The Chief's magical authority was no joke—it instantly quieted this unruly bunch of geniuses.
"The project's name is Project-X." After some time to recuperate, Susan Soo's personality had mostly returned. This time, recovery was much quicker than after the previous total mind wipe. "From now on, all external communication is strictly forbidden. The lab will set up a special zone dedicated solely to this project."
The scientists erupted—this was basically forced confinement! Did the Zade family even care about human rights anymore? Was the Chief still treating us like her precious little darlings?
Just then, Adam Zade appeared. He looked much better now, almost back to his old charismatic self—though he still seemed a bit frail and needed a cane for support.
"Gentlemen, what you’re about to join is the greatest research in human civilization. The Cybertron team’s supercomputer and AI? The Moon Tide group’s lunar project and quantum research? The Keystone team’s foundational math extensions? All groundbreaking, all epoch-making achievements. But trust me, gentlemen—in Project-X, you’ll witness things you never even dared to imagine."
"Our research goal is simple—immortality. The eternal existence of life itself."
"I know, gentlemen, I know—this goal pops up all the time in scientific history, and plenty of academic frauds have used immortality as a scam. But believe me, this time it’s right in front of us. We can see it, we can touch it."
"Because, after enormous sacrifice and cost, we at Tiberius have discovered the most perfect experimental specimen deep within hyperspace."
"Don’t make that face—you heard me right. I, Adam Zade, have truly found a real example of immortality!"
Under the scientists’ stunned gaze, Adam waved his hand. On the screen behind him appeared a petri dish—no culture medium, just a single, dazzling drop of fresh blood.
"This is the gateway to immortality, this is the key to transcendence, and this is the Grand Expedition’s greatest discovery: a drop of eternal blood! I call it—the Superhuman Key!"
"Now, I officially announce—Project-X is live!"
Buzz—Dream Monroe’s mind briefly exited the Memory Realm, leaving her dazed and blank.
Just a moment ago, when she saw Adam Zade announce Project-X, Dream Monroe felt something subtle—like fate itself was at work. That was the critical juncture; cracking it meant achieving her goal. When she opened her eyes, she saw the Starlit Passage was already a third traversed, and the Overlord Golem was still hot on her heels.
Should I just leave now?
Dream Monroe hesitated, then shook her head.
Nope, even though I’m close, it’s not enough yet—not quite there. I need to dig deeper in the Memory Realm to find what I’m looking for.
Increase mental output—speed up the memory rewind!
Buzz—the Memory Realm unfolded again, memories surging in.
Dream Monroe and Susan Morrow could focus without distractions, but on the other side, Jill Young just couldn’t ignore what was happening outside.
"Ow—ow ow ow ow—my goodness, that hurts!"
Amidst the rubble, Jill Young sat up clutching her head.
Her mind was buzzing, memories kept flooding in, making her react a little slow.
She looked up—a towering dome of steel and concrete, with a vibe she swore she’d seen before.
She glanced left—a bunch of freaked-out Westerners. They looked like hostages, faces full of despair. But even the black-clad captors weren’t calm, all staring in shock at her direction.
She looked right—a giant round platform device, three rings spinning like crazy. Three sacrifices twitched and convulsed under endless electric shocks, wishing they were dead. The rings had just been pushed way past their limits, and now they were busted, ready to blow at any second.
"Wait..." The memories from the void were so overwhelming, Jill Young’s own memories felt washed out. She tilted her head, thinking for several seconds, then suddenly slapped her palm and had a revelation: "I got sucked into a spatial storm, then that Big Bare Butt did something to open a door, and I got dragged over here... Hold up, I get it now! This is New York? This is the other side of the white portal?"
A groan came from below. Jill Young looked down and saw a familiar giant buried in the rubble, serving as her footrest. He was gritting his teeth, face twisted, but his whole body was shaking—he couldn’t move at all.
If you can’t move, what’s there to say? Strike while you’re down—time to finish you off!
"Wada!" Jill Young punched downward. Even though her mental energy was drained and she couldn’t use the Eight Force Fist, this all-out punch still exploded with thunderous force.
"Aaaah—!" Helpless and unable to move, the giant couldn’t even muster his golden glow. All he could do was watch in horror as the punch slammed into his chest.
With a thunderous crash, rubble flew and winds howled, but Jill Young and the giant both stared in shock.
Jill Young’s arm was buried deep in the giant’s chest, but the giant showed no pain—no broken bones, no blood, nothing.
Jill Young felt like she’d punched into a wad of high-density cotton—soft, weightless, no resistance. It looked like she’d pierced his chest, but ninety-five percent of her power just passed right through and hit the ground, and the last five percent barely fazed the giant.
What the heck is going on?
She didn’t get it, but Jill Young was quick to react. If brute force didn’t work, time for some magic. A flash of gold—she yanked out the Flame Tide from inside the giant’s chest. With a thought, a surge of hellfire poured out, engulfing the giant in an instant.
"Aaargh—!" The giant screamed, turning into a massive human torch.
But in the next moment, like smoke, the human torch shrank fast, clouds of vapor billowed out from the flames, gathering midair into a dense mass.
"No way—is this like a Logia Devil Fruit?!"
In a blink, the vapor mass reshaped into the giant’s form. He stared at his arms in disbelief—there were burn marks, but they healed quickly in the rippling water waves.
"I... I did it? Did I really do it?!" The giant roared to the sky, his voice shaking the entire Great Underground Vault. Some bystanders were caught off guard and even started bleeding from their ears.
Six colors of light merged into his elemental body, and the giant felt his very essence rising higher and higher. Even his Storm Rite powers got a huge boost—his control and sense for storms leveled up in an instant.
"I’m practically perfect now!" The giant looked down at Jill Young, who was still figuring out how to fight a Logia-type, and finally broke into a confident, wild laugh. "Trying to beat me with fire? Let me show you what real flames are!"
A surge of green light appeared deep in the giant’s throat, then a blast of scorching heat erupted. But instead of aiming at Jill Young, he shot the terrifying flames straight at the dome.
Boom—like a volcano erupting in the heart of New York.