Bursting out of the syndicate's underground dungeon, Su Mu quickly matched his surroundings with the original host's fractured memories. Just as he suspected—he was deep within the heart of Hell's Kitchen.
Confirming his location, Su Mu darted into the shadows, picking a direction and moving fast.
His identity as a mutant had been violently exposed the moment he awakened. Not only would the government authorities likely be hunting him, but the gang he just slaughtered wouldn't let this go either. Before obliterating that gang leader, Su Mu had learned they were directly affiliated with Kingpin, the absolute emperor of New York's underworld. Kingpin would never forgive someone who so blatantly destroyed his merchandise and his men.
Hunted by both the authorities and a ruthless crime syndicate, rapidly increasing his strength was his absolute highest priority.
Maintaining the Limitless continuously, coupled with firing off two rounds of Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue, had severely drained his energy reserves. If he ran into a fully armed pursuit team right now, he wouldn't have the stamina to put up much of a fight.
Turning down a secluded alleyway, a heavy-duty electrical transformer caught his eye. Su Mu finally let out a breath of relief. Electricity was the most easily accessible energy source he could think of, and it would be his absolute lifeline in these early stages.
The Six Eyes granted Su Mu terrifyingly precise energy manipulation. Activating his Energy Absorption, he gently laid his hand on the transformer, steadily siphoning the electrical current and pushing the intake speed to his absolute current limit.
[System Notification: Energy Point +1]
[System Notification: Energy Point +1]
[System Notification: Energy Point +1]
[System Notification: Energy Absorption EXP +1]
[System Notification: Energy Absorption EXP +1]
[System Notification: Energy Absorption EXP +1]
...
Watching his Energy Points continuously tick upward and feeling his physical vessel rapidly replenishing, Su Mu smiled in deep satisfaction.
Once his internal reserves were brimming, Su Mu shifted his focus to practicing his newly acquired skills. The abilities granted by the System started at Level 1 and required relentless, continuous practice to evolve.
For instance, the Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue he had just utilized was nowhere near the catastrophic output of the actual Gojo Satoru. Only by continuously grinding its proficiency could he unleash its true, transcendental destructive power.
With the System bound to his soul, if he leveled these skills high enough, he could theoretically surpass the original template and reach an unprecedented realm of power!
Among his current arsenal, the Six Eyes didn't directly enhance his raw output, while Energy Absorption was naturally passively leveling up as his fastest-growing skill. The Limitless was a special case—leveling it up would only decrease its energy consumption; it would take a significantly high level for the technique to undergo a qualitative mutation.
Therefore, Su Mu prioritized grinding Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue. It possessed immense offensive capabilities, but at Level 1, he could only conjure a very small singularity with a relatively slow travel speed. It was overkill against ordinary thugs, but against powerful mutants or superhumans, it would be easily dodged and rendered useless.
Guided by the supreme computational power of the Six Eyes, Su Mu manifested a ping-pong-ball-sized blue singularity at his fingertips, manipulating it to playfully and erratically orbit around his hand.
Meanwhile, the System consistently chimed:
[System Notification: Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue EXP +1]
[System Notification: Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue EXP +1]
[System Notification: Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue EXP +1]
...
Level 1 skills were incredibly easy to level up. Hidden safely inside the isolated substation, Su Mu continuously drained the city's power grid while practicing his spatial manipulation. Three hours later, golden text flared in his vision:
[System Notification: Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue EXP +1]
[System Notification: Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue EXP +1]
[System Notification: Congratulations, Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue has leveled up!]
[Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue Lv.2 (1/300): Generates a powerful gravitational pull centered on 'Blue'. Maximum output can reach negative infinity, resembling a localized black hole.]
The instant the skill leveled up, a profound new understanding of the spatial mechanics behind Blue flooded his consciousness. Though the system description remained unchanged, he could feel its absolute destructive power had fundamentally evolved.
Just as Su Mu prepared to test his newly upgraded technique, the sharp, distinct click of a gun hammer echoing behind him interrupted his focus.
"Hey, unlucky bastard. Empty your pockets, or I'll fill you with lead!"
Thanks to the 360-degree vision of the Six Eyes, Su Mu had spotted the approaching man long ago and had already casually activated the Limitless. He turned around unhurriedly. A scruffy, middle-aged man was pointing a handgun right at him. A classic mugging—a true New York City specialty.
The mugger had just been wandering the alleyways hoping to get lucky, and to his delight, he had stumbled upon a perfect target. He stepped closer, gun raised, demanding every cent the young man had.
However, when he got a clear look at Su Mu's breathtakingly handsome face and striking features, the scruffy man paused. He licked his lips, a vile, greasy smile stretching across his face.
"You know what? I changed my mind. You're gonna give me all your money, and then you're gonna face that wall and bend over!"
Hearing the sheer, absolute filth leave the man's mouth, Su Mu's calm facade broke. He had originally planned to use this trash to gently test his upgraded technique, but now? Now he just wanted to violently erase this insect from existence.
Just as Su Mu raised his hand to unleash Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue, the sharp sound of something slicing through the air echoed from above.
A slender, extremely agile figure clad in a sleek black-and-white suit with a hooded mask swung down from a strand of webbing. With a flawless, acrobatic dropkick, she sent the scruffy mugger flying down the alley. Before the man even hit the ground, several bursts of webbing shot out, wrapping him up completely and stringing him upside down from a nearby streetlight.
The hooded girl casually stuck to the brick wall of the alleyway with one hand, letting her body hang naturally as she looked down at Su Mu.
"Are you alright, sir? No need to thank me. I'm your friendly neighborhood Spider-Woman!"
Spider-Woman!
Seeing that iconic silhouette, Su Mu immediately recognized her. Spider-Gwen?
Why was Spider-Man not Peter Parker, but Gwen Stacy? Did this mean he wasn't in the mainstream cinematic universe, but rather some unknown parallel universe?
As Su Mu lost himself in thought, Gwen noticed his silence. She immediately grew concerned. Is he hurt?
Swinging closer, she finally saw his state. The man was covered in horrific, jagged scars and the remnants of fresh wounds from his time in the dungeon. Though most seemed to have miraculously healed, they still looked terrifying.
"Sir, you're badly hurt!" she said, her voice laced with worry. "Do you need me to take you to a hospital?"
Su Mu actually held a very favorable impression of Gwen. Having seen her animated counterpart in his past life, he quite liked this strong, brave, and heroic Spider-Woman.
He offered a gentle, disarming smile. "No, I'm perfectly fine."
"But—"
Just as Gwen was about to insist, a violent, piercing jolt shot through her skull.
Spider-Sense!
Danger!
Acting purely on instinct, she lunged forward, reaching out to grab the handsome stranger and swing him to safety. But as she shot a web line and propelled herself away, her eyes widened in absolute shock.
Her hand had seamlessly glided off an invisible, frictionless barrier right in front of him. She hadn't managed to grab him!
What?! How is that possible?!
A split second later, a deafening roar shattered the night, followed by the catastrophic sound of concrete and steel being pulverized.
"Oh, crap!" Gwen cursed, landing heavily on a nearby rooftop.
A monstrous, towering Lizardman had violently crashed into the alley, completely obliterating the electrical substation. In Gwen's mind, there was absolutely no way an ordinary, heavily scarred man could have survived a direct hit from that rampaging monster.
Because of her carelessness, an innocent man had just died. A man who looked barely a few years older than herself...
_________
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