Good as New
The room was dark.
Karl’s voice was low, almost cracking. “My time is running out. I can’t wait much longer.”
His body was twisted in on itself, bones sharp under his skin. He looked like he could go any second.
Then—three months vanished in a blink.
A massive press event. Bright stage lights. Camera shutters firing like machine guns.
At the center stood a thin, sharp-looking man in a tailored suit—Karl, CEO of Deepsuck.
“I’m honored to share this breakthrough in biology,” he told the world’s media. “I’ve merged genetic technology into my own body. It cured my illness. Not only am I completely healed… I’m stronger than ever.”
Without warning, he drove his fist into the podium. The heavy wood split apart, collapsing into chunks and splinters.
The room froze. Then—flash after flash, like lightning in a storm. By that night, the footage was everywhere—TV, front pages, social feeds.
When it was over, Karl walked out of the building alone.
For the first time in over a decade, he stood straight under the sun. Eyes closed, he felt the wind and heat on his face, the power running through his body.
He tilted his head back and yelled to the sky, “I am free!”
The Street Encounter
From behind him, several bodyguards in dark suits and sunglasses trailed close.
Karl raised a hand. “No need to follow me. I’m perfectly safe.”
They hesitated. “Sir, we don’t think—”
“My word is an order,” Karl cut them off. “Find a café, grab a drink. If I’m not back by tonight, you can come look for me. But I promise you—nothing will happen to me.”
The guards exchanged an uneasy glance but obeyed, peeling away.
Karl strolled down the street, mind spinning. There was so much he wanted to do.
Then, three floating letters appeared in his head—SEX.
It had been over a decade.
Today, he was going to remember exactly how that felt.
That’s when he saw her.
A young woman in a Zhongshan suit, her ponytail swaying, a katana strapped across her back. She was stunning—perfect figure, commanding presence. Karl’s jaw slackened; he was practically drooling.
He stepped right up to her. “Hey, young lady. I’m Karl, CEO of Deepsuck. Pleasure to meet you.”
Jessica looked him over, surprised to run into a celebrity in the middle of the street. She reached out to shake his hand. “I’ve heard about your legendary story—and all your incredible inventions. You’re my idol.”
Karl, forty-five, grinned. “And your name?”
“I’m Jessica. I’m twenty-five. Mr. Karl, could I get your autograph?”
He whipped out a pen, scrawled his signature, and added underneath:
May I have sex with you? I can give you $1,000,000.
Jessica took the card, scanned the words, and froze. Her expression shifted sharply.
She muttered under her breath, “…Say what?”
The Blade and the Claws
Jessica stared at him for a few seconds, her face twisting with disgust.
“With all due respect, I can’t believe you’re this kind of man. All the admiration I had for you—it’s gone. You’re nothing but a scumbag.”
Karl chuckled. “Scumbag or not, I’ve got money. Money is almighty. Don’t believe me? If a million doesn’t do it… how about five million?”
Her eyes narrowed. The temperature around her seemed to drop.
With a sharp shhhk, she drew the katana from her back, the blade catching the light.
“If you dare insult my dignity—or poison this society—again, I won’t be polite.”
Karl smirked. “Maybe money can’t buy what I want. But it can cover every bad thing I’ve ever done.”
He raised his right hand. From between his fingers, several razor-sharp claws slid out, glinting like a predator’s talons.
Jessica let out a sharp cry and swung her sword.
CLANG! Sparks burst as Karl caught the blade between his claws.
And then—he vanished. The air rippled where he stood, leaving only a fading afterimage.
It was a stolen trick, copied straight from Dark Benson’s genes—instant teleportation.
Jessica spun around, scanning the street. Karl was gone.
Then—whoosh—he was behind her, seizing her wrists in both hands.
He leaned close enough for her to feel his breath. “How about this?”
She thrashed wildly, but his grip only tightened. Sweat and tears slid down her face as her mind raced through every worst-case scenario it could conjure.
OMG…
The Man with the Bangs
Karl’s eyes went wide.
His waist had been sliced clean through. He let go of Jessica and spun around.
