As for why the crystal disappeared, I'm afraid no one can answer this riddle. Just as no one can answer why the crystal appeared.
Chapter 32: The King
Middle East.
A small country.
Inside a magnificent royal palace.
Upon the throne that originally belonged to the King, there was now a young-looking Caucasian man. He lay there lounging shamelessly, his eyes half-closed. Around him, four or five women of varying charms were diligently serving him.
"Ah!" One of the women accidentally spilled a little wine.
It dampened his collar. She immediately knelt on the ground in fear. "Please forgive me! Please forgive me!"
The man said nothing, not even opening his eyes. He merely waved his hand slightly. Two soldiers in uniform walked in. Disregarding the woman's cries, they dragged her out forcefully. Not long after, a "bang!" sounded from outside. It was a gunshot!
The remaining women couldn't help but tremble all over, their large eyes filled with terror! But they couldn't tremble! Once they trembled, they would easily make mistakes. At that time, it would be themselves being dragged away to be shot!
They could only forcibly suppress their fear and serve the man before them with even more diligence. This tyrant!!
As for Andrew, who was enjoying all of this, he naturally didn't find anything wrong with it. That day in Seattle, during the thermobaric bomb explosion, he suddenly had an idea and saw a drain opening not far away. He then crawled into the sewer. This was thanks to him having lived there for a period of time before. Otherwise, like ordinary people, he wouldn't have thought of it.
Although he managed to escape death by entering the sewer, he still suffered considerable injuries. He was carried by the current to the scene of a criminal transaction. Behind these people were overseas Anti-American Forces. Upon discovering Andrew's identity, they took him in. They initially intended to control Andrew, but they underestimated Andrew's strength. Or rather, they didn't expect Andrew to become even stronger! For upon regaining consciousness, he had advanced from Electric Current Propulsion to the realm of Magnetic Field Rotation!
After Andrew killed them all, new people soon appeared to contact him. These people were the real masterminds; the criminals before were merely pawns they used. They wanted to cooperate with Andrew. Andrew originally intended to kill them all, but in the end, he didn't act. Because that thermobaric bomb made him re-evaluate the power of mankind. With his current strength, he might be able to withstand a thermobaric bomb, but certainly not a nuclear bomb explosion! Until he could truly be immune to the most destructive weapon of mankind, the 'Nuclear Bomb', Andrew knew he couldn't completely disregard the existence of humans.
So he chose to cooperate. Afterwards, he even used force to occupy a small country in the Middle East. He built it into his base of operations. Regarding this, those behind-the-scenes Anti-American Forces, and even America, were aware of it. They could pinpoint his location accurately. But no one dared to act rashly.
Just as Andrew was immersed in the thrill of absolute power, an unwelcome visitor arrived. A soldier walked in. "Your Majesty, Snape wishes to see you." Andrew slowly opened his eyes and said lazily, "Let him in." Soon, a man with a hooked nose, deep-set eyes, and wearing a black robe walked in. "Mr. Demotte, we have resolved the troubles with the United Nations for you. Your throne is legitimate and recognized by the world. However, you do not seem to have honored the agreement between us. Those military bases deployed throughout the Middle East belonging to the US Military remain untouched..."
Before he could finish speaking, Snape felt as if his neck was being gripped by a pair of large hands. "Ugh...!" He was involuntarily lifted into the air, his legs flailing as he struggled desperately, but to no avail. Just as the veins on his head bulged, his eyes protruded, his eyeballs became bloodshot, and his face turned a liverish color, looking like he was about to suffocate to death, the force suddenly vanished. "Bang!" Snape fell to the ground, gasping for air, fresh air rushing into his lungs, giving him life, but also causing him to cough incessantly.
Andrew waved away the surrounding maids and slowly stood up. He walked over to Snape. "Are you telling me how to do things?"
Snape trembled. In that moment, he truly thought he was going to die! Andrew said calmly, "The troubles with the United Nations, hah, who are you trying to fool? Whether they acknowledge it or not, I am the king here! My power, my status, my everything comes from my strength! Not from others' recognition! As for the agreement with you, I hope you understand one thing: I hold the initiative! I will do as I please. With just you? To hell with you!"
Andrew waved his hand, and Snape was flung out of the palace. He landed with another scream, presumably breaking many bones. Andrew disdained it; if it weren't for this guy, or rather, the force behind him, having some use, he would have been killed long ago for speaking to him like that! At this moment, he noticed Snape crawling back, enduring the pain. "Huh?! Do you really think I won't kill you?!"
Snape met his eyes and felt a chill run through his heart! That ultimate sense of life-threatening danger completely overshadowed the physical pain. This was true terror! He quickly shouted, "King Demotte, Your Majesty! I have a very important piece of intelligence that you will surely be interested in!"
Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Tell me about it." He turned and returned to his throne. Snape finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had intended to use this news as a bargaining chip to force Andrew to destroy those US military bases if Andrew refused to budge. But after seeing those eyes just now, he regretted it. He absolutely could not do that! Otherwise, he would really die! So Snape unreservedly poured out all the information he knew in one go.
"According to intelligence, a military base located on Adak Island experienced a riot and was destroyed. But the actual situation is that the base was holding..."
"Holding whom?"
"Matt Garetti! This is information we obtained after great effort. General William, the person in charge of the base, has also been recalled by the Pentagon for investigation. We have been trying to track Garetti's whereabouts, but there are still no leads. People at the Pentagon are also investigating. Whether they have found him or not is unknown to us."
After hearing this news, Andrew was stunned for a moment. Then he beckoned for a soldier to take Snape away. After a long pause. In the palace, with only Andrew remaining, terrifying laughter echoed. "Matt, my cousin, I didn't expect you to be alive too! That's great, haha! This time, I'm going to tear you apart with my own hands, tear you apart with my own hands!!"
Chapter 33: Recruiting Matt
North Pacific.
On a deserted island.
A dejected figure sat on a rock by the shore. He had been sitting there quietly for a full twelve hours. The sun had crossed overhead and set in the west. The sky began to dim like a curtain falling. The only constant was him. The tide ebbed and flowed endlessly, but it couldn't stir a single ripple in his heart, which was like a pool of stagnant water.
Just then, the roar of a helicopter's rotors echoed in the sky. A Black Hawk helicopter was rapidly approaching. Hearing the familiar sound, Matt's thoughts were pulled back to Seattle. Instinctively, he tensed up, but there was only one helicopter, and it wasn't armed. Under Matt's gaze, a tall black man descended from the helicopter's lowered ladder. He had no subordinates with him.
"Who are you?" the black man asked as he approached, extending his hand. "Allow me to introduce myself, James Torres, head of the Federal CIA."
Perhaps because he had been experimented on for two months in the base, Matt's demeanor towards federal agents was filled with hostility. His eyes immediately became disgusted. "If you don't want to die, leave now."
Torres raised his hands in a gesture of harmlessness. "Don't be like that, Matt. I just want to have a good talk with you."
"I have nothing to talk about with you people."
"Listen, Matt, I know those military people hurt you badly, but you have to believe me, not everyone is like those lunatics. General William, who arrested and imprisoned you, has been recalled by the Pentagon, and I believe he will pay the price he deserves. Of course, this is not the main reason I'm here today."
Hearing this, Matt calmed down slightly. He looked back at Torres. "What do you want to say?"
"Listen, Matt, perhaps you don't know what's happening in the world right now. Before that, why don't you take a look at this." With that, Torres handed a tablet computer to Matt. Matt, with a sense of doubt, finally took it and opened it to play a video. A video of Andrew declaring himself to the world!
"Andrew!!!" Lightning flashed in Matt's eyes. Just as Andrew hadn't expected him to be alive, he also hadn't expected Andrew to be alive. And he had become even more incorrigible, even proclaiming himself a god of a new era.
"That's right, it's Andrew Demotte. He's completely gone mad. Not only has he slaughtered thousands, but he has also forcibly occupied a small Middle Eastern country, Bahrain, with military force, destroyed a crucial military base our country had set up there, annihilated the Fifth Fleet stationed there, and is now declaring war on the entire United States. He even destroyed the World Trade Center."
"You could have sent more troops to suppress him."
"Bahrain is rich, and its military strength is not weak, but it was completely ineffective against him. We also attempted remote missile strikes, but there was a major concern: there were many innocent civilians in Andrew's vicinity. The missiles' destructive power could have endangered these ordinary people."
Torres spoke pleasantries, but in reality, if they could annihilate Andrew, they wouldn't have cared about the ordinary people in Bahrain. The problem was that any missile approaching Andrew would mysteriously be affected by magnetic field interference and fail. The location he occupied would also be impossible for satellites to pinpoint accurately due to magnetic field interference. If they detonated the missile outside the interference range, they feared they couldn't kill Andrew in one go, and he would undoubtedly retaliate madly afterward!
He is an individual with intelligence, immense destructive power, and the ability to move at high speeds. This is what troubles Congress the most! Especially after he single-handedly destroyed an entire naval fleet, the Fifth Fleet, everyone recognized that inhumanly powerful strength! Just as they were at a loss, news of Matt's massacre of the entire Moffett Military Base and his escape reached them. The higher-ups in Congress instantly flew into a rage! They had believed Matt had died in that massive explosion. They never expected him to have been secretly kept by General William! Based on their analysis and investigation of the situation that day, it was clear that Matt was an adversary of Andrew. Only a Magnetic Field Powerhouse could fight a Magnetic Field Powerhouse! Thus, Torres came here and found Matt, who was lost in confusion.
