"Earlier, we already recorded the process that the researcher used to make the gene enhancement serum. If the serum is real, then our mission is complete.
As for the test subject, I have an idea. I was once caught because of a woman. She got arrested by people from the Special Team. Now I'll go capture her and use her to test the serum.
If the serum doesn't work, we can use her to threaten the Special Team and force them to give us the real formula" Huro said.
"This woman is important to the Special Team? Why didn't you tell us earlier?
If you had said something, we could've caught her from the start and used her as a hostage. We wouldn't have been hunted like dogs by them" Yano said angrily.
"Using her as a hostage is only a last option. I wasn't sure if she really mattered to them.
The Special Team did question me before and asked about the antidote to save her, but maybe they were just protecting civilians.
That's why I didn't tell you. And now it's not too late to say it.
Back then we were busy escaping and kidnapping researchers. We didn't have time to grab her too" Huro explained.
"We could've just taken someone from the street. Why go through the trouble of getting her?
What if the Special Team finds us because of it?" Yano said.
"You don't need to worry. The formula and process for the gene serum have already been sent back to our country.
We just don't know if the serum actually works. She's just an ordinary person. I'll bring the serum and go see her myself.
Don't worry. I just want to check the effect. I won't cause more trouble" Huro replied.
"If you've already decided, do whatever you want. Just be careful.
The Special Team is still searching for us. We don't even know if the researcher's formula is real.
If it doesn't work, we'll have to find another way" Ryo said.
Huro took one serum and quietly went to where Tracy lived.
He looked around and saw no one nearby.
As a skilled spy, Huro always felt ashamed that he got caught by Tracy before. He thought she had worked with the Special Team to trap him.
So ever since he escaped from prison, he wanted revenge on her.
But the mission came first. He waited until the formula was secured and the serum was ready.
Now everything was done and sent back. He finally came to settle things with her.
They were not sure if the serum really worked.
The researcher had been forced to help, and there was a chance he had tricked them.
That's why none of them wanted to inject it into themselves.
Tracy had used a low-level enhancement serum before, so she still felt energetic and wasn't sleepy.
Huro listened from outside and knew she was still awake. He didn't want to make noise.
He blew some sleeping gas through the door crack.
After waiting for more than ten minutes, he heard nothing inside.
He used a wire to unlock the door and went in.
Because her body was already stronger, Tracy had some resistance to the gas.
As soon as she smelled it, she knew something was wrong.
She felt her eyes getting heavy. Just a moment ago, she felt wide awake.
She didn't make it to the bed and passed out on the couch.
She knew something wasn't right. She tried to stay awake, but her eyes wouldn't open no matter how hard she tried.
Then she heard the door open. That made her even more scared. Was someone breaking in?
She tried to move, but the gas made her body too weak.
Even with her stronger body, she couldn't fully fight the effect.
Huro walked inside and saw her lying on the couch.
Seeing her brought up complicated feelings.
He had thought it would be easy to get the information from her. But in the end, he failed and got caught.
There had been many people in their team in this city.
When he got arrested, the police and the Special Team had worked together.
There were over twenty of them. Only three managed to escape.
They paid a big price to break out of prison. But now that they had the gene serum, everything seemed worth it.
He hoped the serum was real.
If it wasn't, getting the real one would be extremely difficult.
He walked closer to Tracy and took out the serum.
He injected it into her body.
Tracy felt the needle and the liquid entering her.
She panicked inside.
Was he injecting poison into her? Who was he? Why did he come to harm her?
Was he one of the criminals who escaped and came for revenge?
After the injection, Huro stared at her, watching her reaction.
Even though she was unconscious, he could still see some signs of how the serum worked.
The genetic enhancement drug was actually an accidental discovery. Even the lab that worked on it wasn't fully ready. The researcher that Huro and the others captured was one of the main people involved in creating it, but he was working alone with poor tools. So the result of the drug was very uncertain. Even if he tried his best, there was still a high chance it wouldn't work.
