Do you have your own background music playing in your mind?

“Duncan! How dare you betray Hydra?!”

There was no doubt in Duncan’s words. If the man had chosen this delicate moment to say such things, it was certainly not to amuse them.

Everyone present was an adult old enough to appreciate the darker sides of life; none of them were naïve enough to think Duncan was joking.

“No, this isn’t Duncan’s fault—there’s something wrong with that kid!”

The bespectacled man, clearly some kind of scientist, paused in thought, then quickly realized that it was Joss, the one beside this “traitor Duncan,” who was truly suspicious.

Before he could finish his sentence, the burly, bald man closest to Joss roared, and his body underwent a shocking transformation! A pair of thick horns burst through his scalp, and his already muscular frame swelled even further. Brown fur sprouted all over him, and he became a rampaging beast.

“Is this a result of the Wild Bull Serum?” Joss recognized the transformation instantly. Thanks to the system, he could easily read the effects of all the serums back in Dr. Connors' lab, so he immediately understood the man’s modifications.

The Wild Bull Serum didn’t grant any special abilities, but upon injection, it dramatically increased a super soldier’s strength, stamina, and muscle density. In gaming terms, it was a fully passive, semi-tank warrior build!

The bald man—now not so bald—let out a thunderous roar, swinging his massive, kettle-sized fists at Joss. Yet before he could get close, Duncan’s body appeared right in the path of his attack.

“Duncan! Let me put you out of your misery!”

However, the bull-like giant showed no mercy for his former colleague. His punch landed squarely on Duncan’s chest. Even though both were enhanced soldiers, Duncan, whose bio-functions were completely controlled by Little Black and who was totally unprepared, stood no chance. With a single blow, his chest was shattered!

But in the next instant, a mass of black, viscous liquid erupted from the wound, instantly wrapping around the bull-man’s arm and invading his body.

“Heehee, this is the method Joss mentioned before, but it’s my first time using it.”

As Little Black’s melodious laughter echoed, the bull-man frantically clawed at his own arm in terror. But against a symbiote that could invade the body in an instant, he was utterly helpless.

Ordinary symbiotes would have to worry about dying if their host perished, but now Little Black’s life energy was supplied entirely by Joss. He became a terrifying assassin from within the body!

Of course, this move had its limits. For those who could control energy or whose physical strength was off the charts, Little Black would be instantly shredded if he tried to possess them. But against someone of the bald giant’s caliber, he was basically invincible.

Throughout all this, Joss didn’t spare a glance at that side. Instead, he drew a plain steel longsword—won in a lottery from the system—and strode toward a fat man cowering in the corner.

The fat man was clearly no pushover. Meeting Joss’s gaze, he let out a furious roar; in an instant, his entire body sprouted a fine layer of white fur, and his aura surged dramatically!

“That’s... the White Boar Serum?” Joss was startled by the transformation, but on reflection, he realized he hadn’t seen such a serum in Connors’ lab.

“I injected the Silver Fox Serum!” the fat man snapped, clearly offended by Joss’s exclamation. He threw down his bag of chips and lunged with a pair of razor-sharp claws.

His speed was unbelievable for someone so corpulent, leaving afterimages in the air. His massive hands, now equipped with deadly claws, resembled a monstrous rake, each swipe tearing deep, bone-revealing gashes into anything they struck.

“Damn it.”

Watching the frenzied, chaotic assault of the fat fox, Joss didn’t even bother to lift an eyebrow. With a casual swing and sweep of his sword, he effortlessly parried the attack.

After obtaining the Swiftwind Sword of Joy, Joss’s swordsmanship had reached the level of a master. Although most of his moves were stiff, learned techniques rather than self-developed styles, they were more than enough to deal with such a clown.

Despite their formidable appearance, Duncan and the others were all super-soldier beasts made by Connors, stationed at headquarters. Their combat instincts were nothing compared to the ordinary frontline grunts whose power might be less but whose battle sense was far keener.

This was only natural. It would be a poor use of resources for someone meant to strategize and command to spend every day risking death in melee combat. Whatever their past, their current focus lay elsewhere.

Connors’ serums only made this worse. When ordinary people gain power far beyond their control, corruption and degeneration are almost inevitable.

That’s why only those who can resist such temptation deserve to be called true superheroes!

“Take this!”

With a low shout, Joss drove the wind-imbued sword into the fat fox’s chest. The razor-sharp whirlwind within exploded, shredding his heart into pulp and snuffing out all life.

From the moment the bald man went berserk to Joss’s slaying of the fat fox, no more than ten seconds had passed. Of the four leaders—excluding Duncan—one was dead, one gravely wounded.

Joss retrieved his sword and turned around, only to find that the bespectacled man and another had vanished. A secret door, previously undetectable, now stood wide open; clearly, they had escaped through it.

“Little Black, did you get anything?” Joss glanced at the now thoroughly devoured remains of the bald giant.

“Nothing.”

“Damn. After them—only those two might know.” Without another word, Joss dashed into the secret passage. Little Black crawled out of the dead man’s body and followed.

Joss wasn’t just hunting them down; he also hoped to find some way—if it existed—to stop that mad, monstrous plan. If there was a switch, a code, or anything of the sort, only the highest-ranking agents involved in the operation would have it.

...

“Hey, Cork? Are you sure this is safe? Didn’t we forget to close the door when we came in?” In the secret passage, the bespectacled man nervously asked the blond youth beside him.

“Forget? No, no, George, you fool. That was left open on purpose... It’s the Gate of Hell!” The blond, Cork, gave a sinister smile.

At this, George seemed to catch on. He exhaled in relief, grinning awkwardly. “Ah, you’re right! There are traps in the passageway.”

Cork nodded, hatred twisting his face. “Exactly. The corridor registers our body information. If anyone steps in who doesn’t match the weight of the five of us, they’ll be riddled with holes in an instant!”

As they joked, neither noticed the shadow of a sword-wielding figure closing in behind them.

←To Be Continued