Underneath the cold, even, and endlessly droning basement lights, Dr. Genus spoke:
"I've devised a new remedy. Unrivaled. I have named it the 'Superior Immortality Serum.' One dose grants unaging, undying flesh," he continued. "Stable. Reproducible. Certain individuals would pay any price for such a thing."
"How undying?"
"My apologies. The version we'll sell to select clients uses a weaker formula. Think of their 'undying' trait as a pale imitation of Subject No. 66, Zombieman. A Demon-level threat would crush them. But our targets? Sheltered, protected. Living forever in that safety won't take much. They pose no real threat to us."
Caspian nodded. "Alright. Money isn't an issue right now, but I'll need much more soon. The future's expensive… How exactly do you want my help?"
"I need your genuine protection." Dr. Genus folded his hands behind his back. "Have you heard of the 'Abandoned Masses?'"
"Once in passing… They're a notorious group of mass murderers whose goal is to cull the population."
"Then you understand they will come for my head the moment the first vial of 'Superior Immortality Serum' hits the market. I have no doubt they can track me down."
"Why's that?" asked Caspian.
"They already did once, long ago." His voice tightened. "By pure chance, I had just completed my first batch of clones. One was sent out to run errands, fitted with a GPS and audio relay — rudimentary by today's standards."
Dr. Genus paced a step with a distant look behind his rectangular glasses. "They struck fast. No warning. No demands. But chance stood on my side still."
"How so?"
"The 'Abandoned Masses' follower didn't kill my clone on the first strike. Whether by intent or carelessness, they used my clone's final moments as an opportunity to pontificate."
Caspian stayed silent.
"They decreed my act of restoring youth an abominable affront.
That mass rot, ruin, and death would one day cleanse the world.
Their words were not casual; instead, recited, like prescient scripture."
¤ ¤ ¤
Genos stalked through the dense forest on the far west side of Z-City. The area belonged to an old, forgotten park, part of a vast swath of the city long since abandoned. Unlike the Ghost Town, on the eastern side, this side held no special title.
Every so often, he glanced down at his phone, tracking the red dot blinking steadily ahead.
Good thing I installed a tracker on Master's phone last night when he left the room. Wish I'd heard what he said… oh well. I should be grateful I found it wedged between the couch cushions.
He hadn't had a choice. With Caspian teleporting at random, tracking him by his previous means was infeasible.
In the end, today worked out perfectly. His master responded to that person's letter as predicted — and, even better, strolled through the forest, soaking up the early afternoon breeze as it wound through the overgrown woodland. Which made it simple for Genos to trail him.
Genos halted mid-step as his Hyper Sensors pinged — an energy signature, faint but deliberate, followed behind him. Someone stalked him. A predatory motion. Calculated. Disgusting.
Understanding hit him akin to a bolt of lightning through his core.
The letter was a feint! I'm the true target. He seethed once he realized the implications. Wasting my time is one thing. But to waste master's? Unpardonable!
¤ ¤ ¤
Shadow Ring shadowed the 'Demon Cyborg,' concealing herself in stealth beyond her previous limits. Yet a sliver of dread clung to her mind; the last time she reached this level of concealment, a strange portal had swallowed her whole.
She'd found nothing in her research suggesting Genos could create portals. That confusion led her to request an audience with the Dowager.
To her shock, the request was granted.
Only the 'Three Fangs' typically received such privilege. They alone acted as direct liaisons, issuing missions on the 'Dowager's' behalf. Lower members like her didn't get summoned — they got orders.
She never learned why her request passed, but she learned something else: something staggering.
The 'Dowager' listened without expression, then offered a simple explanation. The portal she'd described matched the known ability of Rank 1 Hero Blast.
Shadow Ring could only sit there, stunned. She dared not question the 'Dowager' after all.
But the implications…
Why would Blast target her? All she'd done was follow Genos.
Could Blast be the Demon Cyborg's mysterious master?
She tried to dig deeper. Every attempt to gather intel on Genos' master came back blank, as though someone high in the Hero Association had erased all traces.
Maybe it was Blast.
If so, culling Genos had become far more urgent than she realized.
She landed on the thick branch of a tree ahead, crouched in perfect stillness. Why did he stop?
No way he heard her. As her movements made no sound if she so wished; a basic skill drilled into every 'Abandoned Masses' recruit in the week following their induction.
Shadow Ring's instincts kicked in a blink later.
She twisted midair, flinging herself backward and flattening against nothing, narrowly dodging the blade jutting from Genos' arm. She landed on the forest floor below, dead leaves scattering; while her fingers curled around her ninjato's hilt.
"I underestimated you," Genos said, peering down. "Using my master to get to me. And look at you… still hiding your true identity."
His tone grew solemn. "You'll pay twice over. First, for wasting my master's precious free time. But worse — far worse — you've pushed him toward a dark path. I won't let him become a ninja. Not like you!"
Shadow Ring grit her teeth. The nonsense again. Every encounter it was like this. Nothing he said ever made a lick of sense.
No more.
"So, your master is the Rank 1 Hero, then?"
"You would even mock his Hero Rank?! He's worked really hard to get it up!" Genos snapped. He launched forward, a blur of metal and heat, and drove a dropkick straight at her.
If it landed, she'd die. Simple as that.
Shadow Ring twisted aside at the last instant; but the impact shattered the ground, erupting in a blast of forest floor that hurled her like a ragdoll. She slammed into a tree trunk hard enough to rattle its branches. The breath ripped from her lungs.
I can't die here!
Gasping, Shadow Ring clawed herself upright, back pressed against the wide oak for support.
The 'Demon Cyborg's' next action was of a most despicable, debauched nature.
He appeared before her in an instant and thrust his palms forward. Her failure to react seemed to confuse him; his hands, which should have slammed into her with deadly force, instead stopped when they touched her small breasts — and then squeezed.
That expression... she would never forget how bewilderment twisted his face, nor how his yellow eyes jumped up and down.
"S-Sonic, what have you done!?"