"It's finally over," Zhang sighed to himself. He had been pushed to the very limit of his abilities. If he hadn't succeeded in defeating his enemy, his body would have generated enough kinetic energy to obliterate this small island.
His ability was none other than Kinetic Resonance— the more he moved, the faster and stronger he became. However, utilizing this power was akin to being a ticking bomb, ready to explode at any moment.
In theory, he could even go toe to toe with the strongest on other continents, but it would require a suicidal approach.
And this power had another weakness; in order for it to activate, he needed to absorb kinetic energy from his environment first. Typically, he would allow his enemy to attack him to gather that kinetic energy, but their target this time was too unpredictable, and was exceptionally powerful. That's why he was able to absorb enough kinetic energy and strike first.
'Good thing that you're arrogant and complacent ,' he sighed in relief, observing the ashes of his target being scattered by the wind.
He had to admit that his enemy this time far outclassed the current rank 2 and 3rd in terms of abilities, and the only reason he was able to emerge victorious was because of his speed.
As his body finally cooled down, the golden lights dimmed, leaving behind black scars akin to lightning strikes on his body. These scars released mist as he descended to ground and took a downer pill.
The effects of his power were starting to take a toll, and his mind began to recall a traumatic experience buried deep within his consciousness. This memory was so distressing that he had agreed to work for Cerebrum, in exchange for better medicine to cure his own madness .
He sat on the ground for a couple of minutes first, trying to catch his breath. Since all of the Gifteds with healing powers had died, he had to rely on his own to mend his battered body.
"What's the damage?" he asked Helena after recovering some of his strength.
"More than 70% in our group died, and Miss Kyo also did not make it," she reported. Kyo had been the one tracking their target all this time, sacrificing her own life in the process.
Zhang made no comment and simply nodded in acknowledgment. He had anticipated that this mission would lead to numerous casualties, and having witnessed a considerable number of deaths in his lifetime, he was no longer shocked by such outcomes.
"Sir, we got news. The three remaining targets are now confronting our 2nd and 3rd team. They are trying to leave the island," another member hurriedly reported after receiving a message.
In reality , after destroying the second ship, I ingeniously abducted four individuals from their crew, and made them my puppets.
I had been experimenting with them all this time, attempting to clone myself to make them a decoy.
Then, as I sensed Cerebrum's presence, I opened up an exit to my base and dispatched them in different directions. The three acted as decoys for the girls and went in the opposite direction, while the other transformed into a demon-like creature and clashed with Zhang's group.
As for my inner thoughts during that fight, those were all fake, a precautionary measure in case someone from their group could read minds.
Despite my confidence in my shield of Z, I remained cautious about the possibility of someone being able to bypass it. So, I simulated my thought process as if my puppet were really me.
I played them like fools. I would be a total idiot to act like a suicidal protagonist like in those cliché novels which relies on heavy plot armor. I'm not some kind of Super Saiy*n who would wait for my enemy to power up if my life was truly on the line.
'I thought Reset would also work on my puppet , but it just died just like that,' I sighed. I had hoped to outsmart the system, but it seemed my clever plan had its limits.
'Well, at least I was able to get some good data about my skills,' I thought to myself.
While using Mind Power Sharing together was effective, it demanded a huge amount of processing power compared to the straightforward Mind Link.
At my current level, I realized I could only effectively control one puppet to inherit my powers. Attempting to divide my abilities among more would result in a significant drop in their individual strength.
An example of that was the three I sent as a decoys. I tried controlling them together, but Eun Ha's clone was taken out immediately because I could only utilize 20% of her copied abilities.
In the end, all the decoys died, but I did not have to worry about their identities being exposed because I made sure that their faces could not be recognized. I even forced the enemy to be serious enough that each decoy was beyond recognition after the battle.
Now, I just need to wait and enjoy my freedom once I'm back in Seoul.