Chapter 88.
"Stark, can this potion truly grant humans superpowers?" T'Challa's dark face, etched with curiosity, couldn't help but question Tony. He was profoundly shocked upon first hearing about the superpower potion's capabilities. It immediately brought to mind Wakanda's heart-shaped herbs, which offered similar effects—bestowing superhuman abilities upon ordinary individuals. T'Challa himself had consumed this herb, granting him a physical prowess far exceeding that of an average person. Yet, a hint of skepticism lingered regarding a potion capable of granting superpowers to humans.
"Of course. I've conducted countless experiments. There's absolutely nothing amiss! Let's wait and see!" Tony exuded confidence, certain that his judgment was infallible.
Inside, Felix reveled in profound comfort, while outside, those observing him were consumed by worry and nervousness, fearing an accident. Tony and Banner, at this moment, meticulously monitored the instruments displaying Felix's vital signs. Despite Tony's confidence in –Felix and in the potion's improved formula, he believed there would be no major incidents—at most, a failed outcome due to sheer bad luck. However, a surge of worry still gripped him. An experimental simulation was merely a series of data points, but Felix was a living person, and an accident was unthinkable.
The instrument's data showed Felix's condition to be quite critical, his body's surface temperature had soared beyond one hundred degrees. An ordinary person would likely be unable to withstand such extreme heat. Yet, Tony observed no hint of pain on Felix's face. This indicated that such a temperature remained within his tolerance, much to Tony's relief.
Amidst the intense anticipation of everyone present, time crept by, and half an hour vanished in an instant.
"Stark, what's happening? It's been so long. Is it not over yet?" Seeing Felix still lying motionless in the room after such a prolonged period, Captain America couldn't help but inquire of Tony.
"It shouldn't be. I'm a bit surprised myself. His physical indicators returned to normal several minutes ago. By all accounts, it should be over. So why is Felix still motionless?" Tony meticulously re-examined the various data on the nearby instrument, but found nothing amiss. Felix's current body data was perfectly normal, the potion's effects should have fully manifested. But why was Felix still completely still?
"I'll go in and check on him! Don't be surprised!" Tony informed everyone, then opened the door and walked directly in.
"God! He's actually asleep in this situation!" Upon reaching Felix, Tony found himself torn between laughter and exasperation. He discovered Felix with his eyes closed, breathing evenly—not experiencing the accident he'd worried about, but sound asleep.
"Hey, wake up, Felix, don't sleep!" Tony felt somewhat speechless, but he couldn't allow him to continue sleeping. He had to wake him to ask what changes he'd experienced after taking the potion. Had the serum infusion been successful? –
"Ah... that felt good! Huh? Did I fall asleep? Tony, when did you come in?" After Tony called Felix twice, Felix finally awoke. He opened his eyes and sat up. He stretched languidly, as one would upon waking in the morning, finding comfort in the movement. With Felix's movements, a series of crackling sounds, like popping beans, emanated from his body. It was as if he hadn't moved in a long time.
"You have the nerve to ask me that! Why were you sleeping so soundly at such a critical moment? If I hadn't come in to check on you, I imagine we'd still be waiting outside like idiots!" Tony's face was a mask of exasperation as he playfully chided Felix.
"Sorry, Tony. It was just so comfortable that I couldn't help but accidentally fall asleep! But don't pay too much attention to these small matters!" Felix felt a bit embarrassed by Tony's complaints. He had seen the worry etched on everyone's faces outside, which made him feel both slightly abashed and warmly touched.
"Forget it, I won't dwell on it with you. Carefully assess yourself. Are there any special changes in your body or elsewhere? It seems you were successful, we just don't know what kind of superpower you might have gained!" Tony ceased his complaints, instead focusing on his greater anticipation, urging Felix to examine himself and discover what changes had occurred.
"Change? Wait, I'll take a closer look at my body!" Upon hearing Tony's inquiry, Felix also felt a surge of curiosity. Could he truly have gained special superpowers at this moment? Felix closed his eyes again, and his mental energy flowed forth, concentrating entirely on his body.
"No changes. It seems I haven't gained any superpowers!" After a prolonged period of sensing, Felix found that his body was almost identical to before, no special changes had appeared, and the starry sky in his mind remained unchanged.
