**Boom!**
The soldier raised his arms to block the punch, his expression shifting from relaxed confidence to intense seriousness. He couldn't understand how someone who initially seemed so weak could suddenly become so powerful.
Just a few minutes earlier, the soldier, having been ordered to rough up Blazer, was ready to easily subdue him. In his mind, there was no challenge in beating up an ordinary man with his training and abilities.
But reality quickly proved him wrong. Blazer's reaction speed was astonishing, often dodging punches that came close. Although the soldier initially overpowered Blazer with his combat skills, he could only land a few harmless blows.
What was even more terrifying was Blazer's rapid learning ability. Within minutes, his fighting skills had increased dramatically. By now, he fought like a trained soldier, with almost no weaknesses except for his limited physical endurance.
Rhine had anticipated this result, but Dr. Erskine and Schmidt were more surprised than she was.
Dr. Erskine was shocked, while Schmidt was thrilled—so excited that he could barely contain himself.
One of Schmidt's greatest dreams was to strengthen himself and gain immense power; the other was to harness the Tesseract to fulfill his ambitions. While the full potential of the Tesseract was still out of reach, the enhancement serum was now within his grasp. How could he not be excited?
However, Schmidt's optimism was premature. Although Blazer's abilities had been enhanced, his physical stamina couldn't keep up. He also felt an overwhelming hunger, which further slowed his movements.
The soldier, who had been wrestling with Blazer for several minutes, noticed this keenly and initially thought Blazer was deliberately showing weakness. But after a few more attempts, he realized that Blazer was truly slowing down. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he landed a hard punch on Blazer's face, knocking him to the ground.
"Okay, come back," Rhine said into her walkie-talkie, calling the soldier back and offering him some words of comfort. She then looked at Schmidt with a smug smile, clearly pleased with the fruits of her labor.
"Miss Rhine, your results are truly astonishing. I am very satisfied—very satisfied," Schmidt said, unable to hide his enthusiasm.
"At present, the technology behind this serum seems quite advanced, but there are still many defects," Rhine noted, pinching her chin thoughtfully. "I deliberately withheld nutrients from the potion so that his body could only sustain the high-speed operation of his brain for less than an hour. I'll conduct a comprehensive physical examination afterward."
Schmidt immediately expressed his willingness to follow Rhine's lead, even suggesting that the Tesseract project could be delayed slightly. But Rhine shook her head, rejecting the proposal.
"Actually, I've made some progress in researching the Tesseract, but I need a lot of gold and gemstones to create a stable protective layer and laser focuser."
"Gold and gemstones, you say? No problem. I'll have them in the warehouse within a week, and you can use them as you wish," Schmidt replied, now fully confident in Rhine's abilities and eager to meet her requests.
"Alright. I'll perfect the enhancement serum over the next week, and then I'll conduct a synthesis experiment with Dr. Erskine. You can go ahead with your work," Rhine instructed.
"Take care, take good care of Miss Rhine, and make sure nothing goes wrong," Schmidt ordered before leaving. His almost ridiculous concern didn't amuse Rhine, though. The events of the past few days had weighed heavily on her.
After Schmidt left, Dr. Erskine approached with a complicated expression. Noticing him standing nearby, Rhine casually asked, "Doctor, how is your research going?"
"My work is done, but..." Dr. Erskine hesitated.
"But you haven't decided whether to hand it over to Schmidt?" Rhine finished his thought.
"Yes," the old man admitted, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
Rhine put down the pen in her hand and looked at him. "We are currently working for Hydra, in a Hydra base. They don't support idlers."
She was acutely aware that her current status and the vast resources at her disposal were entirely due to her ability to provide Hydra with groundbreaking scientific advancements, turning them into combat power. If she failed to deliver, Hydra wouldn't hesitate to eliminate her. The soldiers assigned to protect her were also there to keep an eye on her.
Similarly, Dr. Erskine was in the same position as Rhine. While she had produced results, Dr. Erskine had yet to deliver anything substantial. This would inevitably lead Schmidt to view him unfavorably, potentially putting him in danger.
Dr. Erskine understood this as well, but the thought of handing over such a monumental achievement—one that could change humanity—to someone as malevolent as Schmidt deeply troubled him. He knew, however, that it was only a matter of time.
Noticing Dr. Erskine's disheartened demeanor, Rhine approached him and showed him her notes, crossing out a few lines.
Dr. Erskine instantly understood her suggestion. Yes, he could simply modify the file slightly, altering key and non-critical areas. As the only one who knew how to create the transformation serum, and perhaps Rhine too, it would be impossible for Schmidt to mass-produce it.
With this realization, Dr. Erskine gave Rhine a long, contemplative look before leaving in a hurry. Meanwhile, Rhine headed to the lab room to have Blazer restrained.
Since his injuries weren't severe, Blazer woke up quickly. As soon as he did, he felt a splitting headache and an intense hunger in his stomach.
"...Ugh!"
As soon as he opened his mouth, Blazer vomited a large amount of stomach acid, filling the air with a foul, sour smell.
Rhine frowned and helped clean his mouth, surprised by the severity of the side effects.
"Blazer, how do you feel now?" she asked.
Blazer was about to respond when he vomited again, this time covering Rhine. The soldier nearby moved to strike him, but Rhine stopped him.
Taking off her soiled lab coat and tossing it aside, Rhine repeated her question, "How do you feel now?"
"I... I have a terrible headache and feel dizzy. Is there anything to eat? I'm really hungry," Blazer answered, his condition exactly as Rhine had predicted. The brain needs a lot of nutrients to function at high speed, so it was natural for him to feel this way.
This problem was easy to solve. To prevent those taking the serum from spending too much time eating, she planned to add various essential amino acids to the potion, such as phenylalanine and isoleucine, which would be much more efficient than eating regular food.
As for the dizziness and headache, those were caused by the rapid stimulation of the nerves. The severity of the headache would depend on the individual's constitution, but anyone could handle it. After all, the serum itself had certain neuroprotective effects.
However, taking the serum continuously for too long and then suddenly stopping could lead to more serious symptoms. In extreme cases, it could even cause shock. But this serum wasn't intended for ordinary people, and the dosage could be adjusted to the maximum level that the nerves could tolerate without causing damage.