191-195

*Chapter 191: Shot*

The gunshot echoed.

The entire scene descended into chaos.

“Damn it, I’ve been shot! I’ve been shot!”

Steve looked down at the red stain spreading across his chest, clutching the spot where the bullet struck.

Only after a few seconds did the searing pain crash through his body.

Clearly, his abilities alone weren’t enough to shield him from the bullet’s damage.

Wracked with intense pain and the shock of being shot, Steve’s mind went blank.

On the other side, the shooter, a Black man, froze in place after firing the shot.

“I hit you…”

He stared dumbly at Steve, his vacant expression shifting slightly as he noticed Steve’s injury. Just as he opened his mouth to speak—

Bang!  

In an instant, Steve raised his arm.

An invisible force grabbed the man and flung him violently across the scene. He hit the ground with a sickening thud, leaving a trail of blood before going still, as if lifeless.

Steve didn’t even glance at the man after that.

Clutching his wound, he gritted his teeth and willed his body to float, swaying unsteadily in midair. Amid the gasps of the onlookers, he rose from the scene and flew away.

“Sorry, coming through, coming through…”

Elsewhere, just minutes after Steve’s escape, Amanda arrived in her car at the Manhattan crime scene.

Scanning the crowd gathered there, Amanda forced her way through, teeth clenched. Reaching the center, she frowned at the motionless Black man lying on the ground and the otherwise empty scene.

“It looks like we’re too late. The target has already fled.”

“But that doesn’t mean we walked away empty-handed.”

Squeezing past the crowd to join Amanda, Spike glanced at the unmoving figure on the ground before surveying the surroundings.

Finally, his gaze settled on where Steve had stood moments earlier. He stepped forward and examined a faint trace of blood on the ground before looking at the gun in the Black man’s hand.

“It seems our so-called ‘superhero’ isn’t invulnerable to bullets,” Spike said to Amanda.

Hearing this, Amanda’s eyes lit up as she looked at the bloodstain on the ground.

Before she could respond, her phone rang.

“This is Amanda…”

“Chief, we’ve got a situation. Someone claiming to be…”

The voice of Agent Zhou, calm but urgent, came through the line.

Standing at the crime scene, Amanda’s composed expression gradually turned peculiar as she listened to the report.

“Understood. Don’t make any sudden moves; keep them calm. I’ll be there right away.”

Hanging up, Amanda turned and locked eyes with Spike.

“Looks like there’s been a development.”

Although he hadn’t caught the full conversation, Spike could infer from Amanda’s changing expression.

“Someone just turned themselves in at NYPD headquarters. They’re claiming to be one of the ‘superheroes.’”

Amanda’s tone was flat, but inwardly, she felt a wave of frustration.

For weeks, the BSI had exhausted every resource to track down the so-called ‘superheroes.’ Finally, here at the Manhattan crime scene, they had managed to uncover a critical lead: a sample of blood from one of them. From this, they could extract DNA and trace the individual’s true identity.

But before they could act, one of them had voluntarily surrendered.

It was like punching a pillow with all your might—infuriating yet futile.

“Well, at least a surrender simplifies things,” Amanda muttered, shaking her head and trying to tamp down her irritation.

---

Thud!  

Steve crash-landed, his body hitting the ground with a dull thump.

His strength wasn’t sufficient for controlled flight, especially in his wounded state. Floating was almost impossible to sustain now.

Shaking his head, he struggled to his feet.

Steve glanced down at the bullet wound in his chest. Blood soaked the area, and his consciousness began to blur.

He knew the blood loss was taking its toll.

“Healing… I need healing,” he murmured.

His lips, pale from blood loss, barely moved. Instinct drove him to think of a hospital.

“No… I can’t go to a hospital.”

The thought was immediately dismissed.

In his current guise, going to a hospital would mean exposing his identity.

As a ‘superhero,’ he had caused enough damage already. Add the shooting of the Black man, and even if he managed to recover at a hospital, he’d only face police custody afterward.

“Matt…”

As his thoughts grew fuzzier, one name stood out: Matt, his former comrade in the ‘superhero’ ranks.

Without time to consider further, Steve stumbled toward Matt’s home, leaning on sheer willpower to keep moving.

---

Crash!  

Inside his home, Matt lay restless on his bed, frowning.

