A new chapter is up.
Come in, get comfortable, and let’s see what kind of trouble waits this time ❤️ ✦ “Uh…” “No.
I’m fine.
What could happen to me?” Mason shook his head, still not quite used to being attacked by that much enthusiasm.
“Good.” “Then come out with me for a while.” Gwen invited him with a playful smile and stuck out her tongue.
“Dad told me to show you around New York.
If you keep rotting in this apartment, he’ll blame me.” She did not wait for his refusal.
She grabbed his hand and started pulling him toward the door.
“Come on.
Stay inside long enough and you’ll grow mold.” Her voice kept ringing in his ears.
The softness of her hand and the faint scent drifting from her made it very easy to lose focus.
But come on.
Was Mason Hale the kind of man who stopped thinking the moment a beautiful woman appeared?
“So, cousin.
Are you coming or not?” Gwen tilted her head.
Her gemstone-bright eyes looked up at him as if they could talk.
“Of course…” “I’m coming.” His mouth made the decision before his brain finished arguing.
Not that he was being tempted by beauty.
He was bored.
That was all.
The system was updating.
The second invasion would not open for a while, and the Red Queen was integrating data while expanding her network coverage.
There was no point staying in the apartment.
He had not truly gone out since arriving in this world.
Now that he had the strength to protect himself, it was time to look around.
He wanted to see this Marvel version of New York with his own eyes.
He could not hide in an apartment forever like an ostrich with its head in the sand.
“Maybe…” “This is the opening I needed.” Mason took one step forward, trying to make the moment feel significant.
“Hey, cousin, are you coming?
We’ll be late if you keep posing.” His attempt at profundity was forcibly interrupted.
“Coming.
I’m coming.” Mason wiped away imaginary sweat and hurried after her.
Before long, the two of them were walking along the busy streets of New York.
Even in daylight, before the city’s neon luxury could fully awaken, the glass towers reflected color through the sun.
With all the impossible advanced technology hidden in this world, New York carried a futuristic edge beyond its era.
Skyscrapers rose in dense rows.
Beautiful women and handsome men were everywhere.
Still, the most eye-catching pair was Mason and Gwen by the restaurant window.
Gwen had curves in all the right places, a generous bust, rounded hips, and a narrow waist.
Her pale skin and sly, bright eyes made her look like an elf carved from snow and sunlight.
Mason stood out just as much.
His face drew attention, but the stranger thing was the quiet pressure around him, a presence that made people look twice before they understood why.
“Looks like a lot of people are staring at you, cousin.” Gwen tapped her spoon against her coffee cup.
There was a hint of jealousy in her tone that she did not seem to notice.
Several women had already walked over and slipped Mason little notes.
Mason coughed tactically.
He had not expected Americans to be this friendly.
The genetic refinement from the T-virus and the extreme physical control of Rokushiki made his presence difficult to ignore.
It touched a buried human instinct: attraction toward something more perfectly evolved.
Once Mason reined in that pressure, the situation eased somewhat.
Beautiful women being bold, however, was its own problem.
“By the way…” “What do you think about the Nexus Breach?” Gwen nodded toward the large public screen.
She seemed to be trying to break the awkwardness by choosing the hottest topic in the city.
And she was not wrong.
The Nexus Breach was the one subject nobody could avoid.
In the cafe alone, more than half the customers were discussing it, and most of the rest were talking about how it would affect their jobs.
On the street, Mason had heard the same thing again and again.
“Iron Man was insane.
He cut through zombies like it was nothing.” “Hero?
Don’t forget the reward he brought back.
The T-virus technology could start an apocalypse, and the military asked him to hand it over.
He refused through the press.” “Good.
Everyone knows what the military would do with it.
I’d rather Stark keep it.” “Does anyone know who the woman was?
The one who charged into the horde?
I am officially declaring her my goddess.” “Carl, you snake, you took screenshots during the broadcast?
Send me Black Widow’s highlight clip.” “Biotech stocks are exploding.
Pharmaceuticals and technology, all of it.
Buy everything.” Thanks to the T-virus Enhancement, Mason’s hearing had become terrifyingly sharp.
Every conversation within hundreds of meters filtered into his mind and sorted itself into useful information.
Good or bad, one thing was certain.
The Nexus Breach had changed the world.
No one could ignore it now.
“The Nexus Breach?” Mason’s tone became hard to read.
“Maybe…” “Maybe it will bring a whole new world.
One beyond anything we imagined.” It would push the world forward.
No one knew how far the era would develop.
If Mason was being honest, he wanted the world to become stronger.
He wanted superheroes to receive rewards, improve themselves, and enter a cycle where they could conquer stronger and stronger worlds.
With hundredfold amplification, he did not care if others benefited from the system.
In the end, the person winning from the couch was always him.
“A whole new world?” Gwen murmured, thinking of her own powers.
“Learning to face it with a new attitude, letting go of old assumptions, and welcoming a new world…
that really is an opportunity.” “The best of times, and the worst of times.” Once the ice broke, the conversation warmed quickly.
Gwen kept laughing as Mason tossed out joke after joke.
The distance between them kept shrinking.
At some point, Gwen was laughing so hard she was almost leaning against him.
Wait.
Was this progress bar moving a little too fast?
CREATORS’ THOUGHTS AuroraVale Thank you for reading.
I hope this chapter pulled you a little deeper into the story.
Stay close, because things are only getting more interesting.