Ocean Surface.
USS Langley Aircraft Carrier.
"That was definitely a missile!"
"No, it was a UFO!"
Two sailors were arguing over what they had seen earlier.
Whoosh!
The familiar blur streaked by again, churning up the sea surface.
The two sailors stared dumbfoundedly at the streak. What, it's back again?
At this moment, Jeno was carrying Logan, while Logan himself was holding the headless Victor. The trio sped through the sky at high altitude. With Jeno's super speed, they quickly returned to the base.
The forceful landing created a gust of wind, scattering papers and documents around. Jeno released his grip on Logan.
"Urgh!"
The moment his feet touched the ground, Logan collapsed and vomited a mess of digested food.
This Jeno guy was absolutely terrifying. Being dragged by him from Canada to New York—who knew how fast they were going?
Logan felt like the world was spinning; he was completely dizzy.
In fact, he even felt a twinge of envy for his headless older brother, Victor. At least without a head for now, he didn't have to endure the vertigo from high-speed travel.
Ignoring Logan vomiting on the floor, Jeno stepped around him, away from the unpleasant smell, and ran into Dr. Erskine.
"Jeno! You're back!"
Erskine, who had been waiting here, looked at Jeno excitedly, pulling out a pocket watch. "It only took you thirty-one minutes to go from New York to Canada!"
"No, to be precise, excluding the time spent finding them and... teaching a team member a lesson, the travel time was only about twenty minutes."
Jeno shook his head. The previous timing wasn't accurate.
"Alright, I'll note that down."
Erskine scribbled in his notebook. Right now, he was Jeno's devoted fanboy.
Erskine planned to study Jeno's limits—an excellent research topic!
He noticed Logan, whom Jeno had 'recruited,' and curiously looked at the headless corpse in the corner. "What is that? A dead body?"
Jeno shrugged. "These two are my team members. But one of them lacked manners, so I gave him a little lesson."
Listening from the corner, Logan's mouth twitched. A little lesson, my ass. His brother's head had been pulverized. He'd never seen someone as brutal as Jeno.
"But... his head is gone. Is that... okay?"
Erskine looked at the corpse with concern.
"It's fine. These brothers' ability is extreme regeneration. He'll recover before long."
Hearing that Logan and Victor could heal like that, another fantastic research topic, Erskine's eyes lit up, looking at Logan with an almost... thirsty gaze.
"Back off, you damn queer!"
Logan shivered. This bald, bespectacled doctor did not look like a good guy.
"Logan, mind your manners."
Jeno gave Logan a cool glance.
Meeting Jeno's icy stare, the image of his brother's exploding head flashed in Logan's mind. After a moment's silence, he nodded. "Yes, Captain."
"Good. That's more like a qualified member of 'The Boys'!"
"Jeno, go to the Colonel's office. There's a mission from above for you."
Peggy found Jeno, waving the file in her hand.
Jeno nodded and headed for the office.
After Jeno left, Erskine immediately latched onto Logan.
"How old are you, young man?"
"Got a girlfriend?"
"What's your superpower?"
Logan massaged his temples, looking at the chattering Erskine with a headache.
In the past, if anyone dared blabber in his ear like that, he'd have skewered their skull with his claws.
But under the pressure from Jeno, Logan had to grit his teeth and answer Erskine's barrage of questions.
Elsewhere, Jeno pushed the door open.
"Colonel, I found those two brothers."
Jeno sat in a chair, looking at Phillips, who was reviewing documents.
"Excellent."
Phillips nodded with satisfaction, then pulled out a paper and handed it to Jeno.
"This is approval from the White House, authorizing you to form a superhuman hero team."
[Mission Completed: Form 'The Boys.']
[Reward: Super Durability Upgrade.]
A warm current flowed into Jeno's limbs and internal organs. He felt a comforting warmth all over his body, but nothing more.
Increasing his durability meant improving his survivability, even though few in this era could hurt him anyway.
"Also, there's a support mission from above."
Phillips took out an intelligence file and handed it to Jeno.
Jeno took the file and skimmed it.
The paper contained mission intelligence.
"Support US forces in the South Pacific. Eliminate the garrison forces on Peleliu Island."
Phillips held a map, circling the island's location with a pen.
"Those damn Japs have deployed about ten thousand troops on this island."
"They've practically hollowed out the entire island with tunnels and trenches, stockpiling large quantities of weapons and supplies."
"Our brave American soldiers have suffered heavy losses on this island."
"So, command intends to send you to support Major William Rupertus."
Jeno nodded with a neutral expression. The system hadn't triggered a new mission this time, making him somewhat reluctant to participate.
Why should I care if Americans and Japanese kill each other?
Jeno felt the more that died, the better.
But nominally, he was still part of the Strategic Scientific Reserve. It wouldn't be good to refuse. He stood up and saluted Phillips. "I will complete the mission!"
"Good. Go prepare!"
Phillips waved his hand, dismissing Jeno.
Leaving the office and walking down the corridor, Jeno was stopped by Peggy.
"Jeno, did you get the Peleliu Island support mission?"
Peggy stared at Jeno.
"That's right."
Jeno nodded, looking at her questioningly.
Peggy looked at Jeno, bit her lip, and leaned closer to whisper in his ear. "If you're confident, you must perform exceptionally well. Best to make sure your name is known at the highest levels."
"I've heard... your American higher-ups are planning to create a 'spiritual banner' to boost morale."
Peggy was British. The reason she was in the SSR was because the US and UK were allies, and the SSR was formed by pooling talent from both nations.
She must have caught wind of something and came to tip him off.
Hearing Peggy's explanation, Jeno's eyes immediately lit up.
This sounds familiar...
Peggy's meaning was simple: The American top brass wanted to create a "god," a star, much like future marketing campaigns that propelled celebrities to fame with a single viral song.
Becoming that banner would bring immense benefits. Just the political capital and fame alone would be a huge, intangible asset.
Quickly, Jeno made up his mind. I'm doing it.
Having decided, and looking at Peggy standing before him, Jeno pondered for a moment.
"Peggy, thank you so much for this information. As thanks, I can grant you one request."
He wasn't an ungrateful person. Since Peggy treated him sincerely, he wouldn't be stingy with kindness.
So, Jeno decided to give Peggy a promise.
Peggy glanced at Jeno. The icy beauty clasped her hands behind her back and slowly leaned closer. "Really? Any request?"
"Of course. My word is my bond."