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Chapter 65: Vinsmoke Reiju
Vinsmoke Judge's almost crazed ravings echoed slowly in the cold laboratory. "Only monsters can deal with monsters..." His bloodshot eyes were fixated on the test tube filled with pink liquid in his hand, while his mind replayed the scene of a Marine remaining unscathed under a hail of bullets using just his natural physical defense. "Skin enhancement? No, just skin, flesh, and blood is not enough to achieve this level." "Invulnerable defense, strong body resilience, and beast-like strength..." "Yes, that's it...only an exoskeleton can do that."
While he murmured to himself, his eyes glinted with a strange and frenzied gleam, and he dialed on the phone bug. "Master, are you there? Madam Sora is calling for you. The delivery is about to start." The butler's anxious voice came from the phone bug. Vinsmoke Judge gritted his teeth, his expression wavering before he finally made a decision and roared, "Tell the doctor to wait; I need some time!" He then disconnected the bug communication.
He carefully placed the pink liquid test tube on the test bench and, with one hand, swept all the instruments and other items off the console onto the ground. Amidst the ensuing clatter, he took out pen and paper and began to calculate quickly. "Bloodline factor ratio... well, the exoskeleton alone is not enough; toxicity must be added..." Drops of cold sweat slid down his cheeks and jaw, which he ignored. In a minute, the once-blank sheet of paper was filled with dense formulas and potion mixing ratios.
"Let's start," he whispered hoarsely, pressing a button on the console. The various instruments on the test bench whirred into action, systematically injecting several chemicals and substances in precise ratios into the pink test tube. Before long, the liquid began to bubble vigorously. Seeing that the indicator lights on the control panel were green, Vinsmoke Judge clenched his fists, took the test tube from the test bench, and quickly left the laboratory, heading towards the palace.
He hurried through the long corridors and palace gardens, and as he entered the palace, he heard the sound of anguished wails. It was his wife's voice. "Sora..." He murmured anxiously and hastened his steps until he reached a luxuriously decorated bedroom adorned with murals. White sheets already stained red bore testament to the process within. White-coated doctors and nurses bustled about. His wife, a woman of exquisite beauty and gentle demeanor, lay on a large, soft bed, trembling and drenched in sweat from the pains of childbirth.
"Master, you're finally here!" The doctor with rimless glasses paused and bowed to Vinsmoke Judge. Judge waved him off, quickly approached the bed, and grasped his wife's hand firmly. "Sora, I'm here."
Queen Sora of the Kingdom of Germa struggled to lift her eyelids, a gentle smile touching her features as she whispered, "Judge...Judge..." Seeing the pain in his wife's expression, Vinsmoke Judge's heart clenched. He inhaled deeply and announced, "Sora, I have found the way for Germa to rise again and rule over the North Blue!" He held up the test tube with fluid in it. "With this bloodline factor technology, our children will be born with monstrous physical abilities! They will become the ultimate warriors that Germa 66 has ever known!"
"The Vinsmoke family name will inevitably resound throughout this sea with their growth!" he said excitedly, anticipating his wife's joy. But instead, he was met with astonished and terrified eyes.
"You want to turn our children into weapons?" Queen Sora's disbelief was palpable; her face turned pale. As the queen of Germa, she understood all too well the dark side of the "technology" that Vinsmoke Judge had mastered. Just like the army of clone soldiers of Germa 66, individuals subjected to this blood factor technology would lose all human emotions and would be unable to disobey orders from their master, Vinsmoke Judge.
Hearing her words, Vinsmoke Judge was taken aback. "No, Sora..." The frightened expression on his wife's face seemed so alien to him that he relented, "I will preserve our children's emotions."
"But they will still become weapons in your hands, won't they?" she challenged.
Vinsmoke Judge opened his mouth to respond but found no words to counter her accusation. He fell into a troubled silence. The defiant face of Admiral North Blue haunted him. "This is for the glory of Germa!" he suddenly declared, his voice turning cold and unfamiliar.
Standing up slowly, Vinsmoke Judge turned his back on his tearful wife on the hospital bed. Clenching his fists, he hissed, "Only then can Germa dominate the North Blue once more."
"Sorry, Sora," he murmured in a whisper.
As she wept, he handed a pink test tube to the doctor. His eyes, bloodshot with sadness, he gritted his teeth and instructed, "Inject this drug into the madam, and then... start labor."
After his command, he walked out of the bedroom without a second glance.
Half an hour later, pacing restlessly outside the royal palace as he awaited in silence, Vinsmoke Judge finally heard the cry of a newborn.
"Congratulations, sir. Your wife has successfully given birth to a girl," a doctor, clad in a white coat and mask, announced as he walked out carrying a baby girl still covered in birth fluids.
Startled, Vinsmoke Judge stared at the baby girl in the doctor's arms, then instinctively took her and held her close. She had long pink hair that covered her right eye and a counterclockwise eyebrow above her left, her purple pupils sparkling with intelligence.
"However, sir, your lady's skin is extremely tough, and the needle can't penetrate it. I'm afraid she can't be vaccinated..." the doctor said, his voice tinged with confusion.
Hearing this, a wave of indescribable joy overwhelmed Vinsmoke Judge. He erupted into manic laughter. The experiment was a success! His daughter was born with a superhuman body!
"No, there is no need for a vaccine," he said, still laughing. "My daughter is a born marvel!"
On that day, in the Kingdom of Germa in North Blue, the Vinsmoke family welcomed their first royal descendant. King Germa and the commander of the evil army, Vinsmoke Judge, named her... Vinsmoke Reiju.