49

John opened his system panel to check for updates on the mission. However, the display still showed a zero for the number of bases destroyed. This meant that John had not yet completed his mission. He decided to use his Observation Haki to check if there were any people alive or hidden in the laboratory.

Unfortunately, he did not find any hidden individuals, although a few soldiers were still alive. These were the ones that John had knocked unconscious at the gate before entering the base.

Without any hesitation, John immediately rushed towards the remaining soldiers outside. It was necessary to kill them in order to complete his mission.

Although he would normally feel guilty about this, Tony had given him information that proved these guys were not innocent at all.

These were dangerous individuals who had been involved in illegal activities, and their deaths would prevent them from causing harm to others in the future. John had made the difficult decision to prioritize the safety of innocent people over the lives of those who posed a threat.

'No, I am not a hypocrite,' John shook off all those thoughts that were trying to make him feel better. He was not doing this for anyone else. He was doing it for himself. He wanted to become stronger, and this was not going to be an easy task. These were not the first group of people that John would have to kill.

He had already taken the lives of others who posed a danger to him in the past, and he would continue to do so in the future. He knew that this path would not be easy, but he was prepared to do whatever it took to achieve his goal.

As John approached the unconscious soldiers, he carefully examined each one to ensure they were not faking their injuries. Satisfied that they were indeed unconscious, he swiftly and silently ended their lives, ensuring that he caused no unnecessary pain.

Although the task was unpleasant, John understood that it was necessary to carry out his mission in order to make himself stronger. He couldn't afford to hesitate or allow his emotions to cloud his judgment.

After eliminating the remaining soldiers, John made his way back to the laboratory. Lucy who too had seen John coming out of the laboratory, teleported towards him.

As they entered the laboratory, John once again checked the system panel. But he frowned upon seeing, that the number of bases destroyed still showed the zero number.

'Do I have to actually bring down this entire base?' John wondered as he observed the base. That only seemed to be a reasonable assumption that John could come up with.

However, first he decided to take all the valuable things present inside the base and store them in Lucy's stomach.

John activated his Observation Haki and started checking through each and every room of the base. With the help of his Observation Haki, he finally found a hidden passage.

With the help of Jarvis he unlocked the door of the passage. Before entering, he asked Jarvis to deactivate traps, if any, inside the base.

"Understood, sir," Jarvis replied. He started scanning the entire base, checking for any potential traps or security systems that could pose a threat to John. After a few moments, he reported back, "There are no traps or security systems present within the hidden passage, sir. It appears to be safe for entry."

With this assurance, John proceeded to enter the hidden passage. The corridor was dimly lit and narrow, with smooth stone walls. He proceeded cautiously, his Observation Haki still active to detect any potential threats. As he walked further, he noticed that the passage opened up into two large rooms. In the second room, John sensed a presence of living animals, as he covered the two rooms with his Observation Haki.

As John entered the first room, he saw that it was unusually large, with various equipment, and workbenches scattered about. John could see signs of recent activity, indicating that this room was being actively used. Upon closer observation, he realized that this must be the laboratory where the scientists carried out their experiments.

John continued to scan the room, searching for any valuable objects or information that he could use. He decided to focus on the workbenches, where he assumed the most important research materials would be located.

As he walked towards the first workbench, he noticed a small locked drawer. John signaled Jarvis to unlock it. Jarvis quickly analyzed the lock and within seconds, the drawer clicked open. Inside, John found a notebook filled with research notes and formulas.

He flipped through the pages, realizing the immense scientific knowledge contained within. Just as he was about to close the notebook, he saw a small heading on the hundredth page, 'Advanced Super Soldier Serum.' John quickly stored it away in Lucy's stomach.

'So they are responsible for the previous owner's parent's deaths?' John wondered as these peiple seemed to be researching on the Serum.

John sighed and stored the entire pages of formula in Lucy's spatial storage.

Continuing his exploration of the laboratory, John found another workbench with various beakers, test tubes, and chemicals. He had no idea what they were, but being in hidden room itself showed their importance. Carefully collecting each item, he stored them away as well.

As John moved into the second room, he discovered a storage area with cages filled with creatures of various shapes and sizes, which he had sensed before. He recognized some of them as previously unknown species. Although he found the experimentation on living creatures unsettling, John couldn't deny the potential benefits of studying these unique specimens.

He made the decision to free the creatures from their cages and release them into the surrounding wilderness. Although it would take time for these creatures to readjust to their natural habitats, John hoped they would be able to survive and thrive once again.

Now John looked at the one end of the huge room which was filled with various metals.

'Could it be Vibranium or Adamantium?' John wondered as he approached them.

As John inspected the metals, he realized that they were unlike anything he had ever seen before. They had a distinct shimmer and weight to them, and seemed to be incredibly durable.

Carefully, he picked up one of the metal bars. It felt cool to the touch, and as he examined it, he noticed intricate engravings and patterns etched into its surface. It was clear that these were not ordinary metals, but something much more unique and powerful.

John's curiosity piqued, he wondered where these metals had come from and what their properties were. He knew that vibranium and adamantium were known for their extraordinary strength and abilities, but these metals seemed to possess something even more extraordinary.

He placed down the metal bar and picked up a metal from the second batch. John felt a familiar feeling after observing the metal. Just after a look he recognised the metal, as he fought the person welding it before.

'This is Adamantium,' John concluded after a look.

John stood up and instead of examining other batches of metal, he decided to not waste anymore time and take these all with him to New York.

With a sense of both trepidation and excitement, John asked Lucy to store the entire batches of metals.

After completing his search of the laboratory, John felt satisfied with his findings. He had collected valuable research notes, rare substances, and freed the captive creatures. Now it was time to focus on his original goal – destroying the base.