After another wave of viral enhancement to his brain, Samuel gradually came back to his senses.
The first thing he felt was that his vision had become sharper, clearer, more piercing than before.
The dull haze that had always seemed to separate him from the world was gone. After this round of enhancement, everything now stood before him with startling clarity.
At that moment, he truly felt as if he had gained a brain capable of uncovering truth itself and solving the mysteries of the world.
"Boss, all the problems that used to feel impossible now look as simple as middle-school equations."
"I'm completely confident now. I can crack that alien's DNA in the shortest time possible."
As soon as he recovered, Samuel looked at Killian with those bright blue eyes and spoke excitedly.
At that moment, he felt the greatness of life itself and the wonder of nature.
Under the influence of genetic change, even a freak of nature like Test Subject T-2 had been born. To him, that felt like a gift from the Creator.
And according to his own estimates, a single dose of Ts enhancement serum could unlock around five to ten percent of a host's brain capacity. Just now, he had unlocked nearly twenty percent.
Because of that, the way he viewed everything had changed. Problems that used to be bottlenecked by the speed of his own thinking now felt completely transparent.
At that moment, he also understood more clearly than ever just how miraculous and absurdly lucky the birth of Test Subject T-2 had been.
If he could keep studying that subject's widened brain domain and psychic development, then Samuel was certain he could eventually create an even more advanced Ts-0 series formula.
As long as he had enough time, none of that would be a problem.
For the first time, he had absolute confidence.
"Really? Looks like what you made is even better than I thought."
Looking at Samuel, who now seemed like a completely different person from before the injection, Killian was genuinely surprised and praised him from the bottom of his heart.
To be honest, Samuel's development of the serum had already reached a level comparable to Umbrella's enhancement work on Alice in Resident Evil.
And more importantly, Samuel's Ts serum could be used on all biological subjects. It completely eliminated the issue from Resident Evil where the T-virus enhancement was basically exclusive to Alice.
"Thank you for the praise, Boss. I also have several enhancement serums in development based on the blood samples from Test Subject T-1 and Test Subject T-3. I believe it won't be long before those start producing results too."
Hearing Killian's praise, Samuel nodded and replied with excitement.
"Good. Just keep going all out. The company won't forget what you've done."
Killian patted him on the shoulder and gave him a proper encouraging promise.
Then he turned and left.
After returning to his office, Killian placed the serum into the data analysis chamber and quietly waited for Baymax's test results.
"Sir, according to composition analysis, the serum contains T-virus elements... as well as specialized serum components derived from Test Subject T-2."
"It poses no harm to the human body. According to simulation data, once it enters the system, it will slightly enhance overall physical function and then greatly expand the biological brain domain after reaching the brain."
"According to comparative data, it is recommended that you inject it together with the T-0 antiviral serum. That would create an even stronger full-body enhancement effect."
After a long wait, Baymax finally completed the analysis and reported the results.
Only then did Killian fully relax.
Even though Samuel was controlled by a brain chip, and even though he had injected the serum into himself right in front of Killian, anything that had to be injected into his own body had to be one hundred percent safe before Killian would ever use it.
Samuel knew that about him.
That was why he had put six Ts-1 enhancement serums into the cryogenic case in the first place, specifically to remove Killian's doubts right in front of him.
And now, after seeing Samuel use it himself and after Baymax had fully confirmed the results, Killian no longer hesitated.
He picked up a fresh injector, attached a vial of Ts-1, and drove it directly into his right arm.
But he did not stop there.
After injecting the first serum into his right arm, he immediately loaded a T-0 antiviral serum into another injector and drove that one into his left arm as well.
If anyone had seen that scene, with the CEO of AIM casually giving himself two injections one after the other, the tabloids would probably have exploded the next day with headlines like AIM CEO Addicted to Drugs.
But after shaking all of those random thoughts out of his head, Killian barely had time to react before a violent surge of pain erupted from inside his body.
In an instant, the pain flooded through him from head to toe.
At that moment, even being flayed alive would not have seemed worse.
