Chapter 5
Ten minutes later,
In the skyscraper's underground lab, cold metal reflected the faces of everyone present.
Yang Jian stood at the central console, fingers flying across the holographic interface. Streams of data flowed from his hands.
His super intellect had long since dissected Aldrich Killian's Extremis virus, Curt Connors' lizard serum, and the Green Goblin gene sequence buried inside Norman Osborn.
"The core issue with Extremis is energy overload—it causes the host to explode," Yang Jian said calmly. With a light swipe of his finger, a new molecular structure materialized in the projection.
"I've optimized the energy conversion efficiency. It won't destabilize anymore. And…"
He glanced at Killian. "Your maximum temperature output has increased."
Greed flashed in Killian's eyes, quickly masked by his usual cold calculation.
Connors, meanwhile, stared fixedly at the golden serum Yang Jian had just handed him. His breathing quickened. "This… will it really regrow my arm?"
"Try it and find out," Yang Jian said with a light chuckle.
Connors didn't hesitate. He injected the serum directly into his vein.
"Ahhh!"
Agonizing pain dropped him to his knees. Bones twisted, muscles writhed, and at the stump of his missing arm, flesh surged wildly.
A brand-new arm regenerated—perfect, seamless!
Connors stared in disbelief at his right hand, flexing fingers, clenching a fist. Strength far beyond his old self flooded through him.
Not just the arm—his reflexes, muscle density, everything had leaped to superhuman levels. He could even faintly sense the subtle currents of air around him.
Just like Bullseye, he had become a true super-soldier!
"This… this is unbelievable!" Connors whispered.
Norman stood to the side, face dark, eyes locked on the inhibitor serum in Yang Jian's hand.
"How long will this suppress the Goblin?" he asked quietly.
"Long enough." Yang Jian handed it over. "Once I finish my current business, I'll personally erase the Green Goblin personality for good."
Norman paused, then took the vial and injected it.
Instantly, the constant tension in his mind eased—as if an invisible hand had smoothed his nerves. The manic laughter echoing in his skull faded, replaced by long-lost calm.
He exhaled deeply, eyes complex as he looked at Yang Jian. "Thank you."
Yang Jian gave only a faint nod, then swept his gaze over the three men. "How do you feel?"
Connors flexed his new arm excitedly. "Perfect!"
Norman spoke gravely. "It works."
Killian kept his head lowered, but a cold, sinister smile slowly curled his lips. "Indeed… very perfect."
The next instant—
BOOM!
Killian's body erupted in searing heat. Molten-gold light coursed beneath his skin. He thrust a hand forward, unleashing a blazing shockwave straight at Yang Jian's face!
"Die!" he snarled.
Flames engulfed Yang Jian's form. The lab's metal walls began to melt instantly!
But then—
Snap.
A hand emerged from the inferno and clamped around Killian's throat with casual ease.
The flames dissipated. Yang Jian stood untouched, not even a singe on his black suit.
"Foolish."
Killian's pupils shrank to pinpricks. "No… impossible! How could you—"
Yang Jian's eyes flared crimson.
Shhh!
Twin beams of heat vision lanced through Killian's forehead, ending him in an instant.
Thud.
Killian's body crumpled. The extreme heat faded from his skin, leaving only charred remains.
Dead silence gripped the lab.
Connors and Norman stared in shock. Bullseye, standing by the door, only smirked faintly—he'd seen this coming.
Yang Jian retracted the heat vision and spoke calmly. "Bullseye, acquire AIM. Killian died in a lab accident."
Bullseye bowed. "Understood, boss."
Norman took a deep breath. "Oscorp will assist with the acquisition."
Yang Jian nodded in approval, then turned to Connors. "And you?"
Connors didn't hesitate. "I'm staying."
Yang Jian smiled. "Good."
He walked to the lab's floor-to-ceiling window and looked out over New York.
"From today forward, you're my subordinates."
The three men soon departed.
Outside, clouds parted. Sunlight poured in, illuminating Yang Jian's deep, fathomless eyes.
"Black-market kingpin phase over. Time to start my real new life."
