Chapter 151: Did I Turn Into a Kryptonian?

"Are the testing facilities fully equipped?"

Orion Cross glanced at the building in the distance and asked.

"I’ve looked them over. I have to admit, these testing instruments are more advanced than the ones I have."

Zhao Hailun bit her lower lip and sighed. "His equipment seems to have been specifically designed for superhumans like you. Having money and technology really does make things convenient."

Although she was not poor and possessed exclusive technology of her own, she genuinely could not compare with Tony Stark.

"I’m guessing they weren’t prepared for me. They were probably made for that other big green guy."

Orion Cross withdrew his gaze and spoke.

When he had called Tony yesterday, he had mentioned that Hulk might become one of his future teammates.

Although Tony’s tone had expressed surprise and teasing, Orion Cross knew that he was not opposed to the idea.

In fact, if things followed the plot of The Incredible Hulk, Tony Stark was the first person to approach Hulk and try to recruit him into a superhero team.

"You mean the other monster from that battle outside Queens?"

Zhao Hailun recalled the footage of the battle and looked at Orion Cross curiously.

"Where did you throw that big guy?"

"The Arctic."

Orion Cross could tell what Zhao Hailun was thinking.

"I’d advise you not to think about studying him unless you want to end up with crushing fractures all over your body and get squeezed into a ball."

"Besides, when he’s rational, his intelligence is no lower than yours or Stark’s. If there were something to discover, he would have figured it out himself already."

"Who is he normally?"

Zhao Hailun asked curiously.

"Bruce Banner. You should have heard of him."

"Bruce Banner?! That physicist with seven PhDs?"

Zhao Hailun’s eyes widened, and she exclaimed in shock. "Oh my God! There were rumors that his disappearance was because he had been kidnapped like Tony Stark, or that the authorities had taken him away to develop some secret weapon. So he actually turned into a giant green monster?"

"Don’t get so excited. They’re just seven PhDs."

Orion Cross held down Zhao Hailun’s restless hands and looked at her.

Whenever someone mentioned Banner’s academic qualifications, the first thing that came to Orion Cross’s mind was the events of Thor: Ragnarok.

Thor: "You’re a scientist. Use your PhD."

Banner: "I have seven PhDs, but none of them taught me how to fly an alien spaceship."

"That’s seven PhDs!"

Zhao Hailun was a doctor herself, which was precisely why she understood how difficult it was to earn even one.

"So? Can collecting seven of them summon a dragon? And if we’re really talking about it, I could have seven too."

Orion Cross shrugged.

"Hmm?"

Zhao Hailun froze for a moment before coming back to her senses.

"You have seven PhDs too? In what fields?"

"Power, time, space, reality, soul, mind..."

Orion Cross paused slightly before adding, "And women."

"What?!"

This time, Zhao Hailun was the one left completely stunned.

Originally, after mentioning the six Infinity Stones, Orion Cross had intended to add, "And you."

But then he remembered Raven’s warning not to be too proactive.

"And you" sounded a little too flirtatious.

Besides, Skye was standing right beside them. Saying something like that in front of her would practically be a public betrayal.

Skye’s inner monologue would probably have been: "I was clearly here first! Why? Why did things turn out like this?!"

"All right, let’s go."

Orion Cross patted Zhao Hailun on the shoulder, then turned toward Skye.

"Today’s schedule is to go to the beach first."

Since there were testing facilities here, it made sense to complete Skye’s Ascension Ceremony first and then test her strength afterward.

When they arrived at the beach, Skye suddenly became somewhat flustered. She stood there awkwardly, unsure of what she was supposed to do.

Just as Skye waited expectantly for Orion Cross to begin, she glanced to the side and immediately widened her eyes.

"Wh-What are you doing?"

Skye pointed at Zhao Hailun, who was unbuttoning her white lab coat.

"Don’t you need to change into a swimsuit when you come to the beach?"

Zhao Hailun asked in confusion as she undid the buttons of her lab coat. She shook her body slightly, causing the coat to slip from her shoulders and reveal the bikini underneath.

"You can dress like that. It’ll save you the trouble of changing again when your clothes get wet."

Orion Cross glanced at Zhao Hailun before turning his attention back to Skye.

"Once you’re mentally prepared, stand at the shoreline. I’ll start immediately."

"Start? Start what? Wait! You mean..."

Only after hearing Orion Cross did Zhao Hailun realize that he had not brought them to the beach to relax first. He intended to immediately perform the biological ascension ceremony on that woman.

Seeing Skye nervously walk to the shoreline and nod at Orion Cross, Zhao Hailun hurriedly picked up her white lab coat from the ground, draped it over herself, took out a camera, and began recording.

"Let’s start with this."

Orion Cross condensed a metallic-looking sphere in his hand and tossed it into the sky.

The Star of Apocalypse!

The spherical form of the Winged Dragon of Ra was summoned, radiating light in all directions. Under its illumination, the strength of allied units would receive a tremendous, all-around enhancement.

What was even more frightening was that this enhancement was not percentage-based. It provided a fixed increase.

In other words, the stronger the person, the less effective the Star of Apocalypse would be. But for an ordinary person, it could instantly transform a powerless, overweight shut-in into someone like Choji Akimichi.

"This feels different."

Skye looked at the radiant Star of Apocalypse in the sky, feeling as though her entire body had been reborn in an instant.

Yet the sensation was somewhat intangible. It did not feel like her own power.

"This is the Star of Apocalypse. It can temporarily enhance your physical abilities and strength. For now, try not to move around too much, otherwise you might..."

Orion Cross was explaining to the puzzled Skye when he suddenly saw a figure tumble into the sea beside her.

Was that Zhao Hailun?

Splash!

Boom!

Orion Cross was just about to go into the water and retrieve Zhao Hailun when she suddenly launched herself out of the sea and landed back on the shore, smashing a crater into the sand.

"Oh my God! Did I turn into a Kryptonian too?"

Zhao Hailun stared at the Star of Apocalypse floating in the sky like a miniature sun. She looked at her own hands in shock and waved them twice, producing sharp sounds as they cut through the air.

Being exposed to sunlight and suddenly becoming superhuman... Wasn’t that basically the Kryptonian setup from the comics?

"Stop moving around and disturbing Skye!"

Orion Cross frowned slightly and warned Zhao Hailun.

"Oh."

Zhao Hailun pouted. She glanced at the camera she had accidentally crushed in the distance, then carefully sat down where she was and obediently remained completely still.