As the convoy resumed its journey, Ross pulled out a cigar, raised his eyebrows with a bit of pride, and asked, "Want one?"
"Havana top-tier?" William glanced at the brand of the cigar, then gave Ross a surprised look. This old man was pretty well-off.
Ross shrugged without much explanation, cut a cigar for William, roasted it slightly over the flame, lit it up, and handed it over.
"Now, back to what we were discussing earlier. From what you said, you're also researching the Super Soldier Serum?"
"That's right." Taking the cigar, William nodded directly. He was going to release an unstable version of the serum eventually, so Ross would find out anyway.
But of course, he wouldn't tell the full truth. He lied casually, "After reading your file, I became interested in the serum."
He took a puff and exhaled slowly. A faint aroma lingered, and William unexpectedly found it quite enjoyable. Pleased, he continued, "I spent a few days going through all the available data, and the only impression I got was that this technology isn't very reliable. Low success rate, severe flaws, and the side effects are troublesome. Once consumption gets too high, the body easily falls into exhaustion."
"Wait a minute—you got interested after reading my file? And you managed to go through all the data in just a few days?"
Holding his lighter, Ross looked up at William in shock. "You not only finished reading it, but understood it and found the problems?"
William smiled calmly, as if it were only natural. "This is just standard procedure. Nothing strange about it."
And indeed, it wasn't strange—at least for him. If he wanted, he could replicate the Super Soldier Serum from the System in his mind at any time. As for the theoretical knowledge, if he didn't say it, no one could force it out of him.
He took Ross's lighter and lit his cigar for him, casually mocking, "Don't compare me to those scientists of yours who only know how to take a paycheck, OK?"
With that, he threw Ross a disdainful look, then turned to Blonsky, who had heard the conversation and was now visibly worried. Feigning kindness, he reminded him:
"Considering you've risked your life for England for over ten years, here's a piece of advice—don't let your current sense of invincibility fool you. If you suffer serious injuries, your body won't be able to handle the massive energy needed to recover."
"Wait, what energy?" Ross asked before Blonsky could speak. "You mean Blonsky's recovery abilities are that strong?"
William nodded. "An extremely powerful healing factor accelerates cellular division. The more serious the injury, the faster the recovery, but the shorter your lifespan becomes. Eventually, your body will begin to deteriorate."
"Blonsky, you're thirty-five, right?"
"Yes, sir," Blonsky replied quickly from the driver's seat.
"Then at thirty-five, you already look forty-five. After one serious injury, in less than a month, you'll look fifty-five. Because you're burning through your cellular lifespan to maintain your body."
These words left Ross and Blonsky in silence. William had said it to push Blonsky—someone with no way back—to crave even more power, to the point of desperation.
Besides, if Blonsky hadn't suffered any major injuries yet, he might become even stronger when he eventually transforms into Abomination.
Ross and Blonsky both quickly realized that William's reasoning wasn't baseless. "Is… is there a way to fix it?"
"Hmm..." William lowered his head, pretending to think for several minutes before saying, "My idea is to inject super-biological serum into the body. But whether those serums are effective, safe, or cause mutations—that all needs to be tested."
Ross immediately thought of the Hulk's serum, his heart racing at the fantasy of a mass-producible army of superhumans under his command.
But then he recalled how, after all these years and countless iterations of the serum, only Blonsky and Bruce Banner had succeeded.
Still, Ross wasn't one to give up easily. Now that there were two successful cases and a proposed solution from William, only one step remained.
At this moment, Ross's mind was consumed with plans to capture Bruce Banner—or at least injure him badly enough.
Once Blonsky fully succeeded, capturing Banner would become much easier.
With a new strategy forming in his mind, Ross shifted the topic. "You've mentioned side effects. What about flaws?"
Although he didn't know what Ross was thinking, William was sure the old man was thinking about the Hulk.
Chuckling, he said, "The serum amplifies a person's desires. Take Blonsky, for example—he's always craved frontline combat. To put it bluntly, he enjoys destruction and killing."
"Guys like him, when they don't have battles to fight, might start one themselves. But…"
William glanced at the awkward-looking Blonsky. "Right now, we're dealing with aliens, and people like Blonsky are exactly what we need. As long as we give him a target, he won't stop until he crushes it. Isn't that right, Lieutenant Colonel Blonsky?"
"Yes—yes, Mr. Devonshire."
Satisfied with the target William had given him, Blonsky nodded eagerly. "Killing aliens doesn't count as a crime, right?"
"Of course not," William squinted. "If you've got the ability, there'll be plenty of aliens and special incidents for you in the future. However, my only concern is… if you ever lose control of your destructive urges and stop taking orders, we'll have to put you down. Right, General Ross?"
Ross cursed William in his heart for sowing discord and scorned him for being so blunt. But then he remembered that Blonsky didn't answer to William, and that put him in a better mood.
"Relax. There's always war in this world—be it against aliens or humans. As long as Blonsky is willing, I can keep him in constant combat. So, I'm not worried about that kind of issue."
"Thank you, sir." The already half-mad Blonsky laughed and said, "Regular fights aren't necessary. Beating up rookies gets boring fast."
Hearing that, William laughed inwardly.
With a lunatic like Blonsky around, there would be battles with Decepticons and Autobots every other day.
It wouldn't take long before all the Transformers' hatred would be directed at the Americans.
That way, the Autobots in England could work peacefully with Kingsman.
Feigning irritation, William turned his head to look out the window. Ross, seeing this, smirked to himself, thinking, No matter how smart he is, William's still a young man who can't control his emotions.
Blonsky, on the other hand, was worried that he might have upset William. To him, no one understood his physical condition better than William, and he genuinely believed William could offer a solution.
But with Ross present, there was nothing more he could say at the moment.
Before they knew it, thirty minutes had passed, and the convoy entered the industrial district of Boston—where Sunday had detected the presence of the Decepticons.
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