Seizing Kingpin's empire and subjugating these men had just been a passing interest.
With this level of power, money meant nothing. Petty games no longer held appeal. But he still needed capable underlings to handle the mundane.
He had no desire to become some grim reaper slaughtering indiscriminately. He simply wanted to do what he wanted—and ensure no one could ever force him to do what he didn't.
It was a shame about Han Han, Wen Wen, Qian Qian, Xue Xue, Zhou Zhou…
No matter. Marvel had plenty of beautiful women. He could meet them all.
For now, though, there was something else he needed to do.
"System, display my ability panel."
The blue interface unfolded before him, packed with rows of stats and descriptions.
His gaze lingered on the line: Potential Development: 15%
"Looks like I still have massive room to grow."
He looked up toward the sky. Super vision pierced the clouds, straight into the vast cosmos.
The yellow sun radiated warm light, almost calling to him.
"Since yellow sun radiation activates and powers Kryptonian cells…"
Yang Jian murmured to himself, "…why not go straight to the source for a recharge?"
Yellow sunlight activated Kryptonian potential, granting Superman-level power.
But it didn't stop there. Stellar energy continuously strengthened Kryptonian cells.
While the raw output of a yellow sun wasn't overwhelming, once channeled and amplified through Kryptonian physiology, it became something far greater.
That was why Kryptonians absorbed solar energy—and why Golden Superman had once flown straight into a sun for prolonged enhancement.
The thought, once born, refused to fade.
He took a deep breath—though he no longer needed to.
His body rose slowly, leaving the building behind. Then he accelerated.
Whoosh!
He shattered the sound barrier. Speed climbed relentlessly!
Like a reverse meteor, he streaked through the atmosphere and burst into open space.
As Earth receded, an unprecedented sense of freedom washed over him.
No gravity. No air resistance. Only pure, boundless void.
He pushed harder. His body responded instantly to his will.
Mach 1,000… 0.3c… 0.6c…
Numbers quickly lost meaning.
Space began to warp around him. Starlight stretched into lines.
He realized he was approaching lightspeed.
"This is super speed?" Yang Jian marveled.
The system had warned he might struggle to control it at first. But now, it felt effortless—like second nature.
The sun swelled rapidly in his vision—from a distant point to the size of a basketball, then dominating half his field of view.
Soon he decelerated, coming to a hover just a few thousand kilometers from the surface.
The sight was breathtaking.
No longer the gentle orb seen from Earth—this was a raging plasma ocean.
Massive solar prominences arched tens of thousands of kilometers.
Sunspot groups stared like abyssal eyes.
Superheated plasma twisted into intricate magnetic webs, releasing energy equivalent to millions of hydrogen bombs every second.
"Beautiful!" Yang Jian whispered.
Far from harming him, the extreme environment felt… welcoming.
Solar radiation poured into every cell like warm nourishment. His bio-field automatically adjusted, maximizing absorption.
[High-concentration yellow solar radiation detected] [Host cellular activity elevated to 180%]
System notifications scrolled continuously. Yang Jian could feel himself growing stronger by the moment.
He extended both hands, palms facing the sun, actively drawing the energy in.
In an instant, an unimaginable torrent surged through his body.
His eyes erupted with blazing red light—heat vision activating involuntarily.
But this time it didn't fire outward. Instead, twin golden vortices formed in his pupils, greedily devouring solar energy.
He felt like a balloon being inflated to infinity.
Yet at the same time, a profound understanding blossomed in his mind.
He saw—not with eyes, but with a higher perception.
Every hydrogen fusion reaction inside the sun. Every twist and reconnection of magnetic field lines.
Even the delicate gravitational-pressure balance at the core.
All of it flooded his consciousness.
More astonishing still: with a mere thought, he could influence these processes.
He could accelerate or slow fusion in any region. He could redirect the path of a prominence.
"Is this the true power of Silver Age Superman?" Yang Jian thought, stunned.
He had assumed he'd only gained flight, heat vision, and the basics. Now it was clear—his potential was far beyond imagination.
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