The cheat interface was rectangular, set against a sci-fi, distorted background.
A few lines of text filled the screen.
[Transcendent, Become Divine]
[Transcendent Slot: 1]
[Extraordinary Points: 60]
[First Slot: None (Can copy any ability the player comes into contact with)]
[Note: Unlocking the second slot costs 200 Extraordinary Points]
[…]
That was it.
Just as Locke had said earlier.
This cheat, which had activated right before his graduation from Harvard two years ago, was so rudimentary it felt as though the God of Transmigration had suddenly remembered forgetting his cheat and hastily hand-crafted one to throw over.
Even figuring out how to use it was something Locke had to figure out entirely on his own.
Still…
Complaints aside, the cheat’s functionality was quite powerful.
In short:
Its greatest utility was allowing him to copy the abilities of any extraordinary creature for his own use.
Without any restrictions whatsoever.
Provided, of course, that he had an available slot.
Unlocking the first slot required spending one hundred Extraordinary Points.
And Extraordinary Points were obtained by directly or indirectly killing extraordinary creatures.
The stronger the extraordinary creature, the more Extraordinary Points were awarded upon its death.
This was precisely why Locke had decisively chosen to join the Sentinel Secret Service after figuring out how the cheat worked.
Who else but the Sentinel Secret Service was currently the only law enforcement agency that could legally hunt extraordinary creatures?
Even so, it took Locke two full years to accumulate enough Extraordinary Points to open his first slot.
There was no helping it.
After decades of intensive crackdowns since 1973, while mutants couldn’t be said to hold a status higher than African Americans in the country, let’s just say terrorists were treated significantly better than mutants.
Furthermore, the number of Extraordinary Points was tied directly to the strength of the extraordinary creature.
So…
Locke felt that taking two years to unlock the first slot was actually relatively fast.
However, he wasn’t in a hurry to immediately hunt down a low-tier mutant to copy their ability as soon as he opened the slot.
Preparation brings success; lack of it brings failure.
Once Locke fully understood the scope of his cheat, a bold idea and plan began forming in his mind.
For instance: how to use this cheat to turn himself into the Superman of this comic universe!
Yes.
Superman.
His cheat allowed him to plunder extraordinary abilities limitlessly, making it entirely feasible to turn himself into Superman through this method.
What abilities did Superman have?
Heat vision?
The mutant Scott’s optic blasts could serve as a perfect substitute.
Steel physique?
Colossus’s mutant power could easily substitute for that.
And Superman’s super speed?
That could be fully replicated using Quicksilver’s mutant ability.
In short:
Building himself into Superman via mutant abilities was entirely possible.
In fact!
Everything Superman had, he could have—and things Superman didn’t have, he could possess as well.
He had reserved his very first slot specifically for Colossus.
After all, with this cheat, as long as he lived long enough, becoming stronger was only a matter of time.
Therefore, Locke’s top choice for his first ability was a defensive attribute.
“There’s just one problem…”
Locke looked at his still-empty first slot and sighed inwardly.
Closing the system panel, he snapped back to reality and looked at the front passenger seat.
There sat Debbie, her long blond hair tied in a high ponytail, her tight Sentinel tactical uniform emphasizing her toned figure.
His rank in the Sentinel Secret Service was Senior Agent.
He led Sentinel Team One, possessed independent law enforcement authority, and had two Junior Agents assigned as his team members.
Debbie, sitting in the front passenger seat, and Jack, who was currently driving, were his team members.
Locke thought for a moment.
“Debbie.”
“Yeah?”
Debbie, who had a baby face that contrasted sharply with her fiery figure, turned around upon hearing her name.
She looked at Locke sitting in the back with his legs crossed.
“Boss, what’s up?”
Locke asked, “Any leads on the missing mutant, Colossus?”
Debbie paused to think, then shook her head.
“Still searching.”
Colossus had exposed himself three months ago.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t exposed in New York City, but across the Hudson River in New Jersey after being reported by civilians.
When Locke heard the news, he drove to New Jersey almost immediately.
Yet he was still a step too late.
By the time he arrived, Colossus had already broken out of the perimeter and disappeared without a trace.
Now, three months had passed, and Colossus’s whereabouts remained unknown.
If nothing went wrong, Colossus had likely already been found by Professor Charles Xavier and brought back to Xavier Manor—a place known to everyone, yet impossible for anyone to find, hailed as the sanctuary for mutants.
Yes.
Everyone knew the exact street address of Xavier Manor.
After all, the Xavier Investment Group was quite famous on Wall Street.
But…
Knowing the address was one thing; actually being able to find it was another matter entirely.
The brass at the Sentinel Secret Service had issued a standing order: whoever could find the path to Xavier Manor and wipe out the mutants inside would be promoted five ranks on the spot.
Countless Sentinel agents were thrilled by the prospect, and Locke was no exception.
Unfortunately, no one could find it.
Why?
Because Xavier Manor had a mutant capable of large-scale power suppression, cloaking the entire manor.
Unless they launched missiles and conducted saturation bombardment over the area where Xavier Manor was supposed to be.
But that was impossible.
No politician could bear the fallout of launching missiles in New York—even if Xavier Manor was located in the suburbs of New York City.
So…
Unless he could find a way into Xavier Manor himself, expecting Colossus to step out once he was inside was completely unrealistic.
However!
If a Sentinel agent stepped into the mutants’ hideout, even if he explicitly stated he was just meeting Colossus, he’d probably be beaten to death by the mutants inside.
Xavier Manor had vanished from sight since 1973, right after the Mutant Freedom Act was enacted.
Over thirty years had passed, and there were likely thousands, if not tens of thousands, of mutants inside by now.
The moment Locke pictured himself getting mobbed by thousands of mutants as soon as he entered the manor, he involuntarily shuddered.
No way.
Copying Colossus’s ability seemed like a dead end for now.
In that case, whose ability should he copy for his first slot?
He couldn’t seriously be expected to go copy the trashy abilities of those locked up in detention, could he?
Locke frowned slightly as he pondered.
Right at that moment, Jack, who was driving with a square jaw and a frame built like a miniature tank, stepped on the brakes.
“We’re here, Boss!”