Chapter 16:

Chapter 16: No Title

[3rd person POV]

In the training room of the Plumber's base, a teenager lay motionless on the cold floor, his body covered in dried blood, surrounded by scattered robot parts and wreckage.

Suddenly, a voice emanated from a robot head, "Do you feel any better?, Commander?"

Kevin, who had opened his eyes, replied, "A little."

"Would you like something to drink? Data suggests it can help alleviate stress and ease your mind," the voice continued.

"Alright then, a hot cocoa will do," Kevin replied.

A few minutes later, the training room door opened, and a robot entered with a tray of snacks and a hot cocoa.

"Your beverage has arrived, Commander," the robot announced, placing the tray next to Kevin.

"How do you feel about today's training progress, Commander?" it inquired.

"It's okay. The healing speed is still manageable under normal circumstances, but if I want to heal while simultaneously engaging in combat, I still have a long way to go," Kevin sighed.

"Take it slowly, Commander. This is not something that can be achieved quickly. Mastering multitasking requires great effort. Perhaps you can consider using nanites; they will automatically heal your wounds without any input from you," suggested BT.

"It's unnecessary. Vilgax's technology is not to be trifled with. I don't want to take any risks, and creating our own nanites would require more time and resources," Kevin replied. "By the way, how are my injuries, BT?"

"They have fully recovered, Commander. It's as if you were never injured. However, I still advise against hastily experimenting with limb severing," BT cautioned.

"Don't worry, I'm not rushing into that," Kevin assured.

Throughout the afternoon, Kevin, with 10% of Upgrade's power, decided to experiment with his recovery abilities. Although he couldn't liquefy like a Galvanic, Kevin had the ability to control nearly every aspect of his body at a cellular level. This allowed him to adjust muscle intensity, fat levels, bone hardness, and sensory sensitivity to a certain degree.

Most importantly, it gave Kevin the ability to heal physical injuries. The only weakness was that this ability required concentration and alertness. If his nervous system, such as the brain, was damaged or if he was resting, this ability wouldn't work.

Although the training process was somewhat grueling, the undeniable effectiveness outweighed the drawbacks. In addition to the mentioned advantages, this method also increased pain tolerance and synchronized with Upgrade's DNA. Kevin could only hope that in the future, it wouldn't result in any peculiar obsessions.

"What is the progress of the surveillance mission, BT?" Kevin asked.

"It has been a resounding success, Commander. As you predicted, Ben Tennyson encountered a branch of the Forever Knight today and ultimately managed to escape after completely destroying their headquarters. One of our drones successfully followed them to their new base," BT reported.

"Did you gather any additional information?"

"Unfortunately, no, Commander. I decided not to delve deeper due to a lack of knowledge about their defense system. I hope you can provide further instructions."

"Well done, BT. For now, let them be. It's time to clean up the room," Kevin said, stepping out of the room with a cup of cocoa in hand.

Just as he was about to leave, he paused and called out to BT, "Oh, I'll be away for some days. Remember to inform me when Rojo returns."

"Yes, Commander," BT acknowledged.

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Two days later, on an evening, Kevin arrived alone at a suburban house in Rapid City, wearing only a combat suit. He walked up to the door and rang the bell.

A voice echoed from inside, "Who's there?"

"It's me, your boss," Kevin replied.

A few seconds later, the front door opened, revealing the owner of the house - Rojo, wearing only black boxer shorts and a matching T-shirt with a skull print.

Unconcerned about her attire, Rojo greeted him teasingly, "Well, well, well, isn't it Count Kevin? What wind has brought the Dark Knight to this wretched place?"

Kevin couldn't help but chuckle at Rojo's remark, though a slight cringe accompanied his amusement. He cleared his throat and replied, "Oh, Rosie, do we really have to stick with that nickname? It's a bit... extravagant, don't you think?"

Rojo's eyes twinkled mischievously as she continued to poke fun at him, "Not at all, I kinda like it. What are you gonna do to stop me, COUNT KEVIN? Give my neck a love bite?"

Sighing, Kevin gave up on this meaningless argument. "Your neck can wait for another time. I still have tasks to complete tonight."

"Your loss then," she said, widening the door for Kevin to enter.

As Kevin stepped into the living room, he saw two women sitting on the sofa. One was a fair-skinned blonde who was engrossed in the TV screen, while the other was a brown-skinned woman with blue hair, tinkering with what looked like a firearm.

Hearing footsteps, both of them stopped what they were doing and turned towards Kevin. He politely greeted them.

The first person to respond was the woman with blue hair. "Hello, I'm Azul, and that's Amarillo. I suppose you're the black-armored knight who rescued our silly sister?"

"That's right, you can call me Kevin. Rosie must have already filled you in on the details about me," Kevin replied with a smile.

"Oh, so you're already on a first-name basis, how romantic. When are you two planning to tie the knot?" Amarillo chimed in playfully.

"After I bury you six feet underground," Rojo retorted, her menacing gaze only directed at Amarillo.

However, the threatening words seemed to have no effect as they only made Azul and Amarillo burst into laughter.

"Enough, Kevin. Let's get to the matter at hand," Rojo said, leaving her two bewildered companions behind and pulling Kevin further into the house.

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Both of them descended into the basement of the house, turning on the lights. The first thing that caught Kevin's eye was a man in tattered clothing, resembling a homeless person, tied to a post in the middle of the room. Approaching to check his condition, Kevin sighed in relief, "He's still breathing, not seriously injured.So, you actually did it. Quite impressive," Kevin said.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? You think I would fail against a hobo with and some bugs in a gunfight?" Rojo retorted.

"No, I'm impressed because so far he still has his body intact after you brought flamethrowers and RPGs in your hunt for him," Kevin sarcastically remarked.

Unaware of the sarcasm in his words, Rojo proudly said, "Of course, as my dad always says, there's nothing that a flamethrower can't solve."

"He seems like a wise man," Kevin complimented.

"He also accidentally set himself on fire while using one," Rojo added with a mischievous grin, enjoying the Count's changing expression.

Shaking his head slightly, Kevin redirected the conversation, "Anyway, you all did well. Now, the three of you can return to the base. I have personal matters to attend to with him."

"Not so fast, young man. Did you forget something?" the former gangster said, extending her hand as if requesting something.

Understanding her intention, Kevin reached into his pocket and took out a Plumber's badge, placing it in Rojo's hand. "Alright, as promised, this is your own badge. It grants you access to the base, the use of the workshop, and most of the weapon arsenal. Now go, nerd."

"No need to remind me again, silly Count," she swiftly grabbed the badge, her eyes lighting up. She quickly headed upstairs to prepare for the journey back to the base.

Shaking his head, Kevin muttered to himself, "Women. I still can't understand their obsession with weapons. Isn't it more satisfying to crush an enemy's skull with your own bare hands?"

Turning back to the newly awakened prisoner, he asked, "Am I right, Clancy?"

[POV ends]