Since encountering the mysterious pool and gaining supernatural powers, sleep had become elusive. Whispers and faint screams haunted his mind.

It wasn’t just him—Steve and Andrew, who had also been exposed to the pool, suffered the same.

Steve chalked it up to a side effect of their newfound powers, but Matt felt there was more to it.

In the haze of a restless doze, Matt saw a shadowy figure through the fog.

He reached out to touch it, but a sudden noise snapped him awake.

“Who’s there?”

Matt instinctively levitated a cup from his bedside, shielding himself as he called out.

In the dim light, he saw a familiar figure stumble into his room.

“Steve?”

“Matt… I need your… help…”

Exerting the last of his strength, Steve collapsed onto Matt’s bedroom floor, his plea hanging in the air.

(To be continued)  

Chapter 192: The Reason for Surrender

"So, do you think what he said is true or false?"

New York City Police Department.

Agent Phil gazed at the young man in the interrogation room and couldn't help but turn to Spike for his thoughts.

"Does a pool that grants supernatural powers really exist?"

"The world is far more mysterious than you imagine. I don't deny the possibility of its existence," Spike replied calmly. He lifted his slightly drooping gaze and looked at Andrew, seated in the interrogation room. Almost instinctively, Andrew raised his head and glanced in Spike's direction.

"So, Andrew, where exactly is this pool you claim grants supernatural powers?"

Inside the interrogation room, Agent Zhou noticed Andrew’s head movement and glanced back at the one-way glass behind him. Quickly regaining his composure, Zhou maintained his neutral expression and continued questioning the self-proclaimed "superhero" before him.

"And what about what I asked you to do?"

Despite Zhou's pressing tone, Andrew's expression remained unchanged. His face was grim as he responded with his own question.

"..."

Agent Zhou blinked as his gaze met Andrew’s cold, piercing eyes. Breaking the silence, he finally said, "We've already arranged for your mother to be admitted to the ICU. I hate to say it, but your decision to surrender was timely. If you had delayed any longer, she might not have survived due to severe complications."

"..."

Hearing Zhou's words, Andrew lowered his head once more.

"We found it in a cave," Andrew began. "It was deep in the tunnel—a mysterious pool that emitted a faint, ghostly blue light. Initially, we had no idea it could grant supernatural abilities. It wasn’t until I accidentally touched the pool and was grabbed by a hand that emerged from it..."

"A hand from the pool?"

Andrew’s statement immediately caught Zhou’s attention, revealing numerous potential clues. Yet, outwardly, Zhou remained composed as he probed further.

"Can you describe what it looked like?"

"It was a ghostly blue hand. It looked almost like..."

Andrew started describing the hand but abruptly stopped. His gaze shifted toward Zhou and then to the people observing behind the one-way glass.

"Why do I feel like he can see us?"

Angela, standing behind the glass, turned her eyes uneasily from Andrew's gaze and muttered to Spike.

"It's not your imagination. He can see us," Spike confirmed.

"That's impossible. The glass in the interrogation room is one-way," Agent Phil interjected, unconvinced.

"For ordinary people, sure," Spike replied, "but don't forget, the man in that interrogation room is a 'superhero.'"

"Our 'superhero' here obviously didn't arrive on Earth in a spaceship from some distant galaxy," Amanda chimed in as she entered the room. Her gaze swept over Andrew before she addressed Spike and the others.

"In fact, not long ago, he was just an ordinary high school student with a terrible father."

"I looked into Andrew's family situation. Their finances have long been unable to cover his mother's medical expenses," Amanda continued. "This might explain his decision to surrender—to save his ailing mother."

Hearing this, Angela glanced back at Andrew in the interrogation room. A flicker of sympathy crossed her eyes.

"Or rather, it’s what 'it' thought Andrew would do."

"What do you mean?!"

Amanda’s expression changed sharply upon hearing Spike’s cryptic words. Looking at his composed face, a chill crept up her spine.

"Tell me, Spike—what have you discovered?"

...

"Steve... Steve..."

"The pool... The pool..."

"You need more power..."

The eerie whispers echoed, distant yet close, as if someone was murmuring directly into Steve's ear. Were they luring him or warning him?

In the mist, a shadowy figure stood still.

"Run... Run quickly..."

