He needed to be patient.
Whatever came next, he had to plan it carefully.
After forcing himself to calm down, Purple Man made up his mind.
That glowing man was far too strange—far too dangerous. Purple Man didn't dare provoke him recklessly again.
Fortunately, his power was control.
He didn't need to investigate in person.
He could use countless puppets to do the work for him.
That, at least, was one small comfort.
"Tomorrow, I can't send that many people again. If I do, that guy might notice something."
With that thought in mind, Purple Man finally began to settle down.
Then he got up, walked over to the fridge, and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He dropped a few ice cubes into a glass, poured himself half a drink, and took a slow sip.
The cold, sharp taste soothed him a little.
What he didn't know was that while he had his back turned, streams of photons had begun slipping through the cracks in the room.
Those particles quickly gathered together, taking on a human shape.
Gulp.
He drained the glass in one shot.
Just as he was about to pour himself another, he suddenly sensed something was off.
Why did the lighting in the room look... different?
More specifically, the shadow cast by his body onto the refrigerator and the wall ahead was flickering.
As if some shifting light source had appeared behind him.
"Oh, shit!"
The moment Purple Man connected that to the glowing figure he had seen earlier in the Devil Fruit shop, every muscle in his body tightened.
He spun around so fast his pupils shrank.
Because right there behind him stood a figure bathed in golden light from head to toe.
It was him.
How the hell had he found him so fast?
"Listen, what happened earlier was all a misunderstanding."
Purple Man immediately raised his hands, trying to explain himself.
Szzzt!
Rorschach didn't give him the chance.
He simply pointed a finger.
A photon bullet shot out and punched straight through Purple Man's skull.
"Urgh!"
Purple Man let out a strangled grunt.
His body went limp, and he collapsed to the floor on the spot.
Rorschach lowered his gaze and looked coldly at the corpse lying at his feet.
He said nothing.
The photons making up his body began to scatter outward.
Then, as if melting into light itself, he slipped through the gap in the window and vanished.
Purple Man's room had been locked from the inside. It was a completely sealed space.
So by the time someone eventually discovered the body, it would become an unsolvable "locked-room murder."
Too bad this world didn't have anyone like Sherlock Holmes.
And even if it did, no one would ever deduce that the killer had turned into light and slipped in through the cracks.
The truth of this room would remain buried in darkness forever.
But none of that had anything to do with Rorschach anymore.
…
Helen Cho Research Center.
"Jennifer, have you recorded the data from the first fifteen experimental groups?"
Helen Cho adjusted the controls on the regeneration cradle while casually asking her assistant.
"Yes, Dr. Cho. Just like you instructed, everything's been logged."
Jennifer answered immediately.
"Okay. Good."
Helen nodded in satisfaction.
"Now run a comparative analysis on all fifteen data sets. Don't forget to include the Obifen coefficient."
"Understood."
Just as she was continuing her research work with her assistant, another staff member in a white lab coat walked over.
"Dr. Cho, someone came in asking to schedule treatment again."
Helen's brows immediately knit together.
"Didn't I already tell everyone? The experiment's in a critical stage right now. Turn down all appointments."
Lately, people coming to her for treatment because of the Healing Fruit had become endless. It had already started seriously affecting the progress of her research.
And these past few days were especially important. The experiment had reached a key phase, and Helen needed to oversee it personally.
That was why she'd already made it clear—she wasn't seeing patients right now.
She wasn't a full-time doctor.
"Dr. Cho, I was going to refuse," the staff member said carefully, "but he claimed he already made arrangements with you, so I came to confirm."
"If he really had an appointment with me, why wouldn't he just contact me directly?"
Helen almost laughed.
The staff member quickly continued, "He said he knows your experiment is at a crucial stage and didn't want to disturb you, so instead…"
"Tell him no one has an appointment with me. Okay?"
"That man said... if you forgot, I should remind you that he did speak with you before. He also said the two of you had discussed the possibility of using the regeneration cradle in the field of genetic repair…"
Bruce!
Helen's eyes lit up instantly.
At that point, she understood right away.
The person who had come to see her was Bruce Banner.
It had already been over a month since she'd last sent Bruce that email.
All that time, he'd completely vanished.
Helen had already given up hope and pushed it to the back of her mind.
And yet now, Bruce Banner had suddenly shown up in person.
"Where is he?"
She cut the staff member off at once.
"He's already here. In the reception room."
"Jennifer, keep an eye on things here. I've already gone over the important parts with you, right?"
Jennifer nodded without hesitation.
"Leave it to me, Dr. Cho."
Helen hurried straight to the reception room.
And sure enough, there he was.
Bruce Banner stood inside, looking road-worn, thinner than before, far more haggard than she remembered.
He was even wearing a baseball cap that looked completely out of character on him, and the word written all over his face was one thing and one thing only—
Worn out.
"Dr. Cho. Long time no see."
When he saw her, Bruce took off his cap, stood up, and gave her a tired smile.
"My God, Bruce—what happened to you?"
Helen looked him up and down, almost unable to believe what she was seeing.
Was this really the same Bruce Banner she knew? The brilliant, polished, world-class scholar?
He looked like he'd been on the run.
No—like he actually had been fleeing for his life.
At that moment, Helen finally understood why he had been so hard to reach.
He was obviously in deep trouble.
"Well... that's a long story," Bruce said with a helpless smile, shaking his head. "And honestly, you're better off not knowing. Trust me."
"Bruce, I understand."
Helen nodded.
She didn't press him.
"I won't ask. But if there's anything you need from me, any help at all, just tell me. Okay?"
She knew when to draw the line.
So instead of digging into the matter, she simply offered him her sincere help.