“Yes. We chased him for over an hour, then kept him pinned down here for another.”“The brat’s like a turtle in its shell—refuses to come out no matter what.”“If we weren’t in Nova City, where explosives are off-limits, I’d have blown him to pieces already.”Neil Foster spoke through clenched teeth.“Leave it to me.”As he spoke, Joseph removed the rest of his gear and tossed it to Neil.“Sir, you’re not thinking of going in through the second-floor window, are you?”Neil asked.“That won’t work. Didn’t you say he’s covering both the stairwell and the windows with a heavy machine gun?”“Going in that way would make you a sitting target.”Joseph gave a cold smile.“Exactly. So what’s your plan?”Neil pressed.“Where did he even get a heavy machine gun? In a place like Nova City, how did he manage to bring something like that in?”Joseph asked, puzzled.“He must’ve ambushed one of the Nova City Guard’s heavy-weapons posts after entering the city.”“With most of the Guard focused on the

“By the way, sir, things here are more or less under control.”“Quite a few assassins entered Nova City tonight. It might be wiser for you to return to Miss Morgan’s side.”“Though we’ve stationed plenty of capable men around her residence—”“—with you protecting her personally, her safety would be beyond question.”Brian Adams seemed to recall something and turned to Joseph.“You’re right.”“I’ll leave the rest to you.”“I’ll head back now. Contact me if anything arises.”Joseph glanced at the time. It was just past midnight.Compared to the previous operation, this one had been resolved swiftly.“Understood.”Brian nodded.Joseph did not linger. Before long, he was driving toward Whispering Pines Villas.When he arrived home, the lights in the villa were still on.It was already one in the morning.That girl Alice—and Mason Alvarez—were likely waiting up for him again.The thought stirred a warmth in Joseph’s chest.He pushed the door open and stepped inside.Alice was curled up bes

“Oh, alright, alright—I’m going.”Mason Alvarez hurried off to wash the dishes.She had always been rather indolent, but under Alice’s influence, even she had begun to change.With Mason in the kitchen, Alice and Joseph retired to rest.In such troubled times, neither Alice nor Mason had the heart for much else.As for Joseph, his thoughts revolved around only two matters: how to ensure Alice’s absolute safety—and how to help both the Cooper family and the Morgan family rise to greater heights.The next morning, Joseph was awakened by the shrill vibration of his phone.He glanced at the screen. It was Geoffrey Harris.After steadying himself, he answered.“Good morning, President Harris.”“Good morning, Mr. Wilson.”Harris’s warm voice came through the line.“What can I do for you?”Joseph asked.“Nothing urgent. I simply wished to have a word.”“I understand that the chairman of the Morgan Group intends to invite you to take over an important project—and to appoint you as their Chief

“Have you conducted human trials?”“Or have you not?”Joseph turned to Alice. From the look on her face, he could already guess the answer.“Let me explain,” Blake Morgan stepped forward.“We did conduct a human trial. We injected the genetic compound into a terminal cancer patient who had only days left to live.”“After the injection, there was no visible change in the progression of his cancer. However, his physical strength increased more than twentyfold.”“But at the same time, he descended into complete madness. He was utterly uncontrollable, devoid of all sensation, transformed into nothing more than a killing machine.”“Because he could not be restrained, we had no choice but to put him down. Power without control is catastrophic. The destruction he caused was immense, and had it drawn public attention, the consequences would have been beyond our ability to contain.”“It was also because of that human trial that news of our research breakthrough was leaked.”“After that, Profes

“As for so-called super-humans, whether they can truly be realized—I don’t know,” Joseph said evenly. “But I do know that certain individuals with ulterior motives already believe they can.”“That is why they are exhausting every means to extract something from our researchers—going so far as to endanger lives.”“If this project remains shrouded in secrecy, speculation will only intensify. And our researchers will suffer even greater harm.”His composure never wavered.“Professor Wilson, since you acknowledge the immense risks involved, why take on this project at all? Aren’t you afraid of those dangers?” another reporter pressed.“Afraid?” Joseph’s lips curved faintly. “What others call monsters in the dark are, to me, nothing extraordinary.”The audacity of his reply stirred a ripple of astonishment through the room.He continued answering questions for some time. Save for matters involving classified information, he spoke with remarkable candor—leaving little unsaid.By the time th