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Although Karl didn't understand research and development, he was very familiar with the quality control process—that is, the "QC" process—involved in product manufacturing!
If Thunder Warriors were compared to a commodity.
Then the process from producing the secondary serum to the official deployment of Thunder Warriors could be viewed as: "Raw Material Control" → "Production and Processing" → "Product Manufacturing" → "Finished Product Testing" → "Finished Product Warehousing" → "After-Sales Quality Tracking and Resolution."
This included a complete quality control and management chain.
And now, they had undoubtedly entered the "Finished Product Testing" stage.
So, after quickly weighing his options, Karl temporarily abandoned the idea of mass-producing a Super Soldier army on a large scale!
He couldn't be hasty at this moment; it was better to first create a "Special Forces Team" to test the waters.
He needed to continue testing to see if there were any other adverse reactions or unstable factors, besides the two unidentified "side effects," that might appear later.
Then, based on the data and effects feedback from actual combat, he would finally decide whether to increase the investment in Thunder Warriors.
Anyway, Samuel Sterns had successfully conquered the original and secondary formulas of the Super Soldier Serum.
As long as Karl gave the order, mass production could begin at any time.
What's more.
Compared to these adult soldiers whose ideologies were already formed.
Karl was actually more looking forward to the "Youth Soldier Program" that was about to begin in the next phase.
Those youths who grew up amidst war and disaster were simply the best source of soldiers!
They were the true mainstays of the Hyperspace Group's future!!
"If that's the case, then let's temporarily hold off on mass-producing the secondary serum... Let's just make a hundred doses for the first batch."
After a brief moment of contemplation, Karl shook his head slightly and said,
"You don't need to worry about staffing issues; I'll have Zemo recruit more scientific researchers for you soon!"
After giving specific instructions.
Karl returned to his top-floor office.
Looking at the beautiful scenery of the sunset outside the window, Karl said to Frank with an expectant look, "You just saw the experimental report for the secondary serum..."
"Do you really not want to try the perfect Super Soldier Serum?"
"Maybe you could become a Super Soldier King who surpasses Captain America."
Weakling Steve + Perfect Super Soldier Serum = Captain America!
Soldier King Frank + Perfect Super Soldier Serum = ???
Given Frank's "foundation" as a ceiling for individual combat power, after injecting the serum, his growth and potential would definitely not be worse than Captain America's, right?
However.
Who would have thought that Frank would refuse with an incredibly firm tone, "Boss, I'm not interested in becoming a Captain America-style Super Soldier."
Karl seemed to have anticipated this, and smiled, reminding him, "If you're worried about the side effects of the perfect serum, you can certainly try the secondary serum."
"After Dr. Stern's improvements, the enhancement effect of the secondary serum is also very significant!"
"Uh, how should I explain this to you..."
Frank tried to organize his thoughts in his mind.
He tried his best not to make his upcoming words sound offensive or arrogant.
"Actually, whether it's the perfect serum or the secondary serum, as long as the enhancement effect doesn't reach beyond the human realm, it doesn't mean much to me."
"Because in my opinion, as long as the plan is executed properly, I still have over 90% confidence in killing any target, including those with superpowers..."
Karl couldn't help but laugh at this.
666!!
Do you see? What a simple and unpretentious answer.
He was practically saying, "I'm not targeting anyone; I'm saying everyone here is trash."
However, if these words were uttered by anyone else, they would undoubtedly become a laughing stock.
But if it were Frank, the outcome would be different...
You know.
This guy, in an adjacent parallel Universe, managed to slaughter all Marvel superheroes, relying solely on his flesh and blood.
Yes, you heard that right.
All the superheroes, regardless of whether they were heroes or villains!!
Even Hulk, Wolverine, and the X-Men were not spared...
From this, it can be seen.
Frank had an extremely clear understanding and positioning of his own strength.
That's why he remained true to himself without the slightest wavering when faced with the temptation of power.
Perhaps this was the pride unique to the strong?!
"Very good, on the matter of the serum, you and Zemo gave the same answer."
Karl didn't force the issue, and smiled appreciatively, "But if you ever change your mind, you can tell me anytime."
"Yes..." Upon hearing Zemo's name, a slight ripple appeared in Frank's resolute eyes.
Phew~~ That was close!
He almost got outdone by that guy.
Although Frank and Zemo were in charge of different areas.
But as Karl's two most favored subordinates, it was inevitable that a sense of competition would secretly arise between them.
