After completing Matthew's hellish workout, Nemo only took a brief moment to catch his breath before diving back into the virtual room for a chase with bio-robots.
Sometimes he'd hide and sneak around, other times he'd roll and fight like a wild dog.
The virtual room’s artificially heated sunlight left him parched, while at times, the rain would mix with tiny ice shards, making things even more grueling.
As Matthew continued his daily routine, Nemo spent more and more time in the virtual room, pushing himself to the limit until he was exhausted and collapsed to the floor. At this point, four bio-robots of varying heights stood motionless around him like statues.
Matthew peered through the bio-robots' eyes, witnessing Nemo's unyielding determination as he pushed himself to the very edge. Nemo's attack methods became precise and deadly, and he seemed like a living surgical machine, only aiming for headshots.
Nemo’s progress in this area couldn’t just be explained by talent. It was as though the curly-haired youth had instinctively chosen the most efficient way to unlock his superhuman abilities. In the holographic game environment, Nemo wasn't just improving in attack precision and evasion; his once-fatigued body now unleashed inhuman speed and endurance, not to mention his incredible focus.
This level of concentration might even rival mine, Matthew thought with a smile. In two days, he might increase the number of bio-robot battles Nemo faces. After all, wasn’t the situation Nemo had initially requested supposed to be a biohazard crisis scenario?
During this time, Tolya’s single-bed hospital room became Nemo’s exclusive safe house. The moment he entered, he would practically fall into the companion chair, his eyes closing as he struggled to remain upright, barely able to move.
Tolya observed that Nemo's face was flushed from intense post-workout metabolism, his breathing long and steady, his posture relaxed but tired, and the slight dampness in his hair and the lingering scent of body wash indicated he had just come back from a shower.
Was working out with the billionaire that exhausting? Tolya clearly remembered that after a period of rest and recuperation, Nemo's physical condition had improved significantly. He was still fit enough to be a supermodel bodyguard!
What Tolya didn’t know was that Nemo had been working tirelessly to control his superpowers. While the Grimm Group’s unlimited resources made it look like he wasn’t struggling, Nemo was intentionally hiding his extraordinary combat abilities. Apart from being a little thinner due to exhaustion and loss of appetite, he appeared almost unchanged.
After receiving Nemo’s consent, Tolya pinched his arm and calf. In less than half a month, they had become noticeably firmer. Tolya couldn’t help but feel a mix of envy, jealousy, and frustration. Life in the hospital room had grown too indulgent. He’d need to do a few hundred push-ups to avoid being overtaken by Nemo too quickly.
"Hey, why not crash in my bed? I’ve been lounging around all day, and it's perfect time for stretching out. Anyway, Grimm’s covering the cost," Tolya repeated this offer every time Nemo came back. He knew that if he didn’t make it clear, Nemo would obediently sleep in the companion chair.
Nemo didn’t refuse. With his eyes closed, he skillfully climbed onto the bed, covering himself tightly with the blanket, leaving no gaps, even though it was early summer. Nemo still couldn’t tolerate the hospital’s overpowered air conditioning.
Tolya noticed that as long as Nemo came back to his room to sleep, no nursing staff would disturb him. It was clear that Matthew Grimm was incredibly biased in his favor. But this worked out to Tolya’s benefit too. Otherwise, even if it was a fake hospitalization, the burly male nurses would still come by regularly to take his blood pressure or draw blood for tests. Tolya had already gotten so frustrated that he almost cried.
"The Grimm Group is just being nice, making sure those bullet fragments stayed in your body for years without causing metal poisoning, and also checking for other diseases," Nemo muttered lazily, already half-asleep.
The adrenaline still hadn’t metabolized from the battle, so Nemo couldn’t fall asleep immediately. He closed his eyes to rest and made small talk with Tolya.
"How’s the restaurant doing?" Nemo asked. He hadn’t returned to the kitchen for almost a month, and during this time, boss Liu had undergone ankle ligament surgery, with Sunny Jie taking care of him.
The Westlake Restaurant hadn't closed. The assistant chef, Old Chen, turned out to be unexpectedly capable. After the insect disaster and with Nemo out of the kitchen, he had stepped up and become the head chef. With help from regular customers, new supplies were brought in.
When boss Liu was discharged, he and his wife continued to live upstairs, recovering while keeping an eye on the restaurant, chatting with customers, and the newly hired waitstaff and delivery drivers worked hard. The restaurant continued to run smoothly, focusing on bento takeout.
When Tolya had nothing to do in the hospital, his favorite pastime was wearing his patient gown and chatting via video call with regular customers of the restaurant. He pretended to be weak, playing up his disabled image, but when he heard the customers praising the Grimm Group’s responsibility and welfare, he had to suppress his disgust.
"It’s going pretty well, better than we expected," Tolya said, relieved.
"Has Miss Glomova called to check on your condition?" Nemo suddenly asked.
The unexpected question made Tolya’s body temperature drop several degrees.
"Don’t ask questions like that out of the blue! At least give me some build-up," Tolya stammered. It was hard to tell if Nemo had purposely asked during a moment when Tolya was particularly relaxed, but Tolya felt like he was going to have a heart attack.