"However, my physical fitness has significantly improved again! Almost a quarter of its previous level!" Although Felix didn't discover any new superpowers, he realized his physical strength had increased once more. Perhaps it was because his body already possessed abilities similar to Superman's, preventing him for acquiring other superpowers. Taking this potion seems to enhance his existing strength.
"But this isn't bad. At least my strength has increased considerably, and my flight speed should also see a breakthrough! It's just that there's a superpower I'm unsure about—it might be inconsequential, but no regrets!" Felix remained quite satisfied with his transformation, showing no signs of distress. Though he hadn't awakened new superpowers, with his current strength, he didn't require too many.
"Tony, I can only feel that my strength has increased significantly, but I don't seem to have awakened a special superpower!" After his self-assessment, Felix opened his eyes and informed Tony.
"No awakened superpowers? That shouldn't be. We've conducted countless simulation tests and even experiments with mice. We've never encountered a situation like yours." Tony continued, "During our experiments, as long as the serum was successfully used, a special ability would be acquired. Although these abilities varied in usefulness, they appeared without exception!"
He paused, puzzled, "So why did this happen after you used the potion?" Tony was genuinely perplexed, having never encountered a situation like Felix's before. He couldn't comprehend what had caused this outcome.
"Forget it, Tony. This isn't bad, at least my strength has increased considerably! And I can roughly understand what caused this result!" Felix didn't dwell on it much, as long as his strength was enhanced, he was content.
"Wait, Felix, what I observed outside just now was your body temperature rising abnormally, and the cells in your body becoming more active and excited, as if absorbing some energy, then continuously dividing and replicating!" Tony suddenly recalled Felix's earlier condition and said, with a hint of surprise, "Perhaps your superpower is related to cells, and this awakening simply takes time, so you aren't directly aware of it yet! Yes, it's very likely to be like this!"
"Abnormal cells? It seems this did happen at first!" After hearing Tony's reminder, Felix carefully recalled, confirming that such a sensation had indeed occurred. The feeling at the time was a warmth, much like being near the sun. Only after his body became somewhat numb did Felix dismiss it. But reflecting on it now, he considered that perhaps an unknown superpower was awakening, just as Tony suggested. Of course, if he could awaken another superpower, that would be ideal, but even if it was just wishful thinking, there were no regrets.
"Whether it's an awakening superpower or not, after taking the potion, my strength has improved significantly, which at least proves that your potion improvements are still very effective!" Felix continued, "So let's go out first and report to everyone!"
Felix stood, moved his body, and flexed his fists, feeling a surge of strength. He said excitedly to Tony,
When Felix had read novels previously, the protagonist often struggled to control newly acquired immense power, inadvertently damaging objects. However, Felix had never faced such trouble after gaining Superman-like power. He didn't even need to consciously spend time familiarizing himself with his abilities. It was as if he instinctively knew how to fly. The power he used in daily life remained that of an ordinary person, yet he clearly sensed the extremely high upper limit of his own strength. Whenever he was fighting or undertaking tasks requiring great power, his strength would instantly become as immense as he desired. It was as if he could control the power within his body at will. Because of this, Felix had never feared that his powerful force would accidentally harm people or objects nearby.
"How was it? No accident, right? Did Felix use the serum successfully?" As Felix and Tony emerged, the anxious crowd greeted them, with Captain America eagerly posing the question.
"Everyone, don't worry, the potion's use is considered successful. Something unexpected did happen, though. While Felix's strength has increased significantly, his superpower hasn't directly awakened—perhaps it just needs more time!" Tony reassured them, adding, "But that's not the main point. The crucial thing is that this serum can indeed be used with confidence, and it won't cause any life-threatening danger!" He elaborated, "Although I had Jarvis run hundreds of millions of simulation experiments, the test results showed a success rate of about 74%. But that's only relative to ordinary people! Don't forget, we aren't ordinary people, so it shouldn't be so easy to fail!"
Although the initial test case wasn't perfect, it wasn't a failure, Tony said with an easygoing demeanor.
"So, whose turn is next? Let's ask the next... victim... cough, the next user!" Tony, in his excitement, asked the group who would be the second person to use the potion.
"I'm next! Felix took the lead last time, this time it's my turn!" Thor stepped forward and declared in a loud voice.
"No problem, let's go in!" Tony smiled and gestured to Thor, who had emerged from the crowd.