If someone could have looked inside his body on a microscopic level, they would have seen the Ts enhancement serum and the T-virus begin colliding the moment they came into contact.
They came from the same root, yet they were no longer the same.
They clashed and fused at the same time, stirring every cell in Killian's body into violent motion.
By the end, the cells throughout his body were spinning like a machine under overload.
And because of that, he felt an unbearable tearing sensation spread through his body, first from the arms, then into the torso, and finally into his brain.
"Sir, hold on. The longer you stay conscious, the greater the cellular enhancement will be."
When Baymax detected that Killian was on the verge of passing out, its voice immediately sounded in his ear.
"Motherfucker!"
Hearing Baymax's voice, Killian, who had just been about to surrender to the pain and black out, could only curse with the last of his strength and keep enduring the agony.
"Keep injecting!"
At that point, he no longer had the strength to administer the remaining doses himself. He forced out the command with the last of his will.
The moment Baymax received the order, two medical robots emerged from the wall panels. They loaded the remaining serum vials into injectors and, with clean and precise movements, pushed them into both of Killian's arms.
As the enhancement process continued, Killian felt nothing but raw pain and misery.
But even then, his eyes still burned with stubborn determination and refusal to yield.
Killian had always worked with caution and patience. That much was true.
But when it came to real hardship, there was still something in him that refused to lose.
As time passed, the later stages of the enhancement only made that clearer.
His body weakened, yet his eyes grew brighter and brighter, until those pupils seemed to reflect a deep ocean-blue light.
No one knew how much time passed before the two serums finally completed the process of transforming their host.
Only then did Killian finally go still.
When he had rested for a while and managed to stand up again, Baymax had already sent a mirror over to him.
And in that mirror, Killian saw a body unlike anything he had ever had before.
Every muscle was tight, clean, sculpted, like a perfect statue.
Looking at his reflection, he felt as though he were staring at a stronger, sharper, more confident version of himself, reborn into the world.
And that was not all.
As he slowly focused his thoughts, he began to sense something different.
It was as if some invisible extension of himself now existed outside his body.
When Killian shifted his gaze toward a cup on a nearby table, it slowly rose into the air.
Then he opened his right hand.
The cup drifted across the room and settled neatly into his palm.
"Congratulations, Sir. You have awakened psychic power."
Baymax's voice sounded immediately through the surveillance system.
"Hahahaha! A nice bonus. Just a nice bonus!"
Hearing that, Killian tried to suppress his smile, but quickly discovered that his grin was harder to hold down than a full-auto AK.
Since there was no one else around anyway, he gave up pretending and just burst into laughter.
Even though he had always thought of himself as a scientist working from behind the curtain, someone who only needed to manipulate events in secret while his people handled the visible mess, what person in that position could ever reject the chance to gain real superhuman power?
People who liked to stay in the shadows all shared one trait.
No one ever thought they had too many hidden cards.
They always wanted more methods, more contingencies, more power.
And now, looking at the cup resting quietly in his hand, Killian found himself even more excited for the future.
He quickly realized that his enhancement had affected much more than just raw strength.
His vision had improved dramatically.
With a casual glance, he could clearly make out details on a bookshelf far away that should have been nearly impossible to see.
Then, when he looked out beyond the building, he realized just how absurdly far the enhancement had gone.
He could see the faces of people entering and leaving the company lobby downstairs as if they were right in front of him.
And not only that, he could also control the focus itself, zooming in and out at will.
It felt almost like adjusting a camera lens.
That was the only way Killian could describe his new eyes.
And his mind was even more incredible.
His brain felt completely open and transparent.
Problems in research that previously would have required long calculations and careful derivation now yielded answers almost the moment he recalled them.
It was as if there were a supercomputer embedded in his brain, one that instantly retrieved solutions the moment his eyes landed on a problem.
He did not even feel as though he was consciously thinking.
Then he slowly walked toward the gym deeper inside the room.
Looking at the sandbag in front of him, he threw a sudden punch.
