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Chapter 57: Power Surge – A Body of Steel
🕑 Added 2025-05-15 16:57:33 +0000 UTC
Swish!
The moment sean spoke, Darwin, Havok, and the others all turned to look at Raven in unison.
Even Charles couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.
Given Raven's appearance and abilities, it was impossible to believe she had no connection to the woman with the same shapeshifting powers.
“I don’t know her! I swear I’ve never even met her!”
Raven, flustered by everyone’s intense stares, quickly shook her head and tried to explain.
“So, you're the other shapeshifter, aren’t you?”
By now, Copycat had clearly figured it out. She looked at Raven with an intrigued smile.
But before she could say another word, Erik stormed up to her with a murderous aura.
He grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against a car parked by the roadside.
“Where is Shaw? Tell me where he is!” Erik growled, his voice deep and dangerous.
In that moment, Erik looked like a savage beast ready to kill. His killing intent was palpable and utterly unrestrained.
“I... I don’t know! I really don’t know!” Copycat choked out, struggling to breathe.
“Bullshit! Don’t lie to me! You have the same powers as Shaw—you have to be connected to him!”
Erik’s grip tightened, veins bulging on Copycat’s face as pain twisted her expression.
“Erik, that’s enough!”
“Let her go!”
“You’re going to kill her!”
Charles couldn’t stand by any longer. He rushed forward and pulled Erik away. “Let me handle this, okay? You know I can read minds.”
Only then did Erik reluctantly let go.
“You created devices that block telepathy—you know exactly what I’m capable of, don’t you?” Charles now stood in front of Copycat, speaking calmly. “So you know there’s no point in lying to me.”
“Go ahead,” Copycat said indifferently. “Dig through my memories. See for yourself if I’m lying.”
Charles placed his fingers on his temple and activated his power.
Image after image flashed before his mind’s eye—memories, conversations, faces—and his expression darkened.
Because she wasn’t lying. She truly didn’t know where Shaw was.
She was nothing more than a mercenary, hired with a large sum of money. That was all.
She wasn’t even a member of the Hellfire Club.
“Charles, what did you see?” Hank asked, eyes locked on him. Erik, too, stared at Charles, awaiting the answer.
Charles shook his head, looking frustrated. “I’m sorry. She really doesn’t know where Shaw is. Just like the others, she’s only here for the money.”
“Shit!”
“Damn it!”
Everyone was visibly frustrated—some nearly punching walls in sheer vexation.
This mission had turned into a wild goose chase with nothing to show for it.
They all knew how hired guns worked. Mercenaries were never told anything important. There was no way to extract real intel from someone like her.
“There’s got to be something useful!”
“I’m sorry, Erik. I didn’t see anything helpful.”
“No, Charles. She’s not just some hired gun. What’s her connection to Shaw?”
“I know she’s linked to him somehow!” Erik snapped, refusing to let it go.
“Erik, her ability is imitation,” Charles explained. “She can copy not just appearances, but powers as well.”
“I’m angry too, but we have to accept it—we were outmaneuvered. Shaw played us.”
Charles’s frustration matched Erik’s, though he remained more composed.
“That’s it? That’s all we get?!”
“That’s all!”
BAM!
Erik slammed his fist into the hood of a nearby car, leaving a deep dent.
“We should go. The police will be here soon,” Moira said, breaking the tense silence with a practical reminder.
“What about her?” Darwin asked, nodding at Copycat.
“She’s coming with us,” Erik said without room for argument. He dragged her into the car, and they sped off.
Only then did Alex finally retreat into his system space.
---
[Host: Alex]
[Age: 16]
[Speed: 85 m/s]
[Strength: 39.2 tons]
[Constitution: 204 (Average Adult Male: 10)]
[Mental Power: 162 (Average Adult Male: 10)]
[Current Template: Homelander (Unlocked: 5%)]
[Abilities: X-Ray Vision (Basic), Super Hearing (Basic), Heat Vision (Basic), Flight (Locked)]
[Origin Points: 750]
Alex’s eyes lit up as he saw the 750 Origin Points displayed.
That was more than he’d ever had before—an absolute windfall.
[Origin Points detected. Would you like to initiate enhancement?]
The system's prompt rang out again. This time, Alex didn’t hesitate.
“Enhance!”
[Congratulations. Homelander Template Unlocked: 12%]
[Host: Alex]
[Age: 16]
[Speed: 134.1 m/s]
[Strength: 97.5 tons]
[Constitution: 274 (Average Adult Male: 10)]
[Mental Power: 232 (Average Adult Male: 10)]
[Current Template: Homelander (Unlocked: 12%)]
[Abilities: X-Ray Vision (Basic), Super Hearing (Basic), Heat Vision (Basic), Flight (Locked)]
[Origin Points: 50]
This single enhancement had added a whole 7% to his template unlock—and all his stats had skyrocketed.
His speed had nearly doubled, and his strength was now close to 100 tons.
And that was just the quantifiable data.
As for his abilities—X-ray vision, super hearing, heat vision—while they weren’t shown in numbers, Alex could feel the clear improvement.
Especially his body. Without even testing it, he knew—
He was now bulletproof.
His body had become a true steel fortress.
This meant that from now on, he wouldn’t need to hold back in battle. He could charge headfirst into danger, shrugging off most attacks.
More importantly, his heat vision could now be sustained for over five minutes!
That alone was a massive power spike.
All in all, Alex was very satisfied with the results.
