At the moment the repulsive force shockwave erupted, nearly half of Adam's skin had turned an abnormal pale white.
In the lines formed by the furrowed brow in the center of his forehead, something seemed to be brewing.
Stussy didn't understand what these were. She only knew one thing.
Her child was in pain.
And she didn't want Adam to suffer like this.
So, when the three Seraphim cleared the path, Stussy didn't hesitate and walked toward Adam.
Seeing this, Dr. Vegapank wanted to say something but was held back by Shaka beside him.
"Leave it to Stussy."
The previous peculiar occurrences had proven that Adam could indeed perceive and even influence the external environment.
Simultaneously, it also proved that Adam had recognized Stussy's identity.
Even though such a thing was highly 'unscientific', science itself was a knowledge system built upon objective facts.
Everyone on this island was, in fact, the group least 'superstitious about science' in the world.
They wouldn't deny the facts before their eyes just for the sake of science.
Hearing Shaka's words, even if Dr. Vegapunk wanted to say more, he couldn't find the words.
In fact, not only did he see Stussy as a 'daughter', but the other clones who inherited his memories also valued Stussy greatly.
—Except York, who had completely abandoned her past due to desire.
Tap, tap...
The usually crisp sound of high heels stepping on the floor became distant and ethereal, now carrying a strange sense of sanctity.
It was as if everyone present was witnessing the occurrence of some 'miracle'.
Stussy's steps stopped half a meter from Adam. After that, she wasn't sure what she should do either.
Fortunately, little Adam, who hadn't yet left the amniotic fluid, seemed to sense his mother's confusion and took over the next step.
Under the influence of some inexplicable force, Mother Flame floated up and flew toward Adam.
The special glass, made of special materials strong enough to withstand ship cannon fire, was instantly melted, creating a large opening.
The nutrient fluid acting as amniotic fluid inside flowed out in a rush, about to drench Stussy.
Adam seemed focused on controlling Mother Flame, unable to divert attention to control the water flow.
"Hah!"
A childish yet slightly solid voice rang out.
It was the Seraphim codenamed S-Shark, modeled after [Knight of the Sea] Jinbei, who acted.
He seemed to have inherited Jinbei's Fish-man strength and body structure, along with pre-set knowledge of Fish-Man Karate and Fish-Man Jujutsu. He easily 'caught' the gushing nutrient fluid as if grabbing someone's clothes.
With S-Shark's movement, the nutrient fluid spun several circles in mid-air, then was gently flung toward a distant machine.
Sizzle—
A burst of smoke and sparks flashed, and the machine of unknown value was paralyzed.
This scene made Vegapunk and the clones in the distance feel a pang of pain.
After all, their research funding was truly limited. To cultivate Adam, they had even diverted part of the Seraphim's cultivation funds.
This was why there were only three Seraphim here instead of the seven in the original plan.
Of course, pain aside, no one spoke up inappropriately at this moment.
As Mother Flame approached, thread-like strands of light peeled off from it, drifting toward Adam like smoke.
"This!"
Even Dr. Vegapunk, the creator of Mother Flame, hadn't seen it in this changed state. Pythagoras beside him immediately recorded every moment with his mechanical eyes.
This clone, who looked more like a robot, inherited Vegapunk's 'wisdom'. Besides Shaka, he was the one who participated in the most experiments among the clones.
Mother Flame should have been an infinite energy source, yet it was slowly 'absorbed' upon contact with Adam.
'Could a human really absorb such infinite power?'
Dr. Vegapunk's eye twitched.
It wasn't that he was heartbroken over Mother Flame.
Admittedly, Mother Flame was indeed an extremely precious thing, but it wasn't irreplaceable.
Given enough time and materials, with his previous experience, he could even recreate Mother Flame within a few months.
What truly shocked Vegapunk was the human body's 'finite' capacity containing Mother Flame's 'infinite' nature.
'Did this mean Mother Flame itself was actually 'finite'?'
'Or had Adam completely transcended 'humanity'... no, perhaps transcended the category of 'living beings'.'
Even someone as strong as Imu only used Mother Flame as an energy source for activating Ancient Weapons, never thinking of personally coming into contact with it.
But no matter how hard it was for those present to accept, the fact had happened.
Under everyone's gaze, Mother Flame was rapidly absorbed by Adam.
And Adam, having absorbed Mother Flame, quickly returned to his original state.
That abnormal pale skin, the forehead wrinkles, and the horns all rapidly retracted, turning back into a delicate, porcelain-like baby in the blink of an eye.
—Provided you ignored him floating in mid-air and radiating light.
Finally, as the surrounding light dimmed, Mother Flame completely disappeared from the underground laboratory.
The previously short-circuited light bulbs lit up again, undamaged machines resumed high-performance operation, everything seemingly returned to normal.
"MA..."
Under everyone's gaze, Adam gently opened his eyes.
His heterochromatic pupils met Stussy's gaze. His toothless mouth opened and closed unconsciously, uttering a syllable similar to 'Mama'.
At that moment, some emotion in Stussy's heart finally broke through reason, making her eyes redden, her arms involuntarily opening, wanting to embrace her child.
There was no resistance to Stussy's actions from either Adam or the three Seraphim.
It was as if Stussy had been added to the 'whitelist' in the Seraphim's eyes.
Vegapunk and the other clones also wanted to come closer and take a look. But they had only taken a few steps when S-Hawk's slash appeared again.
This time, however, he didn't attack anyone. Instead, he used his right leg, transformed into a blade, to draw a line on the laboratory floor.
The warning was clear.
"Seems like... they don't really like us."
Lilith looked at the somewhat dejected Dr. Vegapunk, understanding the frustration of being looked down upon by one's own creation, so she tried to smooth things over.
Who would have thought that before Vegapunk could say anything, the Seraphim, previously seen as unable to communicate, spoke up proactively.
"The Lord needs rest. You, stay away."
S-Snake, much like her model Hancock, raised her head arrogantly, looking at everyone.
This was also the first time they communicated with Vegapunk and the others.
Although S-Shark's earlier action had already proven they weren't incapable of speech, their previous robotic expressions and attitudes made Vegapunk and the others think they might lack self-awareness.
Now it seemed...
"Wait, who are you referring to as 'Lord'?"
Dr. Vegapunk suddenly caught the key point in S-Snake's words and quickly tried to ask.
"Hmph!"
However, without receiving Adam's 'command', S-Snake seemed disdainful of continuing to talk with Vegapunk and the others.
—Even though they were her true creators.
The [Authority Chips] inside the three Seraphim had long since disappeared, replaced by a vortex-shaped golden mark.
But this mark was engraved inside the three of them, completely invisible from the outside.
"Mama..."
Finally, Stussy heard the clear word from Adam's mouth, proving that Adam had indeed recognized her.
Those eyes, purer than crystal, met Stussy's gaze. One small hand gently rested on Stussy's arm.
And Stussy, like the [Holy Mother] in myths, held the newborn holy child in her arms.
The wound on her palm, scratched open earlier by her fingernails, healed rapidly and silently.