Alex stepped up to the whiteboard and began calculating without hesitation.
As he muttered to himself, his hand moved swiftly across the board, chalk gliding over the surface.
"DNA molecular weight equals the total molecular weight of nucleotides minus the total molecular weight of dehydrated DNA… (6n)d - 18(-2)… Right, I'll calculate the dehydrated DNA next..."
"mRNA molecular weight… (3n)d - 18(-1)... I've already solved the nucleotides, now to keep going..."
He spoke in a low, steady voice as equation after equation filled the board. The only sounds in the room were his murmurs and the scratch of chalk.
Inside his jacket pocket, Little Spider-Man peeked out, eyes blinking curiously at the whiteboard—only to grow dizzy from the endless stream of complex symbols. The tiny spider let out a silent groan and slumped back into the pocket, overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, the people in the lab began to notice.
Someone recognized the man at the board. "Wait... isn't that Alex? Our new boss?"
"I think it is! What's he doing, solving formulas?"
"Hold on… aren't those our equations?"
People began to gather, confused and skeptical. The lab had been grappling with that specific problem for weeks. Could he really be solving it?
"I mean, he's not even from our field, right?" one researcher whispered.
"Are we witnessing some kind of Good Will Hunting moment?"
"No way," another scoffed. "If he was a genius biologist, we'd know his name. This kind of talent doesn't stay hidden."
But as they watched Alex write, their skepticism slowly turned into awe.
"Wait a second... this formula—this is the correct approach!" a balding researcher muttered.
"Oh my god," another gasped. "That's how we should've calculated the nucleotide loss during dehydration!"
"This equation here… It leads right to the number of peptide chains! That means we can get the amino acids count!"
Eyes widened. Mouths dropped. Doubts vanished.
One by one, the researchers began to follow his logic. The correct formulas, the connections they had missed, were being laid out with effortless precision.
"Is he… is he really going to solve it?" someone whispered.
They all stared in silence, breath held, as Alex filled in the final steps.
Kurt stood nearby, frozen, watching every line unfold on the board. The cloud that had haunted him for days suddenly lifted. He saw it. The solution had been right there all along, just waiting to be unlocked.
The key values—the ones needed to finalize the serum's optimization—were now in front of him. For the first time, he knew with certainty: the self-healing lizard serum formula was complete.
He could finally heal his severed arm.
The wave of realization hit him like a flood, and tears almost welled in his eyes.
Alex, meanwhile, added the final equations and circled the two critical results.
With a small, satisfied smile, he stepped back from the board.
"It's done."
The room exploded.
"Boss! You actually solved it!"
"Where did you even study biology? I've never seen your name in any papers!"
"You've been hiding your talent all this time?! You're... incredible!"
"I thought you were just a businessman. You're a full-on genius!"
Alex accepted the praise calmly, answering their rapid-fire questions with clarity and precision. Every response demonstrated not only his grasp of advanced biology but also insights that had eluded the best minds in the room.
Their respect for him skyrocketed.
After a few moments, Alex pulled Kurt aside and spoke quietly.
Once their conversation ended, he left the lab, leaving behind a room full of stunned, inspired researchers.
One of them whispered, "Our boss is a legend... and he's not even thirty?"
Someone else gasped, "No way. If he's younger than twenty-five, he's basically a real-life Tony Stark!"
The admiration in the lab was unanimous. Alex had earned it not with words, but with knowledge and results.
Inside a private meeting room...
Alex and Kurt sat across from each other.
Alex said, "The key data's complete. There should be no obstacle in manufacturing the lizard self-healing serum now."
Kurt nodded eagerly. "Yes, boss. With these last two values, I've finalized the full formula. Production can begin immediately."
"We have the infrastructure. We can start with a small batch."
"But," he added, "due to the complexity of the process—extraction, purification, multi-stage synthesis—each vial will cost around one hundred thousand dollars."
Alex considered it for a moment. "Only a hundred thousand? For what it does, that's practically cheap."
Kurt agreed. "Compared to traditional medicine, it's pricey. But given its regenerative capability... it's revolutionary."
Alex nodded. "Keep it under wraps for now. Only produce small quantities, for private use. I'll take the first batch."
"Of course," Kurt replied. "And I'll prepare one for you to help restore your arm."
"Also, give me a full copy of the formula," Alex added.
"Understood. I'll write it up today," Kurt said, emotion in his voice as he looked at his injured arm. "Thank you, boss."
Alex then asked, "Is my fitness equipment ready?"
Kurt nodded. "Yes. It was completed an hour ago. We've placed it in a secured lab space. Only you have access."
Alex was pleased. "Good work. Take me there."
As they walked, Kurt added, "The machines are large, power-intensive. We had to remodel an entire lab. But now it's private and secure—everything you requested."
When they arrived, the doors scanned Alex's identity and opened automatically.
He stepped inside.
Kurt stayed outside, knowing he wasn't needed beyond this point.
Inside, Alex saw towering steel machines—giant fitness devices built to handle the strength of someone beyond human. The equipment looked more like military-grade machinery than anything you'd find in a gym.
Little Spider-Man jumped out of Alex's pocket and gazed around in awe. To the tiny creature, the machines looked like metal mountains.
Alex's eyes lit up with anticipation.
"Time to take my Spider Ability to the next level."
He walked to the customized barbell bench. The alloy bar was mounted on a machine capable of applying up to 30 tons of magnetic pressure.
Alex adjusted it to 15 tons.
He lay back, gripped the bar, and with a deep breath—
Boom! Boom!
Veins bulged.
Steel groaned.
He lifted it.
And the real training had just begun.