A burst of air tore through the room, and half a second later the sandbag exploded apart.
The entire training room was instantly filled with stuffing.
But he was not done.
He grabbed a barbell weighing several hundred kilograms and lifted it without the slightest effort, even flipping it around one-handed as if it were a prop.
"Sir, according to current readings, your speed and striking power have increased by dozens of times compared to before."
"Your punching force has reached 1,072 pounds, ranking at Level 4. Your short-burst speed has reached Level 3. Your intelligence, according to preliminary assessment, is already approaching Level 6."
By now, Baymax had already gathered enough data from the cameras and calmly delivered the measurements.
"So I really am this much stronger now?"
"That much of an increase..."
Hearing Baymax's report, Killian muttered to himself with clear delight.
For all this time, he had always stood on the outside, observing the combat data of his experimental subjects.
He never thought there would come a day when he himself would become the one being evaluated.
"Baymax, activate the 3D virtual combat chamber."
After coming back to himself, Killian gave the next order.
"Confirmed. 3D virtual combat chamber generating."
As soon as Baymax responded, mechanical arms emerged from the walls and began clearing away all the gym equipment in the room.
In no time at all, the training room had been emptied completely.
Then, as 3D projection particles filled the air, the room transformed into a futuristic combat chamber.
Standing not far in front of Killian were several squads of T-800 units, each of them aiming machine guns directly at him.
The test began.
The moment Killian saw the T-800s raising their weapons toward him, he immediately threw himself to the side.
With his enhanced physical state, everything around him seemed to slow down.
After several clean evasive movements, he snatched up a rifle lying on the simulated battlefield.
Then, almost as if his hands had locked onto the targets automatically, he started firing.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Every robot that entered his line of sight was instantly destroyed, two shots to the visual sensor and one to the head.
Then, just as he was getting into the flow of it, a hidden unit fired from the shadows.
The instant the shot rang out, Killian turned toward the source.
And in his eyes, the whole moment slowed down.
He saw the T-800 with the sniper rifle.
He saw the bullet leave the barrel.
And he saw it crawl through the air toward him with agonizing slowness.
Killian immediately pushed his whole body into motion, controlling every cell he could.
By the time the bullet was still several meters away, he had already shifted out of its path.
Then he returned fire with one shot and took the sniper unit out immediately.
But after pulling off that reaction, Killian felt his brain heating up as if it had been running far beyond its intended limit.
"Sir, I am detecting severe neural fluctuations. Would you like to stop the current virtual combat session?"
Baymax immediately noticed the abnormality and paused the simulation.
"No. Continue."
"On a real battlefield, no one cares whether you have a problem."
Killian forced himself through the discomfort and gave the order.
Then he steadied himself and resumed the simulation.
This time, he avoided repeating the same mistake.
After a long stretch of fighting, Killian finally ended the virtual combat test, drenched in sweat.
"Damn... that felt good."
At that moment, he felt unbelievably relaxed.
The tension his body had been carrying for so long had finally been released, and the flood of exhilaration in his mind was almost addictive.
"Sir, congratulations. Your combat efficiency has been rated B+."
"If this continues, you may even reach A+."
"And according to the serum behavior seen in previous injections, your physical ability will continue increasing over a long period of time, potentially by another two to five times from your current state."
"If that is combined with high-intensity training, the projected growth rate becomes even greater."
After Killian finished, Baymax had one of the domestic robots bring him a warm towel, then calmly read off the latest physical assessment.
"Yes. During that combat test, I could clearly feel it."
"Every time I pushed myself and attacked at full force, my strength kept increasing. The next time I moved, I could feel myself getting stronger again."
"The increase wasn't huge each time, but for it to be that noticeable in such a short span just shows how far my brain's control over my body has been enhanced."
"At this rate, maybe the next step is Einstein."
Killian laughed as he looked down at his own hands.
Then his smile faded slightly as he remembered the moment he had dodged that sniper round.
"I just don't know what that ability was."
He stared off for a moment and muttered quietly.
(End of Chapter)
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