I want it all.

There was no need for Connors to explain—relevant information had already popped up automatically on the system panel.

"Abomination Serum," "Werewolf Serum," "Vampire Serum," "Zombie Serum"...

If those outside were merely mixtures of animal DNA and super-soldier serum, the ones in here were improvements based on beings who already possessed extraordinary power! Heaven only knew how Dr. Connors had gotten his hands on these things...

"Uh...wait, the Howling Commandos are with SHIELD, right? No wonder these look so familiar..."

As a member of SHIELD, the Howling Commandos comprised vampires, werewolves, zombies, and the like. Gathering a little of their DNA under the banner of SHIELD wouldn’t be too difficult. As for a few others, like the Abomination Serum, it was originally a bioweapon developed by the U.S. military—so it wasn’t too surprising Connors had acquired it.

“How do you feel? Did your intuition pick up anything?” Seeing Joss staring blankly, a satisfied smile finally crept onto Connors’ face.

No matter their personality or character, scholars like them were always delighted when their inventions left others in awe.

“I...I sense tremendous power. These aren’t ordinary substances—they’re something far more terrifying than any animal or super-soldier!”

To make up for the setting he’d just added, Joss could only continue playing the mystic.

“So did your intuition tell you which one you should choose?” Connors looked at Joss, half-smiling. He made no attempt to introduce the serums, clearly intent on making Joss rely purely on “intuition” to decide.

This was no trouble for Joss; in fact, it made him a little excited. No matter which of these serums he picked, even with just Jason’s level of strength as a baseline, his combat power would undoubtedly rise to a new level.

And with the chance to gain related abilities, perhaps his fighting style would finally become normal! Yes, more important than power was to return his style to normal first.

But the choice itself was difficult. The Abomination Serum granted immense strength—Joss had experienced its effects firsthand and knew its power well. Yet the other serums each had their own strengths, making it hard to judge which was best.

Upon further consideration, Joss realized these serums came with their own troubles: the creatures they were based on had inherent flaws or weaknesses. For instance, with the Vampire Serum, he couldn’t be sure whether he’d become another Blade, or end up as one of those vampires who’d die the moment sunlight touched them.

“Damn, if that were the case, wouldn’t I be injecting myself to death?”

These supernatural serums were far stronger than the animal ones outside, but their flaws were greater too, leaving Joss in silent contemplation.

As for what Connors intended to do with these, or what Hydra was plotting by making so many serums, those weren’t Joss’s concerns for now. Everything related to this place he’d already relayed to Steve through their chest-telepathy, which was as good as letting the entire Avengers know. What they did next was not his headache.

“So, have you decided? Which of these supernatural serums do you want?” After waiting a few minutes with no response, Connors finally couldn’t help but prompt him.

“You might not believe this...” Joss turned to Connors. Then, raising his right hand, his five fingers clawed at the air like an eagle. “I want them all!”

“What?! Are you insane? You think this is a hot pot, the more ingredients the better?” Dr. Connors nearly spat in Joss’s face.

Joss had expected such a reaction, so he wasn’t surprised in the least. He just smiled arrogantly. “Your doubts are perfectly reasonable. After all, even a single serum has quite a low success rate. Taking several at once is basically suicide. Speaking of that, it reminds me of Captain America Steve’s triumph deep behind enemy lines. So, to become a powerhouse like that, I have to take them all—flourish in both field and form!”

“Huh????”

For some reason, even though Joss’s words didn’t seem logically connected, Dr. Connors felt they made absolute sense!

A conversational genius—no matter the topic, he could always circle back to his goal, and leave the other party convinced in the process!

“Fine... Whatever, as long as I get some interesting experimental data out of it, we’ll do it your way.”

It wasn’t as if the thought had never occurred to Dr. Connors. But anyone sent here for modification was a carefully screened elite. Under normal circumstances, Duncan and the others would never let Connors run wild.

But now, Joss’s words had awakened his inner curiosity, so he agreed to Joss’s request.

Mixing the serums wasn’t difficult: just like a child at play, Connors poured equal portions of each into a container and stirred, producing a jar of pitch-black, mud-like substance.

“Are you sure...you want to inject this?” Even Connors, mad scientist that he was, felt uneasy at the sight of this indescribable liquid.

He could accept experiments with mortal risk, but injecting this into someone was outright murder.

“Inject it? Of course not.” Joss shook his head. Before Connors could react, he raised the jar and downed the inky liquid in one gulp.

“A real man chugs it all at once! And...you know, it actually tastes like cola. Not bad at all.”

Under Connors’ astonished gaze, Joss licked his lips. Then—with a thud—collapsed to the floor.

Drinking an injection—what a madman!

...

Joss had no idea how Connors was reacting outside, but he was well aware of the changes on his system panel.

The reason he hadn’t let Connors inject him, and had instead chosen this absurd method, was because he was relying on his system.

And the system did not disappoint. The moment he swallowed the serum, a string of prompts popped up on the panel.

[Host has performed an act of utter recklessness.]
[Host has gained 364,364 points of Reckless Origin.]
[Host survival rate too low. Activating life-preservation mode.]