I Have A Super USB Drive

by <unknown>

  All three figures were in a comatose state and lying on operation tables. They were surrounded by a large crew of medical staff who were deeply focused on the operation.

  At this point, the world could not be any more familiar with the faces of the three men lying on the operation table. They were none other than the members of the world-famous superhero squad - the BHB Bionic Combative Police Force!

  Chen Chen nodded up and down contemplatively as he watched over the operation.

  In truth, the "stem cell organ cultivation technology" had been developed for quite some time by this point.

  It had been finalized as early as four to five years ago in Blacklight Biotechnology's Spire Experimental Base, inspired by the technology extracted from the other dimensions.

  Furthermore, this technology was one of the key components of the "Mankind Anti-aging Project".

  Chen Chen had once put it this way for the other members in God's Forbidden Zone, that the growth of mankind as we knew it was limited by a certain "ceiling". The purpose of the "Mankind Anti-aging Project" was to raise the ceiling, but the problem was that the "floor" of mankind remained unchanged. Even if the human lifespan was increased, it would not have a great effect on accelerating the growth of mankind. The only way to do this was to raise the floor of mankind and by doing so, continue raising the average life expectancy.

  To accommodate the "stem-cell age reversal treatment" project, Chen Chen deployed additional cancer and Alzheimer's disease treatment projects as well as the "cloned organ transplantation".

  At that time, Blacklight Biotechnology had yet to develop independent organ cultivation technology. In that duration, the use of cloned organs was used as a substitute. This was achieved by using a cloned person as a template to extract the required organs.

  The emergence of "stem-cell organ cultivation technology" had effectively rendered the outdated organ cloning technique redundant.

  The only reason Chen Chen held off on publicizing this technology four to five years ago was that it just happened to coincide with the peak usage of "Project Xingtian" bionic technology. Announcing this technology ahead of time would result in a significant loss of revenue since it would cause the effective value of the "Project Xingtian" to plummet.

  Fast forward several years later, Chen Chen had achieved his original goal with the "Project Xingtian". Using the BHB bionic police force, he had successfully marketed the XTN robots on an international scale and shaped a stable military industry chain.

  Additionally, many disabled people all over the world had gotten their hands on Blacklight Biotechnology's bionic implementations. This meant that "Project Xingtian" was an unqualified success.

  The natural progression from here on was to move on to the "stem-cell organ cultivation technology".

  This progression would act as another cornerstone to the "Mankind Anti-aging Project" and further extend the human lifespan.

  The already established bionic combative police force under Blacklight Biotechnology was the perfect advertisement for this new technology. News of these combative police members that were household names at this point having their missing limbs restored organically would enhance the image of the new product.

  Furthermore, Chen Chen had already incorporated the L compound into his long-term laid-out plans. The bionic police with their limbs and organs restored would soon be the recipients of the L compound and become transformed and upgraded into superpower combative police.

  The "stem-cell organ cultivation technology" would be pushed to the general public while the L compound was simultaneously rolled out to the elite circles of the Earth Federation. This way, the existence of superpower users would be revealed in a natural order.

  With this plan, Chen Chen could kill three birds with one stone.

  ...

  Lane slowly awoke from his comatose state.

  The moment he opened his eyes, his world was invaded by a piercing ray of light that immediately made him wince.

  Lane quickly thought of why he was put into a comatose state in the first place. He sat up and was caught off guard by a strange, unfamiliar sensation that crept up to him from his legs.

  It was an odd sensation that could almost be described as nostalgic, like sniffing the air from his childhood. Lane felt his heart skip a beat as he quickly lifted off the pale white sheets covering his body. The location where he was used to seeing the sight of an unnatural emptiness below his knees was now replaced by two all-too-familiar limbs.

  They were two perfectly functional legs. They looked so natural that it seemed as if he had them attached under his knees his entire life without realizing it somehow...

  There were two faint scars around the joints of the legs.

  Lane did not know what sort of magical wonder Blackwatch exercised on him this time. All he knew was what was presented as clear as the day in front of him and that was the functional legs attached to the lower half of his body.

  "You're awake."

  Several doctors with medical sheets entered the ward. The leading doctor wearing gold-framed glasses smiled at Lane and brought the good news. "Congratulations, Lane, your legs have been restored. The nerve conduction has been reconnected to the joints in your legs. You should be able to stand up without any assistance after a short period of training."

  "Is, is that true?"

  Lane's lips shivered with excitement. He could barely string a sentence together because he was so overwhelmed with joy. His eyes formed pools of tears that drowned out his vision.

  After a while, when the doctors had completed their inspection and prepared to give Lane some privacy, he asked them, "Hold on doctor, how long have I been asleep?"

  Lane was curious how long it took for them to complete this miraculous operation.

  "You've only been asleep for three days."

  The doctor with the gold-framed glasses smiled and said, "We've injected a three-day dose of tranquilizer into you to prevent any unanticipated damage done by abrupt movements performed shortly after the operation was complete."

  "Is three days all it takes?"

  Lane was awed by this revelation.

