- In Marvel: I Start by Marrying Scarlett Witch [Complete]
- MWM Chapter 267
In a room on an abandoned farm outside New York City, Leo and Skye suddenly appeared.
“Don’t be nervous, just follow my instructions. Once you’re on the other side, I’ll be there shortly,” Leo said with a smile, noticing Skye’s anxiety.
Skye took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m ready. Let’s begin.”
“Alright.” Leo opened the briefcase delivered by S.H.I.E.L.D., revealing the silver, irregularly shaped Obelisk, engraved with Kree script—the object that contained the Terrigen Crystal.
As soon as his hand touched the Obelisk, the Kree technology within identified that Leo didn’t possess Kree genes and initiated an attack, attempting to petrify him with the energy from the Terrigen Crystal.
Much like certain magical artifacts in the world of Xianxia that have protective mechanisms to prevent anyone but their rightful owner from handling them, the Kree’s advanced technology worked similarly. The metal casing around the Terrigen Crystal could detect Kree genes, and if someone without them touched it, they’d be attacked.
Inhumans, possessing Kree genes, were immune to this effect.
Technology, magic, and cultivation may seem different, but at their core, they all revolve around manipulating different forms of energy. Their ultimate goals are quite similar.
Magical abilities like Apparition, Daoist teleportation spells, and the Flying Thunder God Technique from ninjutsu—all of which involve manipulating space—may seem fantastical, but technology has wormholes and quantum entanglement that achieve similar results.
Never underestimate the power of technology. The Kree Empire dominates part of the galaxy, subjugating the Skrulls and other civilizations with ease. Their strength is undeniable.
However, the energy attack from the Obelisk was far too weak to pose a threat to someone like Leo. Without even activating Sage Mode, he merely circulated his true energy into his hand to nullify the petrification effect.
With a soft *crack*, Leo crushed the Obelisk’s outer shell, revealing the gleaming Terrigen Crystal within.
What actually triggered an Inhuman’s transformation wasn’t the Obelisk’s outer casing but the crystal inside. When the crystal comes into contact with water at the right temperature, it produces a unique vapor known as Terrigen Mist.
For those with Inhuman genes, exposure to this mist activates their genetic potential, granting them extraordinary abilities. However, not all transformations are beneficial. If the process were entirely stable and advantageous, the Kree wouldn’t have abandoned the Inhumans.
Only a small percentage of Inhumans gain powers without altering their physical appearance. The majority experience physical mutations—either partial or complete—becoming monstrous in the eyes of normal humans. Some even lose their sanity, reduced to beings driven by primal instincts.
This is why in *Afterlife*, the Inhumans’ secret base, members with Inhuman genes undergo careful screening and observation before being allowed to awaken.
Leo, however, knew exactly what Skye’s ability was and that she wouldn’t experience any negative mutations, so there was nothing to worry about.
He placed the crystal into a bowl of warm water, watching as the Terrigen Mist rose from the water. Once the mist filled the room, Leo cast a Disillusionment Charm to hide himself and stepped aside.
In the mist, Skye’s body quickly began to petrify. When the mist dissipated, she had turned into a black stone statue.
Leo knew that unlike ordinary humans, who would die upon contact with the Terrigen Crystal, Skye was only petrified on the surface. Inside, her Inhuman genes were activating, granting her powers.
About half an hour passed before cracks began to form in the stone encasing Skye. With a loud shattering sound, the stone fell away, revealing her transformation.
At the same time, back at the Inhumans’ base *Afterlife*, Gordon, the eyeless teleporter, suddenly stiffened.
“A new Inhuman has awakened!” he announced.
In a flash, he appeared at the door of the leader, Jiaying, whose face was scarred from past injuries.
After entering and explaining what he had sensed, Jiaying contemplated for a moment before instructing, “Go check it out, but be cautious. This could be a trap—Whitehall has been searching for us.”
Under normal circumstances, Jiaying wouldn’t be so cautious. Gordon had complete control over his abilities, making him nearly impossible for ordinary people to handle.
However, with her plan set to launch in just a week, Gordon was a crucial part of it, and any risk to him would be a major problem. Yet, she couldn’t afford to lose a newly awakened Inhuman either—their abilities might be vital to her plan.
Initially, she had intended to wait a few more years, allowing more Inhumans to awaken and giving her a better chance of success. After all, she had infinite time, so waiting wasn’t an issue.
But the alien invasion last year, and the emergence of superheroes allied with S.H.I.E.L.D., had put immense pressure on her. She feared that if she delayed any longer, S.H.I.E.L.D. would recruit more superheroes to stop her, making her chances of success even slimmer.
So she had decided to take a gamble and launch her plan early, abandoning the careful, slow method of selecting powerful Inhumans.
Instead, she would use Gordon’s teleportation ability to launch a surprise attack on the capitals of every major nation, unleashing all the Terrigen Crystals to create a widespread mist.
This mist would kill any humans without Inhuman genes, while simultaneously forcing the awakening of as many Inhumans as possible. These newly awakened Inhumans would become her army to wage war on humanity.
The destruction of the world’s capitals would throw every country into chaos, buying her the time she needed.
Jiaying wasn’t worried about whether the new Inhumans would join her. She knew that humanity’s nature of rejecting the different would naturally push the Inhumans into her camp.
By then, she would lead an army of superpowered beings. How could they possibly lose to humanity, with all their infighting?
She called this plan “The Human Extinction Project.”
“Don’t worry, their technology is still too immature to pose a threat to me,” Gordon reassured her before teleporting to the location he had sensed.
With his teleportation ability, he could instantly travel anywhere on Earth, which was why *Afterlife* had remained hidden and prosperous for so long.
…