After all, in literary arts, there is no first, and in martial arts, there is no second.
Their little thoughts naturally did not escape Karl's keen eye.
But he was happy to see it happen.
As a former top salesman, Karl deeply understood how much benefit a reasonable competition mechanism could bring to a team.
As long as a healthy competitive atmosphere could be formed, avoiding chaos and internal friction.
Then the enthusiasm and creativity of team members could be maximized.
This was fundamentally different from the internal strife advocated by the 'Gu' breeding model.
However, the most surprising person was definitely Pietro.
This kid unexpectedly also chose to refuse the serum injection!
And when Karl called to ask for the reason.
The latter excitedly shouted strange words like "It's going to happen, I'm going to make it happen soon."
So much so that Karl couldn't help but wonder if this kid had been stimulated to madness by the Black Widow incident?
At this moment, the blonde secretary walked in from outside the office, swaying her graceful waist.
"Boss, security has news. The front desk just received a Ms. Selene, who claims to have had an appointment with you previously and hopes to discuss it in person."
A mysterious smile curved at the corner of Karl's mouth, and he waved his hand, saying, "Alright... tell her to wait for me in the conference room first."
...
Ten minutes later.
In a small conference room.
Selene sat on a chair, her gaze anxiously fixed on the door, waiting for the man to arrive.
Compared to more than a month ago.
The Moon Goddess's delicate face clearly showed a few more traces of fatigue.
There was nothing she could do; she was late.
And she was four full days past the previously agreed-upon deadline...
Selene didn't know if that man would still tell her the truth about her parents' tragic deaths as promised.
However, she was already prepared to fight to the death with the Vampires of the Blood God Sect if she didn't get an answer.
If it weren't for these "heretics" among the Vampires suddenly interrupting her process of collecting Elder Amelia's blood sample, killing all the members of the escort team, and then abducting Amelia.
Selene would probably have already obtained the blood sample and rushed to the Hyperspace Group for her appointment.
That would have saved her the subsequent arduous pursuit of the Vampires of the Blood God Sect and the battle royale of repeatedly trying to forcibly collect Amelia's blood sample from their hands.
Oh, right!
And Blade, who indiscriminately attacked all Vampires on sight, regardless of right or wrong.
It was precisely when he intervened that Selene, at the cost of a large hole being shot through her waist, managed to seize the opportunity amidst the chaos and successfully obtain Amelia's blood sample.
Thinking of this...
She reached through her leather jacket and pressed a certain spot.
To ensure nothing went wrong, she had hidden that crucial blood sample beneath the softest part of her upper body.
After confirming it was secure.
Her gaze shifted downwards, landing on the left side of her waist.
There, a fist-sized tear in her leather jacket was visible.
Although the exposed skin had fully healed.
The shocking, dried bloodstains around it proved that this area had suffered an extremely severe gunshot wound earlier.
If silver bullets couldn't inflict fatal wounds on Selene.
She would probably be dead by now.
Just then.
A sudden sound of footsteps from the doorway interrupted her memories and thoughts!!
Then, Karl, dressed in a silver-gray plaid suit, walked into the conference room.
Frank, who had originally been following him, stopped short and remained at the doorway on guard after glancing at the situation inside the conference room.
"Sir, I am very sorry, I was unable to deliver the Elder's blood sample here as scheduled."
Selene stood up first, explaining nervously,
"But there were extenuating circumstances; I unexpectedly encountered an attack from another Vampire clan during my operation..."
Before she could finish speaking, Karl on the opposite side smiled and waved his hand.
Then, he said meaningfully, "To have survived the pincer attack from the Blood God Sect and Blade, and still successfully obtain the blood sample, is enough to prove your worth!!"
That's right.
Karl had actually already seen everything Selene experienced through the Mind Chain.
And the reason he didn't "let her be" like he did when recruiting Frank.
It wasn't because he didn't trust Selene... Well, it was because he didn't trust her!!
Although Karl had the idea of recruiting the Moon Goddess.
He still adhered to the principle of "those not of my kind are sure to have different hearts."
After replacing the Mental Shackles set by Victor in Selene's memory with his own.
He also casually put a Mind Chain on her, which didn't impose any suggestions or commands, as a double safeguard.
Karl always acted this way, regardless of right or wrong, only considering pros and cons...
And Selene's true test wasn't actually collecting the blood sample, but whether she could keep her promise and keep Karl's identity secret from others!!