If the injection failed, the results were very serious. In earlier tests, some mice turned into pools of pus after the drug was injected. That was because their genes broke down completely.
Tracy didn't know what had been injected into her. She also didn't know how dangerous the drug was. As soon as the liquid entered her body, starting from her arm, she felt a tingling and numb feeling. Then a small sharp pain followed.
Her body started to heat up. She didn't know why, but it felt similar to how her body changed after she used the basic enhancement drug.
Actually, the lab had studied the drug deeply. The reason injections failed was usually because there was not enough energy to support the changes.
Tracy was lucky. Before Huro arrived, she had already injected herself with a basic enhancement drug. That basic drug wasn't as strong, but it contained a lot of energy. Tracy had used some of it to improve her body, but most of the energy was still stored inside her. Her body was slowly absorbing it.
This time, the drug that Huro injected into her was only half-finished. The scientist who made it didn't include the energy-boosting part on purpose. A normal person who took it would suffer gene collapse.
The gene enhancement process needed a lot of energy. Tracy happened to have energy in her body already, and it was used during this process.
If there was no energy, the body would try to use its own power for the gene change. But human energy is very limited. If the body used too much of it, the person could die.
Huro watched Tracy after she got the injection. Except for her face turning red, nothing else strange happened.
Was the drug working? He had seen what happened to mice before. It was awful. But now Tracy looked okay. Maybe the drug had worked. Or maybe the drug just didn't do anything. That could also explain why she wasn't reacting.
But how could he know for sure if the drug worked? He thought maybe he should wake her up. The drug needed time to be absorbed, and her being unconscious gave it time to work. If she woke up and struggled, it might cause problems.
At first, Tracy felt bad. But soon, her body felt warm. The weakness that made it hard to open her eyes slowly disappeared.
Whatever Huro injected into her seemed to be helping her recover from the drug that knocked her out.
Still, Tracy didn't move right away. She knew someone bad was near. If she moved too soon and got caught, she wouldn't even have a chance to fight back. So she stayed still and acted like she was still unconscious. She hoped to trick Huro and wait for a good moment to strike.
But Tracy didn't know that fake unconscious breathing is different from real unconscious breathing.
As soon as she fully recovered and could move again, Huro noticed.
He didn't think she was faking. He thought that the drug had helped her wake up and resist the sleep drug.
Tracy was still waiting for the right time to attack, but suddenly she heard Huro speak.
"If you're awake, then get up already," Huro said.
Tracy was confused. How did he know she was awake? Did the drug he gave her have this effect? Then why knock her out in the first place and later give her something to wake her?
But since he already knew, pretending to sleep was useless. She decided to ask what he wanted. He didn't seem like he wanted to hurt her yet.
If he had wanted to kill her, he could have done it while she was unconscious. But he didn't. That meant he had no plans to hurt her now.
"Who are you, why did you come into my house, and what do you want from me?" Tracy asked.
"We've met before. Don't you remember me? Last time at the jewelry company. Thanks to you, I got caught," Huro said.
"That wasn't my fault. I was a victim too. Are you here to take revenge on me?" Tracy asked.
"I came because of what happened last time. But don't worry. If you help me with one thing, I will let you go and never bother you again," Huro said.
"You are strong. What can someone like me help you with? I'm just a normal person. You don't expect me to help you escape from the police, right? I don't have that kind of ability," Tracy said.
"That's not what I want. I'm not afraid of the police," Huro said. "Do you remember the data from last time? The one I stole was about the genetic enhancement drug. The shot I gave you was that drug. What I want from you is simple. Just tell me how you feel now, and test whether you have developed any special powers."
Tracy was shocked when she heard that.
He didn't give her something harmful, but the real genetic enhancement drug?
That didn't make sense. Why would he give something so valuable to her instead of using it on himself? Even without thinking hard, she could tell something was not right.