.

In less than half a second, the flat line on the nearby ECG monitor rapidly sprang into a sharply fluctuating curve.

In Kyle’s perception, the mutant girl, whose life had nearly been extinguished, was suddenly brimming with vitality. Color returned to her fair face, and her breathing and heartbeat became clearly apparent.

"So it actually worked. Looks like your life wasn’t meant to end here." Kyle sighed. What he had just used was the rare white Ability Card, Life Extension, which could grant someone an additional three months of natural lifespan.

This was the first time he had tried it on someone at death’s door. He had not expected such immediate results.

"Hm?" The mutant girl’s eyelashes trembled slightly before she opened her large eyes. With a bewildered expression, she sat halfway up, the trench coat draped over her shoulders, and looked toward Kyle beside her.

"Did you save me?" Her lips did not move. Even after regaining consciousness, she was still ‘speaking’ through mental waves.

"Of course." Kyle crouched down indifferently and met the gaze of the girl whom certain gentlemen would call a ‘little loli.’ He said coldly, "Girl, do you crave lifespan and power?"

"???"

Even with the mutant girl’s rapid cognitive abilities, she did not fully understand what Kyle meant. Still, she nodded firmly and grabbed the hem of the Venom Suit’s pants with her small hand.

"Good. From now on, you must obey my orders." Kyle spoke, and this time the girl understood. She nodded again.

"Someone has broken into the laboratory!"

Behind Kyle, the sound of numerous footsteps rose at the entrance. Several guards in protective suits rushed in with firearms and immediately opened fire into the room. The bullets struck the protected back of the Venom Suit and bounced harmlessly away.

"Use your ability. Can you kill them?" Kyle did not turn around to acknowledge the firing guards, instead speaking calmly to the girl before him.

His principle was simple: I saved you, but I did not save you for nothing. You had to prove your value here!

The mutant girl widened her clear eyes without the slightest hesitation, directing her gaze toward a large piece of equipment beside the tank.

As if pulled by some invisible force, the device floated weightlessly into the air. But after moving only half a meter toward the enemies at the door, it lost momentum and dropped back down.

"You’re still not used to your ability. Try something smaller." Kyle suggested, while the bullets continued scratching uselessly against his back.

The mutant girl nodded, took a deep breath, and looked again at the shattered glass on the ground. Several shards floated lightly into the air, then shot toward the doorway with a whoosh, piercing the guards’ hearts like blades.

"Not bad." Kyle rose with slight satisfaction. At the same time, the guards behind him all collapsed.

That was rapid cognition. Perhaps it was the girl’s first time killing someone, but her cognitive ability had allowed her to quickly deduce in her mind that if she wanted to kill with a few glass shards, she needed to strike fatal areas—the brain or the heart.

"You’ll follow me from now on." Kyle paused before asking, "Do you have a name?"

"K-208," the mutant girl replied through her thoughts.

"That isn’t a name." Kyle shook his head. Looking into the mutant girl’s bright, clear eyes, he said, "From now on, you’ll be called Yutong Karl. You can call me Boss, Chief, or Patriarch."

"Chief," Yutong transmitted mentally, simply choosing one.

"Learn how to speak aloud properly from now on. Don’t keep using mental transmission." Kyle said with a headache. The girl’s mental voice was very similar to Venom’s thoughts during their symbiosis. Sometimes, the two voices overlapped in his mind and buzzed endlessly.

"Yes, Chief." Yutong spoke aloud, her voice soft and childish.

"I’ll teach you the rest slowly later. For now, I’ll teach you one thing—killing." Kyle smiled and led Yutong toward the dozen or so guards gathering outside the door to mount resistance.

The Emperor’s residence.

The Emperor knelt in the hall with a haggard face as his subordinate stood silently by. He had just received the latest report: Demon Kyle was not dead, and he had destroyed the biological research facility beside Mount Fuji, leaving behind his usual Demon Card.

"Is that man truly a demon from hell? Why can’t he be killed? The Ninja Organization, the armed army forces, they’re all just a bunch of…" The Emperor let out a heavy sigh. The dead were already dead.

For the past few nights, he had awakened from sleep every night, haunted by dreams of the half-circle crater in Kanagawa that looked like divine punishment.

The Emperor was silent for a long time before finally making his decision. He said softly, "Make preparations. Have the soldiers still fighting outside Jisang’s homeland stop the war and withdraw back to the homeland."

"Your Majesty, this…" His subordinate hesitated, unsure whether he should try to persuade him otherwise.

The Emperor decisively swept his sleeve. "Go. The situation has left us no choice but to bow our heads. That man has been here for less than a week, and Tokyo is already on the verge of falling. If he remains here, Jisang will no longer be a country. I believe the warlords and the cabinet will agree with my decision."

"Yes." The subordinate nodded and withdrew. He knew this was a sign that the Emperor intended to surrender.

Being forced into surrender by a single invader was humiliating, but realistic. Only those who had faced that man knew how terrifying he truly was.

Jisang began recalling its soldiers from the Asian warfront back to its homeland. Though it had not publicly declared surrender, this obvious move to bow its head and cease fighting stunned every nation involved in or watching the war.

The higher-ups of many countries were baffled. How had Jisang, which had been so arrogant and domineering not long ago, suddenly begun withdrawing its troops?

They dispatched agents and spies, who soon uncovered the reason behind it and obtained a definite answer.

Kyle! That war maniac again! The Demon Butcher!

For the past few days, Tokyo had sealed off all outside information. Most people believed that Kyle, who had gone to Tokyo alone, was dead, though some people in the Americas and Europe refused to believe it.

Yet not only was he alive, he had been lively and well, wreaking havoc throughout Tokyo.

The main air force base had been completely annihilated, more than half of the martial arts schools that formed the foundation of Bushido had been destroyed, and tens of thousands of army soldiers and Ninja Organization members had died…

Too violent! After this battle, Kyle gained another nickname: the ‘Tyrant.’

And this was before Jisang had officially announced its surrender.

Once Jisang surrendered and withdrew, Kyle would become a god in the hearts of all those yearning for peace!

An irreplaceable Superhero!