The ashes rising from the ruins of the Poly Mountain Laboratory had not yet cooled, but their heat had already reached the most secure corridors of the capital. Deep within an underground facility located a hundred feet below the surface, known as "The Aegis," the atmosphere was thick with tension. Blue and red emergency lights flickered in a rhythmic, haunting pulse, casting long shadows against the walls as dozens of specialists frantically processed incoming data.

  General Vincent Stratton, a man whose face bore the deep scars of decades of brutal combat experience, stood like a statue carved from stone in front of a massive holographic screen. The screen displayed the smoldering remains of two secret Gene-X bases—the very ones Arthur had utterly decimated.

  Standing beside him, a defense advisor wiped sweat from his forehead with a trembling hand and said, "Sir, based on our analysis, this doesn't match the signature of any known explosive. Satellite imagery confirms there was no external missile strike or planted bomb. This destruction was caused by pure, concentrated explosive heat and physical force. It looks as if someone tore through titanium walls with their bare hands. Even more terrifying, the temperature in Dr. Vamus's lab reached five thousand degrees Celsius for a few seconds. Everything inside didn't just burn; it vaporized into steam."

  General Stratton spoke in a heavy, gravelly voice, "This means the power we feared is now unleashed. For years, Gene-X was obsessed with those ancient relics and genetic mutations. We thought they were just building super-soldiers, but Vamas was trying to birth a god—or a monster."

  He took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing. "The question now is: was this carnage caused by that monster, or by a savior who rose to stop it?" He turned his gaze toward a dark corner of the room. "Reports say some mutants escaped. Has our department tracked them yet?"

  Monica Valentine stepped out of the shadows and into the light. Her beauty was as sharp and lethal as a poisoned dagger. She wore a specialized black combat suit that clung to her frame like a second skin. She was a Level-2 Star Warrior, possessing energy in her veins that allowed her to move faster than the wind itself.

  "Everything is being tracked, sir," Monica replied coolly. "Near the ruins of the Frozen Lab, we recovered ten bodies, likely the scientists who worked there. As for the survivors, the data is incomplete, but police records indicate a boy named Arthur Thorne and his sister are missing. I suspect Gene-X kidnapped them. If we want evidence against Gene-X, we must make contact with them."

  Swiping a device on her wrist, Monica continued, "Sir, data doesn't lie. What happened there is beyond human capability. I believe a subject has gone rogue. I am heading to Luna City. Gene-X sleeper cells are already active there, hunting for Arthur Thorne. If he is indeed the source of this destruction, I will bring him to The Aegis. And if he resists... well, you know what atmospheric pressure can do to human lungs."

  Stratton nodded gravely. "Stay alert, Monica. If that boy is responsible for this, he is far more dangerous than you can imagine. Do not make him an enemy if you can help it; we should try to make him an ally."

  In an undisclosed location, deep within the towering headquarters of the Gene-X Corporation, President Rockefeller's rage was reaching its boiling point. In the boardroom, the country's most powerful investors and politicians sat in terrified silence. Rockefeller slammed his fist onto a priceless crystal table, shattering it into a thousand jagged pieces.

  "Twenty years!" Rockefeller roared, his voice echoing off the glass walls. "Twenty years of research and a fortune spent like scrap paper! Vamas promised me immortality, and now he is nothing but ash blowing in the wind!"

  He glared at the room, his eyes bloodshot. "What am I supposed to tell the people above us? And what are you fools doing about this?"

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  One investor stammered, "But sir... only two labs were destroyed. We still have seventeen other facilities. This incident was likely caused by a subject losing control, and now a government branch has started intervening."

  Suddenly, a man with a long beard and a cigar in his hand spoke up from the end of the table. "Do this: target the survivors and squeeze every bit of information out of them. We need to know exactly what happened in those labs. If someone did this to us, find the bastard and kill him."

  Rockefeller lowered his voice, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "There is one more thing. If Dr. Vamas successfully created the serum and simply failed to control the subject, then whoever walked out of Poly Mountain is a living nuclear bomb. I want that body, dead or alive. Every drop of his blood contains the formula that can make us gods."

