Meanwhile, over in the round hall.
"Stop joking around! A 189-centimeter gun? With that Old Veteran's build, there's no way he can even lift it!" This isn't just about strength—it's about physique. Jonathan Black snapped, "With his height and weight, he can't handle the recoil at all! Tell me, are there other monster soldiers like him?"
If there are more of those monster soldiers, and especially if there's a bunch of them, we're in deep trouble.
But Jonathan Black shook his head. "No, don't jump to conclusions. There's only one Old Veteran, and these weapons really are custom-made for him. But you got one thing right—even Old Veteran can't use this kind of weapon in his First Form."
"First Form?" Jonathan Black frowned. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is, as my secret weapon, Old Veteran doesn't just have one form. What you've all seen is his First Form—the weakest version." Donald Zade turned around to face Jonathan, his expression a bit manic, with zero fear of being held at gunpoint. "His Second Form is pretty scary and tough to control, so we usually keep it locked down with the chip. But honestly, the Second Form is a real show-stopper..."
Over to Jack Young's side.
Bang! The gun fires, bullet spinning out of the barrel with a ton of force and searing heat, heading straight for Old Veteran's back. Skin and muscle are no match for it. Jack Young picked the perfect spot—right between the bones, so nothing hard could block it. But just as the bullet charged forward, it suddenly stopped. It hit something that shouldn't be there: a bone plate, like a turtle shell. The bone plate had suddenly grown out, blocking the bullet with a dull thud.
Jack Young kept his eyes on Old Veteran. As soon as he heard that weird sound, he knew something was up and instantly fired at Old Veteran's head. The shot made Old Veteran's whole body shudder, blood spraying from the back of his head—but no brains. The bullets all bounced off, blocked by his rock-hard bones.
"What the heck?" In Jack Young's senses, Old Veteran's energy flared up again, but this time the green energy was going berserk, rushing everywhere. Rip! His clothes tore, and two bone spikes shot out from Old Veteran's back. Suddenly, Old Veteran's eyes snapped open and he let out a roar.
"ROAR—!!"
A thunderous roar rolled in from deep in the corridor. Zhou Xiaohui jumped in fright, and Jonathan Black immediately spun around to look at the doorway—just in time to see a shadow whip through the air and slam into the opposite wall. But that shadow twisted midair, landed in a perfect 'Tifa wall pose,' and dropped down without stirring a speck of dust. Only when he stopped did Zhou Xiaohui realize it was Jack Young who'd flown in.
"We're in trouble..." Jack Young stared at the door, and just then, there were two heavy thuds in the hallway—a big guy barged in.
"Holy crap!" Jonathan Black couldn't help but mutter, "What the heck is that thing?"
The newcomer was about two meters tall, built like a tank, muscles bulging so much his clothes had ripped into tatters. But size wasn't the only thing—his skin was covered in bone-like plates, like armor all over his body. Sharp bone spikes jutted out from his elbows and knees, and with that green skin and murderous eyes, Zhou Xiaohui muttered, "Hulk? Abomination?"
From the outside, Old Veteran really did look like a shrunken, green version of Abomination (the villain from The Incredible Hulk 2).
"Strength above the fourth stage of Titan Spirit Method, almost at the fifth." Jack Young eyed the Green Form Old Veteran warily, and Old Veteran glared right back, now on high alert after his close call. In the tense silence, someone moved—but it wasn't Old Veteran or Jack Young. It was Donald Zade!
Taking advantage of Jonathan Black's moment of surprise, Donald Zade suddenly made his move—snatching Zhou Xiaohui in one swift motion. He disarmed her cleanly, right hand clamped around her throat, left hand pressing a gun to her head.
"Hahaha, what do you think? Pretty awesome secret weapon, right?" After biding his time, Donald Zade finally flipped the script, laughing at Jack Young. "I have no idea how you got the SD Organization's transaction records, but clearly, you don't have the full story. Zombie isn't the only specimen we bought from them—this guy too! A whole billion dollars, but it was worth every penny. He's a miracle! Even in his normal form he's strong, but once he hits Green Form, even we can't control him. His body's too special—we spent ages implanting the chip in his brain. Now, I've got the ultimate weapon!"
Jack Young looked at Zhou Xiaohui, whose eyes were brimming with tears—not just from fear, but humiliation. She'd come to help, but ended up like this. Jack Young and Jonathan Black exchanged a glance, both sighing inwardly. Clearly, ordinary folks just aren't cut out for monster wars. This is a mess. Gotta find a way out!
Whatever happens, gotta buy some time first. Jack Young spoke up: "Figures this is your trick, huh? I didn't give you any orders—how'd you pull it off?"
Donald Zade, feeling cocky, grinned wildly, "You old fossils, clueless idiots—our Zade family tech is way beyond anything you can imagine! Right here in my left arm, I've got a device—the super soldier control core. No need to talk, just one thought and the command goes out, silent as a whisper! Now, I order Old Veteran: kill them!"
Old Veteran's eyes lit up, taking a deep breath that rumbled like distant thunder. But instead of attacking, he grabbed Donald Zade's left arm. "So, that's where it is," Old Veteran said, a cold grin on his lips.
"Huh?" Donald Zade jerked around, "You can talk? Wait—"
"Yep. Your little gadget's busted again." Old Veteran raised his right hand to the back of his head, yanked out the implant with a squelch. Green blood spurted, but the wound closed up in no time. "I've been waiting and waiting, and finally, today's the day." Old Veteran sneered at Donald Zade, "So, the super soldier control core is right... here."
Crunch! With the sound of snapping bones, Old Veteran twisted Donald Zade's left arm into a grotesque shape. "Aah—no—!" Donald Zade screamed, but Old Veteran just wrenched the entire arm off with a rip.
Old Veteran tossed the howling Donald Zade aside like trash, then ripped the left arm to shreds, fishing out a complicated mechanical device from the mess. The bone plates on Old Veteran's own left arm shifted, opening a gap, and he slapped the device right into his arm.
"From now on, everything here runs on my orders!"