Chapter 55. Side effects
"Felix, this serum can't be completely free of side effects, can it?" Tony stared at the blue reagent for a moment before suddenly asking Felix aloud.
"Of course not. How could something so powerful and ingenious come without consequences?" Felix replied with a smirk.
"Although this serum grants supernatural abilities, it has a fatal flaw. The failure rate among ordinary adults is alarmingly high. In fact, they might die on the spot."
"That's why the company that developed it can only safely administer the drug to carefully selected newborn babies. If done right, the success rate is guaranteed."
At this point, Felix thought of the Extremis virus from Iron Man 3. It seemed similar to this Compound V in a way, both having high failure rates. However, while the Extremis virus only gave people specific fire powers and high regeneration, Compound V could enhance the human body and cause a mutation that grants a unique superpower exclusively. While the powers might be spectacular as well as not, the Extremis virus could give users extraordinary abilities like regenerating limbs or radiating high heat.
Compound V, on the other hand, might produce more diverse superpowers, like invulnerability and many more.
For example, Homelander abilities also came from Compound V. His body had transformed and he nearly become an invincible powerful figure in his world.
Another example was the "A-Train," whose speed neared twice the speed of sound—a remarkable feat.
In terms of effectiveness, Compound V and the Extremis virus were quite similar, but Compound V failure rate was much higher, possibly even worse than that of the Extremis virus.
"I get it now," Tony said, nodding.
"If it were that easy to gain superpower, their world would be in chaos." His tone eased as he realized that, despite the danger, the serum's potential was still astonishing.
"Even with all its side effects, the medicine is still incredibly powerful. Ordinary people can directly obtain superpowers. If the world found out about this, it would cause a global uproar!" Tony added, still shaken by its implications.
Felix, his gaze fixed on the blue potion, asked, "So, Tony, do you think you can perfect this serum? Maybe remove its side effects?"
Tony, lost in thought for a moment, then answered, "Felix, I appreciate your trust, but while the media calls me the greatest genius of the century—and I totally agree with them—geniuses can't master everything. I'm confident no one can surpass me in technology, but biology? That's one of the few fields I'm not the best at."
He smiled slightly before continuing. "Of course, I'm better than most of those pretentious professors, but still, I'll need to test and analyze this compound before I can determine if there's any way to reduce its side effects. As for completely eliminating them—well, I regret to inform you that it's impossible for me of now."
Felix raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I thought you were invincible in things related outside of supernaturalism, Tony. Turns out you also have limitations after all. Maybe I overestimated you a bit."
Tony felt a bit embarrassed, but Felix didn't mind. After all, he had only brought the compound to Tony for research. If the results were useful, great—if not, there was no loss to him.
Felix believed that with his own survival instincts and evolutionary talent, even if he took Compound V with its severe side effects, he would likely survive and gain strength, though not dramatically so. Still, Tony's assessment made sense. Despite being a genius, Tony had his own weaknesses, but to Felix, it felt as though Tony could do anything.
Tony's groundbreaking technologies—such as the miniaturized arc reactors, his iron armor, and the artificial intelligence Jarvis—were enough to make anyone proud. If others had developed these innovations, they'd surely be regarded as the most prestigious mind in the world.
In a universe brimming with groundbreaking technology, Tony wasn't the only genius. Yet, just like the stars in the sky, while there were many, Tony always shone the brightest.
"You….!? Men never back down! To prove my strength, it's not too late. Let's head to the underground lab and test this serum now."
As a scientist, Tony's curiosity about the unknown was insatiable. He was eager to see what kind of serum could grant such extraordinary abilities.
"Let's go, Annie. We'll follow along. Captain, Thor, do you want to come and watch as well?"
Tony was always in a hurry, moving the box and heading toward the underground laboratory. Felix turned to Annie, and then addressed Captain America and Thor, who were lounging on the sofa.
"I'm curious about this serum too, so I'll join in!" The Captain replied, intrigued by the drug, which seemed even more dangerous than the Super Soldier Serum he once took. His interest was piqued, so he stood up to follow.
"What about you, Thor? Want to come down with us?"
Felix noticed the Captain's decision to join them and turned to Thor, who was still lying back on the sofa.
"I'm not interested in this," Thor flatly rejected.
"Then you stay here while we go down!" Felix said with a grin, giving the Captain a nod before turning and following Tony.
"I'm so bored... I'll go check it out with you!" After hearing that he'd be left alone in the empty room, Thor quickly stood up, grabbed his axe and hammer from the table, and jogged after Felix.
"I said, Thor, why are you bringing the axe? No one's going to steal it!" Tony called from the front, clearly puzzled.
When they reached the underground laboratory, Tony was already busy at work. It went without saying that his private lab was one of the most luxurious and well-equipped in the world, complete with all sorts of high-tech instruments.
As Felix and the others followed him, they felt completely out of their depth. None of them had any idea what Tony was doing—after all, they weren't exactly scientists. They could only stand quietly and watch Tony move around, absorbed in his work.
Of course, Tony had the assistance of his AI butler, Jarvis. With Jarvis' help, Tony could accomplish what would normally require an entire team. He only needed to focus on tasks Jarvis couldn't handle by himself.
"This is exactly why I should have stayed upstairs," Thor muttered, staring at Tony darting around the lab.
"I should've just stayed up there!" He regretted coming down.
...….
E/N : Please support me and read atleast 10 chapters ahead at my patreon for $5.
patreon.com/PrimorDious
I'll be really grateful and it would mean a lot to me. Thanks.