Cryptomining Supervillain Chapter 116: 116 LIGHTNING COLLAPSE

116 LIGHTNING COLLAPSE

"New Feature Unlocked: Autonomous Combat."

Dan blinked. "Mind Core… that's the thing I absorbed when I freed Kail from the Nightmare Machine…"

But ever since that ti the Mind Core didn't activate any new function for him- until now. Perhaps it was because he never faced threats strong enough for its activation or simply because he recently updated his software.

Mind Core activates only on the new version.

Dan focused on the prompt.

Autonomous Combat: Toggle On.

In an instant, his body moved on its own.

Dan shot upward, streaking through the air. His movents blurred in a series of flash dashes that wove effortlessly between the falling teors.

Every impact missed him by inches.

"Holy hell… this is amazing! My body is reacting on its own," he shouted, exhilarated.

From the control room, Kalr's laughter faltered. "No way… we spent so much ti developing this simulator. Don't tell you're about to break its record already?"

Soon, Dan cleared Level 1 of the simulator. The screen flashed red, and without pause, Level 2 began.

From the very start, two teors ca plumting toward him — one stacked directly over the other, doubling the impact zone.

Dan didn't even think.

His body moved on its own, twisting through the air as the twin teors smashed into the ground beneath him.

"I'm starting to get a hang of this Autonomous Combat," he thought, landing lightly on the scorched terrain.

The system didn't take control the way an AI might. It wasn't replacing him. Instead, it enhanced him — sensing threats, predicting trajectories, and executing what he would have done if he had perfect awareness.

It was his mind in control of his actions although perfected by the Mind Core.

"This is a major cheat," he muttered with a grin. "Almost like the Rewind skill of the Black Cockerel Assassin."

The challenges intensified with each level — heavier bombardnts, unpredictable teor patterns, shifting gravity. Dan pushed through all of it, working in perfect rhythm with the Autonomous Combat function.

He stayed on the simulator for two straight days, eating and sleeping beside the machine. Every hour, he grew faster, sharper, and more attuned.

By the end of the second day, the new ability had beco instinct — a seamless extension of himself.

Dan had mastered Autonomous Combat.

-----

The training room fell silent as Dan finally stepped away.

He'd pushed the simulator to its limit — and beaten it.

Lieutenant Kalr wasn't unhappy. The data from Dan's runs would be priceless for improving the machine and in training the soldiers.

Dan went to Lord Nicaesa's office. Captain Green was already there.

"Dan, your contact from the Aukuoma family kept their word," Captain Green said. "We received a full shipnt of equipnt — and more."

"Finally," Dan breathed.

The planned shipnt from Aukouma Industry was delayed and he's already contacted Zairgid about it. The hold-up wasn't Zolan Aukuoma's doing; it was Arom's.

Arom had been colluding with other house leaders, trying to squeeze the fortress for more concessions.

Zairgid arrived then, approaching Lord Nicaesa.

"Buddy, why are you here?" Dan asked when he saw him.

"I ca to deliver the shipnt myself in case my uncle stalled it again." Zairgid bowed to Lord Nicaesa and explained the cause of the delay.

When Zairgid finished, Lord Nicaesa slamd his fist on the table. "Those greedy oligarchs — how dare they stall our supplies while our n risk their lives holding the space rift safe?"

"They're trying to squeeze more out of you," Dan said.

"We've always traded fairly with the major families…. We never held back supplies", Captain Green said.

"Its all about profit. Those people are not contented with what they could get from you", Zairgid added.

Nicaesa's face darkened. "If I get back to lrose City, I'll flatten those houses."

"Cool down, Uncle Nicaesa," Dan said. "There's a better way to get revenge and secure steady supplies."

Nicaesa's eyes narrowed. "What way?"

Dan looked at Zairgid and he understood.

"You consign all your alien artifacts recovered from the battlefield exclusively to us," Zairgid proposed. "With our Aukuoma Auction, we can secure top prices for those artifacts. If nobody else has the supply, our auction will fetch a premium."

"With the money from the auction, you can set up production facilities for all your supplies and guarantee your future procurent," Dan added.

Nicaesa looked skeptical, then slowly nodded. "But we are fighters not industrialists?"

"With Aukuoma Industry and our help, yes we can do it," Dan's voice was steady.

"All right," Nicaesa said at last. "That'll teach those bastards a lesson. But we won't rush this— we'll plan this properly."

Zairgid stayed for the negotiations.

With his father's backing, the Aukuoma family could sidestep the other families and build a near-monopoly on alien salvage while Fortress Myrone gets a steady supply of resources at higher prices.

It was a Win-Win situation.

Dan returned to his training.

-----

"I've designed two new fusion ta skill according to your request," Lieutenant Kalr said, pulling up the holo-display. "The first combines physical strikes with a kinetic crushing effect, similar to your Montum Collapse, but adds an electric charge to amplify impact. The second combines physical strikes with powerful sonic wave."

"That sounds perfect. Can you inject the ta chips now?" Dan asked eagerly.

Kalr frowned slightly. "I'm curious, though — your ta rank is only D. Will your power output be enough to execute sothing this advanced?"

Dan smiled. "When I left here, I was Rank E. Now I'm Rank D. My power keeps climbing. As I get older, I'll need stronger ta skills to match."

Kalr nodded, impressed. "At this rate, you could hit Rank A before you even reach your peak or maybe higher."

He prepped the injector and pressed it against Dan's neck. The chips hissed as it fused with his system.

Monts later, Dan was back inside the Fusion ta Simulator.

The paraters had changed — this ti, the goal wasn't evasion.

It was offense.

A dozen smaller teors descended from the sky.

With the precision of Autonomous Combat, Dan dashed forward, his body flashing between trajectories. His first strike smashed through a teor, releasing a pulse of kinetic energy that rippled outward — shattering several more in its path.

The room thundered. The air trembled.

Each swing felt heavier, sharper and alive with force.

"That's incredible," Kalr said from the control booth. "If all our soldiers could fight like that, we'd never fear the Annunakin again."

Captain Green entered the room with his arms folded. "Not everyone's built like him."

Kalr turned. "What do you an?"

Green leaned closer and whispered, "His father — Lord Nicaesa's old comrade is the legendary defender of Myrone. Superhero Black."

Kalr blinked. "You're saying his father was Black? No wonder his growth's off the charts — it's in his blood."

Inside the simulator, Dan kept pushing.

His strikes began syncing — the Montum Collapse and the new electric discharge rging together at last.

Next, a soundwave tore through the virtual sky, breaking clear the lightning veins spreading across the storm clouds. Each hit detonated with crushing force, reducing the teors to plasma and dust.

When the simulation ended, Dan stood breathing heavily amid the sparks.

"So, these are my new improved ta," he said with a grin. "I'll call the first Thunder Crush and the second Sonic Smash."

Before Kalr or Green could respond, alarms wailed through the fortress.

The walls flashed red.

"Invasion alert," the PA blared. "Intruders approaching from Rift Zone Delta."

Dan cracked his knuckles, his eyes burning.

"Damnit," he muttered. "It's about bloody ti."