42. Chapter 42: Strike (Second Update!)

"The serum was stolen?! How? We never even announced its existence."

Dilos's voice rose involuntarily; losing the serum was no small matter. Although the serum Dr. Connors lost wasn't as potent as the spider serum Dilos was researching, if injected into a normal person, it would still transform them into a physically formidable superhuman.

But that wasn't the most critical issue.

"Was the research data stolen?" Dilos couldn't help but feel anxious. The data was the real key. If that were stolen, it would be disastrous, as it would mean the thief or the organization behind them could mass-produce the serum with just a little study. If that happened, the world would fall into chaos.

"No, it wasn't stolen. Fortunately, I followed your previous advice." Dr. Connors's voice over the phone sounded somewhat relieved. "Remember? You warned me, so every time I finished an experiment, I never left any records on electronic devices. Even if there were records, I destroyed the internal storage, and I even used strong acid to completely destroy the cameras used for research. I haven't used cameras for experiments at all lately. All the research data is entirely in my head."

Hearing this, Dilos let out a sigh of relief. He finally remembered advising Dr. Connors on data protection. After all, with the tragic precedent of Richard Parker, he had warned the doctor not to keep research data on electronic equipment.

Dilos hadn't expected Dr. Connors to be so thorough after the warning. But thinking about it, it made sense. There were countless people in this world coveting his research. Although he hadn't been harassed because he hadn't successfully developed the serum for years, that didn't mean no one was monitoring him.

Take Kingpin, for example.

After a moment of thought, Dilos calmed down and replied, "Wait there, I'll be at the lab in a while."

With that, Dilos hung up the phone. He then walked straight to the room where he kept the second-generation mutant spiders.

"Sigh..." Dilos sighed softly, carefully took out a brazier, and lit a fire. He opened the container and used telepathy on the mutant spiders still inside, controlling them to jump into the brazier, where they gradually turned to ash.

That's right, after the theft at Dr. Connors's lab, Dilos decided to kill all these second-generation spiders.

Although others might not suspect he had finished serum, who could say for sure? If these bastards had even a shred of suspicion, they could break into his home and search while he was away. If they stole these mutant spiders for research, even if they couldn't learn much, it would bring him immense trouble.

If they couldn't learn anything, they would definitely come after Dilos. If they couldn't get to Dilos, they would go after Chloe and Gabe.

Dilos was still too weak; he lacked the power and influence to protect these things.

"Hmm?"

While controlling the spiders with telepathy, Dilos suddenly sensed something else. He didn't know if it was the effect of the serum's modification on him, but his familiar telepathy now gave him a different sensation. He could feel his telepathy growing stronger, controlling hundreds of second-generation mutant spiders with zero effort.

Dilos could feel his mental power had increased significantly; he had never felt his thoughts so clear. He instinctively felt that besides controlling others with telepathy, he could do much more. For instance...

Dilos's vast mental power suddenly covered the mental light clusters representing the spiders and crushed them with a violent force.

The remaining one or two hundred spiders that hadn't been sent into the brazier trembled collectively, then, as if by agreement, collapsed to the ground simultaneously and gradually lost their lives.

"So, wiping out the other party's mind like this also destroys their brain..." Dilos thought, feeling his seemingly tireless mind, and nodded. "And using this ability doesn't seem to put any pressure on me. Although that might be because the subjects were too small, if I get the chance, I'll find some suicidal humans to test it on..."

He muttered these chilling words while throwing the spiders into the brazier. Once they were completely reduced to ash, he poured them into the toilet and flushed them into the sewer.

Afterward, Dilos washed the test tubes and syringes he had used in the sink. Having disposed of everything that could leak the secret of the serum, Dilos carefully and quietly changed his clothes and shoes, then took a taxi to Dr. Connors's lab.

When he arrived, Dilos realized the situation was far from as simple as Dr. Connors had described.

In front of the lab's alloy gate was a large hole reeking of gunpowder, and the thick door itself was mangled by the explosion. Looking inside, he saw that many research facilities had been smashed.

Firefighters and forensic experts were inside checking for other dangerous explosives.

The entire lab was cordoned off with police tape, and several officers were maintaining order, preventing curious onlookers from crossing the line to take photos.

Dr. Connors looked dejected as he gave a statement to two officers beside an ambulance. Seeing this, Dilos walked over, but was stopped by a few officers before he could get close.

"Sorry, sir, you can't go through."

"I'm Dr. Connors's intern; here is my internship certificate." Dilos pointed at Dr. Connors and held up his ID. Just then, Dr. Connors finished his statement. Seeing Dilos showing his ID to the police, he hurried over, explained the situation to the officers, and pulled Dilos toward the ambulance.

"Are you hurt?"

Looking at Dr. Connors's haggard expression, Dilos asked with concern.

"I'm not hurt. Those people acted while I wasn't in the lab. I think they destroyed the equipment because there was no data inside, and they wanted to retaliate. But it's fine; I can just start over. I'm just sorry—you put in so much effort, only to encounter this." Dr. Connors comforted himself dejectedly, though his face looked years older from the mix of guilt and despair.

Dilos felt a pang of sympathy and patted Dr. Connors's shoulder. "As long as you're safe, everything can be rebuilt. After all, the most critical research is already in your head. Money is easy; I have plenty, and I can help rebuild the lab. If that fails, I can convince Lex to help."

Dr. Connors didn't say anything, just shook his head in a daze, refusing.

Seeing this, Dilos didn't press the topic and changed the subject. "How many vials of serum were lost?"

"Three." Dr. Connors hesitated for a long time before saying it, his voice bitter.

"The mice in the previous experiment developed terrifying mutations and were extremely bloodthirsty; the experiment wasn't a success. I had recently added other radioactive isotopes, trying to weaken their aggression and physical changes, so I don't know how effective it was."

"I see."

Dr. Connors's words left Dilos deep in thought. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "Dr. Connors, why don't you stay at my rental for now? There are some things I need to discuss with you."

No matter who the perpetrators were, getting those three vials of serum wouldn't satisfy them. With just those vials, they could at most create a few super-soldiers. But with Dr. Connors, who knew how to make the serum, they could mass-produce them!

The next target for those people would undoubtedly be Dr. Connors!