Stephen pulled the massive pickup truck into the hotel’s private valet lane, killing the engine with a sharp twist of the key. He hopped out of the cab, walked over to the truck bed, and hoisted Alexander over his massive shoulder like a sack of concrete once again.

As he strode through the sliding glass doors of the luxury lobby, two sleekly dressed bellhops quickly rushed forward, their eyes wide with confusion as they took in the sight of the vascular, drained young man hanging over the giant’s shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir... what room is he in?" asked the first bellhop, his voice stammering as he gestured toward Alexander. "Do you need us to call an ambulance?"

"I have no idea what room he’s in" said Stephen, his deep voice booming through the quiet lobby as he effortlessly dumped Alexander’s dead weight onto a nearby luggage wheelchair. "His name is Alexander. Look him up in your database and take him up to his bed."

Without waiting for a response, Stephen turned on his heel and walked out, leaving the two employees stunned. They quickly scanned the digital registry, wheeled Alexander up to his secure suite, and literally tossed him onto the mattress. The moment his head hit the pillow, Alexander’s consciousness blacked out.

When Alexander finally opened his eyes the next morning, the bright sunlight cutting through the curtains felt like needles stabbing into his retinas. His entire body felt like shit. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

He tried to sit up, but a wave of excruciating, crushing pain tore through his core, forcing a ragged groan from his lips. This time, the physical and psychological trauma from the hard-locked combat simulation had been so massive that his biology had burned through both the crimson serum and the blue recovery fluid. His cells had metabolized every single drop just to keep his organs from failing, leaving his body in a severe deficit; there wasn’t even enough chemical fuel left in his system to properly heal his bruised tissue. If Stephen knew his body was consuming the elite TMC formulas at this terrifyingly hyper-accelerated rate, the monster’s scientific interest in his DNA would have spiked to a dangerous new level.

Alexander reached out a trembling hand, grabbing his phone from the nightstand to check his messages.

The first text was a long, emotional message from his Aunt Helen, pouring her heart out in gratitude for his help. Right below it was a message from his cousin, Amy. He tapped it open, only for his eyes to widen slightly as a high-definition photo loaded onto the screen. It was a mirror selfie of Amy posing provocatively in her bedroom, arching her back to explicitly show off the full, rounded shape of her bare ass in tight lace underwear.

Alexander let out a dry, coughing chuckle, but the sudden movement caused his abdominal muscles to seize violently.

"Fucking hell..." muttered Alexander, clenching his jaw as he pressed a hand against his ribs. For a second, he genuinely thought those faceless bastards inside the machine had broken something permanent.

His mind briefly drifted to Zoe, wondering what she was up to, but the digital calendar notification flashed sharply on his screen, reminding him of his eight o’clock sharp appointment with Vanessa, the seductive real estate agent.

Shit, thought Alexander. I’m going to need a taxi.

He forced his broken body out of bed, slowly shuffling across the floorboards to the hidden compartment beneath the carpet. He unlocked the secure space, reached into the duffel bag, and pulled out two neat, banded stacks of hundred-dollar bills totaling $60,000. He figured that would be more than enough for a discreet down payment, saving him from the risk of carrying the entire million dollars out in the open.

As he walked past the nightstand to grab his wallet, his eyes landed on the keys to the Shelby. He froze, a sudden realization hitting him.

The Shelby is still at Stephen’s GYM.

Alexander muttered a curse, realizing his first stop had to be the private gym to retrieve his car before he could meet Vanessa.

Twenty minutes later, the yellow city cab pulled up to the iron gates of the warehouse. Alexander paid the driver, dragged himself out of the backseat, and walked into the facility, his boots heavy as he pushed through the doors to say a quick, businesslike hello to his trainer.

Stephen was already near the main lifting platform, looking as massive and energetic as ever. He turned his head, a wide smirk crossing his face as he took in Alexander’s stiff, agonizingly slow movements.

"Well, look who’s walking" said Stephen, his voice echoing through the iron rafters. "You actually look like you’re holding together decent, kid. Here."

Stephen reached into his vest and tossed a small plastic bottle filled with that same vibrant blue liquid. Alexander caught it with a stiff reflex, popped the cap, and drank it down in one gulp. Almost instantly, a cool, numbing sensation washed over his nerves, the crushing weight of the abdominal pain diminishing to a manageable dull ache.

"What exactly is this stuff?" asked Alexander, his deep voice rasping as he looked at the empty bottle. "It’s too mysterious to be a standard supplement."

"Just drink it and stop asking questions you shouldn’t be asking, brat" said Stephen, letting out a low chuckle as he leaned against a heavy squat rack. "What, did you come back here for another round today? The new female candidates haven’t arrived yet, but I can easily source a fresh, tight little cunt for you to get warmed up with."

Alexander let out a grim, tired laugh, shaking his head as he leaned his frame against the concrete pillar.

"I’m in the dirt today, old man" said Alexander, his tone flat. "I don’t think I could even perform if I wanted to. When exactly do I need to come back here for the next reinforcement sequence?"

Stephen’s smirk faded, replaced by a cold, serious glare as he calculated the schedule.

"For the best results with this specific protocol, you need to be here daily" said Stephen, his voice dropping to a definitive rumble. "Physical exercise three times a week, followed immediately by the combat simulator. Attempting any more than that is suicide for your nervous system."