A tall, sharp-looking young man with straight bangs stood there, katana still mid-swing.
“Oh my god,” Karl gasped. “Did you just cut me in half?”
A beat later, both halves of his body hit the ground—the legs first, then the upper torso with a dull thud.
“I won’t forgive you,” Karl snarled.
The young man straightened up and slid the katana back into its sheath. He wore a Zhongshan suit with not a single button done up. This was Dinello—Jessica’s boyfriend.
“Well,” Dinello said coolly, “if you won’t forgive me, then when you get to Hell… you can come find me.”
He took Jessica’s hand and started leading her away. “You okay, sweetheart?”
Jessica shook her head. “I never thought Karl, such a great scientist, could actually be a scumbag.”
Behind them, the two halves of Karl’s body twitched, then slid back together midair, sealing seamlessly before they even touched the ground.
Good as new.
He had inherited every one of Dark Benson’s abilities.
In a blink, Karl vanished.
A rush of wind. Dinello ducked just in time as claws swept past his neck.
He spun and kicked, booting Karl through the air and sending him crashing more than thirty feet away.
Dinello stared. “What? I cut you in half just now! How—? Impossible!”
Immortal
Karl sneered. “I’m immortal. You can’t possibly beat me.”
Dinello’s eyes hardened. “I don’t believe that.”
He lunged forward—fist and blade moving in perfect sync. In a rapid, blazing flurry, he sliced Karl into over a hundred pieces, the chunks scattering through the air like flying meat.
“Let’s see you now,” Dinello said coldly.
Before the fragments could even touch the ground, they snapped back together midair with a sharp, unnatural zzt. Karl landed on his feet, perfectly whole.
“Good as new. Instantly.”
In the same breath, he slashed his claws across Dinello’s chest, leaving shallow, bloody lines.
Dinello stepped back. Jessica rushed to steady him.
They exchanged a look—both knowing the same truth.
This was near-perfect regeneration.
If that was the case… blades might be useless.
Dinello handed Jessica his katana. “Hold this for me.”
He pulled Karl toward him with a sudden rush of air, debris swirling. The moment Karl was within range, Dinello launched a punch that sent him flying two blocks away.
Karl skidded across the asphalt for more than ten meters, leaving a long, bloody trail.
He pushed himself up, spat blood, and muttered, “Oh shit… this guy’s strong.”
Dinello took Jessica’s hand, leading her away.
Far behind them, Karl stood again. He inhaled sharply—every drop of blood on the street shot back into his body in a single, violent rush.
“Good as new,” he said, rolling his neck.
The road, once smeared with blood, was now spotless—eerily clean, as if nothing had happened.
Freedom and Loyalty
Karl could feel it—he was stronger now.
But strength alone wasn’t enough. There were still others out there, powerful enough to match or surpass him.
He needed more research… more genetic material from the strongest beings in the world, fused into his own body.
And why stop there?
With AI technology, he could push his limits even further. The possibilities were endless.
But for now—for the first time in years—he let himself savor the pure, intoxicating thrill of freedom.
Across the city, inside a thumping, neon-lit club, Eason and Benson were celebrating like kings.
They sprawled on a leather couch, each with an arm around a pair of women, drinks in hand.
Eason laughed over the pounding bass. “We’ve got money now—millions. Cousin, from here on out, we’re living rich.”
Benson grinned. “Oh yeah, baby.” His hands roamed shamelessly over the women pressed against him.
Eason’s smile wavered for a moment, and his mind flashed back to two days earlier.
Karl had stood in front of Dark Benson. “Hey, Dark Benson—if you want to keep that… let’s call it your evil form, I can arrange surgery. You won’t have to go back to your weaker state.”
Dark Benson gave a faint smile. “No need. My existence is only for Benson. Without him, I have no meaning. Just make sure you pay me—give Benson the money. And you, cousin Eason… take care of him.
“When something happens, I’ll come back. I’ll always be watching from behind. But I don’t need to exist in this world.”
Karl had listened, genuinely intrigued. In a world overflowing with selfishness, here was someone who existed entirely for another.
He respected Dark Benson’s choice.