Brant's thoughts were abruptly cut short by the sound of approaching footsteps.
The metal floor vibrated faintly as Steven made his way through the inner section of the mechanical vehicle, closely followed by One. Even beneath the dim artificial lighting, Steven's presence was impossible to ignore.
He was exceptionally tall, his massive frame composed of bulging, layered muscles that seemed to ripple with restrained power. Every movement he made carried the unmistakable impression of immense strength held tightly in check.
His physique was extraordinarily robust, with a tremendous force seemingly dormant beneath his skin. Even while standing still, he radiated an oppressive aura, much like a wild beast patiently waiting to strike.
Dark, vein-like patterns faintly crawled across his skin, pulsing slowly as though something within him remained quietly active.
Steven leaned against one of the internal support beams, folded his arms across his chest, and spoke in a slightly playful tone.
"One finally got us some results. I was starting to think he was just bullshitting us."
Brant and Veronica, who had been listening, were visibly surprised. They turned to look at One, their expressions carrying faint hints of schadenfreude.
Seeing their reactions, the corner of One's mouth twitched slightly. Nevertheless, he managed to remain composed, suppressing the growing frustration building within him.
He then held up the box containing the six glowing green serums and spoke calmly.
"My experiment finally produced something, thanks to the Predator corpse I recently managed to get my hands on. And as I said before, the greater the quantity and quality of the corrupted corpses I receive, the faster my research will progress."
Brant and Steven exchanged glances, their expressions still revealing varying degrees of doubt.
Veronica, however, slowly spoke up.
"But surely this isn't the first Predator corpse you've been provided with. I remember there being three others, right?"
One's slightly proud expression suddenly froze.
He turned to look at Veronica, whose stoic and serious expression remained unchanged. Yet One could have sworn he caught a faint gleam of mischief in her eyes.
Or was he simply imagining things?
He tried to recall whether he had somehow offended this woman badly enough to make her constantly target him like this. After thinking about it for a while, however, he still couldn't figure out what he had done to deserve it.
He then turned toward Brant and handed him one of the syringes containing the green serum, attempting to reassure him while secretly hoping he could use him as a guinea pi—no, no. A test subject.
Yes, a voluntary test subject.
"You should all already know how research works, right? There are various stages a new product has to go through before it's considered safe for consumption. After all my testing, this product is finally ready... Why don't you try it and see for yourself?"
Brant carefully examined the serum, his expression a mixture of hesitation and anticipation. Although he was uncertain about taking it, he was already at his wit's end. He had to seize every opportunity he could find that might potentially make him stronger, especially when such opportunities were so rare.
The most common method was the absorption of Blood Coins, but even those were extremely difficult to obtain.
So, no matter how small the probability was that the serum would actually work, as long as there was no significant risk of it mutating him into some kind of grotesque abomination, he was willing to take the chance.
If he wanted to survive for much longer in this ruined world, he had to become stronger by any means necessary.
Once he had made his decision, his expression gradually settled into calmness, the previous hesitation now completely gone. He accepted the syringe and took one last look at One's seemingly sincere expression before slowly injecting the green serum into his bloodstream through his left arm.
And if something did go terribly wrong, Veronica was still here to fix it.
So, despite the potential danger, Brant wasn't overly concerned about the consequences.
After he was done, Brant prepared himself for the change that was supposed to take place. However, after waiting for several minutes, nothing happened.
He turned to look at One again, his expression now puzzled.
Understanding the situation, One hurriedly explained, "Please don't doubt the legitimacy of my product. That's just how it works. You'll have to wait for about thirty minutes before the serum takes effect."
Brant's earlier doubtful expression immediately eased. He proceeded to sit down comfortably and wait for the predicted thirty minutes to pass.
Meanwhile, the moment Brant injected the serum, Veronica and Steven began carefully observing him, paying close attention to every change in his body. Veronica in particular remained focused on him, her penetrating gaze making Brant feel slightly uncomfortable.
After more than twenty-five minutes of waiting, Brant suddenly began sweating profusely. His body grew increasingly hot as an intense, searing sensation spread throughout him, as though his entire body were burning from within.
He closed his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing in pain as the sweat covering his body rapidly evaporated, turning into steam that rose continuously from his skin.
Then, he suddenly felt a tremendous surge of energy erupt from somewhere deep within his stomach. The energy rapidly spread throughout his entire body, surging through his muscles and bones as his physique began to strengthen at an astonishing rate.
A red-coloured blood mist soon rose from his body, rapidly thickening until it completely enveloped him in a blood-red cocoon.
Veronica, whose penetrating gaze had remained locked on Brant the entire time, carefully studied the transformation. However, her eyes soon drifted toward the other five serums, gleaming with unmistakable interest.