  "It's not all too surprising, especially considering that you're an extremely esteemed member of Blackwatch and we want to ensure the highest quality of operation for you."

  Another doctor noticed Lane's amusement and chuckled as he mentioned, "By this point, you of all people should know just what Blackwatch is capable of. By the way, you don't have to worry about the bill at all."

  "Hahahaha..."

  Sensing Lane's perplexity, the team of doctors shared a merry laugh between themselves.

  "Thank you, everyone, help me give my thanks to the great Blackwatch!"

  Lane thanked them solemnly.

  After the doctors finally left, Lane tried to start by carefully moving his toes. He watched with a childlike delight as the round toes at the end of his feet started wiggling around nimbly.

  "It's a miracle..."

  Lane smiled cheerfully. The last time he could remember himself being this happy was before he betrayed his previous comrades. He could still remember all the nightmares that plagued him every night since then. He only managed to find peace of mind after avenging his family and killing Brooke.

  "Kraken... Wildfire... Digit..."

  Lane silently summoned these familiar names from his lips and recalled their familiar faces in his mind. His eyes glowed with a firm determination. "I'm not like you guys. All you guys ever wanted was to take down Blackwatch, but the only thing I have ever wanted was revenge..."

  While the deep remorse in Lane's mind was slowly drowned out by the bliss of having his legs restored, he heard sounds of footsteps slowly approaching his room. He could tell from the frequency of the footsteps that there were a lot of people approaching.

  Shortly after that, he saw his agent, Austin, stepping in through the door, accompanied by the supervisor, Liu Zhijian.

  However, Lane also saw sev
eral unfamiliar faces this time. Entering the ward with the superiors of the Bionic Combative Police Department were several people dressed in black suits that exuded an intimidating aura.

  "Manager Liu, Miss Austin..."

  Lane muttered blankly.

  Austin looked into Lane's eyes and blinked several times while discretely pointing a finger behind her. Manager Liu also proceeded to look back as well shortly after entering.

  Lane followed Manager Liu's gaze and saw the men in black forming two rows along both sides of the doorway in one swift motion. Immediately after that, a tall woman with a cold and imposing temperament strode in confidently. The sheer weight of her presence easily overpowered that of all the agents in suits combined.

  "It, it's you!"

  Lane exclaimed. There was no way he would ever forget about this woman. It was the B.S.S. agent that came to clean up the scene on the night that he killed Brooke!

  "Pedro Lane."

  The fierce B.S.S. agent had very minimal make-up on. She glared icily in Lane's direction. "I'm here as a representative for Blackwatch to sign a new agreement with you."

  "New agreement?"

  Lane immediately darted his eyes at Manager Liu. "Haven't I already signed an agreement with Manager Liu in the past?"

  "Ahem!"

  Liu Zhijian coughed shortly. "Lane, I'm sure you realize that now that your disability has been cured, the BHB task force can no longer label themselves as 'Bionic Combative Police'. In this vein, the past agreement is effectively voided as well."

  "Does this mean I'm not eligible as a member of the BHB Combative Police Force anymore?"

  Lane was stunned by this piece of information. This was when he realized how much he adored the attention that came with being a superhero icon. The sudden news of having to quit the BHB Combative Police Force dragged his mood to an unforeseen low.

  "Of course not."

  Austin immediately followed up with a quick smile. "Lane, the company would be making a mistake to fire an efficient officer like you. It's just that there had to be some slight changes in the terms of the agreement."

  "I see..."

  Lane took a breath of relief upon hearing of this. "What are the changes then? Will I still be wearing the combative police armor on missions?"

  "Well..."

  Austin hesitated her reply and glanced at the B.S.S. agent.

  "Lane, this new agreement is completely confidential. I'm not even informed of the exact terms."

  Liu Zhijian smiled gently. "Feel free to ask Miss Sarah for further details."

  With that, the manager took Austin with him and they left the ward together.

  "Miss, Miss Sarah?"

  Lane eyes Miss Sarah nervously. Even with all his lengthy military training and accumulated field experience, he could still clearly sense Sarah's heavy aura towering over his own. He had a feeling that even if he got to put on his usual combative police armor, he might still face defeat...

  Sarah flicked an eyebrow dismissively and tossed a file on Lane's lap then informed, "Here's the agreement, sign it right away if you don't have any problems with it. Of course, you're free to refuse to sign it, in which case you'll be terminated from Blackwatch effectively immediately. Following regular procedures, you'll be paid a severance fee worth three months of your usual salary."

  Lane picked up the file and carefully went over it.

  The terms in the first few pages were as standard as they came, consisting of the usual legal terms and jargon. It was by the fifth page when his eyes started to grow widened and filled with disbelief by what he was reading.

  "Superpower combative police force? L compound?"

  The terms of the agreement clearly stated that the BHB Combative Police Force would be renamed the Superpower Combative Police Force. The police force would comprise three to seven members, all with superpowers. The general operation was the same as previously. The only distinct difference was that the members would no longer be disabled members aided with bionic installations, but so-called superpower users instead.

