That night, Ethan injected the healing factor into Lorna.
The procedure was smooth from beginning to end. Her body accepted the genetic sequence without the slightest hint of rejection, something Ethan had expected given her own mutant physiology. The fusion completed far more easily than it had with Tony.
Once the process stabilized, Ethan conducted a simple test.
He took a small knife and carefully cut a shallow wound across the center of Lorna's palm. The blade sliced through her skin cleanly, and a thin line of blood appeared instantly.
Lorna watched the injury with curiosity rather than fear.
Before either of them even finished counting, the wound began to close.
Fresh tissue regenerated rapidly, the damaged skin knitting together as if time itself had reversed. Within three seconds, the cut had completely disappeared, leaving no scar behind.
Lorna flexed her fingers slowly, staring at her palm in amazement.
"Well," she said thoughtfully, "I feel like my control over magnetism is getting stronger too."
Ethan raised an eyebrow at that.
He nodded after a moment.
"That's normal," he explained. "The healing factor is restructuring parts of your body. While it's repairing and strengthening your cells, it can also enhance your existing mutant abilities."
He gave her an encouraging smile.
"Don't worry about it too much. Just give yourself time to adapt."
That night naturally ended with the two of them enjoying each other's company in a far more intimate way.
By the time morning arrived, neither of them had any interest in waking up early. They slept well into the late morning before finally getting out of bed.
Ethan's daily schedule was usually quite relaxed. Unlike Tony, who constantly buried himself in research and corporate matters, Ethan rarely had obligations that demanded his full attention.
So during the day he simply spent time with Lorna.
To anyone watching from the outside, the two of them looked like an ordinary couple enjoying a day together. They wandered through the city, visited shops, and eventually ended up spending time at a small amusement park.
While they were walking past one of the attractions, Ethan's phone suddenly rang.
The caller was Tony Stark.
Ethan answered the call casually.
"What's going on?"
Tony didn't bother with small talk.
"Man, someone already knows I'm a mutant."
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Who knows?"
"The FBI, the CIA… and S.H.I.E.L.D."
Ethan couldn't help laughing quietly.
"And what's their attitude?" he asked. "Are they planning to drag you away and dissect you for research?"
Tony snorted.
"Very funny."
His tone immediately turned more serious.
"They've already started monitoring me. My movements are basically restricted right now. The NSA in particular keeps trying to pressure me into handing over the Mark armor."
He paused briefly.
"Oh, and in case you forgot, the Mark armor is the suit I used last night."
"I know," Ethan said calmly. "You don't need to explain that part."
He leaned against a nearby railing while speaking.
"So you called just to tell me this?"
"Of course not," Tony replied quickly. "I'm calling because I didn't mention you when they questioned me. But with the resources those people have, it's only a matter of time before they trace everything back to you."
His voice lowered slightly.
"You should prepare yourself."
Ethan chuckled.
"Are you feeling guilty?"
"Damn it, I'm serious," Tony snapped.
"All right, all right. I understand."
Ethan's tone remained relaxed.
"Even if you did tell them about me, it wouldn't matter. Still, I appreciate the gesture."
Then he added with a teasing smile.
"Don't forget that you'll be working for me someday."
"Bastard."
Tony cursed before abruptly hanging up the phone.
For someone with Tony's personality, calling ahead to warn Ethan was already an unusual act of consideration. Ethan knew that well, so he felt no irritation toward him at all.
That was simply Tony Stark.
Lorna glanced at him curiously.
"What happened?"
"It's nothing," Ethan replied lightly. "Just a small issue."
He slipped the phone back into his pocket and smiled at her.
"Come on, let's keep going."
They spent the rest of the day wandering around the city until they were both tired. By evening, Ethan accompanied Lorna back to Adeline's residence before returning to his own place.
When the elevator doors opened on the top floor of his building, Ethan stepped out calmly.
But the moment he walked into the hallway, his expression shifted slightly.
His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Someone was inside his apartment.
Ethan walked to the door and opened it as if nothing was unusual.
The moment he stepped inside, several guns were pointed directly at him.
"Hands on your head! Get down on the ground!"
A harsh voice shouted from inside the room.
"We're CIA! You're under arrest!"
More than a dozen heavily armed tactical agents filled the apartment. Each of them held a rifle aimed straight at Ethan's body, and red laser dots covered his chest and head.
For an ordinary person, the sight would have been terrifying.
Ethan merely lifted his eyelids slightly.
The agents spread out around him, forming a tight circle. Two men rushed forward from either side, attempting to restrain him before he could react.
Unfortunately for them, they had no idea what kind of opponent they were facing.
Ethan slowly raised one hand.
The small movement instantly made every agent tense.
"Don't move!" one of them shouted.
But Ethan ignored the warning.
His hand continued rising calmly.
"Fire!" the commander suddenly shouted.
Gunfire erupted instantly.
More than a dozen rifles roared at the same time as bright muzzle flashes filled the room. A storm of bullets shot through the air, all aimed directly at Ethan's body.
Then something unbelievable happened.
The bullets stopped.
One after another, the projectiles froze in midair just inches away from Ethan's face. It looked as if an invisible wall had appeared between him and the attackers.
Dozens of bullets hovered there silently, suspended in place.
None of them could move even a millimeter closer.
The agents continued firing until every magazine was empty. When they finally tried to reload, they realized something even worse.
Their bodies wouldn't move.
"...No!"
The commander shouted in horror.
Ethan simply smiled.
With a soft snap of his fingers, the bullets floating in front of him suddenly reversed direction.
In the next instant they shot back the way they had come.
At that moment, a man behind the couch suddenly rushed out and shouted desperately.
"Stop!"
Unfortunately for him, he was too late.
"Poof…!"
The room exploded with the sound of tearing flesh.
The bullets rained back onto the shooters with terrifying speed. None of them missed their targets, each projectile plunging straight into the bodies of the agents who had fired them.
Blood erupted everywhere.
Some of the men were lucky. A bullet struck their heads instantly, killing them before they could feel pain.
Others were far less fortunate.
In the span of a single moment, every attacker in the room had been completely annihilated.
.....
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