Marvel: The Ultimate Superman-Chapter 165. Rising Tides, Rising Stakes [Bonus]

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The lab went silent.

The gamma projectors shut down. The fission cores were deactivated. Nutrient infusions ceased.

Inside the chamber, Nolan's eyes snapped open.

He could feel it.

Power thrummed beneath his skin like thunder. His base strength now rivaled the standard Hulk, easily with 170 tons of force. With his [Dragon Force] enhancement and the full amplification of his custom-built Superman armor, that number soared to over 250 tons.

If it came down to it he could drop the Hulk with one punch.

Climbing out of the pod, he moved to the sterilization station, casually pricking his finger with a vibranium needle. A single drop of blood beaded at the tip.

It glistened crimson under the scanner.

Then it began to change.

Even under low-level radiation, the cell nuclei began a rapid chain reaction—programmed apoptosis. Self-destruction.

His entire genetic sequence was erased in seconds.

"Well, that's convenient," he muttered.

Now, even if his blood were collected or stolen, it would self-terminate. No cloning. No counter-agent manufacturing. No reverse-engineering him.

Not without him knowing.

Not without his permission.

Unless it was under perfect, sterile conditions, his cells were now booby-trapped.

Satisfied, he wiped his hands and looked toward the setting sun outside the glass wall.

"They're here," he said softly. "Charles and Erik."

He dressed and made his way toward Norman's office.

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Oscorp Executive Suite

Inside the office, tension buzzed beneath polite conversation.

"Erik," Charles said calmly, "if you still have questions, you can ask him directly."

Ever since Erik had seen Wanda here days ago, ever since that unsettling familiarity, he hadn't been the same. Questions lingered. Doubts festered.

"Fine," Erik muttered.

Nearby, Dr. Hank McCoy was in deep discussion with Connors. The two geneticists were discussing the breakthrough Oscorp had made with Mystique's DNA.

"You cracked her morphogenic sequence?" Hank asked in disbelief.

"Not completely," Connors clarified. "But enough to stabilize selective traits. We've developed a cosmetic application for scar revision, skin enhancement, and even pigment correction."

Hank chuckled. "If Raven knew you were using her DNA for skincare, she'd kill you."

"It's the boss's idea," Connors shrugged. "I just follow the science."

The door opened.

Nolan entered.

Even before he said a word, both Charles and Erik stiffened.

Charles blinked. Nothing.

No psychic presence. No thoughts. No trace of mental activity. It was as if Nolan wasn't even in the room.

Last time, Charles could at least sense a ripple. This time nothing.

The same applied to Erik. He couldn't detect Nolan's magnetic field. The man felt invisible. Untouchable.

Whatever gap had existed between them before... had now widened into a chasm.

"You're here about the X-gene suppressant," Nolan said, sitting down with a calm smile.

Charles gave a slight nod. "That, and the Sentinel initiative."

Nolan's brow lifted. "The Sentinels are active?"

Norman passed him a tablet. "Trask Industries. Military contracts. Quiet rollout, but it's escalating."

Footage played—mutants being hunted, trapped. Sentinels adapting to powers in real-time. Evolving countermeasures mid-battle.

Erik's fists clenched. His eyes burned.

That was his people being caged. Tortured. Erased.

But Charles had warned him: No emotion. No hostility. Not here.

Nolan's eyes narrowed. "Progressing faster than expected..."

He wasn't surprised.

With the resources the U.S. military had at its disposal and the paranoia surrounding powered individuals, it was only a matter of time. Especially without Stark, Pym, or himself directly involved.

The conflict was coming to a head.

Three sides were already forming:

The Military-Control Faction: backed by Trask and General Ross, supported by civilian fears.

The Technocratic Oversight Faction: Stark, Strange, and a few neutral supers.

The Free Will Faction: Rogers, Barton, and their underground allies.

The Superhuman Regulation Crisis was reaching its boiling point.

"Fascinating..."

Nolan closed the tablet and looked at the mutants. "Let's shift focus. You brought what I asked for?"

Hank placed a case on the table and opened it. Inside a vial of glowing blood.

Radiating heat. Subtle solar flares. The blood of Sunspot.

"His body metabolizes solar radiation at a cellular level," Charles explained. "The sample is volatile but stabilized."

Nolan grinned.

With Sunspot's sample, he could push his gene editing even further.

He picked up the vial, held it against the light, and nodded toward Connors.

"Pull up Experiment Seven Mutant Sequence Integration."

"Yes, sir."

Connors darted out.

But then Nolan did something no one expected.

He unsealed the vial... and let a single drop of the glowing blood fall onto the back of his hand.

"Wait—what are you doing?!" Erik stepped forward.

"You're wasting it!" Hank added, alarmed.

But the moment the drop touched Nolan's skin, it disappeared absorbed instantly.

As if devoured by the flesh.

Nolan's body rippled ink-black for a moment, like shadows flooding his veins.

Then it passed.

The adaptive morphogenic gene from Mystique kicked in.

He stabilized.

He smiled.

"Relax," he said. "You'll get your antidote. But in the meantime..."

He looked down at his hand.

"...I just copied the sun."

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