Chapter 36 : Edith Lace!

Back in his dormitory, Carl found himself unable to sleep. Instead, he retrieved the hard drive containing the laboratory data and plugged it into his laptop.

Carl harbored a genuine curiosity about the data from these labs studying Mutants.

From the information he had gathered, Mutants were believed to have originated from the Celestial Race, arriving on Earth in ancient times to conduct genetic experiments on the indigenous peoples.

This group of experimenters possessed an inherited invisible X gene, which served as the source of Mutants' powers.

However, Carl lacked detailed knowledge about the matter.

As the computer powered on, the program initiated.

Upon opening the hard disk, dozens of folders materialized before Carl.

These folders contained various contents, including the experimental results of the institute, categorized into four parts: the identity information of the experimental Mutants, the experimental data, the research findings, and speculative theories based on the research data.

Referring to the directory, Carl clicked on the folder containing the identity information of the Mutants under experimentation, revealing numerous Mutant profiles, among which were the children they had rescued.

The sheer number of profiles caused Carl's eyes to narrow.

Evidently, the remaining missing Mutants had perished during the experimentation process.

Carl scrolled through the Mutant information, eventually pausing at the bottom.

There stood a striking young girl in a black suit, adorned with a pair of five-centimeter-long red horns atop her head, blood-red hair, and chilling eyes.

With a click of the mouse, Carl accessed the girl's profile.

Name: Edith Lace, codenamed Grey

Age: 15 years old

Alias: Devil

Ability 1: Rakshasa Instant Kill - Upon activation, this ability enables her to dash at ten times the speed with a tenfold increase in power, achieving a one-hit kill effect. This ability can be consecutively cast, with a current record of up to 25 consecutive bursts.

Ability 2: Blade Mastery - Empowers her to proficiently wield various cold weapons without formal training, enhancing their sharpness to the extent of cutting through gold and iron.

Ability 3: The primary ability is called Plunder, which enables the user to drain part of the target's life force, strengthening themselves and enhancing their vitality. The upper limit of this ability is currently unknown.

Notes: Due to the immense power and malevolence of the primary ability, it has been temporarily suppressed.

Summary:

In September 2005, intelligence reached the organization suggesting that the daughter of an underground gang leader in Violet City, England, had undergone a mutation. Overnight, her hair turned red, and she developed horns on her forehead.

The organization mobilized its forces to neutralize the gang and apprehend the individuals involved.

On November 23, 2005, during numerous experiments, the entity referred to as "the devil" lost control. Professor Mytle was fatally injured by her, requiring twenty doses of anesthesia to regain control.

On November 25, 2005, three researchers were decapitated by the entity. Control was restored by circulating low-temperature air through the vents and administering fifty times the standard dose of anesthetic.

On November 30th, the entity went berserk again, resulting in the deaths of three researchers and five armed personnel. Anesthetic administration failed, and the entity was subdued by gunfire from the adjudicator.

Following a significant breakthrough in research on the entity, a chain made of integrated Adamantium was specially created to confine it within Room 0, awaiting further experimentation.

Observing this, Carl furrowed his brows. "A significant breakthrough, you say?"

However, the profile information abruptly ends there.

"And this adjudicator, could they be the Mutant defeated by Colossus or someone else? If they can contain the entity, they must possess considerable strength."

"It appears there is a formidable force backing this institution."

Carl pondered, "Could it be HYDRA or the Hellfire Club?"

In the Marvel universe, the two largest underground organizations are HYDRA and the Hellfire Club.

HYDRA has infiltrated various countries' powers across numerous sectors, including S.H.I.E.L.D., the United States' foremost agency for managing extraordinary powers, many of whose members are affiliated with HYDRA.

The Hellfire Club, on the other hand, comprises some of the world's wealthiest and most influential individuals, who can only join by invitation. Notable members include Iron Man's father and Magneto, who holds a clandestine position within.

Professor X has also planted a mole within its ranks.

Contemplating this, Carl rubbed his temples; it was all too convoluted.

At his current level of strength, there was no need to concern himself with such matters. Carl refocused on other materials, clicking through the folders one by one.

It wasn't until over two hours later, as the sky began to lighten, that Carl breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Carl found himself wide awake. He rose from his bed and strolled to the window, gazing out at the campus slowly stirring to life outside, his expression contemplative.

According to the findings in the laboratory, identifying individuals with the X gene before their Awakening is challenging; they may live their entire lives as seemingly ordinary people.

Similarly, offspring born to two Mutants do not always inherit the ability to Awaken.

In contrast to a select few superpowered individuals, a Mutant's abilities tend to strengthen with age following their Awakening.

However, every Mutant's potential is determined at the moment of Awakening, with their growth ceasing once they reach their inherent limit.

Furthermore, a handful of latent Mutants, who initially showed no signs of developing super abilities, have demonstrated a propensity to activate the X gene when subjected to intense mental stimuli.

Consequently, it is believed that a Mutant's abilities, or the X gene itself, are intricately linked to their mental faculties.

Could it then be inferred that a strong force of will might shatter the perceived limits and boundaries of Mutant abilities?

Thus, over many years of experimentation, these individuals have persisted in subjecting Mutants to various forms of stimulation and torment, scrutinizing the genetic alterations within their bodies.

Ultimately, after countless trials, many Mutants whose abilities appeared rudimentary at best have undergone significant enhancement, with some even manifesting newfound, formidable powers.

Nevertheless, this method exacts a heavy toll, often draining the subjects of their life force or vitality.

The majority of Mutants have perished after enduring a dozen or more experiments, their life forces depleted beyond recovery, despite the best efforts of medicine.

As for the rare few who persevered through twenty trials and managed to break through their limits once, their resulting abilities only reached an average strength at the third level.

In the ongoing tests, the number of experiments involving X gene stimulation has surpassed thirty, with only one subject surviving thus far.

Due to the unique nature of their abilities, replication remains impossible at present.

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