Late Morning-

Next to a certain apartment building in Tel-Aviv-

After eating a Shawarma he bought after pawning some gold, Asher pressed a familiar old intercom.

Drr* Drr*

"Hello?" A high-pitched female voice sounded through the intercom.

"Beki, hello! It's me, Asher. Remember?" Asher asked with a smile.

"Ah, Asher! Hello. I thought you were in China! How are you?" Beki kindly asked.

"I'm fine, thank you. Is Sergei home?" Asher asked.

"Not until 12:30. He has a Friday shift at the base, so he should be back in an hour, so come over and have some coffee and snacks while we catch up." Beki happily said.

Zzzt*

The electronic door opened.

"Thanks, Beki. I would love to." Asher smiled and entered the old apartment.

Ten minutes later, Asher sat in a small living room. He was talking to a pretty but short and pudgy woman over coffee.

"So, how are you these days, Asher? I haven't seen you since my wedding. How was your vacation in China?" Beki smiled and asked.

"It could have gone better." Asher warily said while drinking.

"Hah! You should have gone to Thailand. It is so much better for vacation." Beki knowingly smiled. 

"Yeah, perhaps I should have," Asher admitted before shifting the subject. "So, how are things with Sergei and little Noah?"

"Sergei's the same. Ever since he advanced to rav-seren, he has become busier. And little Noah is weaning right now, but she takes it well." Beki smiled. 

"Glad to hear. And how are you?" Asher asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. Doing pilates and all. I am also working from home, so it works out well." 

Asher and Beki continued their idle chatter until Sergei returned.

He was a tall and lanky man with more bones than muscle, having an honest yet serious Ukrainian face. He was in civilian clothes, his uniform in a bag, and without his haircut, no one would think he was a high-ranking officer in a special Unit.

"Sergei!" Asher smiled and got up.

"Asher, buddy!" Sergei's eyes lit up, dropping his bag.

After a friendly bro hug, Asher and Sergei sat on the balcony, drinking a cold beer and smoking while Beki was with the baby. Asher didn't smoke but didn't mind sitting beside a smoker.

"Sss* Hah. How are you, brother? Weren't you in China picking up Chinese chicks?" Sergei curiously asked.

"I did. I even found a keeper... Until I discovered she was a spy. I'm ghosting her right now. If someone named Cao Cai contacts you, pretend you don't know anything." Asher said.

"Oof. Tough luck. I told you China was a bad idea. Just go to Thailand or Japan or something next time." Sergei shook his head.

"Yeah, about that..." Asher pursed his lips.

"What?" Sergei frowned, noticing something was wrong.

Instead of spilling everything, Asher changed the subject. "Sergei, I need your help."

"As long as it is within my power," Sergei said, not promising anything.

"I need to forge a new identity and enter a protection program," Asher said.

Sergei took a deep look at Asher, he extinguished the cigarette in an ashtray, and bluntly asked.

"I can arrange something for you, but you need to give me a proper explanation. There are limits to what I can do. I can't help an international criminal." Sergei said with a serious face.

Asher knew he was asking for a big favor, so he had to explain himself and reveal some cards.

"Sergei, I am an Esper," Asher said.

Sergei widened his eyes before his face hardened. "Did the Chinese do it?"

"You don't seem to be too surprised." Asher raised an eyebrow.

"The Esper Arms Race is top secret, but I was still privy to some news. I can only say you are lucky to survive and escape if they illegally experimented on you, especially the Chinese. They are xenophobic and have low humanitarian standards, so I can imagine they would either lobotomize or dissect you alive." Sergei said.

"Yeah, I teleported out of there the moment I could," Asher revealed.

Others could also deduce he had such a power since he skipped border passes, so he put this card on the table first to see the reaction.

"Teleported from China... to here? As in, instantly?" Sergei widened his eyes.

"Yes. Like this." Asher said, suddenly teleporting behind Sergei and tapping his shoulder.

"BLYAS! Don't do that!" Sergei flinched and cursed.

"Haha, sorry. Couldn't help it." Asher playfully chuckled and returned to his seat.

"Is there a limit?" Sergei asked.

Not expecting such a serious response, Asher felt he should downplay his power and test the waters first.