Thick fog enveloped the figure, which showed no resistance as it was swallowed by the mist. Just as the figure was about to vanish completely, an arm shot out. The dense fog peeled back, revealing a blurred face emitting a piercing scream.

"Steve... Steve..."

The next moment, the cries jolted Steve awake.

Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was Matt's face.

"You're finally awake, Steve," Matt said, relief evident in his voice. Looking at Steve's bandaged wounds, Matt asked with concern, "What happened? How did you end up getting shot?"

Steve glanced at his tightly wrapped injury. It was clear that Matt had treated the wound while he was unconscious.

Clutching the source of his throbbing pain, Steve rasped, "After you and Andrew stepped away, I decided to keep playing 'superhero' alone. I ran into a criminal, and he had a gun. My powers weren’t enough to stop the bullet..."

Although Steve's explanation was brief, his condition revealed the severity of what had happened.

Looking at Steve’s injuries, Matt couldn’t help but urge him again.

"I’ve said this before, Steve—being a 'superhero' isn’t as glamorous as it seems. Maybe walking away is the right choice. You almost died because of it. And these wounds—I’ve only done basic first aid. You need to go to a hospital to treat that gunshot wound, or else..."

"No, I can’t go to a hospital."

Steve interrupted, visibly agitated. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he used his powers to force himself upright. Looking at Matt, he said breathlessly, "In my current condition, if I go to a hospital, they’ll definitely find out about me."

"But if you don’t..." Matt began, before trailing off.

"The pool... The pool..."

Steve’s eyes glazed over for a moment. In the murmurings that echoed in his ears, he spoke almost to himself.

"The pool... If I can draw power from the pool, I’ll heal completely—and become even stronger."

(End of Chapter)  

*Chapter 193: Replacement*

"As I said before, spirits are the most enigmatic entities in this world. They are both harmless and dangerous. Under normal circumstances, they don't affect the human world, but there's always an exception to every rule..."

New York, inside the interrogation room.

Facing Amanda's questioning, Spike glanced at Andrew, who was in the room with Agent Zhou, before turning back to respond.

"Are you saying Andrew is the exception?"

From Spike's words, Amanda grasped the underlying meaning.

Meanwhile, Agent Phil turned to look at Andrew in the interrogation room. Listening to Spike's explanation, a trace of shock appeared in his expression.

"Apparently, Andrew and his group stumbled upon a passageway to the spirit world and unintentionally came into contact with a spirit. When they touched the pool, the spirit entered their bodies. As an exchange for possession, part of the spirit's power manifested in Andrew..."

"Like a host?"

"Spirits need a host to enter the real world, and Andrew became their host!"

As a BSI agent, Amanda was no stranger to the existence of spirits.

But precisely because of her understanding, she realized how dangerous the situation was.

Andrew had become the host of a spirit. The pool he mentioned, which granted supernatural powers, wasn't a gift but a curse.

"If Andrew has become a host, why would he turn himself in?"

Spike's explanation left Angela stunned. She looked at Andrew, who was cooperating with Agent Zhou in the interrogation room, finding it hard to believe that this body now housed a spirit.

Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she looked at Spike and asked.

Indeed, as Angela suspected, Andrew’s decision to turn himself in made no sense if he were completely possessed by a spirit.

"Clearly, the pool Andrew mentioned isn’t just a simple gateway to the spirit world..."

"It connects to the spirit world, but the spirits that emerge from it seem to have certain peculiarities. Upon possessing Andrew’s body, the spirit also became 'Andrew.'"

"At least, in its perception, it believes it is Andrew—or, more accurately, a spirit with Andrew's memories."

"So that’s why 'it' chose to turn itself in?"

After hearing Spike's explanation, Amanda turned to look at Andrew on the monitor.

Taking a deep breath, she suppressed the fear building up within her after learning the truth.

"How long can this situation last? I mean, how long can it remain as Andrew?"

Although Andrew seemed fine for now, Amanda dared not rely on the goodwill of a spirit.

"I don’t know."

Spike shook his head in response to Amanda's unease.

"The phenomenon of spirits acting as humans is incredibly rare. If it weren’t for Andrew, I wouldn’t even believe it could happen."

"But one thing is certain: as long as Andrew’s mother is alive, it’s unlikely to lose control."

