"The most advanced laser emitter, experimental-grade water bear (tardigrade) culture dishes, the highest photosynthesis-capable algae (chlorella), and...anaerobic lactic-acid bacteria..."
"In addition, there are marine creatures like lobsters, planarians (which can retain memory through fission and resurrection), and the so-called 'rejuvenating' immortal jellyfish…"
This batch of items covered quite a lot.
Among them were some large creatures—protected species, in fact—which were currently in a dedicated underground garage. Even with Oscorp's clout, gathering all these took quite some effort. Had there not been 'legitimate reasons,' just the customs and aviation processes alone would have stalled everything for a long while. Even so, these doomed lives couldn't be widely known. Of course, those who should know, already knew; those who shouldn't, pretended ignorance. Everyone turned a blind eye, so long as it didn't become public knowledge.
Aaron opened each container in turn.
He smelted them all, Petri dishes and everything!
[Survival of the Fittest (Tardigrades, Lactic-Acid Bacteria, etc.)]: Similar ability detected, merged (Super Adaptation, Super Immunity). You possess an extremely transcendent adaptive power. Depending on environmental changes, you can automatically mutate traits to resist them; even ultra-high temperatures, extreme cold, outer space, intense radiation, and the like are survivable (so long as energy isn't fully depleted).
[Light Energy Absorption (Chlorella)]: Similar ability detected, merged. Your efficiency at absorbing sunlight has advanced further; even at night, you can quickly gather residual energy to strengthen yourself.
[Immortality (Lobsters, Immortal Jellyfish, etc.)]: Similar ability detected, merged (Super Vitality). Your telomeres no longer suffer damage from cell division, and your cells can divide indefinitely (you can choose to let them die). You will never age, nor will you simply expire of old age (barring external factors).
[High-Heat Thermal Vision]: Your control over various rays has upgraded once more. You can effortlessly channel your stored energy in many forms and freely regulate temperature and intensity.
[Super Healing (Planarians)]: Similar ability detected, merged. Even if only a single cell remains, you retain perfect memory and can fully regenerate. (Every cell is you, so resurrecting from a single drop of blood is trivial!)
Even with Aaron's current composure, seeing such upgrades made his heart surge.
Eternal life!
This was the power countless people throughout history had dreamed of. Emperor, Kings—no matter their achievements, none escaped death. Generations of people had thrown themselves into searching for the intangible gods in the heavens. Even someone as brilliant as Isaac Newton ended his days in pursuit of God.
But now, in this moment, Aaron had realized that supreme ability for which so many had yearned in vain!
He'd also gained "survival of the fittest" and even stronger super healing. Combined with his "body of steel," one could say he had become a god! Perhaps more "godly" than the likes of Odin or Thor—those so-called gods who still age and eventually die. Aaron wouldn't!
Now, if he found some deserted planet and dug himself in, sleeping away thousands or tens of thousands of years, just absorbing the energy of a star would be enough to evolve him to another level! Potentially, he could even traverse the universe in the flesh. Outer space has little oxygen and is extremely cold, saturated with deadly rays. Yet none of that would trouble him. Whether gamma rays or other high-energy radiation, they couldn't harm him. His formidable adaptive power could fend off virtually all lethal rays. As long as he wasn't foolish enough to plunge into the heart of some energy explosion, he could rely on that "survival of the fittest" to recover and live on. That same void of space that everyone else dreads would be his personal backyard.
Of course, though Aaron could theoretically cross space by himself, flight speed remained a weakness.
"If I get the chance, I'll have to create an FTL engine or warp drive."
"Or some other teleportation tech would work too!
"Then the entire universe becomes my playground!"
Aaron felt a rush of excitement. Casting an eye over the vacant storage room, he took a private elevator to his underground garage. Several large trucks were parked there, including Skye's van.
"Oh right—I nearly forgot Skye!"
Remembering her, Aaron asked Felicia about her status and learned she was still being fed on schedule, so there was no rush. Thinking it over, he rested a hand on her van.
"Smelt it!"
[Super Engine (Super Endurance)]: You now possess unimaginable stamina; before running out of energy, you can fight at peak performance indefinitely. From now on, you're basically an electric motor!
Aaron cocked an eyebrow. "I actually need that?"
He recalled how last night he'd fought one-on-two, taking down both "generals" in a row. Who else is there to challenge me? Zhao Hailun was doing okay, at least capable of some movement today. As for Barbara, who didn't know her own limits… she and her "doll" were still lying flat. With such meager skill, she'd even donned several special outfits to provoke him? Truly overestimating herself!
Finally, Aaron came to the modified trucks. They contained creatures like armadillos, pangolins, dolphins, saltwater crocodiles—even a young shark. Honestly, none of them offered much improvement to Aaron. He decided to smelt them all anyway. Even "junk data" was still data, and there might be some unexpected surprise.
But this time, it was a letdown—slightly enhanced bite strength, more skilled sonar… For someone with a body of steel, it was virtually zero improvement. However, he did unexpectedly gain the ability to speak "dolphin." Now, like how he could command bats, he could converse with dolphins and enlist them.
"Good grief, so first I became Superman, then Darwin, and now I'm drifting toward Aquaman…
"Fine, maybe I really should call myself the 'Omni Man?'"
~~~
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