Chapter 202: Compound V
December had finally brought snow to New York.
Beneath the quiet snowfall, the city seemed to settle into a rare stillness.
Inside the Long Island estate.
Matthew sat at the edge of the pool in his shorts, legs dangling into the warm water of the hot spring feature — and he wasn't alone. Gwen and Carrie were there with him.
The villa's pool, as it happened, ran on two separate water circulation systems — one configured for summer, one for winter.
Not that it truly mattered either way. Whenever Matthew felt like it, he could hold the water at any temperature he pleased. But that was precisely the point — enjoying life was supposed to mean not having to do everything yourself.
Gwen and Carrie, both dressed in swimsuits, happily swam back and forth through the warm pool like two little mermaids. Youth gave them boundless energy.
Matthew, on the other hand, had long since settled into comfort. He sat at the pool's edge with his eyes closed, soaking in the warmth like a contented old man who had seen enough of the world.
Then one of the mermaids got mischievous.
She crept up alongside him, trying her best to look innocent, and then — with a barely suppressed giggle — scooped up a handful of water and dumped it straight over his head.
It hit him perfectly.
"Hehe — run!"
The culprit immediately spun around and kicked off as fast as her arms and legs could carry her.
Matthew slowly opened his eyes and saw Gwen and Carrie ahead, frantically swimming away as fast as they could.
A cold smile appeared on his face.
Amusing. Someone had dared provoke the emperor. Truly, they had no survival instincts.
He slipped beneath the surface and shot forward like a torpedo, closing the distance in an instant.
The two girls glanced back — and the moment they spotted that figure cutting through the water toward them, the color drained from their faces.
"AHHH — Matthew's coming, run, Carrie, RUN!"
"We're done for, GO!"
They thrashed wildly with their arms and legs, but there was no competing with him. The gap kept shrinking.
And Matthew, naturally, made it worse. He could clearly catch these two wicked mermaids in an instant, but after getting close, he deliberately slowed down, as if he wanted to torment them.
As Carrie swam alongside Gwen, she suddenly felt something was off.
She paused — mentally, at least.
Wait.
The prank had been Gwen's idea, not hers.
So why exactly was she running?
Seeing Gwen flailing beside her, Carrie's eyes rolled, and a bad idea rose in her mind. She giggled secretly, grabbed Gwen, and under Gwen's panicked gaze, hugged her tightly.
Seeing her own sister betray her, Gwen immediately struggled and screamed, accusing Carrie of having no loyalty.
"Carrie! We're supposed to be best friends — how could you do this to me?!"
"I am so disappointed in you."
Facing Gwen's heartbroken accusation, Carrie instead became completely righteous. "I'm Matthew's most beloved little sister, and besides, you were the one who did something wrong. I have to stop you. Hehe."
That final "hehe" nearly made Gwen faint from anger.
It was simply too mocking.
And so Gwen's heart turned completely to ash, and she stopped struggling.
Then she saw Matthew slowly rise from the water with an expressionless face.
...
Two minutes later.
Gwen wailed as she lay on a poolside lounge chair, rubbing her sore butt with one hand while massaging her throbbing head with the other.
It hurt. It really, truly hurt.
The pain seemed to shoot straight through her head.
As she wailed, she secretly glanced at her little sister, who sat beside her as though nothing had happened, hoping to stir the guilt buried deep in Carrie's heart.
Unfortunately, she was destined to be disappointed.
Carrie's heart was as firm as steel. She felt no guilt at all for betraying her good sister. Instead, she acted spoiled toward Matthew.
After receiving Matthew's praise, she happily picked up the juice on the small table beside her and began drinking.
"Hmph!"
Seeing this, Gwen's blood pressure spiked. She immediately decided not to talk to Carrie for the next two hours. Their sisterhood was officially suspended for those two hours.
Buzz buzz buzz!!
At that moment, the phone on the glass table rang. Gwen picked it up and saw that it was a message from her dear mother, Helen.
Helen was telling her to come home early.
Gwen reluctantly got up, but after standing, her big eyes rolled as if she had thought of something. She leaned close to Carrie's ear and whispered a few words.
Carrie's expression immediately changed, and she guiltily glanced at Matthew, who was sitting in the pool and soaking in the hot spring.
Then she turned back and looked at Gwen with a pleading expression.
Her big watery eyes looked pitiful enough to stir sympathy.
But Gwen only gave her a cold smile, as if saying, Handle it yourself.
Seeing Gwen's heart of stone, Carrie drooped her little head in defeat and unwillingly called out to Matthew, "Matthew, I'm staying with Gwen tonight."
"Go ahead. Send a message when you're coming back. Emily will have Howard pick you up."
"Okay!"
The two sisters left. But they did not see the strange look on Matthew's face.
These little girls had secrets now, whispering to each other sneakily. Had they really forgotten what level his senses were at? At this distance, how could they hide anything from him?
Carrie has really grown up... Matthew could only sigh inwardly.
Carrie staying over at Gwen's house wasn't anything new.
Over time, the two girls had grown as close as real sisters. Carrie had stayed at Gwen's house more than once.
Likewise, Gwen had also spent the night at Matthew's villa. Because of that, a certain doting father had even made a special trip to Matthew's villa.
The two families could be considered somewhat familiar with each other. Of course, George Stacy did not know much. He only knew some surface information Matthew had revealed.
He did not even know as much as Gwen. It could only be said that when it came to keeping secrets, Gwen was far too reliable. She had not revealed a single word to George.
It was only a small playful interlude.
Today, Matthew was waiting.
Waiting for what?
Waiting for the sign-in time. Half a year had already passed since his last sign-in.
As midnight arrived, Matthew silently activated the sign-in.
"Sign-in activated. Congratulations, you have obtained the synthesis technology for the original Compound V."
A faint gleam appeared in Matthew's eyes. A large amount of technical information emerged in his mind, all directly infused by the sign-in system.
He frowned slightly.
The original Compound V synthesis technology.
It came from a technology in the world of The Boys. Everything had originated from this thing.
Compound V was a drug capable of stimulating the genetic potential of humans or animals, granting users superpowers. However, its effects varied from person to person and came with high risks.
For example, mental disorder, shortened lifespan, the spread of cancer cells, and so on.
In addition, if someone with cancer or cancer cells in their body were injected with Compound V, it could create a cancer-cell monster or cause cancerous tentacles to grow from their body.
Most importantly, animals that consumed Compound V would become violent. Even herbivores and poultry would become aggressive.
If awakening succeeded, the body's functions would be strengthened, including strength, speed, and endurance increasing by ten to twenty times. Some users could even reach supersonic movement.
However, this thing was very unstable.
...
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