When he returned, the machine had already completed its process. The device—a synthesizer—stood ready, its interior softly humming as it finished refining the samples.
He stepped forward, extracting two vials now filled with a shimmering green and red liquid that moved into the vials without mixing.
The scientist held them up to the dim laboratory light, tilting them slightly, watching the thick substance swirl inside. Satisfied, he set them down and prepared a syringe.
Strapped to the metal bed, the test subject's eyes widened in panic. He had no idea what the liquid was, but after two years of unrelenting torment in this lab, he knew one thing for certain—it wouldn't be anything good.
His breathing quickened, chest rising and falling in rapid, shallow bursts "No, please, no more" cried the man.
"Relax, relax," the scientist said in a tone that could almost be mistaken for reassurance—if not for the wicked glint in his eyes. "This is going to be good for you."
He reached for a plastic bag of physiological serum and connected it to the man's veins with practiced efficiency.
Then, without hesitation, the scientist took the syringe, inserted it into the serum bag, and slowly injected the green liquid. The clear solution immediately took on a luminous, unnatural hue.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the screaming began.
The subject's breathing turned erratic, gasping as if he were drowning. His body convulsed violently, his restraints groaning under the strain.
His veins darkened to an unnatural blue, spreading like cracked ice across his skin. Then came the sound—horrible, wet cracks as his bones twisted and shifted beneath his flesh.
The temperature in the room spiked. The metal bed beneath him began to warp and drip like wax under an open flame.
But something was wrong.
Instead of stabilizing, his transformation spiraled out of control. His body didn't evolve—it collapsed. Flesh, muscle, and bone liquefied into molten sludge, his agonized screams gurgling away as he disintegrated into a shapeless mass.
The scientist's eyes widened in frustration. He swiftly pressed a button on the control panel. Instantly, jets of fire suppressant foam blasted from the ceiling and floor, dousing the bubbling remains in a cold, sterile mist.
He clenched his jaw, glaring at the failed experiment.
"Why didn't it work?" he muttered, his voice low but laced with irritation.
He ran a hand through his hair, analyzing the data flashing across the monitors. "The evolutionary factor was too strong? No, that shouldn't be it—I made sure to balance it properly."
His fingers tapped impatiently against the console.
"A psychological issue, perhaps?" he pondered aloud. "Maybe the mind couldn't handle the change… the mental state is confirmed to affect the Quirks, and if I take into account that a strong body also is needed, so, that's what I need."
Without wasting another second, he activated the intercom.
"Bring someone to clean this up," he ordered, his voice devoid of emotion.
"And after that, retrieve one of the test subjects from two months ago. Make sure it's one who hasn't been broken yet. I need someone with a strong mind, and call Edward, bring him, I will give him a present, I think he will be perfect for this."
After this, another two months had passed.
Currently Raiden sat atop a high-rise building, his sharp eyes scanning the streets below. Beside him, Lady Nagant crouched, her arm-rifle pointed straight to the building.
"This is the place?" Raiden asked, his gaze fixed on the towering structure before them.
The words E-Pharmacy were prominently displayed above the entrance, glowing faintly in the evening light. "Doesn't look much like a typical villain's hideout."
"This is it," Kaina confirmed, her voice low but certain. "Everything points to the executives here. Every time someone showed up at the fake locations we leaked, we tracked their calls and emails. Out of everyone in the area, six of them made direct contact with this place—and every single time, they repeated the same phrase: 'The Matrix are not here.'"
Raiden furrowed his brow. "A corporation this big being involved in something like this… I could understand financial crimes—scams, collusion, fraud—but human experimentation? Then again, what other kind of business would have the resources to develop Quirk enhancements besides a pharmaceutical company?" He exhaled, keeping his focus on the building.
"They're good at hiding," Kaina said coldly, her eyes locked on the entrance. "If they hadn't targeted you and Tamaki twice, we might've never drawn them out. And without that, we wouldn't have gotten intel from other villain groups. It was a mistake on their part."
"They've always been bold about attacking people, even from the first incident," Raiden muttered.
"Yes, but back then, they covered their tracks better," Kaina added. "Something changed. This time, they left a trail they hadn't before, they looked more desesperated to find you and Tamaki."
She suddenly motioned toward the building's exit.
"Look."
A woman stepped out. She was tall and blonde, but her canine-like facial features marked her as something more than human. Dressed in a long black coat, she moved with purpose toward a sleek black car waiting by the curb.
Kaina's earpiece crackled to life.
"Target 03 is on the move. Proceeding with the tracking operation."
Kaina smirked slightly before responding, "Understood. Happy hunting."
The voice on the other end belonged to one of the pro-heroes working under her command in the Hero Public Safety Commission.
For this operation, they had divided into five teams, each assigned to shadow high-priority targets within the company. The mission was simple—track them, confirm their real residences since their official addresses were fake, and, depending on what they uncovered, move in for an arrest.
The ultimate goal? Get one step closer to the so-called Evolver.
Suddenly, Raiden tensed. His gaze flicked to the building's entrance.
"Another one, our target" he muttered.
A well-dressed man had just exited the building. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and wore a perfectly tailored suit that barely concealed his muscular build.
Kaina followed Raiden's line of sight and nodded. "That's our target. You remember the details?"
Raiden nodded, his voice steady as he recited, "August Yakamura. Recently promoted to assistant director after the last one suddenly quit and left the country. His registered Quirk is Electro Body—he can generate and channel electricity through his limbs. It's a strong ability, but as far as we know, he never fully developed it or trained it."