"So you thought of me? I don't blame you for attacking me indiscriminately when I tried to stop Andrew. But after that, instead of receiving treatment, I was arrested! Thrown into a laboratory and experimented on like a lab rat!!"
Matt's voice grew louder and louder, eventually turning into a roar. In fact, he had been mentally prepared for the likelihood of being captured and experimented on like a lab rat once his superpowers were exposed. But that didn't mean he could accept it calmly when it actually happened!
Torres said with shame, "I'm very sorry that this happened, but please believe me, we will give you a satisfactory explanation! Right now, the only one who can stop Andrew is you!"
Torres, as the head of the Federal CIA, was an ace operative himself. His tone was sincere, even possessing a special charm that could convince people. Under his appeasement, Matt's emotions finally eased slightly. Then, Torres played his trump card. "Matt, you wouldn't want your parents to live under condemnation for the rest of their lives, would you?"
*Whoosh!* The surrounding rocks began to levitate, and the sand on the ground swirled into bizarre vortices. This was a manifestation of the leakage of magnetic field power driven by psychokinesis. Matt's voice was icy and filled with murderous intent. "What did you do to them!?"
Torres quickly replied, "Matt, don't get agitated. We haven't done anything to them. In fact, your father, Mr. Garetti, and I had a very pleasant conversation." As he spoke, he quickly recounted the situation his family had faced after the incident in Seattle. After that incident, Matt's identity was inevitably exposed. Many angry citizens appeared on the streets outside the Garetti residence, protesting. However, there were also some rational people who believed Matt was righteous and a hero who wanted to stop Andrew. But undeniably, Matt had caused many casualties during his battle with Andrew. Their families wouldn't see it that way. To them, Matt, with his powerful abilities, was no different from Andrew. Both deserved to die! Both were murderers! Garetti had moved twice, yet he was still recognized. He had even been attacked several times, but thankfully, CIA agents intervened and saved him. Finally, Torres personally met them, provided them with new identities, and made proper arrangements for them.
Chapter 34: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
Upon learning of the predicament his parents faced due to being implicated by him, Matt appeared extremely pained. Afterward, when Torres told him not to worry anymore, as they had been properly settled, he immediately gained Matt's favor. At this point, Matt's attitude was no longer as wary and hostile as before. There was a hint of closeness. Torres was also very satisfied. Although Matt possessed power beyond ordinary people's reach, he was, in the end, still just a child. With just a little manipulation, he had won the boy's favor. At the same time, he held an absolute trump card: Matt's parents! Today, he could bestow favors upon the Garetti couple to win Matt's favor. Tomorrow, he could use the Garetti parents as leverage to ensure Matt couldn't escape his control. However, Torres believed things would never reach that point. He had enough confidence in himself! As long as Matt was soft-hearted and agreed to his request, perhaps in the future, he could even be recruited into the CIA. Such a person with extraordinary strength becoming his subordinate agent made his heart burn with excitement!
"Thank you." Matt didn't overthink it. He was now genuinely thanking Torres. Thanking him for helping his parents out of their predicament, and at the same time, alleviating his own guilt. "Where are they now?"
Torres replied, "Don't worry, they are all safe now, living in a pleasant small town. If you wish to see them, I can arrange for someone to take you. But I personally advise you not to show yourself to them for the time being."
Matt asked curiously, "Why?"
Torres looked at him seriously and said sternly, "Because of responsibility!" As he spoke, he even placed his hand on Matt's shoulder. Matt did not flinch away or show aversion to this action, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in Torres's eyes. From the moment he appeared, he had been trying to narrow the distance between them. And now, in less than ten minutes, the effect was significant. Matt's eyes flickered, but he still asked, "What do you mean?"
Torres looked him directly in the eye with gravity. "Matt, I can feel that you are different from Andrew. You are a good person; you possess justice in your heart! You once desperately tried to stop Andrew. This process may have caused some losses and led some short-sighted people to misunderstand you. But I am different. I know you; I understand you! As a free and just citizen of America, you will understand the principle that with great power comes great responsibility. I believe in you, Matt. Only you can stop Andrew, only you! But this is also a very dangerous endeavor. Until we officially resolve the issue with Andrew, I think it's best for you not to see your parents, lest they worry about you!"
Torres's voice was deep and firm, inspiring trust. Moreover, what he said struck Matt to the core! It made his previously confused heart gradually become resolute again. Seeing the change in Matt's eyes, Torres knew this matter was settled today! "With great power comes great responsibility... Director Torres, you are right!