26 Director Upgrade: Evolution of One's Body and Character
With the conclusion of the armored vehicles' acquisition, it was time for Duke to continue with his tasks. Managing the entirety of the military restructuring was already placed on his humble Administrator's shoulders. The Officers should also be busy assigning themselves to their platoons.
On the other hand, he must drink something strange for the sake of Cerberus. He has already waited enough, and it must be time for him to grow as the Director of Cerberus. With his trusted subordinates guiding others to follow, nothing was stopping him now.
"I must become stronger!" Duke expressed his determination to evolve from his current self. Without any delay or hesitation, he took out the vial from the internal pocket of his trench coat. Gazing at it with his sapphire-like eyes, he instinctively gulped before opening it.
Duke rapidly drank the vial in a mere moment. The unique taste almost made him wish to puke everything from his stomach. Fortunately, he managed to hold on. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. Duke's stomach grumbled, and a few seconds later, nothing happened.
He raised an eyebrow, wondering what had happened.
"Did I overreact?" It wasn't out of the possibility for the Super-Human Vial to not have overwhelming changing effects. Perhaps he might not even feel the pain of evolution. Sadly, though, Duke was fated to feel such pain.
It wasn't something he could avoid.
*Crack!*
Duke felt a sharp aim throughout his body and swiftly noticed his bones breaking themselves in strange manners. His heart leaped out from his chest as he lost the strength of his limbs. He laid bare in the chair, enveloped by the inherent feeling of primordial weakness.
It wasn't a feeling he desired to feel, but it wasn't something he could avoid.
*Crack!* *Crack!* *Crack!*
"Argh!"
His bones kept breaking apart and healing at an indescribable rate. The cells of his body were being destroyed and created at the same time. His blood was drained yet nourished. His muscles were stretched to their limits and strained beyond relief. And it didn't end there.
The nerves of his nervous system lustrously flickered like wires burned to crisps by electricity. His heart was hammered and flattened while also being inflated to its limit. All of these changes brought large amounts of pain throughout his body. If not for Duke's hardened will, he would have lost consciousness in the first few seconds of the evolution.
Several seconds passed since the beginning of the evolution. For Duke, it felt like years had gone by. His thoughts were being accelerated beyond the limits of human capabilities. The outside world became slow, and his pain became eternal.
He wanted it to stop. He wished to scream for it to stop. The pain was too much. He couldn't handle it. If he forced himself against it, his brain might break itself. He was under the mercy of eternal torture brought by his desire for strength. The suffering it gave him was a warning.
Instantaneous strength was always not without a price.
This would be an unforgettable lesson for Duke.
Minutes went by as the soldiers outside continued on their duties. The main tent was covered in eerie silence. In the main tent, Duke lay on his seat, heavily gasping for air. He was covered in sweat as a warm steam was exuded from his body.
Duke might not have noticed it because of being preoccupied with the whole eternal torture moment of evolution. But his body had changed. Refined muscles were all over his pale body. His jet-black hair unknowingly glistened while his sapphire-like eyes were lustrous like a gemstone.
His face became more chiseled and sharp. It appeared like a face sculpted by a seasoned artist. He became even more taller than before. At the very least, his current height was over six feet. The aura emanated from his body also became chilling.
The aloof and experienced young man had long disappeared. It was replaced with a cold and intimidating complexion followed by a seemingly natural arrogant expression perfectly defined to one's face. It was quite a sight to behold. The new Director had emerged from his suffering.
Stronger than ever before.
"W-What the-" A deep voice escaped the handsome Director's lips. He froze after hearing the tone of his voice. Slightly touching his neck, he wondered if this was the change brought about by the vial.
| Congratulations on consuming the Super-Human Vial! |
| You have undergone the process of evolution! |
| The Director's evolution was a success! |
| Physique has experienced growth and enhancement! |
| Mind has entered enlightenment and augmentation! |
| Spirit has been tested and hardened! |
| You have done an excellent job, Director! |
Numerous digital notifications emerged before Duke's vision. He couldn't help but wryly smile after seeing the praise of the last display. He didn't know whether he should feel happy about it, but the suffering was still fresh inside his head.
Maybe it would take time for him to move on from the suffering he went through.
'Nonetheless, the Super-Human Vial didn't lie. I really did change inside and out. It was a complete evolution. Can I even call myself human anymore? Perhaps I'm a superior version of a human being. Though, I don't care about that. What I need to do is to adapt.'
Duke was looking in the right direction. With the advancement of strength, he needed to be careful and control his body well. Duke didn't want his subordinates to be hurt because of him. He also didn't want anything to be damaged because of his inability to control his newly gained power.
He stood up from his chair and straightened his trench coat. The perception he faced before him was different from before. This was the result of an instant advancement in height. It felt like he wore high shoes, making it feel somewhat unnatural.
But he understood that this was only the beginning.
