The Avalon slowly desded in Tribeca, its engines humming softly as it nded in the ter of the unity. Zack stood nearby, his armor, waiting patiently yet imposingly for the arrival.

  As soon as the Avalon's engines powered down, Zack stepped forward, activating the rear door. Without missing a beat, he issued a sharp and to the two meical dogs at his side. "Take those o the biology b."

  The meical dogs sprang into a. Their sound modules emitted low growls that reverberated ominously in the area. The people ihe cargo hold froze in fear, clutg one another in the er as if trying to bee invisible. Their terror mirrored the reas of someone seeing a cockroach for the first time—shaking, helpless, and uo act. "If you don’t move, I’ll let them eat you!" Zack’s voice cut through the air with irritation.

  They paheir voices a chaotic mix of pleading and trembling protests. "No, please, don’t!" one cried out. "God, help us!" another wailed. But their cries fell on deaf ears as the meical dogs herded them out of the Avalon, f them forward with relentless determination.

  Tears streamed down their faces as they stumbled into the basement of the biology b, where they were shoved into individual holding cells. The g of metal doors echoed through the space, finalizing their grim fi. Zack turo the group of three standing nearby. He noticed the you of them, Mia, hesitating with an unfortable expression. "Do you feel sorry for them?" Zack’s voice was cold, his tone unwavering.

  "N-No," Mia stammered, shaking her head quickly. Her eyes stayed glued to the floor, unwilling to meet Zack’s t steel-cd figure.

  "If any of you do, maybe you’d like to share a cell with them. Then you’ll uand," Zack said bluntly, his tone sharp enough to send a chill through the air. "You’ll see who’s really pitiful."

  His words struck a nerve. Mia, Lily, and Grace exged uneasy gnces as the memory of what those people had doo irls fshed through their minds. Any trace of pity evaporated as anger and disgust took its pce. "Let’s move. I’ll show you where you’ll be w," Zack said, his voice steady but firm as he led the trio toward Mansion No. 9. Before they ehe Mansion, however, Zack stopped in the basement.

  One by one, he impnted microchips into each of them, ensuring they could be tracked and monitored. Only then did he take them upstairs. "From now on, the three of you will hahe ing, cooking, and general upkeep of this pce," Zack expined as they ehe Mansion.

  The trio’s eyes darted around, nding on Sophia, Erza, and little Annie, who all seemed pletely at ease in the homey enviro. It was then that Mia and the others realized Zack had mealy what he said—this was actual work, nothing more, nothing less. A wave of relief swept over them.

  "No problem," Mia answered on behalf of the group. They quickly settled into their new roles, adapting to the routines of the Mansion and taking over responsibilities with surprising efficy. Their cooking, in particur, won unanimous praise after a single meal, even earning the approval of little Annie.

  Sophia, however, was less thrilled. With her responsibilities taken over, she found herself with little to do. Frustration led her to the basement, where she fronted Zack with an uncharacteristic pout. "What am I supposed to do now?"

  "You’ll be a bat unit from now on," Zack said matter-of-factly, not missing a beat. "You’ve proven yourself in the field with MV-01. I’ll design a new suit for you—something that’ll let you fight alongside Annie iure."

  His words immediately brightened Sophia’s mood. She had been waiting for this for a long time, and Zack’s promise felt like vindication. After Sophia left, Zack turo his AI assistant. "Ego, ohe space armor is plete, begin designing a new armor. Focus on tai, support, and medical applications," he instructed.

  In the biology b, the transformation of Subjeo. 5 was underway. The special iion chamber hissed open, releasing thick white steam that slowly dissipated to reveal a hulking figure. Standing over three meters tall, the subject’s massive frame looked as if it had been sculpted from reinforced crete. Each breath made the thick cords of muscle ripple beh his pale skin.

  "Subjeo. 5: height, 3.54 meters; weight, 725 kilograms," the b’s automated system announced, dispying the details on a holographic s. "Muscle density and boructure far exceed normal human thresholds. Subject has undergone a frontal lobotomy. Neural es in the prefrontal cortex have been deliberately disrupted, resulting in the elimination of indepehought and self-awareness. Current state: fully pliant and respoo external trol."

  Zack’s gaze shifted to the brain s projected alongside the subject’s physiological data. It showed a detailed cross-se of the brain, with marked areas in the frontal lobe that had been surgically altered. The procedure, a moderake on lobotomy, involved the iion of a firode through a small access point in the skull. On pce, a trolled electrical current disrupted the neural pathways in the prefrontal cortex, the region responsible for deakiional response, and plex reasoning. By disrupting these pathways, the brain’s capacity fher-order thinking was effectively shut down, leaving behind a funing body guided solely by external input.

  This process was safer and more targeted than historical methods, avoiding crude damage to other areas of the brain while achieving the desired oute. With the frontal lobe no longer influeng behavior, the subject was reduced to a state of instinctual pliance, highly suggestible and devoid of resistance.

  Zack studied the data, his expression unreadable. "He’s ready for chip impntation," he said coolly.

  At his and, four specialized meical spiders scuttled forward. Their metallicers cmped onto Subjeo. 5’s wrists and ankles, seg him firmly to the operating table. A robotic arm desded from above, fitted with aric drill that bored into the subject’s skull. A nanochip, bristling with delicate fiments, was ied into the exposed cavity. As soon as the chip was ihe fiments came alive, iwining seamlessly with the neural pathways of the subject’s brain.

  Ohe chip was ected, the robotic arm sealed the skull with a titanium alloy pte. Subjeo. 5 didn’t flinch or struggle, the lobotomy ensuring absolute pliahe entire operation proceeded without a hitch. "Bring Subjeo. 5 online and prepare Subjeo. 6," Zack ordered, his tone devoid of emotion.

  As the sun dipped below the horizon, the final four experimental subjects pleted their transformations. Out of the inal nine, only Subjeo. 1 had failed, ending in self-destru. The remaini stood tall, their hulking three-meter frames lined up in the boratory. Their massive, steel-like physiques radiated an overwhelming sense of power, making it impossible to look away. "From now on, you are fearless warriors," Zack decred, his voice steady as he gazed at the row of imposing figures before him.

  Even with his advanced armor, Zack had to tilt his head slightly to meet their unfling gazes. "Yes, sir!" The eight warriors responded in perfeison, their voices deep and resounding like a drumbeat.