Before them, a motley group of mutants crowded together, their appearances making them look like a horde of demons dancing chaotically.
Those who rushed to be first were all insecure about their abilities, and each looked more hideous than the last.
Even Pig-Head was considered... this was undoubtedly the bottom of the barrel, no doubt about it.
He thought for a moment.
Victor didn't just stand by; his telekinesis formed two ropes that plunged into the crowd, suddenly expanding around Pig-Head. Coupled with Pig-Head's own desperate struggles, he managed to squeeze out.
A few others tried to pull him back, but they were all stopped by Victor's telekinesis.
Looking at Pig-Head, who was panting like a pig, Victor skipped the formality of asking for a name and directly asked, "Are you willing to unconditionally trade your mutant ability to me?"
If he didn't hurry, his telekinesis, which had only awakened three days ago, wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.
"Yes! I am willing!" Pig-Head nodded frantically.
One might have thought it was a wedding scene.
Following Pig-Head's affirmation, a prompt immediately popped up on the platform.
"[Target agrees to trade 'X-Gene: Domestic Pig'. Do you wish to complete this trade?]"
It had to be "Yes."
"[Trade is valid, no deliberate guidance in trade;]"
"[Trade complete, 'X-Gene: Domestic Pig' has been added to {Inventory};]"
"[Reached Level 1 Merchant promotion conditions, promotion quest activated;]"
As the trade was completed, Pig-Head also underwent a change. His upturned nose and large, fan-like ears rapidly shrunk, and within 10 seconds, he reverted to... a red, bulbous nose and buck teeth.
Emmwww... with that appearance, turning into Pig-Head might actually be considered plastic surgery, right?
Victor glanced at the mutant ability he had just received in his [Inventory].
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Item Name: "X-Gene: Domestic Pig"
Item Category: [Bloodline]
Item Compatibility: [100%];
Origin Plane: "Marvel Universe";
Rating: [F-];
Currency Valuation: F-grade Voucher × 1, Plane Point × 1;
Function Description: X-gene awakening ancestral fragment, partial irreversible transformation of the body towards a domestic pig, slightly increased fertility;
Slogan: At least a domestic pig can still be eaten;
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Victor: "..."
Was this bloodline a joke?
Domestic pig?
I'm well-read, don't try to fool me; a domestic pig is just another name for a farmed pig!
Pigs have many advantages.
Docile, easy to raise, quick to reproduce, strong adaptability, and so on.
But there's no combat power bonus!
Look at the function description.
Increased fertility?
Who would want to breed with a Pig-Head!
Eats a lot?
If a domestic pig eats a lot, it can be slaughtered for meat. If Pig-Head eats a lot, would he be made into... sorry, never mind.
As Victor was frantically complaining in his mind, his telekinesis also dissipated due to his distraction.
He snapped back to reality because the pipe floor was trembling.
The mutants, crowded together, saw that Pig-Head was no longer a pig and all rushed towards Victor like madmen.
It was real!
It really could eliminate mutant abilities!
Now, the other mutants who had some strength couldn't hold back either and surged towards Victor.
As for observing for 24 hours, no one cared about that.
If they didn't act now, there would be no more spots!
A group of mutants squeezed together, creating a terrifying destructive force. A few who genuinely got angry from being squeezed even started fighting.
Everyone was packed together, so fighting would inevitably affect others, and naturally, they wouldn't take a beating for nothing.
So, from being a squeezed mass, everyone once again started fighting.
The scene was so chaotic it made Victor's scalp tingle.
It was fortunate that this section of the pipe was buried underground and not suspended in the air, otherwise, with this kind of commotion, they would all be buried alive in minutes.
Old Ford, unable to sit still on his fishing platform, shouted several times to no avail. With a dark face, he turned and walked around the corner of the pipe, and when he reappeared, he was holding a revolver.
Bang!
He fired a shot into the air, and the fighting crowd immediately stopped, looking at Old Ford, who was holding the revolver high, their faces filled with terror.
Those who could come out and fight for a spot naturally couldn't defend against bullets.
"Everyone get the hell back!" Old Ford roared, his neck thick. "Whoever dares to fight again will get a bullet from me first!"
The group looked at each other, but no one was willing to back down.
Spots were limited, and no one's words mattered.
Besides.
Everyone knew Old Ford well, and he, too, had ended up here because of his mutant ability. Who could guarantee he wasn't trying to secure a spot for himself first?
Old Ford, being middle-aged, understood human nature and the thoughts of the crowd.
His face immediately turned cold, and he said indignantly, "First, observe Less for 24 hours. During this time, no one, including me, is allowed to 'trade'! Once it's confirmed there are no problems, I'll definitely give all of you a chance to be free!"
Old Ford's original intention was probably to pick out the strong mutants for later and let the weak ones trade to eliminate their abilities first.
But combined with his action of holding the revolver, the word "free" sounded synonymous with "killing" no matter how one heard it.
Seeing that everyone's expressions were a bit off, Victor immediately stepped forward and said gently, "Don't worry, everyone. You've waited this long, what's another 24 hours?
I was just trying to stir you all up earlier, please don't mind it.
I will definitely reserve a spot, and when the time comes, those who trust me can all start anew."
The phrase "start anew" usually sounded like an insult, but here it was a thoroughly positive term.
With Victor's promise, the crowd gradually dispersed.
But their gaze remained fixed on Old Ford's side, ready to riot at the first sign of any unusual movement.
Old Ford felt very uncomfortable being watched like that.
Who has been providing you all with food, clothes, and shelter all this time?
A bunch of ungrateful wretches!
Victor didn't say much. He glanced at Less, who was still excitedly touching his face, and it was hard to imagine what kind of encounters he must have had in reality with such an appearance.
Regardless of how Old Ford handled things, Victor turned and returned to Old Ford's pipe bedroom, sitting on the pipe floor and began to scroll through the platform's prompt records.
When the first transaction was completed, the platform prompted him that some promotion quest had been activated.
Taking advantage of no one being around, he quietly asked, "Alice, what is the promotion quest?"
"When the transaction volume meets the requirements for the current merchant level, a promotion quest will be triggered. Completing the promotion quest will raise the merchant level and grant different permissions."
"Oh? New permissions?" Victor's eyes lit up. "Then do you know what the permissions for a Level 1 Merchant are?"
"The 'Dimensional Database,' used to back up item data. When combined with the Level 2 Merchant's permission, the 'Dimensional Replicator,' it can print backed-up item data into finished products."
Victor suddenly understood.
Before, he had been thinking that some items were unique, like the "Hulk Bloodline." After going through great lengths to obtain it, he couldn't just sell it once, right?
Now he understood.
The "Dimensional Replicator" was like a universal assembly line. As long as he stored the data for the "Hulk Bloodline," he could continuously produce new "Hulk Bloodlines" for sale.
But... it definitely wouldn't be that simple, otherwise, if he stockpiled a whole army of Hulks, what would Thanos be considered then?
"Alice, there should be a cost to manufacturing items, right? Are there any other special restrictions?"
"I don't know. There's no relevant storage in the database."
That made sense.
Even Victor himself wouldn't disclose some of the core rules of the Plane Trading Platform to Alice—who would confide in an AI for no reason?
He could ask Royce after this matter was over.
Pondering, Victor opened the previously empty [Quest] panel.
The promotion quest was there.
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Promotion Quest: Possess your own organization in this plane, with assets no less than one billion US dollars.
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This quest... was a bit insane!