"A person’s memories are intricate, but some are unforgettable. For Andrew, his mother’s illness is a core part of his memories. When the spirit possessed his body, this memory became the spirit’s memory as well. As long as his mother remains alive, the spirit feels tethered, convincing itself it is Andrew."

"So if we want the spirit to continue living as 'Andrew,' we must ensure his mother stays alive."

Hearing Spike’s words, Amanda frowned deeply.

She had seen Andrew’s mother’s condition, and it was critical.

"Unless the BSI can come up with a better solution."

Spike shrugged under Amanda’s scrutinizing gaze, indicating that this was the best he could think of for now.

---

"Are you sure about this, Steve?"

In the dark tunnel, Matt supported Steve's weak body as they walked deeper into the passageway. Doubt and concern were written all over his face.

"With your condition, I think going to a hospital is the right choice."

"No, I know exactly what I’m doing..."

Leaning against Matt, Steve ran his hand over the rough, uneven tunnel walls. His pale face, drained of blood, betrayed his fragile state, though his demeanor exuded an unnatural excitement.

"I can feel it. The pool is calling me."

Noticing Steve’s peculiar mood, Matt frowned, his tone laced with unease.

"Steve, something’s not right. Don’t you remember what Andrew said? Without him here, if anything dangerous happens, we’re defenseless."

"Andrew, Andrew..."

"Have you ever considered that the so-called danger might just be a lie Andrew fabricated?"

Steve’s face twisted with anger as Matt continued to caution him about Andrew’s warnings.

"A lie? Why?"

"Because of the power we’ve gained. Among the three of us, Andrew has touched the pool the most, making him the strongest. He doesn’t want either of us to surpass him, so he concocted tales of danger to scare us off..."

Suspicion toward Andrew had long been festering in Steve’s heart, now erupting in full force.

"..."

Matt fell silent at Steve’s theory.

Although he trusted Andrew, Steve’s reasoning wasn’t entirely baseless.

After all, among the three, only Andrew had interacted with the pool three times.

And the warnings of danger came solely from Andrew.

With such conflicting thoughts, the two continued deeper into the tunnel.

Eventually, they reached the cavern where the pool lay.

Freeing himself from Matt’s support, Steve staggered toward the edge of the pool.

Looking down, he saw two reflections in the water.

It might have been his imagination, but Steve felt the two reflections growing closer together.

Shaking his head to clear the thought, he extended his arm and unhesitatingly touched the pool's eerie blue surface.

Splash!

With the sound of rippling water, a ghostly blue hand emerged, gripping his wrist.

In the next instant, the immense strength of the spectral hand gave Steve no time to react.

He was yanked into the pool, his terrified expression the last thing Matt saw.

Splash!  

(End of Chapter)  

*Chapter 194: Exposure*

“Steve!”

Watching Steve being pulled into the pool, Matt let out a cry of alarm.

He rushed to the pool's edge, but all he could see was the serene, bluish glow emanating from the water.

It was as if everything that had just happened was nothing more than an illusion.

Steve had clearly fallen into the pool, yet the water remained completely undisturbed—no ripples, no sign of a struggle.

Standing by the eerily calm pool, a creeping fear took root in Matt’s heart.

However, before he could do anything—

Splash!  

Splaaaash!  

“Ahhh!”

The once-tranquil pool suddenly erupted with violent splashes. Faces emerged amidst the water, blurry at first but gradually becoming more distinct. Their features were grotesquely vivid, their expressions twisted with hatred and resentment. They writhed within the water, their mouths opening wide to unleash piercing screams—agonized wails that sounded like the collective lament of countless tortured souls.

The harrowing cries caused Matt’s head to throb unbearably.

Clutching his head, his face contorted with pain.

A metallic taste flooded his mouth, and blood began trickling from his nose.

“I can’t stay here any longer.”

The mounting agony in his head left Matt unable to think clearly.

Forgetting about Steve, he forced himself to stagger toward the tunnel's exit.

As he departed, he failed to notice the distorted faces that appeared in the cracks of the tunnel walls. They turned their hateful, greedy gazes toward his retreating back.

---

“Pant... pant...”

Struggling out of the tunnel, Matt collapsed onto the clearing near the entrance, gasping for air as the throbbing in his head gradually subsided. Exhaustion was written all over his face.

“What were those faces in the pool?”

