"Ha, you'd better succeed." Henry raised his head weakly and forced a sarcastic smile.
"I'm telling you, I'm starving. The food standards at Hydra are abysmal—worse than prisoners of war. If you don't give me a full meal, I won't become a super soldier. Hell, I won't even become a sick super soldier."
The researchers ignored him like emotionless machines, methodically preparing for the experiment.
A syringe filled with golden liquid was pushed in front of Henry. The liquid sparkled under the light, as if captured sunlight.
"Superman serum? Nice name. Sounds warm," Henry said, staring at the syringe before finally complaining.
The cold needle pierced his arm, and the golden liquid slowly entered his veins.
One second. Two seconds. One minute.
No reaction.
No searing pain, no cellular tearing, not even a flicker of fever.
The serum flowed silently through him like a single drop of water into the sea.
"What's going on? No change in vital signs!"
"Energy reaction is zero! Is the serum ineffective?"
"Impossible! This is already our perfect formula."
The researchers were stunned, disappointment and disbelief etched on their faces.
Henry blinked weakly. "So that's it? All talk and no fireworks, huh? Can I go back to sleep? And maybe have a double cheeseburger and a large Coke?"
Anger replaced disappointment. The older researcher tore off his gloves and waved them irritably. "Take him back! Throw him in the cell!"
Henry was dragged back to his familiar cell and dumped on the cold floor like trash. The metal door slammed shut, and silence returned.
'Maybe I'll be the first transmigrator starved to death by Hydra and killed by a failed experiment,' Henry thought, smiling bitterly. 'What a frustrating way to die.'
He gave up struggling and thinking, lying quietly staring at the unchanging alloy ceiling, muttering to himself.
'It's been so long since I saw the sun. The real sun, not this broken lamp.'
Just then, something strange happened.
"Roar!!"
A violent, non-human roar erupted from the cell next door, filled with pain and madness, like a ferocious beast awakening.
Henry startled and looked confused. "Holy crap. Is the guy next door high on drugs? Mutated?"
"Boom!!"
Before he could react, the entire base violently shook.
Hideous cracks formed on the walls, rubble and dust showered down.
Another bang! A huge hole was smashed into the alloy wall of the adjacent cell.
A monster with twisted muscles and strange black skin burst out. Its red eyes gleamed as it roared blindly, killing and smashing everything in its path.
"Alarm! Alarm! Experiment 7 is out of control! Repeat, Experiment 7 is out of control!"
Shrill alarms sounded base-wide amid footsteps, gunfire, and human screams.
Henry's cell was rocked; the ceiling collapsed. A huge concrete block crashed onto the metal bed where he'd lain, denting it deeply.
"Good thing I hid away." Henry patted his chest, still wary.
His eyes caught the large hole left by the fallen stone. A beam of warm golden sunlight pierced through, shining like holy light onto the floor before him.
He was stunned. He stared blankly at the sunlight and then grinned. "Oh, so the sun really exists. I wished to see it, and here it is. Does that count as a dying wish fulfilled?"
He glanced at the chaotic scene outside, knowing he couldn't escape even if his cell was breached. His weak body probably couldn't defeat a soldier with a gun.
"Forget it. I can't get out anyway. It's nice to get some sun before I die."
With that, he summoned the last of his strength and moved toward the ray of sunlight.
His body felt like lead; every move made his bones creak.
One centimeter. Two centimeters.
He gritted his teeth, eyes flashing with longing, inching forward like a dying fish swimming toward life.
Finally, his whole body was bathed in warm sunlight.
An unprecedented comfort enveloped him.
He sighed deeply and smiled, happiness blooming from his core.
"Ah! The sun is shining. No regrets now."
He closed his eyes peacefully, savoring his final moments.
Alarms, explosions, and screams seemed to fade away.
Then, suddenly, he opened his eyes.
An indescribable, powerful vitality surged through every cell.
It was like a dry sponge thrown into an ocean, greedily soaking up water.
The sunlight was an endless energy source.
