Marvel: The Ultimate Superman-Chapter 164. Self-Evolution

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Nolan worked like a man possessed.

His eyes scanned the glowing strands of genetic code dancing across the holo screen, devouring data at inhuman speed. This was no longer just science. This was transcendence.

The blueprint in front of him, an intricate weave of symbiote DNA, mutant mimicry, and experimental evolution, was something he'd come to call the Evolution Module.

It was the beginning of something greater.

Until now, Nolan had to manually restrict how his body expressed superhuman powers limiting regeneration to certain organs, suppressing overloads, and carefully balancing chaos and biology.

However, once he fully integrated this module?

There'd be no need for containment.

His focus could shift from survival to ascension. From playing scientist to becoming a unified force of mysticism and mutation, flesh and force.

"Symbiote genome replication... it's complete," he muttered. "Their DNA library mirrors the complete human genome... but the X-gene is still missing."

He frowned.

"Of course... the Celestials hadn't finished their experiments when Knull created the symbiotes. No X-gene blueprint."

Then his eyes lit up.

"But Mystique's genome, her metamorphic signature, fills the gap."

One problem solved.

"Too bad I don't have Black Bolt's DNA," Nolan muttered, fingers flying across the screen. "If I could anchor his power into the lungs... one shout could level an entire ocean basin."

His mind was racing faster than even Al could keep up.

It didn't matter that his "Spirit of Evolution" could already absorb and replicate powers like inserting cards into a machine. He wanted more. He wanted autonomy. He wanted control over what evolution meant to choose what to become, and when.

But before a power could be equipped, it had to be understood. That's how the system worked.

And now?

He'd created something that changed that rule.

The Evolution Module, fused with his own genome, would grant him the ability to scan and integrate new powers on contact.

Not just mimic them.

Become them.

This wasn't Darwin's adaptability. This was an intelligent evolution that was customizable, modular, and refined.

He worked nonstop.

Vials. Injectors. Synthetic base elements from a custom-built particle collider.

The new nucleobase? A synthetic element with a four-electron outer shell semi-stable like carbon and silicon. Biocompatible. Perfect for life-forming reactions.

Nolan was everywhere.

Fusing samples. Running calculations. Adjusting particle frequencies. His lab became an extension of his nervous system.

And at the center of it all a vial. Transparent, crystalline. Inside it, a fluid shimmered with chaotic bioluminescence. A final compound, glowing like a bottled aurora.

"Last step."

Nolan exhaled.

He poured the final solution into the core reagent, watching it transform. The chaotic colors inside synchronized, clearing into a glowing serum liquid clarity.

His hands trembled not with fear, but with reverence.

He'd done it.

Self-Evolution.

"Al, the time elapsed?"

"Four days, sir," Al's voice replied. "Yesterday, the X-Men came to visit. Dr. Connors and Director Osborn informed them you were conducting high-priority research."

A pause.

"There was a minor event. Erik encountered Wanda."

"...Did they recognize each other?"

"No. He only asked who her mother was. Wanda still believes her family in Sokovia were her biological parents."

Nolan watched the security footage briefly, then nodded. "No need to interfere. Let her ask the questions herself when she's ready."

"Understood. Shall I reschedule the X-Men for this afternoon?"

"Yes. I'll be available by then."

With that, Nolan retrieved the vial of the Self-Evolution Serum and loaded it into a vibranium-grade injector.

Despite Oscorp's dwindling vibranium reserves, when it came to his experiments, quality was never compromised.

He climbed into the nutrient chamber a viscous, molasses-thick solution engulfed his body, composed of high-energy compounds, radiation dampeners, and molecular stabilizers.

Above him, gamma projectors whirred to life.

This wasn't just an upgrade.

It was the first step to godhood.

"Begin experiment. Ascension Phase One."

Al's voice was cold, mechanical. The needle punctured Nolan's arm and the glowing serum surged into his veins.

In an instant, it was everywhere.

His brain exploded in white-hot pain.

Like being reborn.

Like the day he became a super-soldier... but amplified a thousand times.

His cells were breaking.

Rebuilding.

Shifting.

At the core of his DNA, the iconic double helix began to bend, reshaping itself into a new configuration a code that evolution itself couldn't conceive of.

He screamed a raw, guttural roar that shook the chamber.

Muscles spasmed. Bones cracked. DNA shattered and rewrote itself in real-time.

The pain was unbearable.

But he embraced it.

High-energy radiation flooded the chamber, and waves of gamma surged into his body, stabilizing the transformation. Space-elemental fusion energy fed the process further, accelerating the rate of genetic overhaul.

He wasn't just upgrading.

He was reinventing.

His cells weren't just adapting they were learning, rewriting their own blueprint, integrating the best of symbiote malleability and mystique's precision morphing.

His musculature bulged monstrous, then perfect.

His skin, veins, and nerves are all optimized.

And still, the evolution continued.

He had created a body capable of recursive mutation.

No longer did he need machines to replicate abilities.

He was the machine.

Al's voice returned at last.

"Vitals stabilized. Cellular regeneration is complete. Ascension Phase One: Complete."

Nolan lay still, suspended in the nutrient bath. Breathing heavy. Mind racing.

The first gate had opened.

And he had stepped through.

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