Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

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 pa.s.sing 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, “Whoos.h.!.+ 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 pa.s.sionate 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 a.s.signed 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 pa.s.sed 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 corridor 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.

“Don't ask questions you know you shouldn't.”

Austin remarked briskly and eyed them scrutinizingly. Hodge and Lane immediately felt numbness in their scalp while Blake covered his mouth to hide his reaction.

After sensing their silent reaction, Austin shook her head and noted. “To be honest with you, I don't have many details either since I'm not connected with the core of the organization. Anyway, you guys better refrain from discussing these matters, got it?”

“Got it!”

The trio replied immediately.

After the elevator reached the rooftop, they saw a helicopter parked there. The trio, accompanied by Austin, quickly boarded the helicopter and were taken to the international airport.

Since Austin was the agent of the BHB Combative Police Force, she would also follow the three to the company headquarters.

A day later, the BHB members arrived at Walvis Bay International Airport. Upon stepping out of the airport, they found themselves taken by a strange sense of nostalgia.

“Blake and I also came from Namibia. At the time, this airport was just an ordinary, common-sized airport. In just the span of a few years, it has grown into this unrecognizable spectacle…”

Hodge expressed his sentiments.

“That's to be expected since this is the international airport connecting to the company's headquarters.”

Lane commented. The three of them had already put on masks and sungla.s.ses to keep a low profile. When they arrived at the airport entrance, they would once again be surprised by what they saw.

There were countless high-rise buildings in the vicinity of the airport. The skyline of the glorious city of Namibia was a delightful spectacle in no way inferior to the world-famous downtown region of New York City.

“Eco Science City…”

Hodge found himself lost in another world upon witnessing this. Growing up in Namibia, he of all people would certainly be familiar with the sight of the city. However, his hometown had transformed into an international metropolis. This incredible transformation simply could not be put into words…

Furthermore, more buildings in the distance were in the midst of construction, some of them only establis.h.i.+ng their foundation. There were easily more than a hundred buildings under construction, the development speed was unfathomable.

“This is Eco Science City?”

Lane was just as much enchanted by what he was seeing. He was a member of an organization against Blackwatch so he was familiar with how much the company was capable of. Despite that, he found himself stupefied by how a company could force the world to submit at their feet to achieve such incredible feats.

While they were admiring the city skyline that went on and on, two black cars suddenly approached them. The doors promptly opened and several men in black stepped out. They each had earpieces attached, with wires hooked underneath their s.h.i.+rts.

The leading agent was tall and slender. The trio suddenly placed themselves on guard without noticing it when the agent approached because they could sense the aura of a lurking beast underneath his common appearance.

“This aura surpa.s.ses even that of Sarah…”

Lane was especially alert.

“My name is Clark Brando.”

The agent stepped forward and raised his hand. An odd symbol could be seen on the thumb on his right palm. It was the logo of two fingertips touching against each other, one was the finger of a man while the other was the finger of a robot.

Austin immediately bowed as a show of respect and greeted politely, “Sir Brando!”

“Are these the ones who will be inducted into G.o.d's Forbidden Zone?”

Brando tipped his head courteously at Austin then diverted his attention back to the BHB members.

“Yes, they have signed the agreement and are now eligible candidates for G.o.d's Forbidden Zone.”

G.o.d's Forbidden Zone!

Lane remembered seeing this strange phrase included in the agreement he signed. He only brushed it off, thinking that it was unimportant but now it seemed that his judgment could not be any more wrong than that.

“Alright, come with me.”

Brando made a signal and with the permission of Austin, the three entered the designated vehicles and made for the Eco Science City…

Two hours later, the three of them were stripped naked, save for a pair of pants, and lay down in a laboratory in the Blacklight Biotechnology Research Center.

“Since you guys have signed the agreement, that makes us family now.”

Brando was in the laboratory with them as well. He looked at the trio who were all hooked up with large machinery. “You've always been members of Blackwatch, but what you may not know is that there's a deeper connected ring in the upper echelons of the company.

“It's the G.o.d's Forbidden Zone…”

Brando paced in front of the three of them. “I know you still have some questions, but all you need to know is that G.o.d's Forbidden Zone oversees most of the operations of Blackwatch. This means that by joining this organization, you have become a part of the true core of the company. In the future, each of you may be qualified for greater positions in the company.”

The three of them lay quietly on the bed and listened to Brando. Lane, of all people, was especially baffled by this revelation. All this time, there was an organization known as G.o.d's Forbidden Zone hidden in the deeper sectors of Blackwatch? Who would have thought!

“Hold on, Brando.”

Blake, who had held his tongue all this time, suddenly raised a question. “Are we going to be injected with the L compound now?”

“Yes, do you have any questions?”

Brando looked at him.

“Oh, I was just wondering if you'd stuff a cotton ball or something of that sort in our mouth after injecting anesthesia in us?”

Blake asked, slightly embarra.s.sed.

Brando frowned and smiled darkly. “Anesthesia, I never mentioned that we'd be using anesthesia.”

“Not using anesthesia? But that's what I always see in movies.”

Blake suddenly became oddly excited. “The evil faction injects anesthesia into the protagonists, then they are out cold. By the time they wake up they find themselves transformed, isn't this how the story usually goes?”

1

As usual, Lane and Hodge only looked at him in perplexed silence.

Brando only chuckled, completely ignoring these childish remarks. After that, he made a gesture and signaled for three lab personnel in large white lab coats to begin the operation. Each one of them held a blue vial in hand.

“Androids…”

Lane could feel his racing heartbeat. He stared at the Android, his breathing tightening, as the needle was injected into his veins. He heard the sound of air pressure being released and felt the foreign substance flowing into his veins.

“Ow ow, be gentle!”

Blake cried out beside him.

Lane was in no mood for the little games the childish Blake played. He felt his body temperature skyrocketing. It felt as if all the fluid in his body was boiling. His heartbeat, his blood flow, everything in his body accelerated to unnatural levels…

This feeling…

Before Lane could properly register what was happening, a sharp, apprehensive pain took over his body!

“Oh my G.o.d!”

All Lane could do was cry out in pain before his conscience was drowned out by the wave of agonizing pain…

Austin suddenly appeared from another corner of the laboratory. She looked at the trio who had fainted almost immediately after the injection and were now twitching occasionally on their beds, then she looked at Brando with her eyes painted in concern. “Sir Brando, are they going to be alright?”

“Even though L compound is a completed product, it's not well optimized just yet.”

Brando shook his head. “After injection, there's a fifty percent chance of acquiring superpowers, forty percent chance of it being ineffective, and another ten percent of brain damage or in worse cases, death. This is all written as part of the agreement…”

“It's that bad?”

Austin's expression turned gravely. She looked at the trio who were twitching repeatedly on the medical bed and her concern was growing. “All three of them are prized a.s.sets of the company. Any one of them dying would bring monumental losses.”

“These odds are as good as it gets.”

Brando remarked blankly, “At the end of the day, you and I only have to worry about carrying out our orders. Besides, do you have any idea how much information credit these vials cost in G.o.d's Forbidden Zone?”

Austin shook her head.

“Ten thousand!”

Brando answered, “Just ten millimeters of this substance costs ten thousand information credit!”

Austin was floored by this extravagant pricing. As a member of G.o.d's Forbidden Zone, she was certainly familiar with how precious information credits are. Ten thousand information credit was directly equivalent to a hundred million U.S. dollars!

Upon hearing this, Austin looked at the trio again, this time with a bewildered look wiping over her previous concerned look. How could a vial of substance be this expensive?