  Should Lane agree with the terms of this agreement, he as a former member of the now-retired BHB Combative Police Force would gain the privilege of receiving what was known as an L compound injection. This substance would grant him superpowers and become an official superpower user!

  However, it was not without its risk. The potential side effects of this injection included brain deterioration and in severe cases, death.

  Lane felt like someone was playing an awful prank on him as he read through the agreement. Superpowers? He suspected if this was all a fever dream...

  Chapter 567: Injection |

  A week later.

  The trio of Lane, Hodge, and Blake arrived at the Blackwatch's branch building in New York City.

  The moment they stepped out of the vehicle, they were swarmed by a crowd of reporters and fans. There were hundreds of them gathered outside the building and the noisy screams of the fans shrilled across the streets of New York.

  "Black Panther Blake, I love you!"

  "You're the best, Black Panther!"

  "Lane! The messenger of justice, Lane!"

  "Little Hodge! Little Hodge!"

  They screamed endlessly in front of the Blackwatch building. Even Blackwatch's security team was almost drowned out by the pack of rabid fans.

  "Hey! Everyone calm down, calm down!"

  Confronted by this scene, Blake gathered his feet and hopped onto the roof of the vehicle without hesitation. He waved his hand and put on a cheery smile as he received the excited screams of the fans.

  Shortly after the fans had their fill of screaming, they suddenly fell silent. Each one of them stared at Blake in disbelief.

  Following the passing of Brooke, Blake was the one who had stepped in to fill the previous captain's role since his personality made him a perfect fit. His popularity rapidly ascended and became the most popular member of the BHB Combative Police Force.

  "Are you guys seeing this?"

  Blake pulled at the cuff of his pants and presented it to the people, "Whoosh! Take a look at this! Thanks to Blackwatch's advancement, my legs have been restored! I can finally become a normal person!"

  "Ahh!!!"

  The crowd produced a deafening scream. Among the fans, it was the girls who were especially enthused by this exciting revelation. They wept tears of joy as if their life-long dream had been accomplished.

  Below Blake, Hodge and Lane exchanged a glance, communicating their speechlessness at Blake's celebrity display.

  The two of them tend to be more reserved and could hardly match their energy level to the always passionate and optimistic Blake.

  After that, at the request of the fans and reporters, the trio had their pictures taken and gave short interviews. Another hour went by before they finally managed to retreat into the building.

  "Phew, these segments always feel more exhausting than any of the other missions that we're assigned to..."

  Hodge said with a quirky smile.

  "That's true, I'm drenched in sweat already."

  Lane shook his head and expressed. So many years had passed since the BHB Combative Police Force was founded and even Hodge who was once the youngest was inching toward his thirties already. Currently, the youngest member was Lane who was also the most recent member. He was sometimes called Puppy among the fanbase.

  "Hahahaha!"

  Blake, who was leading them ahead, laughed at this mention. "Tired already? Back in my youth, I'd service more than ten girls a night without complaint. Now that I have healthy pairs of limbs, I think I just might try to challenge my record!"

  "..."

  Again, the other two could only stare at him wordlessly.

  "Then I'm afraid I have bad news for you. I've reported your repeated violations of the agreement to the company and there are plans set to restrict your personal life."

  Just as Blake was fantasizing about what was to come for him, the elevator at the end of the cor
ridor opened and a gorgeous lady with fiery red hair and a body like that of a model stepped out. She immediately turned her attention to Blake whose head was lost in his own world.

  Blake's smile vanished almost instantly and his entire temperament turned somber.

  "Miss Austin."

  Lane and Hodge immediately lowered their heads, afraid of stepping out of line before the fierce manager. The only person who ever dared oppose her was the late captain Brooke. The remaining members were terrified of offending her and behaved themselves like students being reprimanded by their teacher.

  "Alright, why don't you guys come in."

  Austin suddenly shook her head, her harshness melted away like ice on a summer day, calming the trio slightly. "Since you guys have already signed the agreement, why don't we head straight for the rooftop. They have been waiting for you since you arrived outside the building."

  "They?"

  Lane was shocked. "And where are we going?"

  "The international airport."

  Austin replied nonchalantly and looked at the trio. "You'll be taking the company's private flight and heading for the Eco Science City."

  "Eco Science City!"

  First, they took a double take, then Lane exclaimed, "It's the headquarters of Blackwatch!"

  "That's right."

  Austin confirmed. "The newly developed drug is only stored in the headquarters. You guys will also train there for a certain period before returning to your posts."

  "Unbelievable..."

  Lane and Hodge exchanged amused glances. Even Blake who was usually arrogant and loud was floored by this notice.

  "Miss Austin..."

  While the elevator was rising, Hodge opened his mouth and took a moment to collect his courage before asking, "I've seen a lot of reports of tales about the appearance of superpowers on the Internet. It was around this time when we were presented with the new agreement. Could the superpowers the people talked about come from..."

  Hodge did not dare to finish his sentence. Everyone knew what he was trying to imply with this remark. They were familiar with just how much Blackwatch was capable of.