If, during this process, Selene mentioned information related to Karl to other Vampires, or wanted to play "spy vs. spy" and make decisions unfavorable to Karl.
Then it would prove that she was not worthy of being recruited at all.
Even if Selene brought the blood sample afterwards, only slaughter and death would await her.
Towards enemies.
Karl was never soft-hearted... regardless of gender!!
However, fortunately, Selene ultimately did not disappoint him.
"You... you know everything?"
Selene's ice-blue eyes widened, staring blankly at the man opposite her, her face filled with shock, "No, how is this possible?!"
"I told you, I am a Dimensional God."
Karl smiled mysteriously, then slowly opened his palm towards her, "So... can you give me the blood sample now?"
"Ah? Oh!"
Selene's brain seemed unable to process such complex information at once.
It took her a full ten seconds to react.
She quickly pulled down the zipper of her leather jacket to her chest with a joyful expression.
Without fear of exposure.
She simply reached into her embrace.
She pulled out a test tube containing dark red blood from beneath the soft fabric.
And respectfully placed it in Karl's palm.
Her obedient manner made one want to dote on her.
After the other party had tidied her clothes, Karl called Frank in, pointed to the test tube on the table, and instructed:
"Take this blood sample to Dr. Stern; have him immediately perform the extraction experiment. He knows what to do."
"Yes, Boss!"
After Frank left, Karl smiled and looked at Selene, "So... are you ready to accept the truth?"
"Yes!!"
Immediately, dazzling, captivating light flashed in Karl's eyes.
He unlocked the memory that had been sealed in Selene's mind for hundreds of years from the Mental Shackles and presented it before her eyes.
...
It was a dark, rainy night.
Selene, startled awake by thunder, wanted to seek comfort from her mother.
But she unexpectedly witnessed a stealthy figure sneaking into her parents' room.
Then, under her terrified gaze, a Vampire in luxurious clothes drained the blood from her parents' bodies.
That's right.
This Vampire was Victor.
After noticing Selene.
Victor originally wanted to drain her blood as well.
But upon discovering that her appearance was strikingly similar to his deceased daughter, he changed his mind.
He simply transformed her into a second-generation Vampire.
And utilizing the bloodline suppression and control that higher Vampires held over lower Vampires, he sealed this unpleasant memory through Mental Shackles.
Finally, he lied, claiming that Selene's parents had died at the hands of Werewolves...
So, from that day on.
Selene's physical appearance was forever fixed at the age of 19.
And over the next six hundred years.
She grew into the "Moon Goddess" who struck fear into the hearts of Werewolves.
And Victor's sharpest Death Walker!!
...
During this time, Karl thoughtfully included a scene of Victor executing his own daughter, Sonja, with "daylight torture."
"No... this isn't real!"
Selene felt her loyalty and belief, which had lasted for six hundred years, crumble in that very moment.
Her head shook like a rattle.
Her delicate body trembled slightly with anger and fear.
But her mouth still unconsciously and weakly argued, "Victor saved me from the Werewolf attack; the Werewolves killed my parents..."
She found it truly difficult to accept.
The one who granted her eternal life.
The one who adopted her like a kind father and meticulously taught her martial arts.
The benevolent Elder whom she solely trusted and respected.
Could he actually be the true murderer of her parents?!
Impossible.
There must be a mistake, right?
"As a high-ranking Vampire, I'm sure you can discern the authenticity of this memory."
Karl was not in a hurry to explain anything to her, but calmly prompted,
"In addition, you can also go find Andreas Tanis, whom you once banished; he knows the full story of this matter.
He also helped Victor erase the true reason for the thousands of years of war between Vampires and Werewolves."
"And Victor's little subordinate, Klein, also knows about this; he has also been secretly colluding with the Werewolf leader, Lucian..."
This time, Selene finally stopped questioning.
However, her face grew even paler.
Just as Karl had said, she had already confirmed the authenticity of that memory through her instincts as a high-ranking Vampire.
Moreover, she couldn't think of any reason why this man, whose power was unfathomable, would deceive her with such a lie!
It was just that this truth was too cruel for Selene...
She had actually dedicated herself to the true murderer of her parents for over six hundred years!!
After a long silence, Selene suddenly looked up, and then spoke with an incredibly solemn expression:
"Sir, I am willing to join your ranks, and I swear to serve you wholeheartedly as my new King..."
"But I only ask that you help me avenge; for this... I am willing to give everything!!"