Chapter 142: The Origin of the Mutation

"Simply put, under the influence of cosmic rays, their life essence underwent a transformation. Due to certain circumstances, however, only Mr. Grimm successfully completed this conversion, becoming a humanoid elemental lifeform."

"Mr. Richards, Ms. Stone, and the other Mr. Stone—who is not present—experienced an incomplete conversion, which is why they are able to maintain their normal human forms."

"From a normal person's perspective, it is natural to think that the three of them are luckier. But if you look at it from the perspective of the hierarchy of life, it is actually Mr. Grimm who is the fortunate one."

Gu Zhongyan was not speaking nonsense. As one of the most famous superhero teams in the Marvel Universe, it is no exaggeration to say that the Fantastic Four are the favorites of the Marvel Universe.

What they encountered in space was not just some ordinary solar flare, but a highly unique form of energy: primordial cosmic energy.

Primordial cosmic energy is the most fundamental power from the moment the universe was born; to use a martial arts analogy, it is like the innate vitality a baby possesses at birth. With this energy, the future holds infinite possibilities.

For instance, the renowned Elders of the Universe in the Marvel Universe each possess eternal life and strength reaching the level of a Skyfather precisely because they absorbed this primordial energy at the dawn of creation.

However, as the universe has continued to grow and expand, this primordial energy has become incredibly scarce. The amount the Fantastic Four absorbed was almost the very last of it in existence.

Had an ordinary person absorbed this much, they likely would have experienced a leap in their life essence and immediately become a Skyfather-level powerhouse. But because there were four members of the Fantastic Four, plus Doctor Doom who was present at the time, this energy was divided among five people. Consequently, while they each developed superpowers, they did not complete the full transition of their life essence.

In the film, the Thing was closest to the source of the energy, thus absorbing the most, which is why his transformation was the most pronounced. Doctor Doom, protected by a barrier, absorbed the least and has yet to show any changes.

In general, if one considers the total amount of this primordial energy as a whole, the Thing claimed thirty percent, the other three members of the Fantastic Four claimed twenty percent each, and Doctor Doom received only ten percent.

From the standpoint of energy quantity, the Thing certainly got the better end of the deal. However, because the amount was still insufficient for a full transition, he ended up in a state of limbo—having mutated, but not fully—which, in some ways, left him worse off than the others.

Hearing this, the three were quite surprised. They had assumed the Thing had suffered the most damage, but now it appeared he had actually received the greatest benefit.

Gu Zhongyan chuckled when he saw their reaction. "Don't be so surprised. Evolution isn't always a good thing. Think of it like eating: being full is naturally best, but if you overeat to the point where your stomach might burst, that's not good at all."

"Mr. Grimm is currently in that state. Therefore, there are only two ways to return him to his original appearance."

"First, since he has absorbed too much energy, we can extract a portion of it. Once it can no longer support the further transformation of his body, he will revert to his original form, becoming like Mr. Richards and Ms. Stone, able to transform into the Thing at will."

"Second, we could give him even more power to drive his life essence through a further transformation to an unimaginable level. At that point, he would also gain the ability to shift back into a normal human at will."

"However, the first method offers some room to maneuver, while the second is problematic—I doubt we could find that much special energy. Even if we could, evolution carries risks, and there is no guarantee Mr. Grimm would survive the process safely."

"That is why I propose extracting the excess power from Mr. Grimm's body to bring him to the same level as the rest of you. This would allow him to live a normal life without losing his superpowers."

"After all, the reputation of the Fantastic Four is quite good, don't you think?" Gu Zhongyan said with a smile.

The three exchanged glances, and it was the Invisible Woman who spoke first. "This is a serious matter. We need to discuss it. Could you wait a moment, Mr. Gu?"

"Of course, no problem at all," Gu Zhongyan replied with a wave of his hand. "Please, don't mind me. The Baxter Building is a famous landmark in New York; why don't you three talk while I wander around? We can chat again once you've reached a decision."

"My apologies for the neglect," the Invisible Woman said with an apologetic smile.

"Not at all," Gu Zhongyan replied, offering a smile in return. He left them to their discussion and strolled off.

They did not keep him waiting long. About half an hour later, the Invisible Woman invited him back.

When he returned to the room, besides the original three, the blond, blue-eyed Human Torch had also arrived. His bright eyes scanned Gu Zhongyan like searchlights.

Giving a simple nod of acknowledgment, Gu Zhongyan asked, "Have you reached a decision?"

The Invisible Woman smiled and said, "Let's put that aside for a moment. May we ask what method you intend to use to extract the excess energy from his body?"

Gu Zhongyan laughed. "I am a wizard, so naturally, I will use magic. I'm afraid I cannot explain the principles behind it, so I hope you will forgive me."

The four of them were not surprised. The Invisible Woman nodded in understanding, her face still wearing a sweet, polite smile that made one feel naturally inclined toward her.

"I remember you mentioned that you wanted Reed's help in manufacturing some magic-related items. If he can create them, he might gain some understanding of magic."

"How about this? Let's put the matter of returning Ben to normal aside for now. Let Reed first try to build the items you need, so we can learn a little more about magic ourselves."

"Once you've received your payment and we’ve learned more, we will feel much more at ease. What do you think, Mr. Gu?"

Knowing they still had reservations, Gu Zhongyan quickly replied, "That sounds wonderful. I am more than happy to be paid before doing the work. I leave it to you, then."

"It's only right," the Invisible Woman smiled. "May I ask exactly what kind of device you would like Reed to build? Do you have any reference materials?"

"Of course I do," Gu Zhongyan said.

With a casual gesture, a wand and a magic book appeared out of thin air in front of the four of them.

Although they knew Gu Zhongyan practiced magic, this sight still made their eyes light up. The most excitable of the group, the Human Torch, even exclaimed, "Cool!"

"I need Mr. Richards to build two detectors based on these two items."