A thunderous punch ripped through the battlefield.
Everyone watching froze.
The man in the suit flinched but managed to force a smirk. "Strength beyond thirty tons?"
He scoffed. "Do you think thirty tons is easy to achieve? That's practically the ceiling for normal super-ability users. I've never even heard of someone with thirty tons of strength. You—"
Before he could finish, a single devastating punch struck the No. 0 clone.
BOOM!
The replica flew back like a missile, smashing into the pavement more than ten meters away, tumbling further down the road before finally crashing to a halt. Blood sprayed from his mouth before his neck twisted unnaturally.
With one punch… he was done.
Even Kurt—known for his fearsome lizard mutation—felt a chill crawl down his spine. He glanced at his thick, clawed fist… then at Luke Cage's very normal-looking one.
The man who had been placed at his side by the boss, whom he had initially assumed was merely "on his level," had just obliterated a powerful clone with a single blow.
This wasn't thirty tons of force.
This was monstrous.
Kurt winced from his wounds but couldn't hide the growing awe in his voice. "As expected of the boss... to recruit someone like him."
Across the field, the man in the suit stumbled back. A flicker of fear danced in his eyes. One punch, and a clone was down. That meant the man's strength wasn't just theoretical—it was practical and deadly.
"Over 30 tons of force… real, not rumored…"
His throat tightened. "No… no way… How can Osborn possibly have someone like this?!"
His mind raced. "A small company like OsCorp—without money, without significant power—how did they recruit such terrifying talent?!"
Sweating, he made a last-ditch pitch.
"I'm from Essex," he announced. "Whatever Osborn is paying you, I'll give triple!"
"OsCorp has no future! But Essex—we're the world's largest biotech giant! We have endless resources!"
He stepped closer, desperation creeping into his voice. "You work for us… you'll be unstoppable."
Luke Cage tilted his head… then sent another clone crashing into the ground.
BOOM!
A crater opened beneath the impact.
"I only serve my boss," he said flatly, brushing the dust from his knuckles.
The man in the suit clenched his jaw. "Damn it... what the hell did Daniel Grant promise these guys?!"
"Why are they all so loyal to him?!"
"Who the hell is Daniel Grant?! What kind of ability does that bastard have, that he can gather so many monsters under his command?!"
Meanwhile, the remaining Agent Zero clones launched themselves at Luke, wielding razor-sharp blades that glinted menacingly under the city lights.
The man in the suit snarled, "Let's see you handle this, big guy!"
"You may have fists—but you can't beat blades!"
"They suppress healing. You'll bleed out in minutes!"
"Be careful!" Kurt shouted. "Those knives are enchanted—I couldn't stop them!"
The blades hit.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The knives tore through Luke's clothes—
—but when they struck skin, they sparked like steel on stone.
The sound rang like hammer against an anvil.
Everyone paused.
Even Kurt gasped. "Holy crap... even stronger than me!"
His mutated lizard hide was considered one of the toughest among superpowered beings… but even that paled in comparison to the invincible hide of Luke Cage.
"Not only is his strength insane… his defense is inhuman…"
Kurt's admiration for Daniel Grant deepened. How could his boss find and retain people like this?
The No. 0 clones hesitated. They had never seen anything like this.
The man in the suit realized the battle was lost. He turned—and bolted.
"Shet! What kind of monster lives in Osborn?!"
"First Daniel Grant… now this guy?!"
"I need to report this—Osborn isn't some weak company… It's a monster nest!"
He pulled out his phone as he sprinted to a parked vehicle.
He dialed.
A voice answered. "What's the report?"
But before he could speak—
Whizz—THUNK!
A knife spun through the air, impaling the man clean through and pinning him against the car.
Blood gushed from his abdomen.
The phone slipped from his hand, hit the pavement, and cracked.
"Hello? Are you there? What happened?"
No response.
The man's head slumped forward, eyes losing their light.
Luke Cage had thrown the knife. One clean throw. One dead informant.
Then he launched into the remaining attackers like a hurricane, fists flying, bodies collapsing like bowling pins.
"Three punches, five bodies. All unconscious."
Kurt whistled low. "Man… you're even stronger than I thought."
Luke shrugged. "Just average."
But he couldn't help remembering Daniel Grant—his true boss. Compared to that guy, even Luke felt small.
"You're too humble," Kurt replied with a wry smile.
Then Kurt picked up a blade and began walking toward a fallen clone.
Luke raised a hand. "Wait."
"Huh?"
Kurt paused. "Just going to finish him off—clean up."
"No," Luke said. "Leave them. The boss might be interested."
Kurt stopped mid-step. "Right…"
Just then, the phone inside the car rang.
Kurt transformed back into his human form and rushed over.
He answered, "Boss."
It was Nathan—aka Daniel Grant's trusted right hand—on the line, giving instructions. He needed lead and other materials urgently.
Kurt acknowledged the request. "On it. I'll prepare immediately."
He updated Nathan on the fight and casualties.
Nathan ordered him to investigate further—Essex's hidden arsenal, technologies, and agents.
"Be careful," Nathan warned before hanging up.
"Got it," Kurt replied.
They hopped into the car.
Behind them lay a street full of broken mercenaries, shattered weapons, and a man in a suit pinned like a bug to a car.
Osborn's secrets… were far from simple.
Meanwhile, inside Essex HQ—
A few executives gathered in a dim meeting room. One of them clutched his phone tightly.
Another frowned. "What's going on?"
"He called me… but then silence. Nothing but silence."
Another scoffed. "That's a team of Zero-class replicants. What could've gone wrong?"
"They absorb energy. They're practically invincible. Who could possibly stop them?"
The room went quiet.
"Send a follow-up team," one executive said grimly. "Find out what the hell just happened."
Minutes later, agents arrived at the scene.
What they found sent chills down their spines.
Clones unconscious.
A car drenched in blood.
A man, impaled by a single knife, pinned to the vehicle like a pinned butterfly.
The cleanup crew stood still, phones trembling in their hands.
One called headquarters.
An Essex executive answered, voice tense. "What happened over there?"
There was silence… then a whisper:
"Sir… Osborn isn't what we thought. There's a monster over there… And we haven't even seen the worst of it yet."
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