Marvel: The Gene Collector

After drinking the potion Alex had given him, Ben felt his body transform dramatically, becoming thicker and bigger.

"Are you kidding me?" Ben roared, his voice deep and troubled.

"Not at all Ben, you can now switch between being a human and a stone man at will," Alex said, shaking his head and explaining.

Ben, much like Hank before him, found that after drinking the potion, he had gained enhanced strength and could revert to his original human appearance whenever he desired. As he focused on wanting to be human, his stone-like skin shrank back, revealing his human form.

"I can change back!" Ben exclaimed, astonished, as he touched his body with a mix of joy and disbelief.

"Thank you," Ben said to Alex. Though he had promised to join Paradise , without Alex's help, he might have felt that joining Paradise was his only refuge, given that the human world could no longer accept him as he was.

"You're welcome. Not only you, but Johnny, Susan, and Reed will also be part of Paradise in the future. After all, in a way, your abilities are also a form of Mutant power," Alex said with a smile.

"Bro, you should get me a potion too so my clothes don't burn off," Johnny joked with a grin.

"Your temperature is at least four thousand degrees. No clothes can withstand that. The spacesuit you wore before might be able to handle such heat," Alex said, playfully smacking Johnny on the head.

"You all look pretty good," Reed said as he walked in, looking at the three with a smile.

"I like your new look," Johnny said, chuckling as he looked at Reed .

Reed stroked his face with a puzzled expression. "I didn't think I looked that old."

"Boss, are you okay? I miscalculated the speed of the solar storm, which caused us to be hit by it," Reed said, sounding quite reproachful. He recognized that it was his mistake.

"Yeah, the solar storm is nothing to me," Alex replied with a smile.

He didn't feel any effects from it. The energy of the storm was still stored in his body, and he could release it to destroy a city with a mere gesture if he chose to.

"Also didn't you gain something from it as well?" Alex asked lightly.

"A blessing in disguise?" Reed hadn't yet realized what powers he had gained.

He looked at Ben and was surprised to see his transformation. "Ben!"

"I can freely transform now Reed, look," Ben said excitedly. His body had transformed into a stone-like form, about two meters tall.

A flame emerged from Johnny's palm, burning slowly and defying the laws of physics.

"You guys…?" Reed was dumbfounded. Had everyone become Mutants?

"Don't be surprised, you're one too!" Alex smiled slightly, grabbing Reed's arm and stretching it to about two or three meters in length.

"Wow, that's disgusting," Johnny said, wrinkling his nose in disbelief.

"This…?" Reed retracted his extended arm, his face showing surprise. "Have I become a Mutant?!"

"It can be said that your DNA has been altered by the solar storm, granting you a supernatural ability, which can also be classified as a Mutant power," Alex said with a faint smile.

Reed 's face twisted in a mixture of concern and frustration. "What a terrible situation. We just wanted to study the cosmic storm and ended up becoming Mutants?!"

"What about you, boss?" Reed asked, turning his gaze to Alex.

"Me? I was a Mutant to begin with. Absorbing the solar storm doesn't really affect me," Alex shrugged and replied lightly.

"Reed, don't worry. This ability is something ordinary people don't have. We should actually be quite envious," Johnny added, giving Reed a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"But we don't know if the effects of the solar storms are temporary or permanent. We need to conduct more in-depth research," Reed pointed out.

"Research on solar storms?" Alex thought back to the plot. Reed had developed a device based on solar storm fluctuations, which could mimic the solar storm.

"Yes, studying solar storms might help us understand if the changes are permanent or if we can reverse them. As I mentioned before, solar storms could make future generations healthier and stronger," Reed said with enthusiasm. His passion for research was evident.

"Hey, Reed , aren't our abilities a direct result of the solar storms? Your theory seems to be accurate. If solar storms can transform DNA, it could potentially cure many diseases and improve overall health," Ben added with a smile.

(End of this chapter)