Book 4: Chapter 35: The Giant Scientist

Gazing at the giant whose aura had peaked before him, the old man sighed softly, his face remaining impassive. He simply lifted one hand and held it out as a shield.

“Dr. Leo, it is not the immense stature that grants absolute power. Allow me to reveal the true essence of force.”

Before Dean David’s outstretched palm ethereal ripples shimmered once more. Space seemed to fold like silk, layers upon layers cascading toward the massive, wheel-sized sheet of iron rooftop paneling Leo had hurled.

Under the waves of spatial distortion, the projectile visibly slowed. Despite the giant’s monstrous strength propelling it, the iron sheet traversed only a few meters before halting in mid-air.

Yet, it didn’t remain still. Instead, it began drifting toward Joey’s group. Those strange spatial ripples imbued it with a terrifying acceleration. Within half a second, it reached an incredible, impossible initial velocity and whooshed unnaturally toward the trio like a demonic wind.

“Raaaah!” Leo roared, advancing instead of retreating. He lowered his head, hunched his shoulders, and charged headlong toward the shrieking projectile like a heavy tank.

The scientist, once poised and elegant, seemed to have shed his restraint with the Giant Serum. The inherent tenacity of his Germanic ancestors now surged forth in full force.

“Ba-DOOOOOM!” An ear-shattering impact reverberated through the carriage. Leo crashed like a copper hammer into the center of the iron sheet. The plate bowed inward, wrapping around his shoulders like leather before finally clattering to the floor.

To the astonishment of Joey and Dr. Keller behind him, the clash ended in a draw. Leo had blocked the counterattacking sheet, but he staggered backward several steps, barely keeping his footing.

Joey narrowed his eyes, a bloodthirsty gleam flickering within. This exchange offered fresh insight for the Serial Killer: both the unassuming old man and Dr. Leo held unexpected depths of power.

Information regarding the giant’s strength existed within Qin Lun’s database. Yet David, the frail-looking elder, had accelerated that thin sheet of metal – within seconds! – to a momentum capable of countering the giant. What lethality could he unleash with a dagger or a bullet?

No wonder the old man faced both the giant and Joey with confidence, even dismissively sending the Fairy Tale Girls Team away. His absolute confidence wasn’t misplaced. Yet, what stunned Joey most wasn’t David’s power. It was Leo the Giant’s combat prowess.

A giant with a lucid mind was exponentially more dangerous. Dr. Leo Robert hadn’t recklessly charged the iron sheet out of brute courage. The biochemistry doctorate must have calculated the optimal combat strategy in a split second.

Warriors like Joey, with hyper-acute senses, could instinctively judge whether their bodies could withstand an enemy’s attack. Dr. Leo lacked such honed instinct.

Instead, his physics and mathematical genius came to bear. He instantly computed the distance between himself and the iron sheet and the maximum momentum achievable over that distance, accelerating under the old man’s power.

Leo realized with clarity that he couldn’t withstand the sheet if allowed to reach maximum momentum. Especially not with his wife behind him. So, he charged forward. His impact shortened the sheet’s acceleration path, allowing him to intercept it before it achieved its peak velocity.

This deduction flashed through Joey’s mind in an instant, and unshakeable conviction followed. Dr. Leo, as a giant, naturally possessed exceptional combat awareness. In this aspect, he mirrored someone else: Qin Lun, who utilized hypnosis and Combat Models in battle.

“I hate scientists,” Joey muttered expressionlessly. Clearly, though not an Apostle, Dr. Leo’s mind was no less formidable than a Death Notice – a supremely precise combat auxiliary.

“Lieutenant Gerthard, let’s jump!” Dr. Keller suddenly grabbed Joey’s arm, her voice tense. “I recognized Dean David’s ability! It’s a biological vector field! The carriage is too confined! Staying here is like staring down a gun barrel!”

“Biological vector field?” Joey frowned lightly. Qin Lun’s self-taught university curriculum from Handan Prison meant he understood precisely what a vector field was.

Earth Federation science categorized universal vector fields into three types: Electric Fields, Gravitational Fields, and Magnetic Fields. Dean David’s display did strikingly resemble a repulsive force field. The iron sheet, flung towards him, had decelerated, stopped, then reversed direction accelerating back – precisely like a piece of iron repelled by opposing magnetic poles.

Recalling the earlier explosion of the carriage door, David’s biological vector field clearly extended beyond metals. Even wood and glass weren’t spared.

“We encountered this biological vector field in the Aryan Ark Corps. These Superhumans can control practically any material they encounter – excluding living beings. By manipulating their internal force fields, they exert gravity or repulsion at will. Within the range of their field control… they are no different from gods!”

The beautiful doctor stared anxiously at Joey, awaiting his decision. She knew Lieutenant Gerthard’s choice dictated her husband’s actions. Given the chance to clear his name, Leo would likely fight to the death rather than retreat back into dishonor.