"I think a hundred times a day. Maybe more if I train. It is pretty taxing." Asher lied. It was so easy that he could do it 10,000 a day and still do 10,000 more. Sure, he did have a limit, but teleportation was simple. Close or far, it somehow had the same cost to him. At least, he didn't notice a difference yet. Teleporting between worlds felt about a hundred times more taxing than teleporting regularly, but it was still manageable.

"And you can teleport anywhere?" Sergei narrowed his eyes.

"As long as I was there once or have a visual." Asher shrugged.

"Well... 9 out of 10, you are hiding something, but let's pretend it is everything," Sergei shrugged.

"Was I too obvious?" Asher didn't deny.

"You're a smart guy who just survived a disaster. I would be pissed if you didn't hide anything." Sergei grinned.

"Touche." Asher also smiled.

"Anyways, it doesn't matter. You are now classified as a real WMD." Sergei said.

"WMD?! But isn't it just teleportation?" Asher widened his eyes.

"You can teleport, bypassing all borders and security measures, appearing anywhere at any time, and leave just as smoothly. That includes secure bunkers, bank vaults, presidential suites... anywhere. And just as easily disappear into god knows where. You can steal important files and valuables, transport drugs and contraband, appear in vulnerable locations, and take every president on Earth hostage... or assassinate them. You are an orphan without a family, having nothing to lose, a Geopolitical nightmare.

For a small state like Israel, we might not care as much since we don't have the power or resources to control or care about you, but what about the big players? Like the USA, Russia, or China? Every day, they would live in fear of you, knowing you can come to claim their necks, or those of their family. You can come to a president's house, toss a grenade or timed C4 in their living room, and leave. Boom. Down goes the US president. Get it? It isn't that you can kill millions of people, but you can become the ultimate, god-like assassin." Sergei said.

Asher suddenly went pale, understanding the gravity of the situation. He didn't think about it at first since he was too overwhelmed, but now that he had another viewpoint, he understood what the regular Joe would think.

"This is just one of my powers... and I significantly nerfed it down. What would happen if they knew my other powers?! I would be the number one target in the world!"

"What now? I don't want to be hunted down like some dog..." Asher miserably said.

Seeing his friend so frightened, Sergei smiled.

"Bro, don't worry. I just said the most extreme viewpoint. But everything, in the end, is about presentation. It is the difference between a nuclear warhead and a nuclear power plant. Both are nuclear, but are presented in completely different lights. You only need to present yourself as a useful power plant, not a weapon, like how Iran is doing that. Just like how a war hero might be called a mass murderer or vice versa. Like how murdering someone at home might be viewed as a revenge vigilante if the victim is a Nazi killed by a holocost survivor, or calling an excellent doctor who saved thousands of lives a horrible doctor since one of his patients died because of a colleague's negligance.

I mean, you don't even need to look so far. All US presidents suck, but people keep being suckers for either the republican Elephant or democratic Donkey. Look at our prime minister, he is a master manipulator who is good at changing public opinion while being a corrupt ass, and Hezbollah also paints itself as so-called Freedom Fighters, while they are, in fact, fanatical and genocidal maniacs worse than Nazis who use their citizens and children as human meat shields, but are painted like saints on TikTok and other social media outlets without all the facts placed on the table. In comparison, Jews are always painted as the devils who killed Jesus because we are jews, while Jesus was, in fact, a Jewish rabbi. Presentation at its finest." Sergei explained.

"I feel dirty being compared to Hezbollah and the prime minister." Asher pursed his lips.

"Hehehe... Yeah, they suck." Sergei chuckled.

"So what are my options?" Asher asked.

"Aside from staying rogue for the rest of your life or going criminal, you can only tie yourself to one or several big players. It could play differently depending on who you work with, and you might have a regular or wealthy life if you play your cards right. I can contact the Shabak, and they will decide how to deal with you, but considering your history and experience, they would be more inclined to help you. But Israel is weak and vulnerable to foreign pressure, and our government isn't exactly stable and full of corrupt idiots who might even publicly brag about you. It is a red flag in my books.

The EU powers will never dissect you without consent, and will value you if you agree to help in disaster relief and can live relatively freely and with high agency, but don't expect to get rich out of it. The only issue is that their bureaucracy is slow as hell, and they have politically correct idiots. You would have to quicken things up there with some public stunts. Try France, Germany, or even the goddamn Netherlands.

The US is high risk, high reward. Even if you are a born citizen, they are known for not caring about individual lives. They will treat you as a weapon first and a human second, and would automatically assume you work for them, not with them. However, you might be treated as a VIP and an equal partner if you show indispensable usefulness and high publicity.

