Hearing the system's prompt, Maguire was startled.
"Good thing the system warned me in time—otherwise, I might've sent Dr. Connors straight to the afterlife."
"After all, a man who'll one day cause massive casualties? I wouldn't feel the slightest guilt taking him out right now."
"So, the system *does* give Villain Points for killing antagonists outright… but it doesn't match the system's main goal. If I skip the villainous acts and just kill, the points are much lower."
"Looks like I can't be too hasty—ATMs like him aren't easy to come by."
---
At that moment, Dr. Connors walked toward Maguire and Garfield with a faint smile.
Garfield was Connors' student, so the doctor was clearly pleased to see him—especially today.
Connors was preparing to run an experiment, and Garfield and Maguire had arrived just in time to be the audience.
---
Dr. Connors stopped in front of them.
"Garfield, is this your friend? Aren't you going to introduce us?" he asked with a smile.
Garfield quickly replied,
"Dr. Connors, this is my classmate, Maguire. He's also very interested in biotechnology and really admires your work, so I brought him here to have a look around."
Then Garfield shot Maguire a glance, silently signaling him not to ruin the act.
"Maguire, this is Dr. Connors—an absolute authority in the field of biotechnology."
Maguire grumbled inwardly.
"Didn't think Garfield had this kind of routine in him."
He could only smile politely.
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Connors."
Hearing Garfield's well-placed flattery, Connors was visibly pleased.
"Well, Maguire, you picked the perfect day to visit. I'm about to conduct a live experiment. You can observe it firsthand."
Maguire thought to himself:
"So, he's already developed the gene serum… Looks like the Lizard's debut isn't far off now. I can practically see the Villain Points waving at me."
---
Garfield said eagerly,
"That's wonderful, Dr. Connors."
Connors, confident in his latest work, couldn't help imagining the results—if it succeeded, his arm would grow back, and he'd gain both fame and fortune.
His research into biotechnology had always been driven by a single goal: to restore his lost arm.
Once, he'd been an exceptional war correspondent.
But during a battle, a shell blast had taken his right arm forever.
It became a wound that never truly healed.
---
Soon, Connors led Maguire and Garfield to a laboratory table.
On it sat a small iron cage.
Inside, a lab mouse darted around energetically—though it had only three paws, one having been surgically removed.
Wearing his white lab coat, Connors went to a nearby refrigeration unit and retrieved a vial filled with a green liquid.
"This," he said, turning to them, "is my latest achievement."
"In nature, lizards possess an extraordinary ability—rapid regeneration. When threatened, some will voluntarily shed their tails to distract predators and escape. Remarkably, the tail grows back."
"After years of study, I've fully understood this regenerative trait. I've distilled the healing factor from lizards and infused it into this serum."
"If this experiment succeeds, people who've lost limbs in war or by accident will have a chance at new life."
Garfield, unaware of the risks, gazed at Connors with open admiration.
"That's amazing, Dr. Connors. If this works, you'll be the greatest scientist of the century."
---
Connors smiled faintly.
"Now, let's witness this historic moment together."
He drew the serum into a syringe, opened the cage, and carefully restrained the mouse.
Then he injected the green liquid into its body.
Connors and Garfield fixed their attention on the little animal, waiting for any change.
Maguire, on the other hand, couldn't care less about a half-baked serum.
---
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