He flipped rapidly through the thick stack of documents, finishing all hundred-odd pages in less than a minute. His brain was like a greedy sponge, quickly absorbing, analyzing, and grasping all the information.
When he finished, Dr. Sterns raised his head and gazed quietly at Wenwu. After a long while, he finally spoke. "You actually have these things... You do have the potential to become the empire you speak of."
"I can work for you, but I hope you'll keep your promise and let me go in three years."
He paused, then added, "Also, you may restrict my access to the internet, but I need a vast amount of material to study. I hope you can meet that condition."
"Fine!"
Wenwu readily agreed, then changed the subject. "Now let me tell you what I need most. I want you to optimize Dr. Burstein's technology to its absolute limit, and see whether you can create Peter Parker's cross-species genetic fusion serum. Combine the two to achieve human evolution without side effects."
Dr. Sterns nodded slightly, accepting the request.
"I'll send someone to bring you what you need shortly." With that, Wenwu rose and led Razor Fist outside.
The heavy alloy door slowly closed behind them. Dr. Sterns stared at the cold door, his gaze filled with undisguised coldness and contempt.
Outside, Razor Fist lowered his voice. "Master, that man gives me the creeps. Do you really trust him?"
"Of course not."
Wenwu's expression was grave, but he did not slow his pace. "We just need to stay on guard. Anything he develops must be thoroughly inspected, in case there are any traps."
"And whatever you do, don't let him access the internet. He may have some kind of telepathic ability. Don't let anyone near him; he must be kept in complete isolation."
Razor Fist's expression tightened, and he nodded firmly.
After that, Razor Fist was placed entirely in charge of seeing to Dr. Sterns's arrangements.
Wenwu returned to the surface base and sat upright in the main control room, his eyes fixed on Dr. Sterns's every move on the surveillance feed.
Outside Dr. Sterns's cell was a fully enclosed laboratory area. Razor Fist sent men to carry a large number of books, encrypted USB drives, and all kinds of experimental materials into the laboratory, then had them withdraw promptly.
Only after they had completely left would the heavy alloy door be opened again. The place was as secure as a fortress. Even if Dr. Sterns really did develop some monster, or turned into Hulk on the spot, he could forget about breaking out anytime soon.
Wenwu made his plans in silence.
He only had to wait another three years, and then he would seize the Mind Scepter from Loki.
Set in it was the Mind Stone, one of the Six Infinity Stones born at the time of the Big Bang.
The Mind Stone had the power to control minds. When the time came, no matter how powerful Dr. Sterns's brain was, he would have no choice but to obey.
Ten days later.
Dr. Burstein trembled all over with excitement as he studied the plan optimized by Dr. Sterns.
"How did I never think of that? So it could be done this way..."
He muttered to himself for a long while before suddenly looking up at Wenwu, his face full of wild delight. "Mr. Wenwu! If we follow his method, the success rate can be raised by at least 10%, and compatibility with the human enhancement can reach 90%!
"And combined with Origin Substance, it can also achieve species evolution, raising the overall enhancement to another level! What's more, the rejuvenation you mentioned can be fully realized too!"
"There aren't any hidden problems with his plan, are there? Have you checked it thoroughly?" A flicker of delight also crossed Wenwu's eyes, but his expression remained cautious.
"Absolutely none, Mr. Wenwu. You can rest assured!" Dr. Burstein promised confidently.
"What about the cost?" Wenwu pressed.
"Uh... the cost has increased about tenfold, but it's absolutely worth the money!" Dr. Burstein answered truthfully.
Wenwu nodded slightly and held out his hand. "Let me see the Origin Substance you synthesized."
Dr. Burstein hurriedly brought out a glass jar as thick as an arm, filled with a rich, pale blood-colored liquid.
Wenwu took the jar and unscrewed the lid. At once, he caught a rich, fresh fragrance like plants after rain.
"Can I drink it directly?" Wenwu asked, staring at the liquid in the jar.
"You want to absorb and refine it directly, converting it into your own energy?" Dr. Burstein's eyes lit up as he immediately grasped Wenwu's intention.
Wenwu nodded.
"Absolutely! From now on, you won't need to go to the trouble of eating those precious tonics anymore!" Dr. Burstein explained excitedly.
Hearing that, Wenwu tipped his head back and took a large gulp.
As the liquid went down his throat, his eyes lit up. That single mouthful's medicinal effect was comparable to an entire century-old ginseng root!
He immediately sat cross-legged on the floor and circulated the Chi within him, swiftly refining it.
A moment later, he discovered to his delight that the absorption rate of the Origin Substance was nearly one hundred percent, and the Chi in his body had grown noticeably stronger.
Wenwu could hardly contain his excitement. In his future cultivation, if he supplemented it with this Origin Substance, he would no longer need to spend vast amounts of time slowly accumulating or recovering energy. He only needed to spend time comprehending the essence of life spiritual energy and improving the quality of his Chi!
A few days later, Wenwu summoned Razor Fist, Ching-Lin, and Becky, preparing to enhance them.
After a period of testing and observation, Becky had become completely loyal. Wenwu decided to give him a chance.
Although Becky was a Mutant, Dr. Burstein's Human Enhancement Technique was highly compatible. It could even enhance Beast, so it naturally would not be limited by Becky's Mutant genes.
The current Human Enhancement Technique came in three versions.
A weakened version, an intermediate version, and the advanced version optimized by Dr. Sterns.
The weakened version granted strength only comparable to Captain America in his normal state, and skin capable of resisting ordinary handgun bullets.
The intermediate version was similar to Luke Cage, granting strength exceeding five tons and skin that could withstand sniper-fired armor-piercing rounds.
The advanced version's defense was on par with the intermediate version, but its strength surged to more than eight tons, with enormous room for improvement through training in the future.
The version Wenwu was using to enhance the three of them this time was the highest-level advanced version.
As for his other subordinates, only the intermediate and weakened versions would be used on them in the future.
Until the biological control chip was successfully developed, the intermediate version would also be restricted to the upper ranks. Otherwise, if it became widespread, it could easily trigger unnecessary rebellions.
Although the success rate of human enhancement was already as high as 90%, there was still a 10% risk of failure.
Wenwu personally stood guard, ready to use his own Chi to help them through the difficult transformation at any moment.
Soon, Razor Fist was the first to step into the enhancement pool.
After a series of muffled roars, Razor Fist leaped out of the medicinal pool. He had grown stronger, his muscular proportions were practically perfect, and apart from his already missing forearm, he had been completely remolded inside and out.
"Master, I feel so strong now!"
Razor Fist clenched his left fist, his face full of barely restrained excitement.
"Go test it," Wenwu said calmly.
Razor Fist then lifted a five-ton weight with one hand, making it look effortless.
Next, Ching-Lin personally tested his defense.
Ordinary bullets felt like scratches against his body. When Ching-Lin switched to a sniper rifle, ordinary sniper rounds still could not penetrate his defenses, causing him only a trace of pain.
Finally, Ching-Lin switched to a Barrett sniper rifle and loaded it with tungsten-steel armor-piercing rounds.
Under Razor Fist's apprehensive gaze, Ching-Lin pulled the trigger without hesitation.
"Bang!"
With a tremendous report, the powerful impact knocked Razor Fist back a step. He immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and clutched his chest, his face contorted in pain.