The old dog lu Zack, his bloodshot eyes filled with madness. He had ohought driving him—kill Zad take everything he had. But before he could get close, his delusions were cut short. Thin, gleaming spider threads shot down from the wall above, ing tightly around his hands a.

  “Argh! What the hell?!” he screamed, thrashing violently. His sheer strength was staggering—so much so that the Web shooter unchers affixed to the wall strained against his efforts. In his wild struggle, he even mao tear ks of crete loose.

  Yet before he could pletely free himself, Zack sighed, waving a hand dismissively. “Enough. Take him down. Break his limbs.”

  At his and, the spiders swarmed in, their alloy-steel cws gleaming uhe dim b lights. They moved, knog the old dog to the ground. In seds, their sharp cws pierced through the joints of his hands a. “Ahhh!” The old dog let out an agonized scream as the strength that had filled him moments ago drained away. He felt like a balloon being punctured, his overwhelming sense of power defting into despair.

  “Throw him into tai for now,” Zack ordered coldly, his tone devoid of emotion. “We’ll deal with him after the tests are plete.”

  Throughout it all, Zack’s expression remained calm, almost bored. If anything, he seemed amused. “Super Serum, huh?” he muttered. “Without proper skills, it doesn’t make you a super soldier. It just makes you... a super idiot.”

  Zack turned his attention to the st mae in the b. Inside was Subjeo. 3, standing pletely still, like a lifeless wooden statue. “All vitals are normal,” Zack muttered, sing the monitor. “But his brain activity… damaged beyond repair.” His brows furrowed. It was clear the serum—enhanced with the Zeta virus—had failed to restore itive fun. “Guess he’s just another failure.”

  He stepped closer to the mae, preparing to write off the subject when something ued happened. Subjeo. 3 moved. Zack’s eyes narrowed. “Hmm?”

  The subject’s movements were minimal but deliberate. Zack watched carefully, then gave a test and. “Lift yht arm.” Without hesitation, Subjeo. 3 wrenched his arm free from the metal restraints. The force of his movements was s that the thick straps snapped like paper. But once his arm was free, he returo his motionless state.

  “What the…?” Zack muttered, his usual calm shaken. He ducted a series of tests, barking simple ands. Each time, Subjeo. 3 followed his orders fwlessly but without a shred of self-awareness. Finally, Zack pieced it together. “He’s respoo verbal ands but pletely devoid nition or indepehought. He’ll obey anyone who gives him an order.”

  His face darkehis was both a breakthrough and a problem. “Ego,” Zack called out. “What are the ces we trol him by impnting a chip?”

  Ego, the AI assistant, responded promptly. “Sir, current data suggests a 90% feasibility rate.”

  “And the other 10%?” Zack asked grimly.

  “There is a risk,” Ego expined, “due to the presence of the Zeta virus in his system. While his dition appears stable now, the virus’s long-term effects remain uable.”

  Zack let out a frustrated sigh. “Uood. We ’t afford to take ces. Erase him.”Before carrying out the executiourned back to the mae. “I him with Serum No. 113 first. Record the formu and ... Fearless Warrior Serum.”

  Ohe serum was ied, Zack gave Subjeo. 3 one final and: “Return to tai.” Subjeo. 3 obeyed immediately, walking to ay cell without a moment of hesitation.

  “Bring iher three subjects,” Zack ordered, his tone cold as ice. “Let’s test Serum No. 101 . Run multiple trials. A single success doesn’t mean anything.”

  The spiders dragged the unscious test subjects into the iion chambers, strapping them down. Zack pressed the iion button, followed by the ray activation. Bright light flooded the b. “AAAAH!” The subjects’ screams filled the space, eg off the sterile walls. The sound ierg, but Zack remained unfazed.

  Outside, the sun shone brightly, and a gentle breeze rustled the trees. The world carried on, oblivious to the horrors unfolding in Zack’s underground b. Sophia and the others had no idea what Zack was doing, locked away in this dark, foreboding building every day. Erza had tried sneaking in out of curiosity but was stopped at the entrance—access denied.Ba the b, Zack checked the data on the s. The three test subjects had survived the procedure. Their vitals were stable, and their physical data showed no abnormalities.“Success.” A rare smile crept onto Zack’s face. After days of grueling work, he had finally perfected the Super Serum.

  “Open the chambers,” he ordered, his excitement tempered by caution. “Prepare up protocols.”

  The war mae and five spiders moved into position, their ons trained ohree chambers as the doors hissed open. Iood three hulking figures, their bodies brimming with raw power. Before Zack could say anything further, a hoarse voice rang out from the er of the room. “Quick! Kill him! All of you, together!” It was the old dog, his broken limbs sprawled pathetically, yet his hatred undiminished.

  Zack’s smile vanished. “Idiot,” he muttered. “Ego, activate suppression protocols.”The room buzzed with tension as Zack prepared to face the fallout of his test experiments.

  The three people tied to the mae finally noticed the gravity of their situation. Panic set in, and they began struggling furiously, their restraints creaking uhe strain. “Fire!” Zack’s cold voice cut through the tension like a bde.

  Before they could attempt an escape, a hail of gunfire erupted.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  The sound was deafening, and in mere moments, the three were riddled with holes. Blood seeped from their bodies, poolih them and staining the floor. Eveurdy mae behind them eppered with bullet holes from the armor-pierg rounds Zack had used. “Armor-pierg bullets still pack a punch,” Zack muttered, his expression calm aached as he observed the age. To him, it was simply aask pleted. He had ional attat to their deaths—just cold efficy. He had even reserved these bullets to eheir swift elimination.

  “Take care of Subjeo. 3 ,” Zack ordered as the meical spider scuttled over to up the mess. A single gunshot followed moments ter. Subjeo. 3, devoid of self-awareness and hope, slumped lifelessly. He hadn’t even flinched when the end came.

  “That’s one less problem,” Zack murmured, turning toward another room. Ihe old dog—a man with shattered arms and legs—y sprawled on the floor like a broken doll. The only part of him still funal was his head, which he twisted to face Zack.

  “Please, sir! Don’t kill me!” the old dog pleaded desperately, his voice trembling. “I’m useful! I’m strong—I help you in so many ways!”

  Gone was the bravado he had shown earlier when encing others to attack Zaow, he groveled shamelessly, ging to even the fai ce of survival. Deep down, he knew his odds were slim, but fear kept him ging to hope. Zack tilted his head, an amused smirk pying on his lips. “Old dog, huh? Gotta say, the name suits you. You really do grovel like one.”