Chapter 62 Before the Storm
Miracle Clinic.
1:00 a.m.
The first thing Lynn did after returning from Gotham City was take a shower.
The black trench coat still carried lingering smells from the battle.
Burned explosives.
Smoke residue.
And the sharp chemical odor of Venom from Bane's bloodstream.
After the shower—
He changed into a clean white coat.
At one o'clock in the morning.
Not because it was necessary.
Because the white coat provided more psychological stability than armor or weapons ever could.
Lynn sat behind the reception desk and opened the system interface.
[Ding! Stage Mission Completed!]
[Rewards Distributed: Reputation +150, Forge Enhancement Attempt ×1.]
[Current Reputation: 760.]
[Available Forge Attempts: 2.]
Seven hundred sixty reputation points.
Two forge attempts.
His gaze shifted toward the ability list.
Analysis of All Things — SS Rank.
Battlefield Senses — 75%.
Self-Healing Factor — 60%.
Indestructible Body — 65%.
Superhuman Strength — 55%.
Combat Penetration — 70%.
Super-Soldier Physiology — 70%.
Seven abilities.
Time for a second fusion.
Lynn's eyes paused on two specific abilities.
Battlefield Senses.
Combat Penetration.
The fusion path between both abilities had already undergone extensive mental simulation.
Perception combined with combat instinct.
The expected result—
A battlefield-prediction ability.
An instinctive combat domain where enemy movements, attack vectors, and positional changes no longer required conscious analysis.
Everything would become reflexive.
Natural.
Like breathing itself.
But Lynn also remembered the consequences of fusion.
The last time—
When Analysis of All Things fused—
He spent six hours collapsed in the basement with blood pouring from his nose due to neurological overload.
This fusion would likely be worse.
Was it worth it?
Yes.
Because a far more important "patient" was approaching.
He still remembered the system prompt received after the Harlem mutant incident.
Asgardian energy fluctuations approaching Earth.
Thor.
If he successfully treated Thor—
What exactly would he obtain?
Asgardian physiology alone represented absurd value.
But treating a being of that level required more than his current capabilities.
He needed stronger instinctive combat control.
Faster reactions.
True zero-error battlefield execution.
Fusion was necessary.
And it needed to happen immediately.
Lynn locked the clinic entrance.
Then flipped the front-door sign.
Closed for One Day
He descended into the basement.
Closed the door.
Sat cross-legged on the mat.
From his pocket—
He removed a fresh rubber bite rod prepared earlier.
The previous one had been destroyed during the last fusion.
Lynn inhaled slowly.
Then spoke softly.
"Begin fusion."
[Consumes 100 Reputation.]
[Current Reputation: 760 → 660.]
[Beginning Fusion: Battlefield Senses (A+ · 75%) + Combat Penetration (A · 70%).]
[Estimated Duration: 4 Hours.]
[Warning: Fusion process will cause severe full-body pain. Host is advised to remain stationary.]
[Fusion Initiated.]
The pain arrived during the second second.
Completely different from last time.
Previously—
The suffering focused inside the brain.
Two incompatible cognitive systems colliding violently against each other.
This time—
The pain spread through the entire nervous system.
Battlefield Senses extended across every inch of his body.
Skin.
Muscles.
Tendons.
Joint receptors.
Combat Penetration existed primarily within motor memory and subconscious movement pathways.
Their fusion required complete neurological reconstruction.
Every nerve fiber felt ripped apart and rewoven manually.
From scalp to fingertips.
Spine to soles.
Lynn bit down on the rubber rod hard enough to deform the surface instantly.
He left the basement lights on.
Closing his eyes would not reduce the pain.
One hour passed.
Two.
By the third hour—
The overlap between both systems expanded toward critical integration.
And for the first time—
Lynn sensed a completely new transformation emerging.
Battlefield Senses no longer functioned only as passive information gathering.
It began linking directly into the combat-response system itself.
The delay between perception and action started disappearing.
Previously:
Senses detect information → Brain analyzes → Brain issues command → Body reacts.
Four stages.
Now:
Senses detect information → Body responds immediately.
Two stages.
The analysis process itself fused into unconscious instinct.
Fourth hour.
The pain vanished.
Not weakened.
Gone entirely.
[Ding! Fusion Successful!]
[New Ability Acquired: Battlefield Domain!]
[Quality: S Rank!]
[Battlefield Domain: Automatically activates during combat. Within a surrounding area centered on the host, enemy movement intentions, attack trajectories, and positional changes are instinctively predicted and countered automatically. The host achieves instinctive battlefield control without conscious analysis.]
Lynn opened his eyes slowly.
Then stood.
His body felt mildly exhausted.
But the Self-Healing Factor already accelerated internal recovery rapidly.
He raised his right hand.
Closed his fist.
Threw a punch.
Retracted.
The smoothness felt fundamentally different from before.
Previously—
Movement required conscious initiation.
Now—
The body responded the instant intent appeared.
The delay between thought and action had nearly disappeared.
More importantly—
He sensed something else.
Control.
A strange awareness over the surrounding space itself.
Like standing inside his own living room with complete familiarity regarding every object's position even with closed eyes.
Except now—
The "living room" was the battlefield itself.
Anyone entering this range—
Any movement.
Any hostile intent.
Any shift in balance or attack rhythm—
Would become instinctively visible before execution.
True battlefield dominance.
Lynn walked upstairs.
Brushed his teeth.
Washed his face.
Changed into another clean white coat.
Put on the gold-rimmed glasses again.
Outside—
Morning had arrived over New York.
The perception layer of Battlefield Domain expanded naturally outward.
Subway vibrations traveling through underground tunnels dozens of blocks away.
Traffic resonance.
Human footsteps.
Electrical frequencies.
Farther still—
Near the upper atmosphere—
Analysis of All Things isolated something abnormal.
An extremely faint energy signature approaching Earth from outer space.
Frequency characteristics unlike any terrestrial energy source.
But perfectly matching the earlier system alert:
Asgardian energy fluctuations.
Thor was coming.
Lynn placed the coffee cup gently onto the reception desk.
Then the system notification appeared again.
[High-Level Alien Energy Detected Approaching Earth's Atmosphere!]
[Estimated Arrival Time: Within 24 Hours.]
[Host is advised to prepare appropriately.]
The corner of Lynn's mouth moved slightly.
He walked toward the clinic entrance and flipped the sign once more.
Open
Then he pushed open the clinic door.
An ordinary day began.
But Lynn already knew—
The coming days would never remain ordinary again.
…
Night in Hell's Kitchen always carried familiar smells.
Cheap beer.
Street grease.
Low-quality hot dogs.
And occasionally—
Blood.
Deep beneath Miracle Clinic—
Lynn had just finished another profitable operation.
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