There were no complications when Thor used the potion. Given his exceptionally strong physique, he, like Felix, simply drank it directly. However, his reaction after consuming the serum differed from Felix's. While Felix experienced little immediate reaction after drinking it, Thor was far from calm.
Thor's body was now trembling slightly, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. His eyes were shut, and his teeth gritted. It was evident from his demeanor that he was enduring immense pain. Yet, because of Thor's strength, no cry of pain escaped him.
"What's going on? This is very different from when Felix used it!" Steve looked at Thor and asked Tony with a hint of worry.
"Don't worry, this is actually a more normal reaction. Felix is an anomaly, he can't be compared," Tony said, casting a glance at Felix as he spoke, seemingly unconcerned by the situation.
"I'm an anomaly? I didn't feel much at first, otherwise how could I have fallen asleep! But, Tony, are you sure Thor isn't in danger like this?" Felix felt a little speechless, thinking,
'Who's the anomaly? It must be that I'm too strong, and Tony's just jealous!'
Despite his internal thought, Felix looked at Thor with genuine concern. Although Tony insisted this was normal, Felix could only hope Tony was right and that Thor wasn't in danger.
"I'm sure. Look, this is the state of Thor's body! After the serum entered his body, it's changing him at the genetic level, from the inside out, and his genes are reorganizing—this is also the key to the birth of superpowers!" Tony explained, "It's just that Thor's physique is too strong, so genetic recombination is often accompanied by far more severe pain than for ordinary people!" He concluded, "But it's not life-threatening. The question is whether he can successfully endure the pain and awaken a special ability!"
Though Tony's face radiated confidence, concern flickered in his eyes, knowing Thor would suffer more severe pain than ordinary individuals. Consequently, the chance of success for him –would be slimmer.
"Hope he can hold on!"
As time slowly passed, more than ten minutes elapsed in an instant. Thor remained in the same state, gritting his teeth, enduring immense pain without uttering a sound. But after a few more minutes, Thor finally seemed to be free from the pain; his body relaxed and stopped trembling.
"Okay, it should be over soon! His genes have recombined, and it appears to be a success!" Tony observed the instrument's display, finally exhaling a sigh of relief. He then addressed the crowd, preparing to enter the room.
"Wait, Tony! It seems he hasn't changed yet!" Felix abruptly halted Tony's movement because, at that moment, the previously calm Thor in the room suddenly exhibited abnormal changes once more! He began experiencing the pain again, and this time, the agony seemed even more violent than before, so much so that even Thor's strong willpower couldn't bear it!
"What's going on? His gene sequence had just recombined and stabilized! Why is it disrupted again now? It seems there's some more powerful force forcibly disturbing the results!" Tony stopped, quickly returned to the instrument, and watched intently. Banner, who had been there the entire time, spoke directly.
"What's the matter? It was clearly very successful in the previous experimental simulations. Why are accidents happening so frequently during official use? Felix was like this, and now Thor is like this!" Tony stared at the image displayed by the instrument, and as Banner had stated, Tony arrived at the same conclusion. It was perplexing because this had never happened before. Why were accidents occurring one after another now?
"Tony, I think I already understand why this happened!" As Tony pondered, desperately trying to pinpoint the core of the problem, Felix suddenly spoke in a low, profound voice.
"Felix, you understand? Then please tell me what's going on?" Tony heard Felix's words, his voice urgent. He was eager to know the reason.
"I think, as you just said, Tony, –your simulation experiments were based on and conducted with ordinary people! And Thor, and everyone here, doesn't seem to be ordinary people!" Felix continued, "Furthermore, Thor isn't in any danger right now. He just succeeded! It's simply that his original constitution is more powerful than his acquired superpower!" Felix elaborated, "So, this situation is happening because he's changing back to his stronger physique! You can look at his hands!"
Following Felix's words, everyone involuntarily looked at Thor's hands, only to be surprised to find a glimmer of silvery electric energy, beating at his fingertips. This electric energy was rapidly growing in a straight line. Almost in the blink of an eye, the electrical aura followed his arm and spread over his entire body! At this moment, Thor truly appeared like the God of Thunder, completely enveloped by lightning! Suddenly, Thor's eyes snapped open, and two silvery streaks, seemingly real, shot out, disappearing only when they reached the ceiling! His pupils, however, were replaced by silver and white, their original color indiscernible.
Looking at Thor, the familiar melody unconsciously played in Felix's mind.
...…..
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