As he caught his breath, Matt recalled the strange and terrifying scene he had witnessed. His expression turned a shade paler.

Looking down at his hands, he began to suspect the nature of the supernatural powers he had acquired.

However, before he could figure it all out—or consider re-entering the tunnel to search for Steve—a beam of light suddenly shone from the bushes in the distance. Faint voices followed.

“What?!”

Spotting the figures in the distance, Matt didn’t have time to ponder why people were here.

Instinctively, he controlled his body, levitating into the air.

“Steve...”

Suspended in the dark night sky, Matt cast one last glance at the tunnel entrance before turning and flying toward the forest.

Whatever reason these people had for being here, he couldn’t risk exposing his identity.

---

“If the address ‘Andrew’ provided is correct, the entrance should be around here...”

Holding a flashlight, Agent Phil scanned the clearing, searching for the tunnel entrance.

After confirming his mother’s condition had stabilized, ‘Andrew’ had cooperatively revealed the location of the pool to the BSI team.

Just as Spike had said, as long as his mother remained alive, the entity would continue to inhabit the persona of ‘Andrew’ in this world.

It was like a paranormal version of a precarious balancing act.

If any part of that balance were disrupted, the fragile peace they maintained would vanish instantly.

“Still, don’t you think it’s bizarre? A spirit believing it’s a human with supernatural powers—even becoming a ‘superhero’?”

Reflecting on the peculiar situation the BSI was facing, Agent Phil couldn’t help but comment.

“Bizarre or not, it’s better than things spiraling out of control.”

Beside him, Agent Zhou remained expressionless as he replied.

“At least ‘Andrew’ is still someone we can communicate with, unlike the others we’ve encountered.”

As someone who had been in the same room with ‘Andrew’ during the interrogation, Agent Zhou had spent more time interacting with him than Phil.

He could sense that ‘Andrew’s’ concern for his mother wasn’t a facade—it was a deeply ingrained part of his memory.

If not for the BSI agents revealing the truth, even Zhou wouldn’t have realized the subject of his interrogation wasn’t human but a spirit.

“Maybe you’re right.”

As a newer recruit, Agent Phil had less experience with supernatural cases compared to Zhou or Amanda.

But the terrifying events of the Clockwork Doll case had already taught him how dangerous these incidents could be.

Indeed, compared to their last case, ‘Andrew’ seemed far safer.

With the flashlight beam guiding them, Agents Zhou and Phil casually chatted while cautiously searching for the pool entrance.

Finally, a flash of light reflected off something unusual in the distance.

The two agents drew their guns and carefully approached, finding a sunken opening in the ground.

Staring at the dark entrance, Phil and Zhou exchanged a silent glance before Zhou pulled out his phone.

“Chief, we’ve located the entrance Andrew mentioned.”

---

“Hey, you can’t be here, understand?”

The next morning, after a sleepless night worrying about Steve, Matt returned to the tunnel’s location.

But before he could get close, he spotted caution tape and police officers guarding the area.

Seeing this, his heart sank.

Before he could act, a nearby officer noticed him and issued a warning to leave.

“What?!”

Feigning confusion, Matt put on a puzzled expression.

“The ground here is unstable,” the officer explained. “We’ve cordoned off the entire area to prevent any accidents. For your safety, you shouldn’t be near this dangerous site.”

Matt knew full well that the excuse of unstable ground was just a pretense to keep him away.

After all, he had been here just last night—there hadn’t been any signs of instability then.

Still, glancing at the clearing behind the officer, Matt ultimately chose to turn and leave.

The presence of the police meant the government had discovered this place. They might even know the pool’s secret, likely thanks to someone with insider knowledge...

“So, it’s you, Andrew?”

(End of Chapter)  

Chapter 195: Popular Copyrights

"Interesting."

A tunnel, by the water pool.

Spike stood before the pool that emitted a faint, eerie blue glow. His previously indifferent face now bore a focused expression.

Taking a few steps closer to the pool, he bent down to examine the two reflections visible in its surface.

Raising an eyebrow, Spike extended his hand toward the water, drawing an uneasy gaze from Amanda behind him.

"Spike!"

Seeing this, Amanda instinctively shouted to stop him.

Spike paused just as his fingertips were about to touch the surface. Turning to glance at Amanda's worried expression, he shrugged and said, "Relax, I wouldn’t put myself in danger."

