Howard Stark yawned as two heavily armed military police officers "invited" him to a heavily guarded underground laboratory.
He rubbed his sleepy eyes, looked at the silver metal sphere on the lab table, and muttered in dissatisfaction, "What has to drag me out of bed in the middle of the night? Even if aliens landed, they should at least let me finish my dream first, right?"
The Department of Defense, with a dark expression, threw a document in front of him.
"Enough talk, Stark. This is a sample from Lynn Morris's company—a repulsive field grenade. The Department of Defense needs you to analyze its working principle as quickly as possible and see if we can replicate it."
" Lynn Morris?"
Howard pursed his lips, picked up the grenade, and tossed it in his hand.
"What high-tech stuff could he possibly come up with? He's probably just stolen blueprints from some Germany lab and is making all sorts of wild claims..."
As he spoke, he skillfully picked up the tools and began to disassemble the grenade.
As the outer shell was peeled away layer by layer, the contempt on Howard's face gradually disappeared.
When he saw the core energy circuit board of the grenade, he was completely stunned.
Howard's tweezers clattered to the ground.
The intricate circuit layout, the unique energy conduction mode, the ingenious design...
damn it!
Isn't this the theoretical design for "energy field stabilization" that he casually sketched out in his lab to fool Lynn?!
No, that's not right!
This is even more perfect and exquisite than his drawings!
Lynn not only turned his theory into reality, but he also miniaturized it, stabilized it, and even... fucking mass-produced it!
The Joker is actually myself?
He thought he had given Lynn a pile of waste paper, but Lynn turned around and used that waste paper to create a divine weapon that changed the course of the war!
He thought he was a genius, but unknowingly he became someone else's free research and development tool, and even someone who was smug about it!
"Imitation?"
Howard looked up, his eyes bloodshot.
"What are you going to use to copy it? Your brains?!"
He pointed at the circuit board and roared at the Department of Defense, "Do you know what this is? This is art! A masterpiece that's at least fifty years ahead of its time! You bunch of idiots who only know how to use cannons have no idea what this means!"
The Department of Defense was furious.
He was scolded by the president, criticized by Congress, and blackmailed by Lynn Morris!
Now I still have to get yelled at by you Howard Stark!
Damn it!
But he was unable to vent his anger.
" Stark, calm down!"
"Calm down? I can't calm down!"
Howard paced back and forth in the lab, cursing under his breath.
" Lynn Morris, you son of a bitch!"
Looking at the nearly frantic Howard, the Department of Defense's expression became incredibly complex.
He finally understood how terrifying Lynn Morris was.
The minister waved his hand, signaling the guards to "escort" Howard out, while he picked up the dismantled grenade and fell into deep thought.
From the moment Lynn Morris appeared, the outcome of the war ceased to matter.
" Foresight " Holdings, underground headquarters, core medical area.
Lynn stood in front of the " Cradle " life support pod, looking at the sleeping Steve Rogers inside.
On the screen, Steve's vital signs were stable.
Dr. Horton stood beside Lynn, holding a brand-new report, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.
"Boss! We did it! We did it!"
He pointed to the data model in the report.
"Through reverse engineering of Captain America's gene fragments and Hydra ' Perfect Beings ' cell samples, we not only thoroughly understood the underlying logic of the Super Soldier Serum, but also optimized it!"
"We've removed redundant fragments from the serum that cause cellular aging and incorporated the near-infinite repair properties of the Perfect Beings. This is no longer simple enhancement; this is... evolution!"
Dr. Horton handed Lynn a syringe filled with a pale golden liquid, his eyes filled with fervor.
"The gene activator, I've named it ' Rebirth.' It will completely neutralize the energy erosion within the captain's body and reshape every cell of his body into a more powerful form."
What about the risks?
Lynn took the syringe, gently turned it, and watched the golden liquid flow under the light.
Theoretically... there is no risk.
Dr. Horton adjusted his glasses.
"But his body will endure unimaginable pain; it's a transformation of destruction and rebirth. The final outcome... depends on the captain's own will."
Lynn didn't ask any more questions.
He walked to the control panel of the life support pod and personally inserted the " Rebirth " drug into the automatic injection module.
"Let's begin."
Following Lynn's command, the robotic arm inserted the needle into Steve's vein.
The pale golden liquid was slowly poured in.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Inside the life support pod, Steve Rogers, who had been as calm as a baby, suddenly trembled!
Then, his tightly closed eyes suddenly opened!
"Ah--!!!"
A agonizing scream emanated from inside the life support pod, sending chills down one's spine even through the thick walls!
On the monitoring screen, Steve's vital signs began to spike wildly!
Heart rate, blood pressure, cell activity... all the indicators are surging towards the red zone, signifying danger!
The blue biogel enveloping his body began to churn violently.
Steve's body was convulsing, and the blood vessels under his skin looked like writhing earthworms, grotesque and terrifying.
"Boss! The data is overloaded! His body is about to break down!"
Dr. Horton's face turned deathly pale as he stared intently at the screen.
Lynn simply watched quietly, her eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.
This is an inevitable process.
"Aaaaaah--!"
Steve's screams grew increasingly shrill as he began frantically pounding on the hatch of the life support pod. The hatch, made of a special alloy, was pounded so hard that it produced dull, resounding thuds, and even tiny dents appeared on its surface!
Pain was burning his will and forging his new body.
Cell necrosis caused by energy erosion was completely eliminated under the domineering effect of the " Rebirth " agent.
Gradually, they transform into new, more powerful, and more active cells.
Time passed second by second.
After an unknown amount of time, the heart-wrenching screams gradually subsided.
Inside the life support pod, Steve's body stopped convulsing, and the wildly fluctuating data began to slowly decline, eventually stabilizing at a new level far exceeding his previous readings.
The boiling biogel returned to calm.
"Laugh--"
The hatch of the life support capsule slowly opened, and white mist billowed out.
A figure slowly sat up from the mist.
He was naked, and the wounds left by the energy erosion had disappeared.
His muscle definition is even more perfect than before.
Steve Rogers looked up; the bloodshot in his eyes had faded, replaced by a clear, azure blue.
But within that blue expanse, there was a depth and sharpness never before seen.
He looked down at his hands, feeling the surging, new power within him that seemed capable of destroying everything. His eyes were somewhat bewildered and unfamiliar.
He survived.
Moreover, it has become stronger.
Welcome back, Captain.
Lynn's voice came from ahead.
Steve looked up and saw the man standing at the boundary between Shadow and light.
His savior, his partner, the man who pulled him back from hell to earth.
Lynn walked slowly to him, a gentle smile on her face as always, and extended her hand to him.
The world needs a stronger you.
Steve looked at the hand, then at Lynn's unfathomable eyes.
He grasped that hand without hesitation.