Henry walked out onto the viewing balcony, bare-chested and wearing only loose beach shorts. He pushed open the door to the terrace. The morning sun, carrying a pleasant warmth, bathed his perfect physique. The contours of every muscle were clearly defined, full of explosive power.
He took a deep breath of the salty sea air, then wrinkled his nose in distaste.
"I have to say, the air quality in California is getting worse," he muttered to the empty balcony, his tone critical.
"It's full of the stench of money and the cheap perfume of those Hollywood stars. Jarvis, do you think I should consider buying a private island, planting it exclusively with white birch trees, and using it just to purify the air?"
"Good morning, Mr. Henry," Jarvis's gentle voice sounded through the hidden speaker on the balcony.
"According to your physiological data, your sleep quality last night was rated as excellent. Additionally, based on real-time air quality monitoring, the PM2.5 index in the Malibu area is currently 12, which is excellent. The odor you are perceiving is more likely from the champagne you consumed in excess last night and Miss Elena's limited-edition Chanel perfume."
"Oh, is that so?" Henry rolled his eyes.
"It seems your database contains more than just cold data. What's this? Are you starting to research women's perfumes now? My dear old electronic, shouldn't you find an electronic girlfriend? I heard a new model just came out in Japan; not only is her voice sweet, but she can also say Yamete kudasai."
"Sir, I am merely stating the facts." Jarvis's voice remained calm.
"The current time is 8:15 a.m. Should I prepare breakfast for you? The kitchen robot has already prepared your favourite Spanish ham and over-easy eggs."
"Breakfast? No rush." Henry stretched lazily. The sun felt warm on his skin, making every cell in his body rejoice.
"I suddenly feel that it would be a waste of such beautiful sunshine not to sunbathe. Come on, Jarvis, get me a lounge chair. Isn't it normal for a promising young man who loves a healthy lifestyle to enjoy a sunbath?"
"Of course, Sir."
As Jarvis responded, the glass curtain wall behind Henry silently slid open to the sides. Several sleek alloy panels slowly extended, deformed, and pieced together from within the wall. The whole process was seamless and incredibly high-tech, like a display of precise mechanical operation.
"I have to say, this fully automated slacking-off system I designed out of laziness is a genius invention," Henry watched the process, a satisfied smile on his face, though he didn't forget to complain.
"It's just a bit slow. By the time you finish assembling it, the sun will be setting. Next time you upgrade it, remember to install thrusters. I want to be lying on it 0.1 seconds after I give the command."
Soon, a mechanical sun lounger that looked incredibly comfortable was perfectly presented before him.
"Passable, I suppose," Henry muttered, then settled comfortably onto the lounger. A mechanical arm extended from the side of the chair, precisely handing him a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses.
He put on the sunglasses, crossed his legs, and said provocatively, "Alright, now let the simple, tedious life begin."
He closed his eyes, blissfully enjoying the sun's embrace. But he didn't actually intend to sleep.
"Jarvis, don't be idle. Open the body data monitoring system for me. I want to see how efficient my human solar panel is at charging. Project all data in real-time in front of me. I want to see if an hour of sunbathing can let me lift another tank."
"Affirmative, Sir."
A semi-transparent holographic projection screen instantly appeared in front of Henry, rapidly refreshing with complex data and 3D models. The sunlight hitting him didn't feel hot at all; instead, it felt like warm streams slowly seeping into his skin, flowing through his limbs and bones. His entire body seemed to be coated in a faint golden aura, making him look like the Sun God of myth.
He leisurely swung his legs while watching the holographic projection, not forgetting to bicker with Jarvis.
"Hey, Jarvis, look at this cell energy conversion efficiency. It only increased by 0.09%? Too slow! Shouldn't you adjust the sunlight spectrum for me? Or maybe use a satellite to focus a solar ray on me? I think that would be more efficient."
"Sir, as I analyzed last time, your body is undergoing energy conversion similar to plant photosynthesis in an unprecedented way. This conversion is extremely efficient and seems to be conducting an extremely slow genetic optimization and evolution."
"I get it, I get it," Henry waved his hand impatiently. "You don't have to make it so complicated. Simply put, I'm evolving towards Superman, right? The guy who wears blue tights and red underwear on the outside."
"There are similarities, Sir. But based on the current data model analysis, your evolutionary direction is full of uncertainty and cannot be accurately predicted."
"Unpredictable? So it's a mystery box?" Henry pouted.
"I hate mystery boxes. But as long as it doesn't give me some passive skill of wearing underwear on the outside, I'm fine. Seriously, that aesthetic is a disaster."
He looked at the constantly changing genetic chain model on the screen, his mind less peaceful than his words suggested. Perhaps he really would evolve towards Superman. The "getting stronger by sunbathing" setup was too iconic. It had to be this way. It couldn't possibly be Hyperion, the schizophrenic guy, right? That would be too lame.
Then he thought again, if it were Sentry, that wouldn't be bad. No, that would be an absolute jackpot! After all, Sentry's powers, in different comic book runs, were absolutely god-tier—millions of suns' worth of power, matter manipulation, mental control.
Although the side effect was the emergence of an equally god-tier villain personality, if he just avoided saving the world, wouldn't that solve the problem?
He sighed, hoping that one day he could become that strong. Strong enough to protect everything he cared about.
Time passed as Henry enjoyed his sunbath, daydreamed, and bickered with Jarvis. Two hours went by.
"Sir," Jarvis's voice woke Henry from his half-asleep state.
"Based on the comprehensive calculation of energy absorption and conversion, your physical abilities appear to have increased again compared to yesterday."
Henry was intrigued. He took off his sunglasses, sat up, and looked at the data on the screen.
"Oh? Is that so?" His tone was expectant.
"How much stronger? Have I reached the level where I can punch the moon?"
"I'm afraid not yet, Sir," Jarvis also spoke with humor.
"According to the model's estimation, your baseline strength has increased by approximately 4 tons, and your maximum flight speed has risen to Mach 3. As for your physical defense, it is stronger than you imagine."
"Only 4 tons? That's too little," Henry said, though his face couldn't hide his smile.
"But, it's better than nothing. At least next time I encounter some unfortunate jerk, I can flatten him a little more easily."
He stood up, stretched his limbs, and felt the power surging within him, even more abundant than before. Then, a bold and crazy idea suddenly popped into his mind.
"Hey, Jarvis," he said with a mischievous grin, "How about we do something exciting?"
"Sir, if I may be so bold, your definition of 'exciting' is usually accompanied by extreme risk."
"Don't be such a spoilsport," Henry walked to the edge of the balcony, looking up at the blue sky.
"I was just thinking. Since I get stronger by sunbathing, just like that guy with the underwear on the outside, and you analyzed that I have a bio-force field, albeit a weak one, do you think there's a possibility that I can survive in space?"
"Like Superman. He can use his unscientific bio-force field to solve the problems of vacuum, low temperature, and lack of oxygen."
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