"I just thought of it. Isn't that the whole reason we set up your ‘surgery accident’? They must need to confirm whether you’re still functional," Nemo said, his eyes still closed.
"She originally wanted to come see me, but your billionaire friend’s hospital had a rule during the insect disaster period that only relatives or legal representatives could visit. The security guard was doing a good job, so when Veronika called, I just read the surgery report from the fake medical records to her. It seems like she believed it, but her family has had a lot of troubles recently, so she probably doesn’t have time to focus on my situation."
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"Is it about Wagner?" Nemo was also quite interested in the ambitious individual trying to break away from the Wagner Mercenary Group to become a gang boss in Lone Star City. However, that person was still in the preparatory stages, and Nemo believed that a violent organization like Wagner, known for its brutal tactics like smashing deserters' skulls with sledgehammers, wasn’t so easy to leave. This wasn’t the sort of thing where you could just chop off a finger. Nemo was merely keeping an eye on the situation through Tolya’s information.
"The mercenary group has a longstanding grudge with the Ministry of Defense. About two months ago, they couldn’t stand the Ministry’s constant failure to pay salaries and its interruption of ammunition and food supplies, leading to numerous casualties. In a fit of anger, they withdrew from Bakhmut, and since then, regular troops have been holding the line with human lives. You told me this before," Tolya continued.
"Though the lack of artillery and supplies is a real issue, it’s only part of the story—one that Wagner's leadership uses as an excuse. Behind the scenes, they’ve been quietly amassing weapons. One of the individuals responsible for this operation is Veronika’s father. This man, after making vital contributions, wanted to withdraw as soon as Wagner received the order to engage in the conflict. He understood that the group's strength would inevitably be drained by this absurd war. A leader at heart, he doesn’t fight on the front lines but instead focuses on managing contracts and finances. As a sharp businessman, he knows the harsh truth: In the end, not only will everyone end up with no money, but they’ll also become cannon fodder. The real question is how to find a way out before it's too late," Tolya explained.
"That man was tasked with gathering guns, ammunition, and other weapons that aren’t too high-tech, but the main focus is on quantity. There are fewer restrictions here, so as long as you have money, you can get them from various national gangs. He’s also using this as an exit strategy. So Veronika’s father decided to ditch Wagner and go off on his own. It started out as just a cover for the underground tasks Wagner had him do, but now things are changing, and he's seriously thinking about making it happen for real. After all, Wagner’s stockpile of arms wasn’t meant for fighting NATO aid to Ukraine, but rather to threaten the National Guard and regular citizens."
"Could it be the thing we’re both thinking about?" Nemo felt that this insider information was becoming a bit too surreal.
"A coup. Is that exciting enough for you? But according to Veronika, Wagner’s leader thinks he just wants to clean up the president’s side, get rid of the Minister of Defense, the bitch who deceived the president, and then proclaim it as a 'March of Justice,' not a coup," Tolya chuckled.
"The mercenary group only has around 20,000 people, and their logistics are being restricted by the Russian Ministry of Defense. There’s no way they could succeed." Nemo reasoned with common sense.
"Wagner has been pushed to the edge. Just a few days ago, the Russian forces unexpectedly held the Bakhmut defense line, which everyone had expected to fall to the Ukrainian army. They even pushed forward by a kilometer, which is incredible. There’s a rumor that the Russian regulars have developed 'super soldiers'—the kind who can jump in midair to catch grenades and shoot down drones. It’s not entirely unbelievable, considering the Meteor Shower Event happened a while ago. If they didn’t experiment on humans, the Chinese would be laughing at them," Tolya rambled, as if it were nothing surprising.
"No footage or evidence leaked?" Nemo asked.
"Not this time. Besides, my homeland has finally succeeded in controlling military secrets. Even though the Ukrainians and NATO recorded it, they didn’t dare release it because it would affect morale," Tolya replied. "The Ministry of Defense, which has been mocked for not being able to fight, seems stable now. They persuaded the president to allow Wagner's contract to expire and integrate them into the regular army—no longer mercenaries, but contract soldiers. They’ll have to fight to earn money, but with worse equipment, they’ll be reduced to beggars, and the risk of death will increase significantly."
Tolya thought for a moment and added, "It’s like that Chinese war movie you showed me, where the American troops were beaten back—freezing weather, people turning to ice. Same idea, just with a KMT version of Wagner?"
"I'm glad you got what I was trying to express," Nemo said proudly, feeling some rare admiration for his Russian roommate’s occasional flashes of insight.
“So, Wagner’s brilliant plan is the ‘March of Justice,’ calling on patriotic comrades to rally as they march toward Moscow. Makes sense, right? If they don’t, they’ll either end up on the frontlines playing tag with Patriot missiles and F-16s or in my hometown in Siberia digging through trash. Oh, and fun fact—the permafrost there is melting, houses are falling apart, and they’re desperate for construction workers,” Tolya quipped with a grin that was more mocking than sympathetic. Not that it mattered—he’d already admitted Wagner wasn’t exactly a charity group.
