San Francisco, Levi's Luxury Apartment.
Levi sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the city he had thrown into chaos. He knew Sophie's "rejection" was not genuine but a desperate response to the pressure from Observer-03. Yet, he hadn't anticipated the depth of her "cut-off" attempt.
The smart doorbell rang. The screen displayed Sophie's pale, determined face.
Levi opened the door. Sophie walked in, holding a brown paper bag. Her eyes were cold and composed, as if she were facing an unfamiliar test subject.
"This is your physical examination report and the energy Critical Threshold curve," Sophie threw the bag onto the table, her tone devoid of emotion. "I have officially submitted my resignation to the 49ers. From now on, I am no longer your team doctor, nor anyone you know."
Levi did not move, watching her silently.
"Sophie, you don't need to put on an act," Levi said gravely. "What did Observer-03 do to you? Is it the heart-stoppage countdown, or something else?"
Sophie's body stiffened momentarily, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Did your ridiculous 'Absolute Dominance' work on me too? You guessed right," Sophie sneered, a trace of mockery in her eyes. "But this isn't acting."
"Levi, I ask you: what is the purpose of the power you currently possess?"
Levi paused: "To win games, to break the rules, to prove..."
"Wrong," Sophie sharply interrupted him. "You possess power now merely to vent your rage and sense of superiority."
Sophie walked up to Levi, her eyes filled with disappointment.
"You destroyed the goalpost, you sent players to the hospital, you caught an electric net barehanded. You are reveling in the feeling that 'all living beings are ants'!"
"You are not a hero; you are just a superpowered psychopath! And I, a doctor whose professional oath is to save lives, cannot tolerate your 'loss of control'!"
Sophie's voice was utterly resolute.
"Enough," Levi's expression darkened. He felt a nameless flame raging in his chest.
"I told you, you don't need to provoke me like this."
"I don't need to provoke you," Sophie looked up, meeting Levi's furious gaze with eyes as cold as a knife. "I simply see through you."
"Your Indestructible Body is just a shell to hide your inner cowardice and violent tendencies. You fear being ignored, so you use the most extreme violence to seek validation."
"I will not love a violently insane man."
Sophie's words were a cold blade, ruthlessly stabbing Levi's deepest insecurities. She had precisely struck his core trauma—the anger and self-doubt rooted in his past as a "punching bag" and "mascot."
Golden light violently erupted in Levi's eyes! Every muscle in his body began to tremble at a terrifying frequency!
[ALERT! Host Emotion Core Completely Enraged!]
[Energy Critical Threshold: Breaching 85%! Entering Self-Destruction Edge!]
"Get out of here!" Levi roared! His voice carried a terrifying shockwave; the room's glass instantly emitted a mournful "humming" sound!
A flash of pain crossed Sophie's face, but she knew her mission was complete.
"Fine, I'll go," Sophie said calmly. "But remember, Levi. Your Indestructible Body will never change the fact that you are a coward!"
She turned and walked out of Levi's apartment without looking back.
BANG!
The door slammed shut behind her.
Levi stood in the center of the room, the "fire of rage" Sophie had ignited violently slamming against his Critical Threshold!
"Coward?!" Levi roared at the empty room!
CRASH—!!!
Levi violently raised his fist and slammed it against the floor-to-ceiling window behind him!
This was not a collision; this was an atomic-level eruption!
The million-dollar bulletproof window instantly dissolved into a cloud of white smoke and fine powder the moment Levi's fist made contact! It didn't even have time to shatter!
A furious night wind howled through the massive gap, whipping Levi's hair.
Levi's rage found no immediate relief. He looked at the Italian imported dining table in the center of the room.
SMASH! SMASH! SMASH!
Levi delivered three successive punches to the table! The solid wood furniture was pulverized into wood chips!
"Observer-03! Do you think this will stop me?!" Levi roared toward the high altitude outside the window!
He knew Sophie's coldness was due to Observer-03's threats. He had to act to show the Observer that his threat had utterly failed!
Levi violently rushed out of the apartment, sprinting down the stairs. His speed was absolute; the airflow around his body swept up every decoration he passed.
Ten minutes later, 49ers Training Facility.
The training facility was deserted in the dead of night. Only Levi stood in the center of the field.
He looked at the empty field, his internal rage and energy with nowhere to vent.
He knew his internal Energy Critical Threshold had reached an unprecedented peak!
"I will show you all what loss of control looks like!"
Levi grabbed a football and, aiming at the empty field, initiated an Atomic Charge!
He was an uncontrollable red train, charging fiercely towards the empty sideline benches!
BOOM—!!!
A colossal sound roared through the silent base!
The steel framework of the entire bench structure, under Levi's single impact, was instantly warped, pulverized, and thrown high into the air!
The turf beneath the benches was ripped open, leaving a terrifying half-meter-deep trench from the reactionary force of Levi's collision!
Levi stood in the ruins, his chest heaving. He had successfully vented a portion of the Critical Energy, but the terrifying impact had also pushed his body's self-repair system to its limit.
[WARNING! Host Energy Depleted! Emergency Repair Initiated!]
Just then, the lights on the far side of the field suddenly flared on!
Several night shift security guards and substitute players staying overnight rushed out, startled by the massive sound.
They stared at the demolished ruins in the center of the field, looking at Levi, who stood amidst the smoke, eyes filled with extreme terror!
"My God! He demolished the training field!"
"Those are the benches! Is anyone... anyone inside?!"
A backup defensive back nervously approached the ruins. He saw three substitute players, moaning in agony, crushed beneath the twisted steel frame!
They weren't killed instantly, but they were pinned by the warped metal, bleeding profusely!
"Help... my leg... it's broken..."
Levi looked at the three agonizing teammates, his pupils contracting sharply!
He had completely lost control! He had vented his rage on his innocent teammates!
Levi fell to his knees, immediately overwhelmed by a crippling sense of guilt and helplessness.
His "Indestructible Body" had, for the first time, made him feel real pain.