Duke stretched his limbs and felt the power contained within his muscles. It was like a tense spring waiting to be unleashed from one's body. He also felt unnaturally freshened, as if he had eaten some expensive mint that affected the entirety of his body.
"My hearing and perception have also become better. My nose has also become sensitive, perhaps rivaling a dog's sense of smell." His five senses weren't given mercy since they had also undergone change.
"Luckily though, my trench coat didn't break out of nowhere. It would be somewhat embarrassing to be buck naked in the tent." Duke was relieved that such a scenario didn't happen. The Sentinels might pretend to not notice it, but Duke knew they would start talking about it the second he disappeared before them.
Perhaps Aurora might even give her remarks to the newly upgraded body of the Director.
And Duke wasn't wrong. If such a thing really happened, his paranoid thoughts would have come true. Fortunately, it didn't. That was all that mattered. Nothing more, nothing less.
'Since I have concluded the Super-Human Vial subject. It's time to meet the current Cerberus Military for myself.' He thought with pride evident in his sapphire-like eyes. Although it was hard to distinguish. Since he always had that natural arrogance imprinted on his face.
Duke peered through the silk of the tent's entrance and saw Aurora giving a speech to the lined-up soldiers of Cerberus. They raised their heads with determination as if ready to head out for war. Which wasn't far from the truth. After all, the mission was a skirmish against the aberrants.
Cleansing five locations of aberrants wasn't a simple raid. It was a conquest of the Cerberus.
Stepping out from the main tent, he revealed himself to the soldiers outside. They gazed at him and swiftly kneeled as if it were their natural instinct. Seeing him, Aurora bowed with a smile on their faces. For some reason, Duke could feel chills upon noticing that smile.
Anyhow, the desolated southern shelter had changed. It was brimming with people, with dozens of tents being erected everywhere. Containers also laid throughout with vehicles dwelling beside buildings awaiting to be used. The Cerberus finally resembled an army.
Aurora concluded her speech with the two companies of soldiers and ordered them to return to their station. The officers were still busy with forming the two companies. The Administrator walked towards the Director, maintaining a soothing yet scary smile on her face.
Duke waved his hand at the Administrator, trying to act as if she wasn't pissed at him.
"You're working hard, Aurora. Thank you for managing the Cerberus." Obviously, to protect himself from the barrages of words that could escape Aurora's mouth. Duke sang praises that would soften a woman's heart. Sadly, though, Aurora still maintained that smile.
"I am working hard, Director. But I wonder who threw dozens of armored vehicles at me out of nowhere and without warning. I haven't even finished managing the two companies. And another problem has already emerged." Aurora's voice was calming and alluring.
"However, it seems the Director has also worked hard for the Cerberus." Aurora touched Duke's hand and gently held it with her soft fingers. Her gaze softened as she continued. "You use the experimental Super-Human Vial, right?"
Duke was surprised by Aurora's perceptive eyes. But it was also unavoidable since his change was erratic. It appeared out of nowhere and was almost instantaneous when contrasted to evolution's usual length. His reaction was noticed by Aurora, making her chuckle.
"As the Administrator of Cerberus, I am knowledgeable of numerous things. But I feel that something is constricting it. Nevertheless, I noticed your evolution the moment I saw you." Aurora explained, which made Duke nod in understanding.
"Director, you must have gone through a lot of pain." Aurora expressed with a soothing gaze. A genuine smile formed on her face as she continued speaking. "You must be curious why I'm acting like this, Director."
She stopped holding tightly onto Duke's hand. Her golden irises gleamed with lustrous light before she squinted her eyes with a teasing expression taking form on her face. Aurora turned her back from the Director and remarked while walking away.
"How do you think someone like me could become strong, Director? No human is born powerful, no matter the era. We are amongst the weakest creatures in this planet. But through our intellect, we aimed to destroy this weakness. And how do we destroy a genetic weakness?"
Duke thought deeply of Aurora's words. It wasn't hard to understand what she was trying to imply. He had always been taking the strength of the Cerberus units for granted. As if their power was natural for them to possess. However, no human is born with an incredible body.
'The Cerberus goes a lot deeper than I thought. To have strong individuals in their ranks. What horrors could they have done? While most units have no memories of their past, they know basic aspects of themselves.'
'Their knowledge of warfare and their intelligence was kept untouched. They will likely remember a part of the horrendous things they had gone through in the past. But they appear to be unaffected by it. Is it because of their loyalty towards me?'
'I have several questions, but there is one thing clear.'
"All of them are real," Duke muttered under his breath while understanding the power he has. Others would have treated them as mere units of a System, but he didn't dare to have such views. To become unaffected by a subordinate's death because they were created by some System was unsightly for him.
Treating units as if they were mere numbers never sit well for Duke.
"I would have never thought of such things before. Is this the result of power?"
"From the looks of it, only the strong have the luxury to keep their character from breaking apart. Meaning that there's only a single thing I have to do." Duke smiled and decided to follow Aurora, heading to the logistics tent.
His conclusion was simple.
"I must become the strongest."
