Dr. Genus swiftly operated the holographic screen computer before him. A new project was quickly approved within the system. He then found a research report from the piles of documents on the table and handed it to Jack.
"Lord Bug God, I accidentally made a breakthrough in 'Unlimited Octopus Leg Production' technology some time ago. I have some experience in this area."
He pushed up his glasses. A confident glint flashed in his eyes.
"One month. No more than one month—and I should be able to provide a finished product meeting your basic requirements."
A pause.
"Of course, if you want to improve the conversion success rate, directional controllability, and final product stability of the Monster Cell, it may take longer. That will require a large amount of experimental data for support."
When Jack heard Dr. Genus's reply, he had only one thought—
Now this is what you call professionalism.
He'd been wondering if it could be replicated, and Dr. Genus had already planned for subsequent upgrades and modifications. Indeed—professional matters should be handled by professionals.
Jack handed over a bag of Monster Cells as experimental material and also put forward some new requirements.
First: mass-produce Dragon-level modified Monsters. Their performance didn't need to reach Asura Kabuto's level. Any Dragon-level would do.
This was because Jack had just tasted a bit of sweetness. Asura Kabuto—whose strength reached Dragon-level peak after going berserk—had directly contributed nearly 100,000 Origin Points. Ordinary Dragon-level Monsters might not be as bountiful, but they definitely wouldn't be far off.
Upon hearing this request, Dr. Genus pushed up his glasses. A hint of difficulty appeared between his brows.
First, he was still haunted by the failed product, Asura Kabuto. Second, the resources required to produce Dragon-level Monsters were enormous. Even with the House of Evolution's accumulated resources, production capacity wouldn't be very high for a long time.
Jack had anticipated this. He told Dr. Genus to start preparing—assuring him not to worry about materials, safety, or other issues.
Especially safety.
As early as Jack's entry into the underground base, one of his clones had already infiltrated it beforehand. Without anyone knowing—even now—Dr. Genus's defense network had detected no abnormalities.
Though Jack trusted Dr. Genus's defection, he wouldn't leave himself without backup. After all, this was a supervillain capable of hand-crafting Dragon-level Monsters. Coupled with the flesh and blood tissue of Monster King Orochi, who knew what the upper limit of such a combination might be.
Leaving Dr. Genus with several long-term projects to tackle, Jack departed without reluctance—accompanied by his two newly subjugated Demon-level Monsters.
Taking control of the House of Evolution was business. It concerned a stable source of Origin Points after the Monster Association's downfall.
But once that was done, the rest was personal time.
His last field mission had been a preliminary reintegration with human society. This time? His main body was sneaking off work—ready to enjoy the prosperity of the human world.
Of course, his old friend King's training progress couldn't be neglected either.
Upon learning the true existence of the absurd phenomenon where Vest Heroes could draw power from their vests, Jack was filled with anticipation for cultivating the strongest man on the surface.
(King, far away in M City: "ACHOO—! Have I been catching colds lately…? No—there's something dirty!!")
(;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)っ
J City – Golden Coast Grand Hotel, Presidential Suite
Jack lay comfortably on a beach chair by the top-floor open-air swimming pool. The sun warmed his bronze skin.
His muscles were as smoothly defined as a leopard's—explosive power hidden in every inch. Completely different from the bulky muscles developed through ordinary bodybuilding. This was a powerful aesthetic beauty derived from the essence of life itself.
The sea breeze was gentle. The sun was just right.
His eyes, slightly narrowed behind his sunglasses, admired the magnificent view of sea and sky merging in the distance.
The House of Evolution matters had come to a temporary close. A clone was monitoring Dr. Genus. Armored Gorilla and Mosquito Girl had been dispatched to the Monster Association in Z City. There shouldn't be any trouble for a while.
So Jack decisively gave himself a vacation.
Having risked his life for the Monster Association for so long—what's wrong with enjoying himself?
(Psykos: "You're full of it…")
*DING-DONG— *
The doorbell rang.
Jack's mind stirred. A light blue Psychokinesis extended, automatically opening the door to the presidential suite.
A man—1.85 meters tall, wearing a black vest, slightly dark skin, bulging muscles all over—walked in.
His face was stern. Three brutal knife scars on his left eye added a touch of ferocity. As he walked, there was an unsettling sense of pressure.
It was the strongest man on the surface—
King.
Clearly, Jack wasn't the only one who had rapidly grown stronger over these three months.
Saitama-style training—remarkable results.
King's current strong, robust physique was no less impressive than a bodybuilder's. However, his 'do not approach' aura and a hint of exhaustion deep in his eyes made him look more like he had just survived some kind of hell. His unique Emperor Engine had unexpectedly received an epic enhancement. Now, with just a slight concentration of his mind, the roar from his heart would pound like heavy drums—enough to make ordinary people dizzy and their eardrums ache.
"Yo, King. You're here."
Jack took off his sunglasses, smiled, and waved.
"Mm."
King forced out his characteristic dignified smile and nodded, already accustomed to Jack using his superpower to open the door from a distance. However, due to his natural poker face, the smile looked a bit stiff—absolutely capable of scaring three to five passing children to tears.
King walked to the beach chair next to Jack and lay down, his movements carrying a hint of soreness from over-training. He picked up a sports drink nearby, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and let out a long sigh—as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.
Seeing King's struggle, Jack asked knowingly, "How is it? Did you complete today's workout?"
King put down the drink. His deep voice sounded a bit tired.
"There's still the last ten kilometers of long-distance running. Today's training is almost over."
As he spoke, his eye twitched almost imperceptibly.
Seeing that he was tired but his breathing remained steady, Jack raised an eyebrow and praised, "Not bad. It seems you've fully adapted to this training intensity. Remember to maintain it."
King: …
He really wanted to say, I don't want to maintain it at all, but he swallowed the words and instead asked his question.
"Mr. Han Sen—I've wanted to ask you for a month now. The current training effect seems to be less and less obvious. My body seems to have gotten used to it." A pause. "Do I really not need to increase the workout volume?"
"No need."
Jack quickly crossed his arms, forming an 'X' in front of his shining pectorals.
No.
"This is precisely the workout volume needed. Any more… and it won't be effective."
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