Kane: Awakening in the Marvel Universe with Supreme System

Chapter 2: First Blood



The sterile silence of the hospital room was shattered twelve hours later by the doctor's stunned speech. "This is impossible... cellular regeneration is off the charts... His vitals are already stable and recovering." He stared at Alex, who sat upright on the edge of the bed, testing his weight on the legs that protested with deep aches but held firm. The throbbing in his head had become a dull background hum, and the pain in the ribs is now a manageable, persistent soreness.

[Host's natural recovery is accelerated to 500% by the system using minimal Energy. Full restoration is possible, but wasteful of the current status of scarce energy level. Your body is... marginally adequate. You should be glad, Host.]

Alex ignored it, focusing on the feel of the cool floor beneath his bare feet. Glad? For being shoved into a corpse and a warzone? He felt like a puppet with freshly restrung limbs.

The door burst open before he could dwell on anything else. A man with two operatives flanking him came bursting into the room. From the memories, he knew this was his uncle, Richard Kane. The man who'd taught him to shoot at the age of thirteen, covered for his teenage rebellions at sixteen, and stood beside Marcus at every company milestone. The memories carried warmth, trust, and a fierce, protective loyalty that now radiated from Richard's exhausted face.

"Alex." Richard's voice cracked, the single word thick with two days of fear and grief held back by sheer will. His hand landed gently on Alex's shoulder, still trembling. "For a moment, we thought we'd lost you." He carefully inspected Alex and let out a sigh of relief. "I really want to let you rest and recover fully. But, unfortunately, we have to move now. We have gotten intelligence that enemies will make a move on you again. The safehouse has been prepared." He turned around and ordered an operative. "Help him."

The man moved efficiently, dressing Alex in loose tactical gear, steadying his steps. Alex groaned because of the pain. But didn't stop them. 

"Is it really Stane? Is he the one targeting us?" He asked while forcing himself to move, bearing the pain.

Richard was surprised. "Yes... I'm not sure how much your father has told you. But we'll discuss everything after we reach the safehouse."

The convoy was a rolling fortress. Two armored SUVs in front and one on the back, and a Panel van in between. Alex rode in the second SUV in the front with Richard and Henderson, the bodyguard who helped him, driving. Reyes, the other operative who came with Richard, monitored comms from the van. The air crackled with tension. 

City streets faded into winding, wooded roads as they climbed into upstate. The safehouse was approaching. Suddenly, Richard tensed, eyes locking onto the secure tablet. He immediately spoke into comms. "Slow down the convoy. Reyes, run a full passive sweep. Now!"

"Sir, thermals seem distorted." Reyes' voice crackled over comms. " Heavy interference up ahead. Definitely artificial- it's not normal."

"Abort!" Richard snapped."Turn around! Now!!"

Henderson slammed the brakes, wrenched the wheel. Tires shrieked. But it was too late.

The chaos began. An RPG screamed from the trees, missing the SUV narrowly but slamming into the dirt beside the van, overturning it. The other SUVs immediately slid to stop, tires skidded into a defensive position, forming a protective barrier around the van.

"Take cover!" Robert shouted, throwing the door open and dropping behind it for cover. Bullets began raining down, as they rattled against the armoured frame. The Kane International operatives were not staying low either, returning fire immediately. Alex also grabbed an AR-15 and took cover, bearing the pain flaring from the previous injury.

[Immediate Threat Detected. Host Survival Probability: 27%. Mandatory quest protocol activated.]

The system, silent till now, spoke. A translucent crimson-golden screen materialized in front of him.

[Host will receive the tutorial package ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, with the current energy reserve, you can only choose one option out of three. Host, make your selection.]

Three icons shimmered:

1. PX-21 "Hellspike": Sleek, menacing, High-yield plasma discharge rifle.

2. Low-grade Healing Serum: A small vial containing murky green liquid. Upon consumption, accelerates rapid tissue regeneration. Fully restores an organism such as humans within a minute and enables limited regrowth of lost flesh.

3. Passive Ability-Spider Sense: Baseline sensory augmentation. Immediate danger awareness. Live trajectory prediction. Passively enhances reflexes and perception.

His assassin mind cut through without panicking and began analysing. Plasma Rifle? He stared at the futuristic gun icon with amazement. Its raw power tempted him. But this kind of tech would draw every organisation like S.H.I.E.L.D. straight to him.

