Through the gap in the curtains, the night in New York was cut into a thin line.
Inside the room, it was so quiet that only two heartbeats and one breath could be heard.
The distance between the two was compressed to the limit; the air was hot and sticky.
Lin Ent could clearly see the undisguised desire and scrutiny in Raven's brilliant yellow beast eyes, like a blue female leopard sizing up her prey.
With the mindset of 'since I'm already here, I might as well go all out'.
With the survival philosophy of 'even if it's ugly, I'll still kill it'.
And even more so, this was a roundabout way to save the country, a tactical compromise made to a screwed-up fate.
Lin Ent did not resist.
Mystique's (Raven's) arm wrapped around his neck like a snake, a half-smile playing on her lips, carrying three parts provocation and seven parts playfulness, as she slightly raised her chin.
The physical distance between them began to change.
Deep -18, smooth 0.
Gentle -6, smooth 0.
Round and round, never tiring.
"Very good..."
Raven let out a satisfied purr, her voice husky and magnetic.
However, at this very moment, Lin Ent's attention was completely captured by the virtual light screen that abruptly unfolded in his mind!
It was a minimalist system panel, glowing with a faint golden light, visible only to him.
On the panel, several lines of cold text slowly appeared, carrying an undeniable authority.
"Dual Cultivation Mode activated..."
"Target locked: Mystique (Raven Darkholme)"
"Strength rating: B-level Mutant (Genetic potential: Excellent)"
"Dual Cultivation connected... Energy conversion program in progress... Gene chain resonance analysis in progress..."
Lin Ent's eye twitched violently.
It's really called Dual Cultivation?! Can this system's naming be a little more serious!
He cursed wildly in his heart, but his body had to deal with the increasingly excited blue big cat.
At the same time, his eyes were fixed on the data in his mind, his heart pounding like a drum.
This thing was his only trump card for survival in this perilous, ghost-ridden Marvel World after he transmigrated!
Time, in an extreme torment and a strange stimulation, was infinitely stretched, distorted, and finally melted away.
Until the thin line of night outside the window was completely illuminated by a touch of White.
The panel in his mind suddenly burst into brilliant light, as if announcing the completion of a grand ceremony.
"Dual Cultivation completed!"
"Settling..."
"Congratulations, Host! In this Dual Cultivation, your overall qualities have received a 0.1x comprehensive improvement!"
"Congratulations, Host! You have received an additional reward: U.S. $10,000!"
"Partner 'Mystique' has received a 0.5x comprehensive improvement! Her Mutant abilities and physical qualities have been permanently enhanced!"
"System prompt: For the same Dual Cultivation target, cooldown time is 24 hours. The improvement effect is related to the target's potential and status."
Almost the next second after the prompt appeared, an indescribable warm current—no, it was lava!
A scorching lava of life exploded from the deepest part of his body, like a breached dam, instantly washing over his limbs, every inch of muscle and bone, every cell!
"Ugh!"
Lin Ent couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, his muscles instantly tensing.
It was a violent baptism of rebirth!
Strength, speed, reaction, five senses... everything was multiplied by 0.1 on his pitiful Mortal foundation!
Although his base was poor and the improvement was small.
Perhaps the current improvement might be insignificant in front of true powerhouses, but the change was so clear it made his scalp tingle!
And what made his heart surge even more was the $10,000 reward!
Ten thousand U.S. dollars!
For the former rich second-generation Lin Ent, this wasn't enough for a bottle of wine.
But for the current penniless, friendless illegal immigrant in New York, this was the startup capital for a new life, the dignity to survive!
This golden finger... although its name was ridiculously cheesy, its function was too damn practical!
Just as Lin Ent was immersed in the immense joy of his surging strength and unexpected fortune, Raven, who was on top of him, suddenly stiffened.
Her body, in an instant, tensed like steel.
Immediately after, she abruptly sat up, her movements so swift that they created a gust of wind that tore through the air.
"This... what is this..."
Raven looked down in disbelief, spreading her hands.
In her brilliant yellow beast eyes, there was first extreme shock, then it was drowned by a flood of ecstasy!
A power so immense it made her soul tremble was wildly growing and surging from every cell in her body!
Her body, her abilities, she knew them best.
But now, the strength, speed, and self-healing factors contained within this body had all violently doubled!
This was not an illusion!
With a thought, the blue skin and scales on her body instantly flowed like liquid metal.
The precise mimicry that used to take a second to complete now happened almost instantly!
She even felt she could perfectly replicate the cold touch of metal, the fibrous texture of fabric!
How was this possible?!
Could this change be another mutation?
Or... the only variable... Raven suddenly turned her head, her eyes, which had just held lingering ecstasy, instantly replaced by a cold vigilance and fervent scrutiny.
Her gaze was like two surgical knives, locked onto Lin Ent, as if to dissect him completely from soul to body!
"You!"
She grabbed Lin Ent's arm, her fingers tightening like iron clamps.
Lin Ent, who had just been slightly strengthened, felt a sharp pain as if his bones were about to be crushed!
"You..."
Raven's voice was suppressed with a violent tremor, mixed with three parts uncontrollable excitement, three parts bone-deep vigilance, and four parts almost fanatical inquiry.
"...What exactly did you do to me?"
Facing Mystique's almost man-eating gaze, Lin Ent grimaced in pain, but his mind was frantically calculating.
Tell the truth?
Tell her he had a "Yin-Yang Joyful Buddha Body," and that just by sleeping with him, she could become stronger, and he could also gain some benefits?
What a joke!
He had no doubt that once he told the truth, his fate would definitely not be to be treated as a partner, but to be completely imprisoned by Raven, used as an exclusive "enhancement tool" and "mobile blood bag" that she could summon and dismiss at will.
He would completely lose all freedom and dignity, becoming a canary in a cage—no, a "human power bank."
In this Marvel World where human lives were as cheap as grass, entrusting his life and fortune entirely to a shrewd, suspicious woman with no emotional connection to him was the height of foolishness.
He must lie! And he must tell a perfect lie!
"I... I don't know!"
Lin Ent forced out a perfectly timed expression of pain, bewilderment, and innocence.
"I woke up here, and I don't know anything! Maybe it's... maybe I awakened some Mutant ability?"
He cleverly pushed everything onto "Mutant ability awakening."