"What are you doing?" Shane Mountain asked curiously, glancing over.
Julian Drake looked up from the data in his hand, eyes gleaming with excitement. "After injecting the Gene of God, my brain has been completely enhanced. I've never felt this clear-headed in my entire life!"
"Enhanced brain, huh?"
Shane raised an eyebrow, eyeing Julian's bulging muscles with skepticism. It was hard to take that claim seriously when the man looked more like a bodybuilder than a scientist.
Whoosh!
Two sharp gusts of wind cut through the lab as Shane tested his newfound power. While Julian pored over the research files, Shane explored the limits of his physical enhancement. His strength had increased tenfold at least and he could now wield the lethal aura he'd inherited from Noah Blaze, along with several other bio-abilities.
In an instant, his arms morphed into a pair of broad, dark wings. With a powerful flap, he lifted off the ground, soaring across the lab with the sound of rushing air filling the room.
When Julian finally closed the last folder, Shane landed lightly beside him and asked, "You've gone through all of it. So, what's the plan?"
Julian wasn't the type to reread data without a reason. If he had done so now, it could only mean one thing he'd discovered something important.
"Of course, the plan is to destroy it all," Julian said firmly. "This data could reshape the entire world if it got out. Something like the Gene of God should remain only in our hands."
Shane smirked. "Fair enough. But are you sure you've memorized everything?"
He shared Julian's thoughts. Something so powerful didn't need to be shared with the world. Keeping it to themselves was the smartest move. He wasn't a saint, after all.
It wasn't like the version Noah Blaze received he only got the basic formula. Noah became powerful purely through his own strength and determination.
"I've already memorized every line and cross-checked twice," Julian replied with confidence. "There's absolutely no problem."
"Good," Shane said with a grin. "Then I'll burn this place to the ground."
Flames flickered to life in his palm yellow, then gold, and finally deep blue. The color shift alone radiated terrifying heat.
"Want me to help?" Julian asked.
"No need," Shane said, his grin widening. "I want to see how far my limits go now."
The blue fire erupted, consuming the underground lab in a roaring inferno. Within moments, everything metal, concrete, and glass had melted into molten ruin.
When the fire subsided, the two men stood on the scorched ground, the remains of their old lives reduced to ash. They exchanged a look, then burst into laughter.
"Imagine old man Huang's face if he saw you now," Shane chuckled. "He gave up the future for a few scraps of profit. Bet he'd be drowning in regret."
Julian's smile vanished, his expression darkening. "Even if he's not regretting it yet, I'll make sure he does. My reputation, the humiliation, the betrayal I'll return all of it tenfold."
He clenched his fists tightly, rage simmering beneath the surface. Once, he'd been the brightest rising star in the scientific world. Then politics and greed ruined everything, leaving him branded a fraud.
Shane placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. Revenge won't take long. Once we're out of H City, the whole world will know our names. And as for Huang let's just say I'll make sure his empire crumbles, piece by piece."
Back then, when Julian had been framed, Shane had done everything in his power to clear his friend's name. He had poured his entire fortune into legal battles, even selling one of his companies to keep the case alive.
But it hadn't mattered. The other side had connections real power. Not money or influence, but the kind that bent reality: martial power. Superhuman strength.
That was the day Shane Mountain realized the truth of the world. Wealth meant nothing if you couldn't protect it. To those with power, a rich man was just a well-fed lamb waiting for slaughter.
But now, things had changed.
"Tables have turned," Shane said, gazing at the smoky horizon. The sky above H City was dark and heavy, tainted by the chaos of the outbreak, yet to him, it shimmered with endless possibility.
"Let's go. We'll cleanse this city first, then get our families together," he declared.
The two men took off, running down the street. Their speed was so fast it looked as if a black wind was tearing through the ruins. Within seconds, they vanished from sight.
Moments later, several figures appeared at the charred remains of Shane's villa.
"They've already left," one said. "And everything's been destroyed."
"Search the area for anything that might've survived."
The team moved quickly through the property, descending into the remains of the underground lab. Nothing was left just blackened walls and molten steel.
"There's really nothing left…" one muttered.
"So how do we report this?" another asked.
"Just tell the truth. It's not like they can kill us over it."
"True enough."
As they left, a faint wisp of gray dust lifted from the rubble, drifting silently into the air.
Meanwhile, at an evacuation site in the city, Noah Blaze and Vivi were handing a vial of crimson serum to the authorities.
At first, the officials didn't believe them. It wasn't until Noah demonstrated his power that their skepticism turned into alarmed curiosity.
"Don't worry," said a middle-aged officer, forcing a smile. "We'll take this serum seriously."
"Do whatever you want with it," Noah said coolly. "It's not my invention anyway. I've done my part."
With that, he turned away, leading Vivi toward the plane waiting on the runway. He didn't spare the man another glance.
The officer sighed as they departed. "In times like these, who would dare mass-produce something untested?" he murmured. He knew the serum's potential, but rushing it could spell disaster. It would have to be tested, analyzed, and approved before it ever reached the public.
Onboard the plane, Vivi leaned closer. "I understand how you feel, but try to see it from their side," she said gently. "We trust Shane because we've fought beside him. We've seen what he's capable of, and we've already gained powers ourselves. But for them, it's different. Imagine it a stranger shows up in the apocalypse claiming to have the cure for the end of the world. Would you use it right away?"
Noah crossed his arms, scowling. He knew she was right, but he'd never admit it out loud. The official's condescending tone still bothered him, and if they ever met again, he'd probably make a point of rubbing it in.
As the plane ascended, he gazed out the window, watching the city shrink below streets littered with ruins, fire, and blood. His heart tightened. "I just hope they move fast," he murmured. "The longer they wait, the more people will die."
Elsewhere, Shane and Julian stood before the towering gates of Longspring Sword Pavilion.
"Bro, what are we doing here?" Julian asked, puzzled.
"Retrieving something important," Shane replied.
With a single leap, Shane reached the pavilion's top floor. There, resting under glass, was an ancient weapon the legendary blade Titan's Edge.
He punched through the glass and grasped the sword. The metal gleamed faintly, radiating a strange energy.
Julian frowned. "Isn't that just some old relic? What's it good for?"
Shane grinned. "Wrong. This is a genuine divine weapon. Any strike I make with it will be amplified fivefold. With my current strength and this multiplier I could walk across the world without fear."
To prove it, he slashed downward. A crimson arc of energy burst from the blade, slicing through the air and cleaving several nearby buildings clean in half.
Julian's jaw dropped. "Holy That's insane, man!"
"And that wasn't even full power," Shane said, gripping the hilt tighter. He removed the white sheath, revealing the weapon's true form a blood-red blade glowing faintly with inner fire.
"It can transform too?" Julian gasped.
"This is its true appearance," Shane replied. He secured the weapon at his waist and turned to his friend. "Alright. Next, we'll record everything. Once we're out of here, we'll start a company, upload the footage, and maybe even enjoy a bit of fame while we save the world."
Julian laughed. "You mean… become apocalypse influencers?"
"Why not?" Shane smirked. "Might as well make history look good on camera."
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