Before Kaina could reply, Raiden spoke again.
"Kaina, he's not alone. Someone's with him."
A woman had stepped out behind Yakamura, walking closely at his side.
"Another suspect," Raiden noted.
Kaina's expression hardened. The woman was on their list, but at a lower priority. She was the director's secretary. Unlike the others, she never said anything suspicious over the phone—she only transferred calls. But if she was moving with Yakamura now, that meant she maybe was more involved than they had initially thought.
Raiden's eyes narrowed. "We might need to watch her more closely."
Kaina nodded. "Let's see where they go first. Then, we decide what to do next."
This was already suspicious. It was rare for a secretary to be completely unaware of what was happening in a company—especially one involved in criminal activities. that's why she was only assigned as a lower priority, but not out of suspicion.
Secretaries usually knew everything. even more than the boss. However, despite their efforts, not a single incriminating word had come from her, even with the hidden microphones planted inside the company. With no direct evidence, she remained a low-priority suspect.
"Looks like we got lucky today, kid, I hope this night goes right." Kaina remarked as she stood up, stretching slightly before preparing to follow the pair. She pressed a finger to her earpiece and relayed the update. "Target 01 is on the move. Initiating the next phase."
"Copy that. Happy hunting," Hawks' voice crackled through the radio, with his usual laid-back tone.
Raiden and Kaina tailed the pair as they went about their night. First, they stopped at a restaurant, sharing what looked like a casual meal. Then, they headed to a motel, spending over an hour inside. Raiden's mood soured as he waited outside the building.
If they were just a couple having a private rendezvous, this entire stakeout was turning into a waste of time.
But they didn't stop there. After leaving the motel, they strolled through the city, making various purchases as they went. Every now and then, they would exchange subtle glances, but nothing overtly suspicious. The minutes stretched into two and a half hours, testing their patience.
Then, at last, something changed. The pair gradually drifted toward the quieter parts of the city, where the streets became more desolate. Finally, they stopped in front of an old, run-down building and stepped inside.
"Well, that definitely looks shady," Raiden muttered.
Kaina didn't respond. Instead, she moved swiftly, stepping off the edge of the rooftop where they had been watching. She landed silently on the adjacent building before slipping in through an open window. Raiden followed her lead, keeping to the shadows as they moved inside.
The interior was eerily empty—no staff, no furniture, nothing. Just hollow walls and dust-covered floors. Raiden's gut twisted with unease.
'This smells like a trap,' he relayed mentally to Kaina.
'Agreed,' she responded. Then, an idea came to her. 'Fly me outside the building. I want a better vantage point.'
Understanding her plan instantly, Raiden activated his telekinesis, lifting her effortlessly through the air and maneuvering her outside. He hovered her over the upper floors, where they could see through the cracked windows.
Inside, their targets stood in the center of a large, empty room, motionless—almost as if they were waiting for something.
Then it happened.
The ground beneath them began to crack. A sinister red glow seeped from the widening fractures, pulsing with energy. Raiden's eyes narrowed. He recognized this instantly.
'Oh no, you're not getting away that easily.'
Both he and Kaina launched their attacks without hesitation.
The two inside reacted immediately, sensing the incoming threat. Their movements were sharp and instinctive, proving they were no ordinary business executives. But Raiden and Kaina hadn't aimed to seriously injure them—only to force them away from the strange "teleportation" zone before they could escape.
The mission wasn't over yet.
Raiden unleashed a telekinetic wave toward the woman, while Kaina fired a modified blunt bullet at the man.
As the eerie hands erupted from the ground, they grasped nothing, their target already soaring through the air and crashing into the windows across the room.
When the pair blocked their attacks, both Kaina and Raiden immediately realized things had escalated. They were facing opponents who knew how to fight—otherwise, they wouldn't have reacted so swiftly.
Without hesitation, the two heroes rushed into the building. Raiden struck the floor with two psyshock blasts, causing the ground to crack and shudder, At the same time, his attack slammed into the hands emerging from the floor, causing them to bleed and retreat back into the cracks.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," the man growled as he enveloped his body in a crackling aura of electricity. Raiden noted his black hair and blue-purplish eyes. The woman, too, had the same distinctive eye color.
"No, it wasn't," she replied, and with a flick of her wrist, black liquid began oozing from her, spilling onto the ground. As it touched the floor, the liquid began to burn with an unnatural, corrosive heat.
Kaina quickly analized the Quirks and transmitted a mental message to Raiden. "Can you handle the man? I need to test something."
She sent two consecutive shots toward the woman, but the woman reacted quickly, extending her hand. A vortex of the black liquid formed, effortlessly consuming the bullets and burning them into smoke.
Raiden, meanwhile, focused on the man.
He sent two confusion strikes toward him. When the attacks landed, the man crossed his arms and withstood the blows, though the impact sent him tumbling backward.
The force sent him crashing out of the building and into an alley next to the old structure. Raiden didn't hesitate—he followed suit, flying out after the man, who landed gracefully on the pavement below.
"Well, well," the man said with a smirk, rising to his feet. "That was strong. But not strong enough to hurt me."
Raiden locked eyes with him, his expression cold. "Surrender," he said, sending a mental message to the man.
End of the chapter.
Hello guys, sorry for not uploading much, work had been busy, today I will upload two chapters, enjoy the reading.
please leave some power stones.