The next morning, Malrick appeared in his bedroom at exactly seven o'clock. Though he had spent forty days in the other world, only eight hours had passed in real ti.
In just over a month, he had gained another 30,000 tons of physical strength and paid off both Ada and Jill's salaries. With his growing power, the energy stored in his body had beco more abundant than ever.
From now on, every night, he could take advantage of the ti difference to train. Even after jumping between universes, he was still able to return to the exact mont he left—making it seem as if he'd never been gone.
The Los Angeles weather that day was exceptionally beautiful. Morning sunlight spilled across the ocean cliffs and filtered into the house.
Since it was still early, Malrick headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Soon, Shirley wandered out, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
Tony and Pepper followed not long after. Under normal circumstances, based on the intensity of their "activities" the night before, both would've been admitted to the ICU by now.
But thanks to the SS serum, they were different people. A few hours ago, they'd nearly torn the place apart.
Now they sat at the table, cheeks glowing, brimming with energy, and happily eating the stead buns Malrick had prepared.
The mood around the table was light and cheerful.
Malrick introduced Shirley to Pepper, who imdiately took a liking to the little girl and playfully pinched her cheeks.
When breakfast was nearly finished, Malrick brought up the move.
"You an, you're really moving to New York with Shirley?" Tony asked, stuffing the last bit of bun into his mouth and glancing at Pepper.
"Yeah. The new company and organization are both based there," Malrick replied, stacking dishes into the dishwasher. "It'll be easier to manage everything from one place."
"That's not bad." Tony took Pepper's hand across the table. "If you move out, kid, nobody will be here to stop from bringing beautiful won ho all day long—ow!"
Pepper had pinched his wrist sharply. "What beautiful won, Tony?"
"Ah, you know what I an! There's only one real beauty here." Tony laughed nervously, then turned to Shirley. "Of course, little Shirley is an adorable cutie, not a full-grown beauty."
Pepper rolled her eyes, both amused and exasperated.
"Why is your brain always stuck in flirt mode?" she muttered. "Do you have to ss with first thing in the morning?"
"I can't help it." Tony grinned. "So people are so beautiful and don't even know it. I have to keep reminding them."
"Huh? You an… ?" Pepper asked, genuinely caught off guard.
"You haven't looked in a mirror since the injection, have you?" Malrick stepped in, handing her one. "Honestly, Pepper, you'd stop traffic now."
The SS serum was more than just a strength enhancer—it refined the user's genes, pushing their biology toward perfection. Physical beauty was simply a side effect.
Superior genes strengthened immunity, refined bone structure, enhanced muscle symtry—and yes, significantly improved appearance.
Human attraction, after all, was tied directly to genetics. The better the genes, the more appealing the face.
As Jill and Ada had told Malrick more than once, he was practically a walking aphrodisiac.
Just inhaling his natural scent triggered unconscious physical reactions in others: trembling legs, flushed skin, glassy eyes, and overwhelming desire.
If not for his biological force field suppressing these effects, he wouldn't have been able to go anywhere without leaving a trail of dazed admirers.
Although the SS serum didn't bring others up to his level, its effects were nothing to scoff at.
Today, Pepper's skin was flawless, her figure toned but not overly slim, and even her freckles had disappeared.
"Is this really ?" she whispered, covering her mouth as she stared into the mirror. "Tony, what exactly did you inject with?"
She had assud the serum rely enhanced strength—sothing she noticed through the explosive intensity of last night's… exercise.
But she hadn't expected her appearance to shift this dramatically.
The person in the mirror still had her familiar features and grace—but elevated to a kind of flawless ideal. A perfected Pepper.
"Well? Happy now?" Tony leaned back smugly. "You don't need to thank . I just couldn't stand my assistant being outshined."
"Thank you, Tony." Pepper was used to his dramatic flair by now, but there was unmistakable affection in her gaze as she looked at him.
Their faces inched closer.
Malrick cleared his throat loudly. "You two seals sure you want to start doing sothing Shirley shouldn't be seeing right now?"
Shirley blinked innocently. "What's going on, brother Malrick? Why can't I watch?"
Wasn't it just two people hugging over grapes or sothing? She'd seen Tony do that dozens of tis back at the police station.
"Cough! Cough!" Tony broke into a fit of exaggerated coughing.
Malrick's teasing didn't faze him—but Shirley's innocent comnt? That got him.
He and Pepper separated imdiately, suddenly very interested in their sleeves and breakfast plates.
"Alright, alright!" Tony waved them off. "You wanna move? Go move! You just make trouble every day anyway—get as far away as possible!"
This ti, even Pepper nodded in agreent. "It's only a little over two months before school starts in September. You'll have ti to settle in."
"Plus, Stark Industries is planning to build a new tower in Manhattan. We'll eventually move our headquarters there—it'll be easier to see each other."
"Thanks, 'Mom and Dad,'" Malrick said, mock-saluting. "Shirley and I are going house-hunting today."
"Wait a second," Pepper said suddenly. "Just you and Shirley alone in New York?"
She frowned. "Are you sure you can take care of her? You're basically a big kid yourself."
She hesitated. "Maybe I should take care of her instead—although... I'm swamped with company work…"
"Relax." Malrick smiled. "There'll be others with us."
"I've recruited so of the best girls into the company. They'll help look after her."
He nodded toward Tony. "You can ask Tony. He's seen them all."
He gently patted Shirley's head, and she jumped down from the chair, grabbing his hand eagerly.
"We're off. Call if anything cos up!"
He picked her up, and with a burst of air, the two figures shot into the sky—gone in a flash.
Even Pepper, with her enhanced vision, couldn't track their trajectory.
"Wow… Malrick's gotten ridiculously strong," she murmured. "He really is starting to look like Superman."
Tony smirked. "Yep. He's grown up. Let him go do his thing. Now… where were we?"
He leaned in again, eyes full of mischief.
---
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