Gamanion Finally Appears (Weekend Bonus Update, Seeking Reads!)

Dr. Connors' Regeneration Lab was on the twenty-first floor of the Osborn Bio-Industry building.

The entire lab was packed with all kinds of instruments, a dazzling array of them.

Some of those instruments looked expensive just from their appearance.

But what really caught Hawk's attention was the stone placed inside a transparent case, visible through the glass.

Hawk had no idea what kind of stone it was.

But...

His gut told him this was what he was looking for.

Hawk's mind stirred, and he glanced at Gwen.

"What's that?"

"What?"

Gwen was taken aback for a moment, pulling her gaze away from Max Dillon, who was being repaired, following Hawk's pointing finger for a look, then turning to him.

"Oh, that. Gamma Rays."

"?"

Gamma...

Rays?

Another question mark popped up over Hawk's head, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "My physics grades aren't as good as yours, but they're not bad either. Since when can gamma rays turn into a stone?"

Gwen laughed.

But...

She thought for a moment, first glancing around as if to make sure the other lab workers weren't paying attention, then lowered her voice to Hawk. "Do you remember when the Hulk went on a rampage in New York City back in September '09?"

Hawk paused slightly, then nodded. "Of course I remember."

How could he not.

That day was probably the most unforgettable one since he'd transmigrated.

Not just because his cheat system went online that day.

But for another reason too.

Anyway, Hawk remembered that day all too clearly.

Gwen shrugged.

"Then you should know about the Abomination. He mutated into that ugly monster using the Hulk's blood."

"Mm."

Hawk nodded again, then seemed to think of something, looking at Gwen.

"You mean this stone is... the Abomination?"

"Of course not. These stones were shipped over from Quantico Military Base."

Gwen chuckled. "The Hulk... Dr. Bruce Banner mutated because of the Gamma Lab explosion, but some strange changes seemed to happen during the blast. These stones were dug up from the lab that exploded back then."

Hawk was dumbfounded.

"Then why did you just mention the Abomination..."

"Oh."

Gwen realized, shrugging. "I thought you didn't know the Hulk was Bruce Banner, since you don't have a computer or phone..."

She trailed off there, then thought of something, looking at Hawk. "That phone I gave you last time—you haven't bought a SIM card for it yet, have you?"

Hawk pulled out a phone that looked just like an iPhone 4 from his pocket. "I bought one."

That phone was given to him by Gwen twenty days ago when she brought him onboard at Osborn.

He hadn't wanted it at first, but Gwen gave him a reason he couldn't refuse.

Everyone knows.

Employees need to clock in.

Osborn was no exception.

And Gwen didn't give him a chance to refuse, shoving the phone into his hand and walking away.

Hawk pulled out the phone, waved it, then steered the conversation back, looking at the stone in the glass lab that gave him an odd feeling.

"How did a stone from Quantico end up here?"

"Because Dr. Connors' experiment also has military backing."

Gwen explained.

To be precise, most of the experimental projects Osborn invested in had military support, and some experiments were even joint ventures with the military.

After all, Osborn Industries has always had a close relationship with the military.

At the very beginning, Osborn Industries was just a food factory making herring cans, but when the war came, a young Norman Osborn saw his chance and decisively sold off the herring can production line to swap it for weapons and ammunition manufacturing.

Nowadays, although Osborn Bio-Industry no longer sells arms, it has always maintained a good cooperative relationship with the military.

Take Dr. Connors, for example.

Dr. Connors' experimental project was a joint venture between Osborn and the military, but the lab was placed here at Osborn Bio-Industry.

After all, Dr. Connors used to be a military doctor.

Hawk nodded in understanding after hearing Gwen's explanation.

At that moment, behind the glass in the lab, a researcher was securing a vial of some unknown serum, then using a robotic arm to clamp onto the so-called Gamma Stone.

"What's he doing?"

"The Regeneration Serum Experiment."

"The Lizard Serum?"

Dr. Connors was trying to study lizards to uncover the secret of their limb regeneration—this wasn't exactly a secret.

After all, Dr. Connors' papers were right there.

But most people weren't optimistic about it.

Plenty of reasons.

Hawk hadn't looked into it closely either, since before awakening his Cosmo and now, he never planned to go down the path of scientific research.

So Gwen wasn't surprised that Hawk knew this, and she nodded, saying, "Dr. Connors believes that combining the Lizard Serum with Gamma Rays might be what he's been searching for."

Hawk nodded, then looked at the stone clamped by the robotic arm, his mind stirring as he turned to Gwen: "Can I go in for a visit?"

He wanted to confirm something.

Hearing this, Gwen recalled the image of Hawk reading papers in the library.

"You're not actually interested in Gamma Rays that can turn people into monsters, are you?"

"No, I'm interested in the Gamma Rays inside that stone."

Hawk shook his head as he spoke, because from a scientific standpoint, Gamma Rays can't be preserved—they disappear the moment they're emitted.

What?

This is the Marvel Universe, science doesn't apply.

Fine, never mind then.

Gwen thought it over, confirmed that just letting Hawk take a close look wouldn't spoil Dr. Connors' experimental progress, and nodded.

Hawk felt a surge of joy inside, but as he followed Gwen in, he said to Max Dillon, who was repairing something nearby, "Max, I'm going in to check out that amazing stone."

He didn't call him Mr. Dillon, because Max wouldn't let him—it seemed that since Hawk knew his name, Max considered him a friend.

Yeah.

If only Max's skin were a little whiter.

Hawk thought to himself.

Max, busy with his repairs, turned back and gave a simple, honest smile: "Sure, I'm almost done here."

Hawk said thanks, then followed Gwen, who was swiping her card, into the lab inside.

Just then.

As Hawk stepped into the lab with Gwen, the moment his gaze locked onto the Gamma Stone clamped by the robotic arm again—

Instantly.

A message came through from his Cosmo.

It's it.

It's it.

It's the one.

Gamanion!

Happy third update, begging for collections, monthly tickets, and follow-through reads!