He looked at the second icon: the green vial. His body was still in pain, and this would be able to heal him immediately. But even if he's healed, it won't help with the current situation.

His eyes fell on the third option: Passive Ability-Spider Sense. Alex knew it was the perfect choice. Combined with his assassin's instinct, it offered the edge he needed.

He tapped on Spider Sense without hesitation.

"Spider sense." He whispered.

[Selection Complete. Integration Commencing...]

[Issuing Initial Mission: First Blood.

Primary Objective: Survive the Ambush.

Secondary Objectives: 1) Eliminate 10 Assailants. 2)Eliminate 20 Assailants. 3)Capture/Eliminate Enemy Leader]

Icy clarity flooded his mind, followed by hyper-alert calm. The world looked the same, but it reconfigured itself as a web of threats. Gunfire wasn't noise anymore, but a network of trajectories traced through the air. Rustling leaves turned into whispered sign of malice approaching.

Tingle! Sharp, electric. Left, ten meters out. Alex didn't hesitate. He shouldered the AR-15 in his hand and fired three bursts. The two enemy flanking them dropped simultaneously. He began taking notes of the enemy position and advanced. 

Richard's eyes widened as Alex became death incarnate, moving with unnatural precision between cover points. His rifle sparked with the guidance of spider sense and his experience as an assassin. Richard immediately moved to assist him as he ordered others to cover fire.

As Alex was advancing, he felt a sudden prick of danger. Sharp, immediate, from behind and low.

He turned around in time to see a wounded mercenary's trembling pistol rise. Alex yanked his gun and squeezed the trigger. Click! He was greeted by the hollow sound of an empty chamber.

'damn, I miscalculated.' Alex immediately went for his pistol at his hip..

Richard's eyes widened as he saw the situation. Without a second thought, he hurled himself into the line of fire with pistol raised.

Two shots rang out at once. Richard's round punched through the gunman's eye socket while the mercenary's bullet went through his abdomen.

Alex froze for a second, immediately going to assist Richard by dragging him to cover. His eyes went to the wound, and he knew if it didn't get immediately treated, it could be fatal. For the first time in his two lives, he was scared of someone else's death.

In his previous life, he was a ghost, a weapon - expendable. The concept of sacrifice never existed in his life. The system's arrogance, its view of him as a tool, suddenly felt trivial against the visceral reality of Richard's sacrifice. It awakened emotions Alex never knew existed.

'System!' Alex screamed internally. The spider sense still hummed, but it felt insignificant against the life bleeding out under his hands. 'You are all powerful, right? He's dying! Can you help him? Anything!' 

A brief second of silence. Then the crimson-golden screen flickered with the system's voice.

[Secondary Mission Objective 1: Eliminate 10 assailants, complete.]

[...Assessment override. Current Conditions Meet Threshold for Emergency Exception. Host is temporarily permitted to claim the reward prematurely. Claim 'Low-Grade Healing Serum?]

For a second, Alex felt an illusion of hesitation.

Maybe the System wasn't entirely indifferent.

Or maybe... it was learning.

"Confirm. Now."

A small vial of green liquid appeared into existence in front of him. He didn't question it. Didn't hesitate. He grabbed the vial and carefully poured its contents into Richard's mouth, tilting his head back to help him swallow despite his unconscious state.

The effect was almost instantaneous. Richard's body gave a slight jolt, a choked gasp tearing from his throat. The wounds, even the marks on his face from earlier, began healing. All his exhaustion that had been etched into his face melted away, leaving his features calm, clear, and almost peaceful.

Alex looked around. The ambushers were already falling back. Even without the command of Richard, they were efficiently taking down enemies. Henderson was still covering them, occasionally stealing glances. Alex could tell he had questions, but Henderson is loyal to Richard. Alex can only hope he hasn't seen the bottle materializing out of thin air.

Richard's eyes were opened suddenly. He looked at the bullet wound, or where it's supposed to be, only to find himself completely healed. He looked at Henderson. Henderson lightly shook his head and slightly looked at Alex, then turned his head away. Richard looked at Alex for answers.

"Let's discuss this later, uncle. For now, we have work to do." Alex said, cutting off the moment with quiet resolve.

He rose to his feet, reloaded his rifle, eyes scanned the retreating mercenaries. Richard gave a fair nod, pushing himself up. "Lead the way, Alex."

Alex narrowed his eyes.

His eyes burned with vengeance.

A faint smirk tugged at his lips.

"My turn."


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