Tap.
Magnus placed a hand on Silvana's shoulder, abruptly removing the scalpel and pushing her forward. Silvana was slightly confused, but she quickly ran ahead, getting behind Adam's back.
However... even though Silvana was finally free, Adam didn't even look at her. He couldn't be blamed for his indifference, for something strange was happening to him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't take his eyes off Nessa.
It wasn't that he was a young boy and she was a young pretty girl, no, Adam didn't feel any lust, and love was out of the question. His instincts were active, his genes buzzed like flames, and inside there was hunger and desire to keep looking at the perfect body.
As one who had fought many times in Dead Lands and was on the verge of death, Adam saw that this was not a body, but a true weapon designed to fight like monsters...
Indeed, Nessa's body was the ultimate in human limits and capabilities. Well, given the limitations of a basic set of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and so on, as well as with a size within human bounds.
"What...? What's going on...?" Silvana muttered puzzled as she glanced at Magnus, hoping to get an answer from him.
Magnus smirked.
"Well, well, Nessa, looks like you got yourself a fan."
Nessa frowned slightly.
"A fan? What does that mean? I don't need fans." Nessa waved her hand.
"ADAM!"
Magnus shouted, finally bringing Adam out of his trance.
"Agh... What was that...?" Adam muttered, confused as he glanced around.
Magnus sighed.
"I don't know. You're the only one of the Phantoms to have seen Nessa in this form. It's interesting... Her shape so overwhelmed you that your instincts made you stare at her in awe as if she were a divine presence." Magnus said seriously, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Then, a wide grin formed on his face.
"I didn't even think that this forced decision could have such an effect. Hehehe, if your genes see potential in her, then we definitely haven't reached the end yet. That's good."
For a while no one said anything. Adam only occasionally glanced at Nessa's body, he couldn't help it. It seemed that even if he closed his eyes, he would instinctively open them to take another look at her superior muscles.
Nessa felt strange.
Adam was devouring her with his gaze, but not like a man to a woman, for he was not interested in her bosom and butt. Nessa even felt offended that he was only admiring her muscles.
"Whatever!" Adam quickly turned his head to come to his senses, "Nessa, hybrid, right? What's next? What does this even mean? How did this happen? And how does that explain why there are kids in these pods, mostly girls?"
Adam realized that the situation had completely changed in the last few minutes. He was no longer going to attack Magnus just as Magnus was no longer going to harm Silvana.
However, that was only the beginning of Magnus's explanation. Nessa's appearance was an important moment to get Adam's attention and Magnus was ready to act next.
As the iron beams fell, a terrified scream rang out along with the metallic rumble, before being silenced in a burst of blood.
Magnus didn't see what exactly happened there, but his gaze caught on a few drops of blood.
"Cure a few lowlifes from the slums...?" Magnus raised an eyebrow, pondering if he should do that, "Well... They might be useful if they can still be cured, moreover, with this I can fill out a report for the government. Tsk, they still can't get behind me."
Magnus waved his hand, picking his way through the debris and moving towards the epicenter of the fallen tower.
As he had suspected, there had been people, or rather children, on the tower during the earthquake.
It was a popular activity for children in the slums, as everyone was curious to see what was behind the walls. However, such towers were unstable, old, and rusty, so usually only the bravest climbed them.
Magnus with cold eyes glanced at several corpses - the iron beams had pierced the bodies of the kids in multiple places, killing them instantly the moment they fell.
"I wanted more, but I should have expected this, right? It's not at all easy to survive a fall like that and from such a height... Damn, this place is dangerous even in the daylight. Hehehe, it was a great decision to build my lab here." Magnus chuckled evilly.
Crackle.
A metal sheet shifted, falling with a clatter and revealing a girl with short boy-like scarlet hair, black eyes, and pale skin. She was thin, clearly starved, but... that didn't matter now because metal shards were sticking out of her body, each the size of herself.
Magnus raised an eyebrow, a slight curiosity showing in his gaze as he approached the girl.
The girl didn't even notice him, everything in front of her eyes was blurring, she was ready to pass out at any moment because her strength was running out.
Magnus did not hurry to help her, because first he had to determine whether it made sense. He walked around her from all sides, assessed how serious the wounds were, and sighed with a slight bit of regret.
"I'm sorry, but this is a hopeless case. Even if you survive to the point where I bring you to the lab, your body doesn't have the resources to withstand the treatment. You'll just die of either exhaustion or heart failure, so... Let's not waste each other's time and part ways." Magnus shrugged, heading for the exit.
To him, everything sounded logical and pragmatic. The chances of saving the girl were too slim. He understood that better than most doctors in the Citadel.
"M... Mo... Mo..." The girl muttered out of her last strength.
"Hm? M? Mo? Hey, my name is Magnus, not Mognus!" Magnus waved his hand irritably, and then his eyes went wide, "Wait, it's not like we know each other. Then... What are you trying to say?"
Magnus tilted his head and saw the toy in the girl's hand, it was a broken monster toy without one paw, dirty and dusty.
"Agh, I see... Monster!" Magnus slammed his fist against his palm as if he had solved the mystery.
Then, he stopped, his face frozen as if the world stood still.
A multitude of factors and details filled Magnus's mind, from his lab, experiments, and regenerative monsters to the girl's wounds and the toy in her hand.
At the same moment, the corners of Magnus's mouth lifted upward, forming a creepy grin that would have likely scared the girl if she could see anything, then.
"So you like monsters..." Magnus muttered lifting the girl off the ground without pulling the metal shards out of her body. He didn't want the bleeding to get any worse.
"Good. Then how do you like the idea of becoming one of them? Whether you continue to live or not, this is your last day as a human." Magnus's eyes narrowed before running with all his might to the observatory.