One seemed to notice her gaze as well.
His expression immediately changed.
He hurriedly covered the remaining serums and subtly moved behind Steven, using him as a shield before finally finding what he considered a safe position.
Steven had also witnessed everything that had just happened, but he wisely pretended not to notice One's actions. He had no desire to antagonize someone as unpredictable as Veronica. Instead, he simply continued observing Brant, his astonishment growing with every passing second.
Several minutes later, the blood-red mist finally began to dissipate.
When it completely disappeared, Brant stood before them once again.
His figure was noticeably smaller than his previous bulky frame. He was still covered in dense, well-developed muscles, but his height had been reduced to barely 1.8 meters.
The overall size of his muscles had also decreased slightly, yet they were now far more balanced and proportionate. Every muscle seemed to fit perfectly with the next, giving his body a much more harmonious and aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Rather than losing his strength, his physique seemed to have been refined, becoming less bulky, but considerably more balanced and efficient.
Even though his height had decreased, no one would dare underestimate Brant. After the upgrade, he could now actively release a powerful form of pressure, further amplifying his already terrifying strength.
Brant's excited voice immediately rang out as he examined his arms and body in astonishment.
"Wow... That serum of yours really packs a punch. I feel far more powerful. My constitution and muscle density have increased by about five times their previous level. These serums are amazing!"
His heated gaze instantly landed on One, who was standing behind Steven. It then shifted toward the remaining serums in One's hands.
Brant stepped closer and asked earnestly,
"Can they be stacked?"
The question completely caught Steven, One, and Veronica completely off guard.
One hesitated for a moment before answering uncertainly.
"Uhh... yes, I guess. But I haven't tested that yet, so... it's possible they can be used that way."
In truth, what he had just shown them was merely what he had obtained from the Abomination corpses.
The real prize was what he had extracted from the Predator corpses.
Unfortunately, he only had a single injection of that serum.
Unlike the green serum, the liquid was a dark crimson-red. One still had no idea exactly what it could strengthen, and that uncertainty alone was enough to make him extremely cautious about revealing it.
What if it possessed some heaven-defying property?
What if it could directly enhance or even evolve a person's abilities?
The possibilities were simply too dangerous to ignore.
For that reason, One had no intention of revealing the full extent of his capabilities to the others just yet. He didn't trust anyone enough to expose everything he had obtained.
If they discovered just how valuable his research truly was, things could quickly take a turn for the worse.
He could be captured, enslaved, and forced to continuously produce serums for them.
Until he became strong enough to protect himself, keeping some of his cards hidden was the safest choice.
After all, in this ruined world, possessing something extraordinarily valuable without having the strength to protect it was little different from carrying a death sentence.
One wasn't entirely sure whether the current strengthening serum could be stacked, but he understood that there was a world of difference between confidently claiming that it could and admitting his uncertainty so openly.
Unfortunately, he still underestimated the true value of these serums.
Perhaps it was because they were of little use to him personally that he failed to appreciate just how precious they were. Brant, Steven, and Veronica, on the other hand, had all survived in these desolate wastelands. They understood all too well how difficult it was to obtain anything capable of significantly enhancing one's strength.
And these serums were precisely that kind of treasure.
The three immediately exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting a complicated mixture of emotions. At the same time, their gazes repeatedly drifted toward the serums in One's possession, growing increasingly intense with every passing second.
Under the weight of their collective stares, One began to feel slightly uncomfortable.
Even so, he remained unafraid.
After all, he had Marco's strength backing him. No matter how greedy these people became, they wouldn't dare lay a finger on him. Doing so would inevitably offend Marco, and none of them would be foolish enough to antagonize someone of his calibre.
Besides, One was Marco's student.
That alone was enough to make anyone think twice before making a move against him.
With that in mind, One casually took two of the serums from the box and handed one each to Steven and Veronica. He then tucked the remaining three back into the box, seemingly oblivious to the increasingly covetous gazes of the three people standing before him.
Just then, a deep, rough voice came from the vehicle's inner compartment.
"We've been travelling in this thing for months, and these wastelands are only getting worse. Predators used to be rare, but now they're wandering around as though they own the place. The Abominations are also evolving and adapting at an increasingly alarming rate. I can feel it, the density of the pollution is rising."
The speaker paused briefly before continuing.
"We need to settle down in a Sanctuary."
Upon hearing this, One's eyes narrowed slightly.
A moment later, a look of delight flashed across his face, only to disappear almost immediately as he quickly concealed his reaction.
Before anyone could say anything, the deep voice fell silent, followed by the heavy sound of approaching footsteps.
A vague silhouette emerged from the inner compartment, gradually becoming clearer as its owner drew closer.