He felt his shriveled muscles filling out again at a visible speed.
His pale face regained color, glowing pink and healthy.
The hunger that had gnawed at his bones vanished within seconds, replaced by fullness and strength.
A powerful force blossomed inside him—though not immense yet, he knew it surpassed any ordinary human limit.
Then, an even stranger feeling: his body felt lighter.
No, it wasn't just lighter, it began floating.
He looked down, surprised, as his body rose slowly, uncontrollably.
One centimeter. Five. Ten centimeters off the ground.
"Oh my god. Superman?"
Henry stared at his feet dangling mid-air, feeling like he was dreaming a bizarre nightmare.
He muttered, "What's going on? Superman? Superman serum? So that's how the serum works? Photosynthesis? But it's not that strong! Kryptonians lift aircraft carriers bathing in the sun, but I can barely lift a truck?"
Lost in thought, he heard hurried footsteps and shouts behind him.
"Don't move! Hands up!"
Several Hydra soldiers, who had escaped the chaos, aimed their guns at him.
Henry floated in mid-air and slowly turned around.
Looking down, he saw a body transformed: tall, strong, filled with explosive power.
His height seemed to have grown from 185 cm to over 192 cm.
Infinite power surged inside, he felt like one punch could break a wall.
He met the fearful eyes of the soldiers aiming guns at him.
A confident, cruel smile spread across his face.
"Very good," he said, cracking his neck with sharp pops.
"Today, we're making snake head soup!"
Before finishing, his figure blurred and disappeared. The next instant, he appeared by the reinforced glass observation window across the cell.
Clenching his fists, feeling unprecedented power, he threw a punch.
"Bang! Crack!"
The glass, strong enough to stop large-caliber bullets, shattered like an eggshell.
The soldiers widened their eyes in horror and instinctively fired.
Flames from bullets enveloped Henry, but he barely moved.
He wanted to test his new body's defense.
Bullets struck his chest, arms, and cheeks but failed to pierce his skin.
They made only faint tinkling sounds before falling limp.
"Tickle? Not hard enough, guys."
Henry dusted off imaginary dust and stepped through the broken window.
At that moment, the base leader appeared—middle-aged, in a tailored suit, eyes cold and sinister, surrounded by guards.
Seeing Henry unharmed and floating, he first froze, then erupted into mad laughter.
"It worked! My serum worked! We created a superhuman!"
Henry smiled, unimpressed.
"Yes, thank you for your generosity. Now please—go see God."
He vanished again.
What followed was a one-sided massacre.
Henry's strength and speed were only initial enhancements, far from peak, yet enough to overwhelm ordinary soldiers and heavy weapons.
Bullets had no effect; grenades exploded without even a spark.
He kicked away an RPG soldier before the rocket launched. The explosion on the ceiling knocked down nearby Hydra troops.
Like a tiger storming sheep, every punch and kick broke bones and silenced screams.
He seized one soldier, vanished, reappeared beside another gunner, grabbed him too, then crushed both men's necks together.
In less than two minutes, Henry single-handedly defeated all resistance in the base.
He landed slowly before the cowering leader, who was now soaking wet with fear.
"Please, spare me!"
"Next time, feed your test subjects," Henry said flatly, stepping forward.
Explosions and shaking began everywhere—the chaos caused by the rampaging experimental subject had shattered the base's structure.
Henry did not stop; he rose and flew through the ceiling hole, bursting out of the underground base.
Outside, vast wilderness stretched beneath a bright blue sky and warm sun.
He greedily breathed in fresh air, feeling the sun's warmth on his skin.
Looking back, he roughly estimated this was a secret U.S. base.
He oriented himself eastward.
There it is New York.
"Tony, wait for me. Hope those bearded Middle Eastern guys haven't killed you yet."
He whispered, then spread his arms slightly.
In the next instant, he became a shadow and shot toward Los Angeles at supersonic speed.
"Boom!"
A white sonic boom cloud exploded behind him, forming a spectacular, lingering Mach ring.