Henry stood shirtless, wearing only a pair of loose beach shorts.
He walked over to the massive floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedroom, pushed the door open, and stepped out onto the extended viewing balcony.
The morning sunlight carried a perfect warmth, cascading over his flawless body, highlighting every muscle with sharp definition and explosive power.
He took a deep breath of the salty sea air, then frowned in mild disgust.
"I have to say, California's air quality is really going downhill," he muttered to the empty balcony, sounding picky.
"Full of the stench of money and the cheap perfume of those Hollywood stars. Jarvis, do you think I should consider buying a private island, planting nothing but birch trees, just to purify the air?"
"Good morning, Mr. Henry," Jarvis's calm voice came through the speakers hidden on the balcony.
"Based on your physiological data, your sleep quality last night was rated as excellent. Additionally, according to real-time air quality monitoring, the PM2.5 index in the Malibu area is 12, considered excellent. The scent you detect is more likely from the champagne you overindulged in last night and the limited-edition Chanel fragrance on Miss Elena."
"Oh, really?" Henry rolled his eyes.
"Seems your database has accumulated some…unnecessary information. What, now you've started analyzing women's perfumes too? My dear old electronic friend, maybe it's time you got yourself a robotic girlfriend. I heard Japan just released one—sweet voice and even says 'yamete.'"
"Sir, I am merely stating facts," Jarvis replied evenly.
"The current time is 8:15 a.m. Shall I prepare breakfast? The kitchen robots have already prepared your favorite: Spanish ham and over-easy eggs."
"Breakfast? Not in a hurry," Henry said lazily, stretching.
The sunlight bathed him warmly, making every cell in his body feel alive.
"I suddenly feel it's a crime to waste such good sunlight. Come on, Jarvis, bring me a lounge chair. As a young man who loves a healthy life, enjoying a sunbath seems perfectly reasonable, doesn't it?"
"Of course, sir."
At Jarvis's response, the glass wall behind Henry silently slid open to the sides.
Smooth metal panels extended from inside the walls, shifting and connecting seamlessly.
The entire process was fluid, filled with a sense of high-tech artistry.
"I have to say, my fully automated slack-off system is truly a genius invention," Henry said with a satisfied smile, while still teasing.
"The speed is still a bit slow though—by the time it finishes, the sun will nearly be setting. Next upgrade, install some thrusters. I want to be lying on it within 0.1 seconds of giving the command."
Soon, a mechanical sun lounger, looking both sleek and comfortable, appeared perfectly before him.
"Barely passing grade," Henry quipped, lying back comfortably.
A mechanical arm extended from the chair, placing a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses precisely in his hand.
He put them on, crossed his legs, and said playfully, "Alright, let's start enjoying my gloriously mundane life."
He closed his eyes, basking in the sunlight.
But he had no intention of really dozing off.
"Jarvis, don't just stand there. Activate the body data monitoring system. I want to see how efficient my human solar panel is at charging. Feed all the data to me in real-time. Let's see if one hour in the sun can let me lift a tank."
"Yes, sir."
A translucent holographic screen appeared before Henry almost instantly, rapidly refreshing with streams of complex data and 3D models.
The sunlight didn't feel harsh; instead, it felt like warm streams penetrating his skin, flowing through his limbs.
He seemed coated in a faint golden glow, like a solar deity from myth.
He leisurely swung his legs while watching the holographic display, still teasing Jarvis.
"Hey Jarvis, look at this cellular energy conversion efficiency—only up 0.09%? Too slow! Should I adjust the light wavelength? Or maybe use a satellite to beam concentrated sunlight at me? That might be more efficient."
"Sir, as analyzed previously, your body is performing an unprecedented plant-like photosynthesis energy conversion. This conversion is highly efficient, seemingly optimizing and evolving your genetic sequence at an extremely slow rate."
"I get it, I get it," Henry waved impatiently.
"You don't need to make it sound so complicated. Simply put, I'm evolving toward superhuman, right?"
"Yes sir. But based on current data, your evolutionary trajectory is highly uncertain and cannot be precisely predicted."
"Unpredictable? So it's like opening a mystery box?" Henry smirked.
"I hate mystery boxes. Just don't give me a passive skill where my underwear goes on the outside. That aesthetic is a disaster."
He studied the evolving genetic chain on the screen, a little uneasy despite his casual words.
Maybe he really would evolve toward a superhuman state.
After all, it's all sunbathing—classic.
Definitely, can't be some wannabe like Heberlon, right? That would be lame.
Then he considered the Sentinels—it could be good. No, that would be epic.
After all, those abilities in comics are god-level: millions of stars' energy, matter manipulation, mind control.
Side effect: may create an equally formidable villain persona, but as long as you're not saving the world, it's fine.
He sighed, hoping to one day be that strong.
Strong enough to protect everything he cared about.
Time passed as Henry lounged in the sun, daydreaming and teasing Jarvis, for two hours.
"Sir," Jarvis's voice brought him out of half-sleep.
"Based on comprehensive calculations of energy absorption and conversion, your physical abilities seem to have improved slightly compared to yesterday."
Henry perked up, removing his sunglasses to look at the data.
"Oh? Really?" he asked eagerly.
"How much stronger? Can I punch the Moon yet?"
"Not yet, sir," Jarvis replied humorously.
"Your base strength has increased by approximately 4 tons. Maximum flight speed is now 3 Mach. As for your physical defense, it will only continue to get stronger than you imagine."
"Only 4 tons? Too little," Henry said, but his smile betrayed his excitement.
"Well, better than nothing. At least next time some fool shows up, I can smash them a little flatter."
He stood and stretched, feeling the enhanced power coursing through him.
Then, a bold, crazy idea struck him.
"Hey Jarvis," he said with a mischievous grin. "How about we try something exciting?"
"Sir, may I remind you that your 'exciting' usually comes with extreme risk."
"Don't be such a killjoy," Henry said, walking to the balcony edge and looking at the blue sky.
"I was thinking…since I get stronger from sunbathing, just like that guy in briefs outside, and you said I have some kind of bio-field, albeit weak now…do you think it's possible I could survive in space?"
"using my unnatural bio-field to deal with vacuum, low temperatures, and lack of oxygen."
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