As for Russia, China, and the Gulf States... fuck no. Just no. No matter what sweet poison they whisper you, you can bet your ass that they would put you under the scalple the moment they get the drop on you, making you disappear for good. Unless you show that you are invincible like Superman or have absolute visibility and public scrutiny, they will dispose of you once they squeeze out your worth. And they are damn good in public media manipulation."

"Hah... Easier said than done. So what do you suggest?" Asher asked, sighing.

"If I were you? I would do what you are doing now, seeking help and asylum in either Israel or the EU, ideally after performing a high-publicity humanitarian act with international media coverage, like helping save lives or putting out fires. You then need to hold a press conference for a popularity stunt, but I would avoid denouncing China since they would want revenge against you if you do, and they will owe you if you don't create a scandal. The publicity would also make the US more hesitant to take action against you. Once that is done, you can negotiate equal terms with the US as a free man, giving them some aid in exchange for freedom and protection. You would also likely need to promise to use your powers responsibly and legally, since people high up would still be afraid of your powers to an extent."

Hearing this, Asher went silent for a moment, contemplating.

"But what can I use for publicity?" Asher muttered.

"H-H-Hachoo!" Suddenly, Sergei sneezed, taking a tissue to wipe his nose.

"What's up?" Asher curiously asked.

"Just a small cold. Got it after visiting a children's doctor with my treasure." Sergei said after wiping his runny nose.

"Ah, I hope you get better..." Asher said, but then, his expression froze.

"Wait a minute... If I can extract viruses and infections out of myself... What about others?"

When that thought came, Asher looked at Sergei and strangely asked. "Can I hold your hand?"

"SUKA! I'm not gay. Go to a gay bar if you are that desperate."  Sergei jokingly said.

"Just give me your hand." Asher rolled his eyes.

"Okay, fine. But what do you want to do?" Sergei said and stretched his arm.

"You will see," Asher said and held Sergei's arm.

Closing his eyes, he activated Spatial Perception, targeting anything harmful in Sergei's body.

The first thing he noticed was the lungs, covered in a black, disgusting substance.

"Ugh... yeah. I sometimes forget how harmful cigarettes are. How about I remove some?" Asher thought and tried removing a small amount from the lungs with Spatial Swapping, directly placing it in Sergei's empty beer cup.

"Cough* Cough* W-What? I suddenly feel better." Sergei widened his eyes, stunned.

Seeing the positive reaction, Asher continued, and Sergei's cup was suddenly a third full of black soot.

"Cough* Cough*... What the... Asher, what did you do? And why is there shit in my cup?" Sergei blinked his eyes, staring at his cup full of black tar.

"That came out of your lungs," Asher said.

"Blet..." Sergei muttered in a daze.

Of course, Asher wasn't done yet. He then targeted the virus in Sergei's upper respiratory tract, removing what he sensed was attacking the sinuses, throat, and nose. A transparent and sticky substance was on top of the tar the next moment.

"So this is another of your powers?" Sergei asked.

"Yes," Asher nodded, but didn't elaborate.

"Well, holy fuck... Asher, do you realize what this means?" Sergei asked, looking at Asher like some rare animal.

"I can cure many uncurable illnesses?" Asher made a guess.

"More than that... you transformed from a walking WMD to a mobile miracle worker. All you need are NGOs to help get you sick patients, and boom. Instant immunity." Sergei said.

"And... that's a good thing, right?" Asher smiled.

"Well, it certainly makes things A LOT easier now... And more complicated and nuanced." Sergei said, rubbing his chest before lighting another cigarette.

"Really? After you saw the shit that came out of your lungs? Can't you use nicotine gums or patches?" Asher strangely looked at Sergei.

"Once a smoker, always a smoker. Sss.. foo... Don't smoke." Sergei said, blowing a cloud of smoke.

"Noted." Asher took the advice seriously.

"Anyways, if you add super healing powers... or their equivalent, then you can allow yourself to be used by NGO health groups to cure the sick and the poor, but only on the premise that you will not be a specific group's poviya, but everyone's poviya. That means you can't let any Sutner monopolize you." Sergei playfully said.

"Dude... why compare me to a prostitute?" Asher narrowed his eyes.

"Because it's funnier."

"..."