Night, as black as spilled ink.
New York.
Even the moonlight couldn't be bothered to penetrate this dilapidated apartment.
The only sound in the room was the floorboards creaking.
Thump, then another thump.
The old wooden boards groaned as if on the verge of death, struck violently again and again.
"Thud!"
The moment Raven pressed down, Lynt felt as if he'd been hit by a small meteorite.
No, it was worse than a meteorite.
Meteorites have no temperature, but this blue body was scorching hot, every muscle taut, filled with enough power to tear through steel plates.
This crazy woman, she's really trying to kill me.
No, she's really trying to kill me with her ass!
There were no caresses, no kisses, not even a hint of lust.
Only revenge.
Like a wild beast tearing at an enemy that had invaded its lair, primal and cruel.
Each impact struck precisely on his bones, on the last shred of his dignity.
Lynt gritted his teeth, not making a sound.
It hurt.
It hurt like hell.
His bones felt as if they'd been brutally snapped by an impatient butcher with large iron tongs, then haphazardly shoved back, not even in the right places.
The intense pain of his dislocated shoulder blade, the subtle cracking sound of his ribs being compressed, were so clear they made his scalp tingle.
His recently enhanced physique was nothing more than a wet paper napkin in front of the completely berserk Mystique.
His waist.
His waist was about to break.
The purest, most physical kind of break.
One snap, and the rest of his life would be spent in a wheelchair.
Muscle fibers screamed, his brain received signals of despair.
Cold sweat soaked his hair, clothes, and the floor beneath him, smelling of dust and the metallic tang of blood.
It was a purely physiological reaction to the pain.
But in his eyes, there was no cowardice.
He didn't even beg for mercy.
Only a morbid intensity, like a fire burning in his marrow.
Raven propped herself up, her golden vertical pupils like two real ghost fires in the dark room.
She looked down, scrutinizing his face, which was already distorted with pain.
She wanted to see him cry, see him beg, see him admit his mistakes like a dog, admit he was just trash to be played with.
Only then would she be satisfied, only then would she regain the pleasure of being the "predator."
But she saw nothing.
His facial muscles twitched, his jaw clenched so tight that foamy blood seeped from between his teeth.
His unfocused eyes stared fixedly at the cracks in the ceiling, as if he were locked in a death match with an enemy even more terrifying than her.
This discovery was like a barrel of oil poured onto the fire in Raven's heart.
Boom!
Why?!
Why him?!
This ant, whom she could manipulate at will, this plaything she thought he was, how dare he make her feel… out of control in this way!
She was the master!
His reaction was a challenge to her authority!
She would crush him!
Not just his bones, but also his damned, infuriating stubbornness!
"Crack!"
A crisp sound.
Lynt couldn't tell if it was his bones or the floorboards beneath him.
It no longer mattered.
His vision went black, and the world's lights went out.
He didn't even hum, his consciousness sinking like a receding tide.
Damn it… this woman… really wants to kill me… But just before his consciousness completely disconnected, a voice roared frantically in the depths of his soul.
—Hold on!
—Hold on, damn it! This is my only gamble!
—This is the final step to completely ensnare this blue beast! The angrier you get, the more out of control you become, the more it proves you can't fucking live without me! Can't live without the power I give you!
No matter how strong the spirit, it can't withstand a ruined body.
The roar grew fainter and fainter.
He smiled.
Inside his nearly broken body, his spirit was extremely excited.
All his muscles lost strength, giving way.
A silent, yet utterly provocative smile.
He knew he had gambled correctly.
Raven, overflowing with a sense of revenge, felt his vitality wane.
She also saw the fleeting, victorious smile on his face.
This made her whole body freeze.
Her perfect blue body stopped all movement.
She propped herself up, her golden pupils staring fixedly at him.
The air solidified.
Only their heavy breathing and Lynt's faint, almost vanishing heartbeat remained.
[Ding!]
The sound exploded in his nearly crashed brain!
[Completed 'Revengeful Dual Cultivation' with core target (Mystique)!]
[Dual Cultivation Rating: S-Class! Target's emotions are intense, host sustained extreme damage, maximizing beneficial effects!]
It's here!
Lynt almost cried out.
[Host's overall strength increased (x1.1)!]
A tingling electric current erupted from his tailbone, instantly rushing through his limbs and bones!
His nearly ruined lumbar spine felt as if an invisible giant hand had forcibly straightened and reinforced it, making the very bone marrow tingle!
Torn muscles were rapidly repaired, and his body, which had felt drained just moments ago, now surged with power in every cell!
Amazing!
From hell to heaven, it was just like this!
[Received cash reward: $10,000!]
[Current total account balance: $40,000!]
Lynt grinned, smiling silently.
Trading life for money, trading life for power!
This is what you call living!
Raven looked at the strange smile on his face, and the chill in her heart deepened.
She, of course, felt it too.
Just now, that addictive power had surged again.
Bones, muscles, nerves… comprehensive enhancement!
This feeling was more addictive than any drug.
But why… why was he smiling?
A man she treated as a tool, a slave, whom she abused to the brink of death, why would he show such an expression… as if he had gained a huge advantage?
She couldn't understand.
Just then.
In Lynt's mind, the system prompt sounded again.
This time, the voice was emotionless, yet it carried a sense of solemnity.
[Ding!]
[Detected that the host, without any external assistance, independently planned and orchestrated a perfect deception and escape targeting S.H.I.E.L.D. (S-class organization), Hydra (S-class organization), and the Brotherhood of Mutants (A-class organization)!]
[Operation Rating: S-Class!]
[Completed hidden achievement: 'Art of Deception'!]
[Achievement rewards being distributed…]
Lynt was stunned.
There's more good news?
Post-settlement, additional rewards?
[Reward 1: $20,000!]
[Current total account balance: $60,000!]
"Sixty… grand?"
Lynt almost bit off his tongue.
Sixty thousand US dollars! Cash!
With that kind of money, forget renting a decent apartment, he could even put a down payment on a small house in Queens!
Safe house! Weapons! Intelligence!
This was the capital for establishing himself!
But at this moment, he didn't have the energy to examine how incredible this was.
The repair of his body had exhausted that energy, and a tsunami of mental fatigue engulfed him.
From physical collapse to mental endurance, then to the ecstasy of the system reward… his nerves had been stretched too thin, and now they completely relaxed.
His eyelids drooped, and he directly fell into a deep sleep.
He was too tired.
He felt as if his soul had been drained.
The room returned to deathly silence.
Raven gazed at Lynt's sleeping face, which still held a strange satisfaction.
She slowly reached out a hand, wanting to touch him, wanting to tear open this skin and see what kind of monster was hidden beneath.
But just as her fingers were about to touch him, she sharply pulled them back.
As if his skin would burn her.
Her golden pupils flickered in the darkness.
Anger, confusion… and a hint of fear of the unknown that she hadn't even realized herself.
These emotions wove into a net, trapping her tightly.
Slowly, she got off him, sitting naked on the cold floor.
She just stared fixedly at the unconscious Lynt.
After a long time.
A whisper, filled with endless confusion and unease, echoed in the dilapidated room.
"You… what exactly do you want?"