Modification Plan

Rumlow felt a trace of fear in the presence of the colossal Wei Xiuming. It was like the innate pressure of an apex predator; in Wei Xiuming's eyes, Rumlow seemed no more than prey waiting to be devoured. Even the decisive commander of the strike team couldn't help breaking into a cold sweat.

"The Knight System wasn't originally conceived as external armor. The design was inspired by Doctor Death, so it focused on modifying the human body. The first hero to stand on our side was a man who'd been mechanically modified from head to toe." Wei Xiuming explained, "Every part of his body except his brain and respiratory system was replaced with a bionic prosthesis. Each metal muscle fiber could exert eighty kilograms of force. His motor functions were controlled by a quantum computer made of biological materials, which could also regulate the secretion of hormones in his brain, temporarily suppressing unnecessary emotions like fear and providing some resistance to Psychic Abilities. His power came from a cold fusion reactor, which could supply the body for a hundred years. His body was filled with LCL fluid, which dissolved and supplied oxygen and other essential substances to the biological components. These could be absorbed directly through the alveoli. The fluid also cooled his organs and provided some protection against impacts."

"His body was covered in artificial skin capable of withstanding temperatures of up to six thousand degrees. It could block various detection methods and resist EMP attacks; it maintained a constant temperature and humidity, and could secrete artificial sweat. From the outside, he was indistinguishable from a real person. Sensitive elements built into the skin could generate bioelectric currents, which were then encoded and transmitted to the brain, allowing the user to retain the sense of touch that humans should have. In combat mode, the artificial skin could harden into armor, providing protection against heat, impacts, and other threats."

"Even the earliest version had a punching force of sixty tons, a kicking force of ninety tons, a jump height of twenty-five meters, and a hundred-meter sprint time of 1.5 seconds. Later upgrades included an antigravity engine and a low-temperature repulsive-particle generator, enabling supersonic flight and even brief excursions into outer space. Its only weakness was the face, where the sensory systems were concentrated. An energy weapon had been installed there as an extra measure, allowing it to generate an energy field and fire high-temperature flames straight ahead."

Rumlow looked troubled and glanced at Nick Fury almost pleadingly. Nick Fury hadn't wanted to show hesitation or weakness in front of his subordinate, but now he took out the liquor he'd hidden away, poured himself a glass, and drank it.

Seeing their reactions, Wei Xiuming quietly shifted his position, placing his massive body between Rumlow and Nick Fury. "Of course, since we're on the side of justice, after the subject's brain and lungs have been removed, the rest of his body will be preserved in cold storage. Once he retires, those two organs can be transplanted back into his original body through surgery, allowing him to continue living as a human being."

"This is a fate you can't escape, Rumlow. Becoming Crossbones is your inevitable end. Hail Hydra."

Wei Xiuming used his magnetic abilities to distort the signal as he spoke those final words, ensuring that only Rumlow could hear them. Then he turned back to Nick Fury. "If you agree, I'll produce a full set of prosthetics for this capable operative. They'll be more advanced than the initial version—version three—and come with twenty-six special abilities."

Nick Fury spoke as if he were tipsy. "Let him go. That would be too inhumane."

Rumlow, greatly relieved, hurried out of Nick Fury's office. Before leaving, he looked back at Wei Xiuming with an odd expression, then prepared to report the situation to his Hydra superior.

A monster of a mad scientist had appeared in Nick Fury's office. He'd even tried to disassemble himself and put his parts together in a machine. And this mad scientist was one of Hydra's own. This tangled mess was best left to the cerebral types who analyzed intelligence.

Once only the two of them remained in the office, the sharpness returned to Nick Fury's single eye. He activated the Shielding Device again and asked, "If you can make a bionic person who looks exactly like a human, could you use your technology to build fully intelligent robots that look just like real people?"

Wei Xiuming thought for a moment. "Building robots like that wouldn't be difficult, but making them indistinguishable from real people would be expensive. Most of their weapons systems would also have to be removed. Their weight, height, stride, body temperature, body odor, subconscious movements, and so on would all need to match a real person, and a lot of components would interfere with that. They'd also need extra systems for ordinary functions like breathing, eating, and excretion. Those would take up internal space, and the cost might even exceed that of a fully weaponized modification."

"Besides, the primary control system of a Biochemical cyborg is the human brain. Unless it's a Boon-type virus, there's no need to worry about electronic viruses infecting it. In fact, if we didn't want the subject to retain a human's craving for tobacco, we'd only need to transplant the brain."

Nick Fury poured himself another half glass of liquor. Using the act of drinking to hide the movement of his lips, he said, "Build two of those robots in my likeness. Take the funds from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s share of Osborn Industries' profits."

He often asked Talos, the leader of a small Skrull clan and an old acquaintance, to impersonate him for covert operations that required his personal involvement. But there were some things he couldn't let Talos know. They might be old acquaintances and have aligned interests in certain matters, but Talos was still an alien.

"Sure, but you'll need to come in for a physical when you have time. We'll gather data on your fingerprints, internal organs, iris patterns, and other physical traits, along with samples of your sweat, saliva, cells, hair...and whatever else we don't need." Wei Xiuming said, "If you want, we can also record your swearing and design a fake-death system to make the robots seem even more human."

Nick Fury took another small sip of liquor. "Can I ask if the person who was modified volunteered?"

Wei Xiuming chose his words carefully. "His power system was destroyed. The designer hadn't even considered the possibility of him being shot down during the design phase. He fell from a great height and fractured his thoracic vertebrae. He was incontinent, and the only parts of his body he could move were his neck and one arm. Even his fingers barely responded. Short of magic or a miracle, he'd never walk again."

"As a soldier, he didn't want to spend the rest of his life as an invalid. And with enemies from outer space threatening the entire universe, he accepted the body-modification surgery and became a war machine on the battlefield. The designer who'd originally led the modification project wanted to leave part of his digestive system intact, so they could share the designer's treasured wine after the war was won. But that soldier had once been tricked into drinking too much and nearly caused a serious mishap, so he rejected the offer."