Dr. Connors (Happy New Year)

The next day, before dawn, Jos was blindfolded by several individuals who were clearly modified soldiers and escorted out of his room.

Although they took winding routes and drove around for nearly an hour, Jos managed, through subtle clues and the deductions of his useless omniscience, to determine that he was still in the same military camp.

Only now, he was hundreds of meters underground.

“So, you’re Jos? Excellent… truly excellent!” When the black cloth was removed from his eyes, he found himself facing a thin, one-armed man with golden-blond hair, dressed in a white lab coat.

The man’s expression was gloomy, with pronounced eye bags and dark circles beneath his eyes. Combined with an overly excited demeanor, he looked far from mentally stable.

He was none other than the Lizard Doctor, Curt Connors.

“Doctor Connors… is it?” Jos nodded slightly, greeting him.

In the original Spider-Man storyline, the Lizard Doctor was one of his major adversaries. This military surgeon and biology professor had lost an arm in the war, leading him to research lizard genes in hopes of creating a serum that would regenerate his lost limb.

As expected in Marvel’s typical fashion, the serum was a success—but it transformed him into a humanoid lizard, making him one of the iconic supervillains.

Strangely, many Marvel villains seem to turn evil after being disfigured…

Pulling himself from these wandering thoughts, Jos discreetly began to observe Doctor Connors.

Connors still had only one arm. Whether his energy was entirely devoted to those peculiar serums or his research had yet to succeed, Jos couldn’t tell.

But for Jos, this was good news. Compared to those infamous supervillains, the modified soldiers and people like Duncan were mere cannon fodder.

After all, if there were truly effective and powerful serums, Connors would surely be the first to use them himself.

“Impressive, just as they said—your physical condition is remarkable. I think you could become a formidable modified soldier.” Connors wasted no time on pleasantries, getting straight to the point.

“Oh, I’m quite looking forward to it myself. I wonder what their so-called super soldier serum is like.” Having chosen this persona, Jos wasn’t about to break character now, continuing to play the slightly arrogant combat fanatic.

“Super soldier serum?” Connors’s expression darkened at Jos’s words. “That’s not some super soldier serum! The serum I’ve developed has long surpassed that.”

With his single arm, Connors gestured toward a wall lined with a glass cabinet, filled with strange, colorful concoctions.

“The super soldier serum, in the end, merely pushes human limits!” Connors scoffed.

“But do you realize… in nature, the human body is among the weakest? Even at its peak, can human limits compare to those of animals?”

Jos nodded, replying, “That’s true. So your serum is actually…?”

Connors revealed a terrifying grin. “Exactly. This is a serum improved upon the original super soldier serum. I call it the Super Beast Serum!”

“Ah, I see…” Jos had no desire to comment on the tacky name.

“Ha! But those fools still cling to their old dreams, insisting this is a super soldier serum. Utterly foolish.” Connors paid no mind to Jos’s reaction, instead openly mocking Duncan and his group.

This casual remark startled Jos. It was clear from Connors’s words that people like Duncan were closely tied to Hydra.

After all, apart from the serum injected into Captain America, all other super soldier serums had been completely destroyed, and the largest remaining stock belonged to Hydra’s replica research.

Jos kept this knowledge to himself, maintaining a fervent gaze fixed on the array of colorful serums, his expression full of longing.

Though seven parts of it were feigned, three parts were genuine.

Regardless of whether it was the super soldier serum or the super beast serum, it was evident from Duncan and those modified soldiers that these concoctions greatly enhanced physical abilities.

As for appearance, Jos had the system, so he wasn’t worried about ending up like the Lizard Doctor. His mindset wasn’t so fragile as to go mad over a change in color.

Wait… the Lizard Doctor’s head… was green, wasn’t it?

“Come, let me show you my masterpieces.” Perhaps just mentioning his improved serums had excited Connors, who eagerly beckoned Jos over to introduce—or rather, to boast—about them.

Jos was more than happy to oblige. After all, this was his best opportunity for enhancement, and having Connors himself explain was perfect.

However, Jos soon realized there was no need.

The system displayed, right before his eyes, a series of item descriptions, detailing every serum in view with perfect clarity.

“This one is infused with shark DNA—the same type Duncan injected. It not only boosts physical performance but also grants the strength of a shark!” Connors explained as Jos looked at a blue-gray liquid, while the system panel presented the relevant information:

[Name: Super Soldier Serum—Shark DNA Enhanced Version]
[Rating: R (Rating is only a horizontal comparison with items of this world, unrelated to system items)]
[Effect 1: After injection, randomly increases overall physical attributes by 10%–300%.]
[Effect 2: After injection, randomly grants abilities such as sharp teeth, shark skin, underwater breathing, disease immunity, powerful regeneration, etc.]
[Warning: This product is a custom improvement by Curt Connors. With your current physique, there is a 50% chance of failure and a 20% chance of death upon injection.]

Seeing the system panel’s thoroughly normal item description, Jos felt his nose sting and tears almost well up.

At last, he saw a proper item description, even if it wasn’t made by the system.

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Since today is New Year’s Day, only one update is perfectly reasonable.