"Isn’t it too hasty to throw superhumans into a war without knowing the consequences? Aren’t they worried about repeating the fate of the Russian Airborne Forces?"Nemo opened his eyes, clearly intrigued by such an interesting topic, which had completely erased his sleepiness.
"Veronika has been in a terrible mood lately. If Wagner gets suddenly absorbed, their family is done for. They’ll have no choice but to throw everything in. But the mercenary group’s leader is a big fan of the president. Although the uprising is expected to happen in the next few days, no one knows how it will end. As I see it, whether it’s dethroning the president or internal division, if they can avoid launching nuclear missiles or end the war early, it’ll be a good thing," Tolya shrugged nonchalantly.
"America must have already gotten related intelligence. What about NATO and Ukraine’s reaction?"
"They’re probably stocking up on popcorn? I’d like some, too, but the hospital doesn’t sell it," Tolya grumbled in frustration. "From tomorrow on, bring me two boxes of caramel popcorn every time you come back."
"No problem," Nemo thought that if Tolya gained weight, it would make his act of pretending to limp more convincing.
※※※
Soon, the day arrived for Matthew Grimm’s speech at the Carnation Community naming ceremony. Nemo, dressed in a black suit with sunglasses and holding a briefcase, looked just like the other bodyguards of the billionaire, with the only difference being that he was sitting in the passenger seat, and the car only had the two of them.
It wasn’t the first time the billionaire was driving; he was a race car driver and knew his car better than anyone. Matthew felt that Nemo’s driving skills still needed improvement, and after the lesson he learned with the black Ford surrounded by bloodsucking mosquitoes, this time he was driving a prototype sports car he had developed himself, equipped with a bunch of mysterious combat features. Such a cool toy, of course, couldn’t be entrusted to a bodyguard.
The truth was, Matthew didn't want to think about the terror of being dominated by a novice driver on the mountain road when they first met. Nemo was the type who clearly didn’t spend much time behind the wheel.
"Do you think there’s a danger of being attacked by monsters this time?" Nemo asked directly.
"The Greens in my lab seem to be quite clear-headed and tame, but the experiment isn't happening in Lone Star City. The headquarters has limited capacity. You know I like to spread the risks," Matthew explained.
"What? You’re raising the Greens?" the curly-haired young man growled.
"I have samples from various stages of their illness and detailed personal interview records. After all, among the employees at the New York branch, there were those infected by kaiju blood-seawater, and of course, they chose me over the government relief program," Matthew explained, his ears ringing with irritation, offering a slightly defensive tone.
"So your group has Darwin Award enthusiasts, huh?"
"Are you kidding? Not only do we have them, but we have a lot," Matthew replied with a laugh.
Suddenly, it hit him like a bolt of lightning—Matthew Grimm was indeed a classic candidate for the Darwin Award! He had a chance every year, but somehow always narrowly missed being selected.
"From the beginning, I set up an experimental group that provided a semi-aquatic environment. Compared to the control group, the subjects clearly felt better, and their symptoms worsened less. So, respecting all employees’ opinions, the lab was converted into an aquarium world. After all, they all signed euthanasia consent forms and decided to donate their bodies for further research. Right now, they’re writing their own papers on the Greens, hoping to leave behind a contribution to the emerging field of kaiju bloodborne diseases before they lose their humanity or their lives," Matthew explained.
"That’s admirable," Nemo said, not expecting the situation to be like this, a mix of sadness and reflection. It made him realize that being involved with Matthew meant mixing with scientific madmen.
"In the current research on the Greens, the most noticeable mutation is in the red blood cells. Their oxygen-carrying capacity has increased several times, and the values continue to rise. When drawing blood, the plasma visibly turns green. If we ignore the humanitarian aspect, it could even be considered an evolution. The Greens are quickly adapting to an environment with insufficient oxygen, and the likelihood of aquatic adaptation is especially high."
"So monsters can turn humans into their followers?" Nemo asked.
"Can't draw conclusions without an example. Some national powers are specifically targeting this hypothesis, but I'm not that interested. I'm letting the Green researchers explore it. What’s certain right now is that infection and assimilation are possible," Matthew responded with precision and caution.
"I’ll definitely invest in the Carnation Community in New Orleans, convincing them to provide water therapy for regular Green patients. It would be ideal to build a large aquarium with deep water pools, but that depends on whether the other BOT contractors can join the effort. If the U.S. military has already referenced the experience in Bakhmut, the state government’s construction contract should include deep water pools," the billionaire subtly hinted at the government’s public treatment of the Greens and the hidden motives behind it.
Nemo thought to himself that maybe it was Matthew who leaked the research secrets to the military. After all, from what the billionaire just said, it seemed he didn’t intend to hide his research report from the Green scientists. Instead, he wanted it to become a new science, laid out in the open. Only in this way could kaiju infection treatments be accepted by the public academic community and research be promoted.
However, human experimentation was an unavoidable necessary evil for now. Would it be better to be transformed into a monstrous weapon or destroyed as a monster? Nemo couldn’t decide. Perhaps the attitude of the patients toward survival and their combat abilities would determine which fate they met.