  He turned to a middle-aged, rugged man named Jarjar. "Go. Gather the information. We will plan our next move once we know who we are dealing with. I heard rumors that the Goldwin family is moving toward Luna City. Is there any news on that?"

  "It hasn't been confirmed yet, sir. We are still investigating," Jarjar replied.

  Rockefeller emphasized, "We don't need to fight them yet, understand? But we must get there first. Keep an eye on them. This meeting is over. It's a big day for my son, and I won't miss it."

  The golden spaceship of Isabella and Albert Goldwin had already breached the atmosphere of Luna City. Isabella looked out the window, her lips moving in a silent prayer. Beside her, Albert stood with his fists clenched so tight his knuckles were white.

  "Can you feel it, Albert?" Isabella asked softly.

  "Yes," he replied. "The air in this city smells of gunpowder and betrayal. Gene-X's hunters have already set their perimeter."

  Victor, their butler and protector—a legendary warrior in his own right—stepped forward. "Master, we have located the apartment. Arthur and Annie have arrived. However, Aegis agents and Gene-X operatives are crawling all over the area. It's a death trap."

  "No one stops a Goldwin," Albert bellowed. "Victor, take the ship directly over that apartment. If anyone fires a single shot, send everyone except those inside that house straight to hell."

  Down in the cramped alleys of Luna City, Arthur walked toward the apartment where he had grown up. The noise of the city brought back a flood of childhood memories. Beside him, Annie gripped his hand tightly. "Brother, I'm scared. Everything feels so strange."

  Arthur looked up at the sky. His 100x enhanced consciousness was screaming. He could feel the massive energy signature of the Goldwin ship descending from above. But more importantly, he could sense the cold, murderous intent of people hiding on the nearby rooftops.

  Three hundred meters away on a roof, a Gene-X informant was whispering into his comms. He spotted Catherine, Arthur's mother, lighting a candle for her children through the window.

  "Target sighted," the sniper whispered. "The boy is here. Sir, he looks different... almost like a god. Should I take the shot?"

  Jarjar's voice crackled through the earpiece. "No. Fire a shot at the mother's window. Make him realize his weakness."

  The sniper pulled the trigger. The crack of the rifle echoed through the alley, but the bullet never reached the glass.

  Arthur's senses had calculated the trajectory before the finger even squeezed the trigger. He pushed his powers to the limit, giving his muscles speed that transcended the speed of sound. In one heartbeat, he was on the ground; in the next, he was a shadow appearing on the rooftop.

  The sniper's eyes widened in pure terror. Arthur stood directly in front of him. He had manipulated the air pressure with such speed that the bullet had been knocked off course.

  Arthur grabbed the sniper by the throat and lifted him into the air. "How dare you point a gun at my mother?"

  His voice was so cold it felt like it could freeze blood. With his free hand, Arthur grabbed the sniper's heavy rifle and twisted the metal like it was wet paper, crushing it into a useless ball of iron.

  Watching from a distance, Monica Valentine gasped. "Impossible... no energy blast, just raw physical strength? He crushed that rifle with his bare hands?" She pressed a button on her wrist, and a whirlwind of air began to spiral around her. "I need to see for myself how much life is really inside this Arthur Thorne."

  Arthur threw the sniper off the roof like a piece of trash. He looked down into the street where Gene-X thugs were now drawing their pistols. A golden glow ignited in Arthur's eyes—the power of the First Egg. He activated his Hardening Cells and Shadow Mimicry.

  The Goldwin spaceship was now directly overhead, its massive shadow engulfing the entire street. Arthur looked up, his gaze meeting the ship. He knew he wasn't just facing hunters anymore; he was facing the great corporations of the world.

  "Mother is inside, and the wolves are at the door," Arthur said softly. "Let the hunt begin."

  He leaped from the roof. As he landed, the ground shattered like an earthquake. The predator had returned to his territory.