In Connors' laboratory.
Nolan, wearing a sterile white dust-proof suit, stood patiently as the final turbulent airflow wash hissed to a stop. The door slid open with a pneumatic sigh, and he entered the place again. The air inside was cold, sharp with the smell of ozone and disinfectant.
Connors, also wearing a dust-proof suit, walked out from behind Nolan. His movements were jerky, wired.
He walked solemnly to a laboratory platform covered with countless strange instruments, glowing screens, and racks of transparent bottles.
Connors pointed to a row of transparent test tubes on a shelf. He introduced them to Nolan one by one, his voice hoarse but vibrating with energy.
"This is the original solution of Compound V. This... this is the pure preparation, after tens of thousands of centrifugal separations. And this... this is the mysterious and unknown substance that was separated."
Nolan opened his cyan wolf eyes wide. The cold, bright LED lights of the lab reflected in them.
He tried hard to listen to the other man's words, to filter the breakthrough from the exhaustion.
Connors, who was gradually getting into the state, picked up a test tube containing a light blue, almost glowing liquid and continued, "After countless experiments and analyses, I found that the components of Compound V are actually divided into two types. One is a legacy from the Super Soldier Project. Yes, the so-called pure preparation is the super soldier serum with a purity of 99.9%."
He gave a dry, short laugh. "After all, they are all imitations made by later generations. Even if scientists have restored the real formula, only Dr. Erskine at that time could perfectly restore the original super soldier serum."
"If the super soldier serum brings basic strength and physical fitness to the human body, the other mysterious and unknown substance is a complete mystery. It has the basic activity of life cells, but can survive for a long time by remaining dormant. It also provides the necessary energy support for stimulating various superpowers in the human body. It's incredible!"
Hearing Connors' excited words, Nolan, his expressionless, lowered his head and thought for a while, then asked softly, "Teach, what is the practical value? Can adults also be injected with Compound V?"
"The separated super soldier serum can be used to strengthen adult individuals, but it will not grant superpowers. It will only increase strength, physique, and the speed of wound healing. In other words, if the opportunity is right, we will create a brand new Captain America... or rather, the official idea of hundreds and thousands of super soldiers!"
Connors blinked his blood-red eyes, stared at Nolan, and said, "But those mysterious and unknown substances that were separated... maybe because they are outside the neutralization of the super soldier serum, their effect is more violent. Every time I inject them into the body of an experimental mouse..."
He shuddered, and his excited expression faltered. "The experimental subject has only one end: it explodes into a mass of flesh and blood with a bang."
Before his voice had even finished, Connors took a deep breath, shook his head, and smiled bitterly.
"Compared with the success rate of the Compound V original solution for experimental mice, which is close to one in ten thousand, the probability of death caused by these mysterious unknown substances is 200%. It's not just a failure, Nolan, it's a guarantee."
At this moment, Nolan, squinting his cyan wolf eyes, stepped forward.
He casually picked up a dark blue test tube with a deeper, more ominous color.
Taking advantage of the brief gap when Connors was slightly distracted, rubbing his tired eyes, Nolan quietly opened the page of the simulator.
He planned to use the simulator to identify the so-called unknown substances.
[Unknown Strange Item: Alien Hybrid Genome]
Note: This seems to be a genome mixed with several aliens, which contains the oldest genetic code of another race.
Note: The erosion and replacement of human gene sequences by this genetic code will allow humans to randomly generate special abilities.
Note: Harmful substances have been found: genes. The current number of holdings is insufficient and the resource time has been extracted. Please redouble your efforts.
Looking at the text displayed on the simulator, Nolan subconsciously licked the fangs in his mouth.
How are the harmful substances of the simulator determined? Is it based on things that do not exist in the Warhammer universe? Or are there more hidden backgrounds that I cannot know?
Moreover, these unknown substances are actually related to aliens...
For a moment, Nolan, his thoughts turning, slowly fell into contemplation.
Until Connors gently patted his sturdy arm.
Nolan came back to his senses.
"Teach, separate the remaining Compound V completely. Since these unknown substances are too dangerous and unpredictable, then simply don't count on them. Just the enhancement of the super soldier serum is enough for an ordinary team."
Nolan narrowed his eyes slightly.
He hesitated for a moment, choosing his words, and still said to Connors:
"Teach, based on the information David collected, I personally think that these unknown substances may be related to the genome of aliens. For the sake of interests, Roxxon Industries may have chosen to cooperate with some alien forces. Compound V is a special product created by both parties..."
Hearing Nolan's "guess," Connors frowned and lowered his head to think for a while.
Then, his head snapped up, his face pale with a new kind of horror. He said with a serious expression:
"There is indeed such a possibility... Damn it! Don't they know that this will completely pollute the human gene pool? If they really let them complete this plan, I am afraid that a hundred years from now, there will be no pure humans left on Earth!"
"Nolan! You did well to kill them! It was just in time!"
Nolan, with an embarrassed expression, gently put a hand on the shoulder of Connors, who was confused from lack of rest and now new agitation.
He put down the test tube in his palm.
He let Connors take a rest first, and then carry out the follow-up research work.
Then, Nolan stepped out of the laboratory, where the temperature was obviously much lower, and walked towards the base hall.
In the following period of time,
Doctor Connors entered a frantic working state, muttering to himself as he calibrated centrifuges.
David was also busy in the new vehicle bay, the flash of his welding torch visible from the hall, accompanied by the heavy clang of metal being moved.
Servo-Skull Reditus dismantled the Terminator armor in a hurry.
He began to modify it according to Nolan's suggestions.
First of all, there was the problem of running-in on some metal joints, which required painstaking refitting.
Then there was the constant temperature device in the environmental support system, which the servo-skull needed to find a way to repair.
The last thing was that Nolan wanted Reditus to make a few servo-arms, to be installed on the back of the Terminator armor, responsible for controlling the bolt gun and other long-range firepower.
This would completely free up Nolan's hands, which preferred close combat.
Reditus did not make a promise about this. It just told Nolan it would try its best, its vox full of static.
Nolan didn't care much. Adding a servo-arm was just a small idea he had. Whether it was realized or not, it would not affect other things.
So, every day Nolan would see the servo-skull, now obviously more irritable, roaring constantly.
Once it encountered a difficult situation, it would grab any automatic servo-robot that passed nearby and beat it with a wrench.
It would not give up until its anger dissipated or its ideas were cleared.
Helplessly, Nolan, surrounded by the constant noise of construction, modification, and frustrated screaming, could only put away his books.
He found Bucky, who was catching up on some Korean series, his face illuminated by the screen.
The two of them started to strengthen their training together, the heavy thud of their sparring adding to the base's cacophony.