General Randy was puzzled, but he still followed Steve out of the noisy command center and into a quiet alloy corridor.
"Steve, what's up? Why so secretive?"
General Randy asked.
Steve said nothing; he simply willed it.
In the next instant, two flash drives and a thick stack of neatly bound hard-copy documents appeared in his hands out of thin air.
"Here, Randy."
He handed the items straight to General Randy.
General Randy instinctively took them, his gaze falling on the cover page of the top document.
[Mass-Produced Type-I Body-Strengthening Solution – Complete Production Process & Molecular Formula]
[High-Energy Bio-Polymer Battery – Technical Principles & Full Manufacturing Blueprints]
Just those two titles made the battle-hardened general, who had seen countless storms, pupils shrink and his breath catch.
"This…?"
"Randy, it's all real."
Steve's tone was calm.
"Assemble the top experts and set up a project team at Fortress."
General Randy felt the two documents weigh heavier than ten thousand tons of gold.
Bio-battery tech, body-strengthening serum.
He knew these had to be deeper secrets Steve wasn't willing to reveal.
But since Steve chose to hand them over to the country without reservation, he would never question their origin.
Besides, either of these two things alone could change the fate of the country.
General Randy's hands trembled with extreme excitement as he gripped the flash drives and documents.
"Good! Good!"
He said the word "good" twice.
"I'll contact the battery experts right away. As for this Gene Serum, I'll take it to George and those old fellows this instant—I guarantee they'll be more excited than anyone once they see it."
Just then Fred jogged over from the other end of the corridor, came to attention in front of the two men.
"Greetings, Commander; greetings, Director."
"Director, we just received word that your family's charter flight is expected to land at the West Suburb Military Airfield in thirty minutes."
"Will you go to meet them?"
Steve thought for a moment and nodded.
"All right, I'll go."
Might as well head home and drink that dose, see what effects it has."
He said to General Randy,
"Randy, I'll go pick up my parents and the others. Please arrange personnel to start the research as soon as possible. I once said I'd make every american citizen as mighty as a dragon—today we take the first step."
"All right, take it easy."
General Randy smiled with satisfaction.
Then, unable to contain his excitement any longer, he spun around and strode off with the two world-changing documents.
Steve followed Fred Jones out of the base and sped by car toward the airport… Fortress, Bio-Lab.
At that moment George Cooper and a dozen top experts each lay quietly on their soul-link beds; their minds were already inside the World Zeta, studying the Mutant's cellular structure with tireless fervor.
Suddenly a violent jolt yanked George's consciousness forcibly out of the World Zeta.
"Who—what are you doing?"
George snapped his eyes open and sat up on the bed, about to explode, only to see General Randy's face brimming with excitement.
"I was right at the crucial point—why did you wake me?"
General Randy ignored his anger and shoved the body-strengthening-serum file straight into his arms.
"George, drop your zombies and look at this—good stuff!"
Seeing General Randy's thrilled expression, George took the file skeptically.
"Strengthening agent?"
He muttered, flipping it open.
Though General Randy couldn't understand the jargon, he believed Steve's words.
As for George, one glance at the molecular structure and synthetic route left him frozen.
He said nothing more; with near-manic speed he flipped page after page.
The more he read, the brighter his eyes blazed; the tighter his trembling hands clenched the document.
"The theory—completely feasible. Who wrote this?"
He jerked his head up, eyes burning toward the other flash drive and file in General Randy's hand.
"Don't tell me that one too?"
"George, don't even think about it—that's for the energy team."
General Randy pocketed the flash drive and patted his shoulder.
"You lot focus and deliver results; I'm off to rally the battery side."
With that he bustled away.
Watching his departing back, George couldn't hold back; he rushed to his colleagues' beds and shook them awake one by one.
"George, what are you doing?"
"Stop messing with those damn zombies—wake up! Pick a few people and research this with me!"
The group, bleary-eyed, took the file initially unconcerned, but soon every one of them fell into the same utter shock and fervor as George!
"If what's written here is true, then every american citizen's physique could leap to a whole new level!"
"If us old bones used this, we could serve the country for another dozen years at least…"
...
West Suburb Military Airfield, Capital.
Accompanied by Fred Jones, Steve passed through the checkpoint layers with ease and walked straight to the apron.
This was where Stefanie and the others' charter flight would soon land.
Moments later, with a thunderous roar of engines, a Gulfstream touched down smoothly and taxied to the apron.
The cabin door opened, and Steve's parents and younger sister appeared at the top of the airstair, escorted by security personnel.
"Big brother!"
Stefanie was first to dash down like a cheerful little bird, reaching Steve's side and affectionately slipping her arm through his.
"A charter flight—your little sister is finally basking in your reflected glory!"
Steve smiled and rubbed her head, then moved to greet his parents.
After a brief family exchange, Steve and Fred Jones led them to a black sedan waiting nearby on the apron.
When Stephen and Nicole saw the car, they were stunned again.
It was a dignified, elegant armored car, a National Emblem on the hood, and the license plate made their hearts race.
Pure white background, starting with the red military character.
"Steve…"
Stephen pointed at the plate, voice stammering.
"What exactly have you gotten yourself into?"
Steve merely gave a mysterious smile.
"Classified."
"Hey, you little brat."
Stephen laughed and scolded, but the pride in his eyes couldn't be hidden.