Manhattan inside a lavish, high-profile gala.
Everyone present at the event carried weight in their respective spheres of influence. Generals from the military, the newly elected Mayor of New York, the Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court, senior presidential advisors they were all here.
Lynn Hall, Assistant Director of the FBI's New York Division, didn't actually have the credentials to attend such a prestigious gathering. He was here because his direct superior brought him along.
That superior was James Duke, Director of the FBI's New York office. At the moment, Duke was deep in conversation with Senator Stern and Alexander Pierce.
When Pierce eventually stepped away and Director Duke gestured to him, Lynn politely excused himself from a small circle of guests and walked over with a composed smile.
"Come here, Lynn," Duke called out. "Let me introduce you. This is Senator Stern a long-time friend of mine."
Lynn extended his hand with practiced ease. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Senator Stern."
Stern chuckled as he shook Lynn's hand. "James has told me about you. You're already an Assistant Director at such a young age? Impressive."
"You flatter me, Senator. I wouldn't be here without Director Duke's guidance and support."
"Haha…"
Duke clapped Lynn on the shoulder with a grin, then turned to the senator. "The FBI's future lies with the next generation."
"Oh? You planning to retire soon and spend your days dropping grandkids off at school?"
"Haha, maybe. Give it a few years, and I'll be handing the reins over to someone else."
Lynn kept smiling quietly as the two older men chatted, knowing his role tonight was to observe and accompany not to speak out of turn.
When the gala came to an end and the guests began to depart, Lynn followed suit. He left calmly with the others, but Duke who had worn a cordial smile the entire evening finally let it drop the moment Lynn was out of sight.
Sitting across from him, Senator Stern asked with a curious smile, "So, that's the young man you're grooming?"
"I've got high hopes for him," Duke replied, sipping from his champagne glass. "The kid's got brains, he's clever, and most importantly he knows how to play the game."
"He reminds me of a young Alexander."
"You think that highly of him?" Stern raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.
He wasn't just any politician Stern was a Hydra operative. And if anyone knew what Alexander Pierce had been like in his younger years, it was someone like him.
"Anyway," Duke changed the subject, "I hear you're eyeing a Senate run from New York. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. I've got a few connections I can leverage."
---
Downtown New York City
Driving a sleek black Chevy through the streets toward his apartment, Lynn Hall had his mind elsewhere replaying scenes from the gala earlier.
Toward the end of the night, he had discreetly observed the exits. Most people left.
But not all.
A small group remained behind, including Alexander Pierce and Senator Stern.
And Lynn was absolutely certain about one thing Alexander Pierce was Hydra.
So was Stern, if memory served him right. In fact, Stern was the very same senator who would one day use Congress to try and seize control of Tony Stark's Iron Man tech.
If both of them were Hydra…
Then what about James Duke his own boss?
Could he be one of them too?
That thought was still circling in his mind when his phone suddenly rang.
He glanced at the screen, then answered with a chuckle.
As soon as the call connected, an exasperated voice burst out from the other end. "Lynn! You've missed the family dinner for three weekends in a row!"
"And weren't you supposed to take me to that all-girl rock band concert this weekend? You promised!"
Listening to the barrage of complaints, Lynn laughed. "I've just been swamped lately, Gwen."
"Swamped? You've completely forgotten about your adorable little sister!"
"Now, that's impossible."
"I'm serious. I better see you next weekend! Mom and Dad miss you too. And don't even think about backing out of the concert again!"
Eventually, after wrangling several concessions out of him, Gwen Stacy finally ended the call, sounding much more pleased.
Yes Gwen Stacy.
Because Lynn Hall wasn't from this world.
He was a transmigrant someone who had been reborn into this universe, his soul inhabiting the body of an infant years ago.
He grew up in an orphanage until age six, when he was adopted by George Stacy.
He'd lived with the Stacy family until he got accepted into Yale at seventeen. Even after moving out, he remained close to them.
After graduating at twenty-one, he joined the FBI. In just three short years, he'd climbed the ranks to become the Assistant Director of the New York Division.
At first, Lynn thought he didn't have a cheat or "golden finger" like in the stories.
Then, on his eighteenth birthday, the system awakened.
His ability? A Favorability System.
Through it, Lynn could view how others felt about him numerically.
Favorability ranged from -10 to 10.
At level 7 and above, individuals would begin offering gifts or advantages. These rewards could be refreshed once per year.
At level 8, the rewards improved and could refresh every three months.
At level 9, they upgraded again this time refreshing weekly.
At the elusive level 10, a person's affection was so strong that gifts could refresh daily.
Unfortunately, level 10 was almost impossible to reach. Even for parents and lovers, 9 was typically the ceiling.
So far, only three people had hit 9 with Lynn: George Stacy, his wife Helen, and Gwen Stacy.
The "Firearms Mastery" skill he now possessed? That had dropped when George's favorability hit 9.
Sadly, most people only offered passive rewards like experience points.
There was another path, though more dangerous.
Killing someone with a negative favorability score could also drop rewards... or inheritance.
Arriving at his apartment's underground garage, Lynn parked the car and summoned the system interface.
---
[System Panel – Lynn Hall]
Age: 24
Intelligence: 3
(1 - Dull, 2 - Normal, 3 - Educated, 4 - Gifted, 5 - Genius, 6 - Super Genius, 7 - Omniscient)
Strength: 3
(1 - Weak, 2 - Average, 3 - Human Peak, 4 - Enhanced (800lbs75t), 6 - High-tier Superhuman (75t~100t), 7 - Beyond Calculation (100t+))
Speed: 2
(1 - Below Average, 2 - Normal, 3 - Enhanced (under 700 mph), 4 - Sonic (Mach 1–2), 5 - Supersonic (Mach 2–22), 6 - Light Speed, 7 - Warp Speed)
Endurance: 3
(1 - Weak, 2 - Normal, 3 - Enhanced, 4 - Regenerative, 5 - Bulletproof, 6 - Superhuman, 7 - Near-Immortal)
Energy Projection: 0
(1 - None, 2 - Contact-based, 3 - Short-range burst, 4 - Mid-range sustained, 5 - Long-range, 6 - Multi-form, 7 - Limitless Projection)
Combat Skills: 6
(1 - Untrained, 2 - Basic, 3 - Some Training, 4 - Experienced, 5 - Master in One Art, 6 - Master of Several Arts, 7 - Master of All)
---
[Skills]
Krav Maga – Level 10 (MAX)
Firearms Mastery – Level 9 [2574/11000]
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – Level 7 [755/2100]
Muay Thai – Level 7 [125/2100]
Melee Weapon Mastery – Level 6 [740/2600]
[XP]: 275
Lynn took a habitual glance over his stats and closed the system panel.
Just as he reached for the door handle to get out of the car his phone rang again.
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