The cleanup crew arrived. Adam noted they didn't look familiar — probably a new division or organization under the government. He and the squad were currently resting nearby, Adam now dressed in a fresh set of clothes. His old ones had been riddled with holes. They are currently watching the new faces work.
Arnold glanced at Adam and asked, "You okay?"
Caught off guard by the concern, Adam chuckled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... weird having dozens of holes in your body, though."
Arnold grunted, then turned to Beth. "Guns aren't very effective on these evolved animals. Does the division have any plans to make better weapons?"
Beth seemed deep in thought at the question. Jackie smirked and added, "If they're making stuff for us, I'd suggest cold steel. I mean, most of us ain't exactly trained marksmen. I personally can't aim for shit."
Peter fixes his glasses, "I don't need weapons. Just need something to help me move around faster."
The group then turned their attention to Adam, who coughed awkwardly. "I'd like some melee weapons too. A sword or a spear could work."
Beth nodded thoughtfully. "I'll pass your requests to the higher-ups. But right now, we're still in a state of emergency. Superpowers aren't public knowledge yet. We don't have the resources for custom gear—at least, not yet."
She then turned her eyes back to Adam. "By the way, did you get stronger?"
Adam scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "Yeah... I tried exercising, but it doesn't work. My body just reverts back to its original state. I found out I can absorb materials when I regenerate through them. Actually... most of my bar's kitchen is barren now. I ended up absorbing a lot of the metal there."
Beth raised an eyebrow, surprised. Jackie leaned in, clearly interested. "What kind of materials have you tried? Anything in particular that works better?"
Adam nodded. "I've tried concrete, dirt, plastic, glass... basically anything I could find. But nothing really affected me except metal—like steel, iron, bronze."
Jackie's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Interesting. Have you tried regenerating through, say... flesh?"
Adam stiffened, taken aback by the question. "No," he answered hesitantly.
Jackie's gaze sharpened. He looked over to Beth. "Beth. The bear."
Beth immediately stood up and gestured for everyone to follow. "Come on. Let's test if it works."
They made their way to the bear's corpse, which was now surrounded by men in white coats, running tests and drawing blood.
Looks like researchers, Adam thought.
Beth casually walked through the yellow tape, making one of the researchers—a man wearing a face mask—snap his head toward her.
"Hey! Restricted area! Authorized personnel only!" he said, trying to shoo her away.
Beth ignored him, stepping closer to the bear.
"Hey! Don't mess with the specimen! It's valuable research material!" the researcher protested again, more frantic this time.
Beth didn't even glance at him. She turned to Adam. "Do your thing."
Adam hesitated, feeling all eyes on him. He looked around — the researchers were staring, annoyed and confused.
"Do you have a sharp knife?" he asked. "Something that can cut clean through my arm?"
Beth reached into her pocket and handed him a military knife. Adam took it but frowned. "Anything heavier?"
Beth shook her head.
I'll never get used to this, Adam thought grimly.
He turned to the group. "This is gonna get disgusting."
Raising the knife, Adam slashed deep into his arm. Blood splattered the ground, and bone gleamed under torn flesh. Everyone recoiled instinctively, while the researchers looked on in horrified shock.
Gritting his teeth, Adam made another savage cut, severing his arm completely.
Without hesitation, he shoved the bloody stump into the bear's chest.
Pain wracked his body, but he held steady as the others watched with wide eyes. The process dragged on for over a minute. Then Adam pulled his arm free, drenched in the bear's blood—but whole again.
Jackie gave a low whistle. "So? How do you feel?"
Adam flexed his arm experimentally, then turned to the bear. He grabbed the carcass and heaved. The massive body lifted a few centimeters before he dropped it with a gasp.
Turning back to the group, Adam grinned, blood still dripping from his fingertips.
"If I could absorb the whole bear..." He looked at the carcass again, a glint in his eye. "I could probably lift it clean over my head."
The researchers panicked as one of them shouted, "You can't do that! This is important research material! We have papers from the city declaring it our property!" One of the researchers quickly left to call for guards. Beth ignored them, her voice calm and steady. "Absorb it all. I'll handle the paperwork."
She turned away and made a phone call. Jackie gave her a thumbs-up, and Arnold nodded in silent agreement. Peter, somehow, had already set up a laptop in the corner and was typing away.
The researchers kept whining and protesting but did nothing to physically stop them. It was clear they knew better than to start a fight.
Soon, the researcher who had left returned, dragging along a police officer — one of the guards from the tunnel entrance. "I want these people out of my research area!" the researcher demanded.
The officer glanced from Beth's group to the fuming researcher, staring at him like he was an idiot. "You do know they're the ones who took down that bear, right? I don't think I have the authority to kick them out. Besides," he added with a shrug, "we can't even move the thing. It's too damn heavy." Without another word, the officer turned and left, leaving the researcher fuming and cursing under his breath.
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About thirty minutes later, the bear's carcass was reduced to half its original mass, blood pooling around the remains. Adam finally stopped, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I can't absorb any more," he said, turning to the squad. "Feels like my body needs time to digest it." Beth nodded and gestured for everyone to follow her. The researchers stared at the remains with defeated expressions, powerless to do anything.
As they walked, Jackie turned to Adam. "So, how strong are you now?"
Adam thought for a moment, then glanced at Arnold — the tallest and heaviest among them. "Hey Arnold, mind if I try lifting you?"
Everyone paused. Arnold shrugged and straightened his posture. "Sure."
Adam crouched down, gripped Arnold's leg with one hand, and lifted him clean over his head. Arnold gave a surprised grunt as he was hoisted into the air, while Jackie's eyes widened in disbelief. "Now that's crazy!" Jackie exclaimed.
Peter let out a gasp of amazement, while Beth watched with a serious, calculating look. Adam carefully set Arnold back down and said, "I still felt some strain lifting him one-handed. But if I used both hands, I could probably swing him around."
Everyone stared at him, stunned by his words.