Sokovia Medical Center.
In the underground testing chamber, a silver light flashed. Fierce wind pressure battered the walls like an immensely powerful gale, while air currents howled and spiraled through the vast space with a mournful whistling sound.
With a bang, the air rippled in visible rings. The silver light transformed from layers upon layers of afterimages into an elusive, illusory streak. In the monitoring hall outside, the values displayed on the screens kept climbing. It had just broken the sound barrier, and waves of air surged like thunderous roars, crashing against the hard, thick walls.
The silver blur pierced through the air, as though driven by an immense force, moving through boundless emptiness.
"All vital signs normal... Physical exertion approaching the critical point... Speed fluctuations stabilizing..."
Sean calmly recorded the data. Staring at the timer, he said in a deep voice, "Pietro, you need to slow down!"
"No—I, feel, great..."
His normal speech sounded like a recording stretched out endlessly. At high speed, everything outside seemed somewhat distorted.
"Ten-minute limit reached... Vital signs are beginning to fluctuate... Blood glucose levels dropping... Heart rate increasing!"
The silver blur had been running nonstop for ten minutes. Maintaining extreme speed for so long was a tremendous test for the body's vital functions, consuming vast amounts of energy. The bones throughout the body, in particular, had to endure immense pressure.
Yet Pietro was enjoying the sensation. It felt as though he had merged with the airflow and become the wind itself. The supreme thrill brought by speed was undeniably addictive. Breaking through the limits of human physiology and moving at high speed without pause, he tore through wave after wave of bursting air currents, the booming sound crashing against the thick walls like pounding surf.
The silver blur was like a streak of