Chapter 94: How Can a Mortal Compare to a God?
"Oh my God! Joe?"
Lois, who was watering the lawn, covered her mouth in shock when she saw Joe walk out of his house.
Hearing Lois's gasp, Peter stood by the window to see what was happening, and then noticed that Joe was standing upright on his own two legs, also exclaiming, "Holy crap! Joe, your legs are healed?"
"Hahaha, yes, that's right! My legs are completely healed!"
Joe saw the surprised Griffin couple and did a 360-degree backflip on the spot to show off his recovery, then performed a series of difficult gymnastic moves.
This performance stunned Peter and Lois, and even scared Bonnie.
"Oh, Joe! Your legs have just recovered—you need to be careful!"
Joe, beaming with pride, heard his wife's concern and immediately changed his expression, snapping, "Mind your own business! I know what my body can handle!"
Having finally recovered his health, Joe could not tolerate such words that easily triggered memories of his disability.
Bonnie, scolded by Joe, began to cry softly, completely bewildering Lois and Peter.
The two exchanged glances. Lois turned around indifferently and continued watering, while Peter subtly drew the curtains and then let out a sigh.
"Jeez! Why is Joe even more aggressive than usual? Is that really him?"
Just then, Chris walked down the stairs, and hearing Peter's words, he thought to himself: 'That guy's always had an aggressive personality, but he used to be more subdued due to his disability, which perfectly balanced out his natural intensity and allowed him to communicate normally. Now that his body is fully recovered, Joe—no longer held back by self-consciousness—is completely unleashed.'
However, none of this concerned Chris. He didn't care whether Joe was overly aggressive or not, as long as Joe could be useful to him, then everything else was trivial.
Chris, who'd been watching a movie indoors, had come downstairs precisely because he'd heard Joe's body was fully recovered, wanting to put the guy to work immediately.
Ignoring the troublesome Peter, Chris walked straight out of the house, greeted Lois, and then headed to the gym with Joe.
Sitting in Joe's police cruiser, Chris noticed that Joe's energy remained extremely elevated, unsure if it was due to his naturally aggressive personality or a normal phenomenon after recovering from long-term disability.
After Joe ran three red lights and drove well over the speed limit through Quahog, they arrived at the nearest Mighty Gym location a few minutes later.
"Hell yeah! Chris, did you see that? I hit one-twenty back there!"
Joe, getting out of the car, was still boasting about his achievement of driving 120 mph through city streets.
Looking at the clearly hyperactive Joe, Chris sighed and said, "Let's quickly conduct a physical assessment on you, and then I'll arrange your position."
Noticing Chris's exasperation, Joe said dismissively, "Why bother with testing, I say? With my strength, even if those guys are all hardened criminals, I can train them into Boy Scouts. Why not just give me the job directly!"
"Ha, it's better to test it. With concrete proof, those guys will respect your authority," Chris said with a knowing smile.
Joe didn't object to this. He was extremely confident in his strength, especially after being enhanced by dragon blood drinks—his body was now far beyond his previous peak condition.
Ever since Chris started supplying him with the beverages, Joe no longer limited himself to just one bottle a day. Instead, he drank freely and trained intensely.
This allowed him to consume three and a half cases of dragon blood drinks in just one week, allowing his legs to fully recover ahead of schedule.
The two walked into the gym, where many people were already exercising.
Chris casually glanced around and saw they were all probationary members of the Iron Fist Society.
As long as they could meet the membership standards within the specified timeframe, they could officially join.
Joe also recognized the status of these people. His eyes narrowed slightly and his jaw clenched, clearly recalling unpleasant memories.
However, these weren't the specific individuals who had insulted him before, so Joe didn't cause any trouble.
Chris led Joe to the bench press area and directly loaded the barbell to 480 kilograms, making the total weight including the bar 500 kilograms—roughly 1,100 pounds.
This weight matched Chris's strength level before he'd devoured the Wendigo's life essence. According to what he knew about Joe's capabilities, Chris felt this weight shouldn't be Joe's limit.
Especially since this version of Joe was both in peak condition and had his physique enhanced by dragon blood drinks.
Joe, seeing the test Chris presented, sneered and said, "Looks like you've underestimated me! Just watch, Chris. See what level your Uncle Joe's strength really is!"
While speaking, Joe added another 220 kilograms of weight plates to the bar, bringing the total to an astonishing 720 kilograms—nearly 1,600 pounds.
Seeing such an incredible weight, the other people in the gym were immediately drawn over, just like the members who'd been attracted to Chris's first bench press demonstration.
However, unlike Chris's first time, the people in the gym now—out of respect for Chris's authority—did not directly crowd over to watch.
Everyone who'd long since recognized Chris's identity, although surprised that this muscular stranger dared to attempt such weight, still honestly remained at their stations and continued exercising.
After all, due to the existence of dragon blood drinks, previous human bench press limits had been continuously shattered.
They also knew that the founder of the Iron Fist Society, this imposing Mr. Chris, was the first person to create bench press legends.
They'd heard from senior Iron Fist Society members that Chris's bench press record had long surpassed the one-ton level.
Although they hadn't witnessed it firsthand, just by seeing Chris's physique and experiencing the miraculous effects of dragon blood drinks, everyone had no doubts.
What these people didn't know, however, was that Chris's strength was even more extreme than they imagined.
But what surprised them more was that since Chris had lifted five hundred kilograms, he'd never updated his bench press record publicly.
Because it was no longer meaningful to him.
Listening to the murmurs of amazement from the people in the gym, Joe confidently lay down on the bench press station, then set his shoulders and exerted force. After a brief grunt, the 720-kilogram barbell was steadily pushed upward.
Seeing Chris nod in acknowledgment, Joe replaced the barbell and asked arrogantly, "How about that, Chris? My strength didn't intimidate you, did it?"
Listening to Joe's cocky remark, Chris sighed internally, then casually placed his hand on the barbell and slowly lifted it as if picking up a dumbbell.
"Of course not. Uncle Joe, when exactly did you get the impression that my strength is comparable to yours?"
As Chris performed casual bicep curls with the barbell Joe had just struggled to bench press, not only was Joe left standing there with his mouth agape, but the other people in the gym also stopped their exercises in complete shock.
At this moment, they had only one thought: Reality was even more extreme than the rumors!
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