“Lieutenant Gerthard! Jump! We can’t defeat Dean David here! Besides… the Empire already has its prize!” Dr. Leo’s deep, resonant voice suddenly filled the air. He turned slightly and gave Joey a meaningful glance. The intelligent clarity in the giant’s eye surprised the Serial Killer momentarily.

Joey furrowed his brow. He understood Leo’s intent immediately. Dr. Robert was subtly indicating that this fight was unnecessary. With the Perfect Giant Serum formula on Leo and Keller, the primary objective was escorting them safely back to Berlin. Engaging the Justice League head-on here was pointless risk.

“We weren’t the only ones who came. The Hydra Corps was also mobilized!” Joey remarked, his tone seemingly off-topic.

Yet, upon hearing this, Leo’s eyes immediately lit up. After the Justice League’s dispersal in Casablanca, their forces aboard this military train were limited. Beyond the five from Grimm Academy, only about ten other Superpowered Beings remained – a total of fifteen combatants.

They clearly knew the numbers deployed by the Gentlemen Alliance: likely five active agents. Combined with the elite troops of the Hydra Corps, their overall strength wouldn’t be weaker than the Justice League’s.

Crucially, the Justice League was again burdened with defense. Protecting a large group of scientists drastically hampered their combat effectiveness. The Gentlemen Alliance only needed minor sabotage – derailing the train, for instance – to guarantee those scientists died miserably.

Under these circumstances, if Joey and Leo abandoned the carriage, Dean David would probably relent, prioritizing the defense. With such a terrifying figure anchoring the scientists, the Gentlemen Alliance’s odds of success plummeted drastically.

“Then we buy a little more time!” Dr. Leo managed a wry smile. “But Lieutenant Gerthard… your abilities might be difficult to employ here.”

“Keh keh… who says they’re useless?” Joey grinned savagely at the old man steadily pacing further into the car. He drew the FN-500 from his coat – its exterior carefully disguised as a standard Luger Pistol.

“Bullets are rather ineffective against me,” Dean David observed, a faint smile touching his lips as he saw the pistol.

The elder lifted both hands. All manner of scattered debris throughout the car floated into the air: fragments of cocktail glasses, wooden legs from chairs and tables, plastic buttons torn from clothing, shards of ceramic plates leftover from the scientists’ interrupted meal…

Expressions tightened among the people in the carriage. For the first time, they grasped the true scope of Dean David’s power. Floating before them were materials diverse and often inert – chemically stable substances impossible to manipulate by ordinary means. David could control them all. His mastery over his biological force field was profound.

“No need for surprise,” Dean David mused with a touch of nostalgia. “When you reach my age, having fought a lifetime against countless Superhumans and creatures of darkness, your own Superpower would become instinctive too. Any object becomes your weapon!”

Dr. Leo retreated one subtle step. Spreading his massive arms protectively behind his wife, Keller Robert, he opened his mouth, silently mouthing a word.

A flicker of resigned resolution crossed Keller’s lovely face. She abruptly squatted on the floor, scowling as she pulled an injector syringe from her person and fiercely jabbed it into her neck.

Joey hadn’t immediately grasped the silent exchange between Robert and his wife. But the moment he saw Leo unnaturally widen his mouth into a gaping cavity, realization struck. He yelped in surprise, flipping backward violently.

Simultaneously, Dean David unleashed his assault. With a spreading motion of his hands, the debris suspended throughout the carriage surged into frantic motion. Instantly, the varied fragments coalesced into eight fiercely rotating miniature tornadoes.

Control over such concentrated power taxed even David. The clock-patterned iris within his pupil suddenly revealed a third pointer needle – a rarely employed ultimate technique: Bafang Shazhen, the Eight Directions Slaughter Formation!

“ZzzzzzZZRRRRRIPT!” The eight cyclones shrieked as they scourged the carriage walls.

The pine-wood paneling decorating the interior splintered into countless cracks. Even the external iron plates buckled and groaned under the onslaught of the shard-filled eddies, ripping into jagged wounds. Torn-off pieces instantly fed the ferocity of David’s tornadoes.

As the Dean brought his palms together, the eight cyclones converged upon the three central figures. Yet, the experienced Grimm Academy Vice-Dean remained vigilant. His many battles had taught him to expect his enemies’ ultimate, desperate final resistance against this killing formation.

Ensuring his Protection remained formidable, David maintained three cyclones swirling before him; larger, denser, forming an unbroken defensive wall parallel to the vortex closing in on Joey’s group.

True to experience, the counterattack ignited right on cue.

“ROOOOAR!” Leo leaned backward, chest expanding mightily, unleashing a bone-shaking bellow in the vortex’s path.

The deafening roar abruptly cut short, lasting less than half a second. Replacing it was the manifestation of intense spatial ripples, violently radiating outward – a wave diametrically opposed to those generated by Dean David’s biological force field.

The spatial tremors swept towards the eight attacking tornadoes like a hurricane gusting into countercurrent winds…