Retracting his hand, he looked back at the glowing blue pool. After silently meeting his own reflection in the water, he muttered thoughtfully, "I think I’ve figured it out."

"What?"

Nearby, Agent Phil, who had entered the cave with Agent Zhou, instinctively responded to Spike’s words.

"This pool—or rather, everything in this tunnel—behaves so strangely for a reason."

Hearing this, Spike touched the button on his sleeve and cast a glance at the twisted faces embedded in the cracks of the tunnel walls. Finally, he continued, "There’s no doubt that this place was once a conduit to the spirit world—a sacred site for some spiritual faction. Maybe witches, shamans, or something else. For some reason, they abandoned this passage, and it remained untouched until Andrew and his group rediscovered it."

"This explains why the spirits that entered Andrew are so peculiar. Mediums use spirits’ powers to achieve certain goals, while spirits use mediums as vessels to briefly enter the real world. To prevent spirits from taking over their bodies, mediums obviously put safeguards in place, ensuring that spirits from this conduit could never fully manifest in reality, keeping the danger under control."

"But Andrew and his group clearly didn’t understand any of this. They simply treated the conduit as a source of supernatural power, repeatedly touching the pool and allowing spirits to enter their bodies. Eventually, they were entirely taken over by the spirits."

"Sounds like some kind of loan—but the lenders are spirits on the other side of the passage?"

After hearing Spike’s explanation, Agent Phil couldn’t help but liken it to real-world loans.

"In a sense, that’s an accurate comparison."

Spike didn’t refute Phil’s analogy. This form of spirit communication indeed resembled a loan system.

However, unlike reality, the lender here wasn’t a bank but a spirit, and the price paid wasn’t interest—it was your body.

When you’ve gained all the power, the spirit gets what it desires most.

Every gift from fate comes with a hidden price tag—you just don’t know what it is until it’s too late.

---

### "Superhero Genre?"

New York, Universal Pictures Headquarters.

Faced with Ron Meyer’s proposal, Allen couldn’t help but show a hint of surprise. Even his attention, which had been focused on the system, shifted slightly.

"That’s right."

Allen’s reaction wasn’t unexpected to Ron Meyer. After all, as a veteran Hollywood film studio, Universal was the only major company without any superhero movie rights. While other studios were making blockbuster superhero films through licensing or acquisitions, Universal hadn’t joined the trend.

Initially, this wasn’t a problem. Despite lacking superhero franchises, Universal still had plenty of other movies to produce.

In recent years, particularly after partnering with Allen, Universal had released a series of "mockumentary" style films. Even without the boost of superhero movies, the company’s financial reports had been impressive, rivaling those of Disney, which owned superhero rights.

Under such circumstances, producing superhero films wasn’t even a consideration for Universal.

However, this changed dramatically with the emergence of real-life superheroes.

Reports of superheroes in New York City had turned superhero movies—already a popular genre—into a red-hot commodity.

According to Universal’s market research, superhero film rights across Hollywood had skyrocketed in value. Marvel and DC comics were breaking sales records, reaching heights not seen since the advent of television.

Disney recently announced the concept of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Warner Bros. followed suit with plans to shoot Justice League.

Columbia Pictures announced a reboot of the Hellboy series, even though the previous film, Hellboy 2, had been a box-office and critical failure.

Not to mention Fox’s Fantastic Four and Sony’s Spider-Man...

In short, every studio with superhero rights was rolling out their plans for the genre.

Faced with this overwhelming superhero wave, even Universal, which had previously been indifferent, couldn’t ignore it.

It was undeniable that the emergence of real-world superheroes had catapulted the genre into Hollywood’s hottest trend. If Universal didn’t want to be left behind, it had to adapt and join the movement.

But with the newfound demand, superhero rights had become exorbitantly expensive. Even lesser-known superheroes were no longer affordable.

Under these circumstances, unless Universal made a massive investment, acquiring a superhero franchise was nearly impossible.

And given Hollywood’s current obsession with the genre, even if Universal wanted to buy, it wasn’t guaranteed that other companies would sell.

With no viable way to secure superhero rights, Universal had no choice but to change its strategy: if they couldn’t purchase a superhero franchise, they’d create their own.

In this context, Allen naturally caught Universal’s attention.

(End of Chapter)  

ed!