"Sheldon, trust me—now's not the time to invest in precious metals."
"Dawson, my son's full-month banquet is the day after tomorrow. You have to come."
"Miss Cartier, you're still as stunning as you were at twenty."
The hall quickly returned to its lively state, as if Dracula had never appeared. Everyone resumed their small talk and socializing, exactly like before.
There was no sign they remembered being hypnotized by Dracula just moments ago.
Even stranger, the scorch marks from Alex's heat vision and the gashes left by Dracula's lightning were still clearly visible, yet no one seemed to notice them.
No questions. No suspicion.
It seemed Dracula's hypnosis wasn't just simple mind control—it must've altered their memories or perception to some degree.
Or maybe... everyone here, though "awake," was still under hypnosis.
No wonder he was Dracula.
And as for surveillance?
Well, the world's first electronic surveillance system was only invented in 1957—barely five years ago.
The first security camera capable of recording video? That wouldn't be invented for another six years.
In other words, there weren't really any cameras around yet. As long as Dracula handled the "people" part of the problem, the rest was basically taken care of.
Since no one remembered what had happened, Alex had nothing to worry about. Without delay, he dived into his system interface.
After all, he'd just earned nearly 300 Origin Points.
[Strength: 95.2 tons]
[Constitution: 274 (Avg. adult male: 10)]
[Mental Strength: 232 (Avg. adult male: 10)]
[Current Template: Homelander (Unlocked: 12%)]
[Abilities: X-ray Vision (Basic), Super Hearing (Basic), Heat Vision (Basic), Flight (Locked)]
He'd just earned 300 points, and with the extra 50 points he'd never been able to spend before, he now had a total of 350.
Which meant... he could unlock another 3% of his template!
> [Detected: Host has surplus Origin Points. Would you like to use them for enhancement now?]
The system prompt chimed in his mind again.
> [Congratulations! Homelander Template unlocked to 15%!]
The notification was music to Alex's ears.
And right after, his stats were updated:
[Strength: 127.2 tons]
[Mental Strength: 271]
[Template: Homelander (Unlocked: 15%)]
[Abilities: X-ray Vision (Basic), Super Hearing (Basic), Heat Vision (Basic), Flight (Locked)]
Alex reviewed the new numbers. His speed had reached nearly half the speed of sound, and his strength had surged past 120 tons. Constitution and mental strength had also jumped significantly.
Even if the numbers didn't look mind-blowing at first glance, the difference in how he felt was undeniable. He was much, much stronger now.
He was more than satisfied with the outcome.
Who would've thought a simple trip to accompany Howard Stark to a trade fair would turn into such a jackpot?
Not only had he earned a big haul of Origin Points—he'd also scored a group of vampire underlings for free.
Alex was in an excellent mood.
As for the vampire faction Dracula had mentioned… after giving it some thought, Alex leaned toward taking them under his wing.
After all, having some forces at his disposal was never a bad thing.
Just as he was deep in thought, Howard Stark's voice brought him back to reality. The playboy had finally remembered he wasn't alone.
"Mr. Stark, how'd it go with the ladies? Land any numbers?" Alex teased with a smirk.
"You're getting it wrong," Howard said, eyes gleaming with pride. "They came to me, not the other way around."
He chuckled smugly. "Not to brag, but I've always had a way with women."
And to be fair, Alex couldn't argue with that.
Howard Stark had the looks, the charm, and the pedigree. Of course women were into him. A guy like that was a hot commodity anywhere.
"Anyway, Alex. General Ross is here. Let's go meet him in the parking lot."
Howard didn't keep the banter going, instead gesturing for Alex to follow.
"Ross is here already? Did he bring his kid?" Alex asked, curious.
"Why would he bring a child to a place ?" Howard looked at him, raising a brow. "You seem unusually interested in Ross's son, Alex."
Alex felt a little disappointed. He'd been hoping to catch a glimpse of baby Hulk's daddy in his childhood years.
"No reason. Just asking," Alex replied casually, waving it off. "Let's go, Mr. Stark."
Howard didn't press the matter. There were more important things to focus on.
He nodded, and the two of them made their way to the parking lot.
Soon, they found the vehicle in question—a sleek, low-profile military jeep with a commanding presence.
"That's the one," Howard pointed. "We picked up a radiation signal from this car—same as UB6's energy signature."
"Your turn, Alex. Use your ability to confirm."
Alex nodded and walked over to the green jeep. As he approached, a familiar system prompt appeared before his eyes.
> [Special energy source detected.]
[Energy Signature: 56 Origin Points. Status: Unextractable.]
At the same time, his scanning vision activated, highlighting the vehicle with a marker.
"Well?" Howard asked impatiently, seeing Alex finish his scan.
"No doubt about it," Alex confirmed with confidence.
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