Weakened Version
Seeing Wolverine's bewildered expression, Max smiled and lightly patted Mariko before teasingly saying, "If you intend to stick around until everything is sorted out, you might want to handle the aftermath first. I'd like to borrow this lab for a little experiment."
"Of course," Mariko agreed, then calmly left.
"Who are you, really?" Wolverine couldn't help but ask.
Clearly, he had gone to great lengths to try and rescue Mariko, yet he couldn't help feeling that he got fucked in the end.
"My name is Max, a mercenary," Max replied with a smile to Wolverine. "If you ever need my services in the future, whether it's for security, assassination, or rescue, just reach out to me anytime. By the way, it might be a good idea to collect those severed steel claws and... if you happen to run into Magneto or Professor X, tell them you can find me anytime for business."
Observing Wolverine, who still seemed a bit perplexed, Max smiled and turned, heading toward the Viper's original laboratory.
Having absorbed abilities from Ichiro, Max was eager to understand the results. Ichiro had regained youth, but the transformation wasn't too drastic.
Was it ineffective, or was there another reason?
Upon reaching the laboratory, Max shut the door and gestured toward the air.
In an instant, a door materialized in mid-air.
The door swung open, and the Viper emerged, wearing a complex expression.
"So, what's on your mind?" Max inquired casually.
"Why did you let Wolverine go?" The Viper didn't respond directly but posed a question of her own.
Max regarded the Viper and smiled as he replied, "Two reasons. First, when I absorbed Ichiro, I felt a brief saturation of my body. Although it vanished afterward, I can't be certain what would happen if I continued to absorb Wolverine's Ability. The human body has its limits, and I don't intend to be a guinea pig, especially when there are better opportunities in the future. Second, a Mutant war is on the horizon. Magneto and Professor X are searching for Wolverine. If I were to kill him, there's no guarantee they wouldn't come after me. As a mercenary, I prefer to avoid unnecessary trouble."
"Although I initially desired Wolverine's Self-healing Ability, it proved too difficult, and the timing wasn't right. I had already given up on that idea, but now I can absorb a portion of it through Ichiro."
"Didn't Magneto and Professor X disappear?" the Viper inquired in surprise.
"Apparently not," Max replied.
The Viper took a deep breath and moved to the instrument beside him. He began, "I've been studying Self-healing Ability for a long time, but I'm not entirely certain. Ichiro's recent transformation indicates that we're on the right track. The reason you haven't undergone a similar change might be due to your body being at its peak age. That's why you haven't become younger. A detailed examination is needed to confirm."
Max offered a faint smile and approached. The Viper had clearly expressed his willingness to help.
After thorough inspection, the Viper reached a conclusion.
"It's peculiar. The Self-healing factor you absorbed seems to be lurking in your body under some pressure, and its activity is relatively low. This might be related to your original genetic makeup, considering you're also a Mutant. Every Mutant gene is unique, and these two genes may be conflicting. The upside is that you don't need to worry about any immediate side effects, and your lifespan will significantly increase. Originally, your body was likely at its prime, but continuous injuries may have reduced your expected lifespan to less than sixty years. Now, congratulations, you could live for at least one or two hundred years!"
"Not bad," Max commented with a smile. "What's the downside?"
"The downside is that your Self-healing effect is quite poor in comparison to what we aimed for. When compared to Wolverine's healing, your Self-healing Ability is only slightly better than that of an ordinary person. If a regular wound takes a week to heal, you might need two to three days."
"That doesn't sound too bad," Max responded with a grin.
Extended lifespan and a milder version of Self-healing Ability. No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like a win-win situation.
"However, when compared to our initial goals, this isn't a complete success. Even if there's a chance, you won't be able to acquire Wolverine's Ability in the short term through this method. You need to allow your body to digest these Self-healing factors and integrate them into your genes. Only then can you accept stronger and more potent Self-healing factors."
"I must say you're remarkably composed and fortunate. If you continued to absorb Wolverine's Ability and completely drained him, your body would have collapsed due to the intense genetic changes... and..." Viper didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was clear.
If Max had continued to absorb Wolverine's Ability at that time, he would have perished!
"So, you see, what I said was correct. Ichiro was destined to die, even if he had succeeded, he would have perished due to his inability to withstand it," Max remarked with a smile.
Viper nodded with a touch of sadness. His research had seemed promising, but now it appeared to be far from achieving the desired results.
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