章 11: Maddening Starstruck

White-coated scientists had gathered on the bona fide stage made from the raised platform of the flooring. They all lined up in an orderly fashion but still stayed obscure even when some of them were illuminated by the spotlights that had gathered on the stage. However, one particular individual among these scientists stepped forward to the center of the stage.

Her advance created a clacking sound from her heels with each step she took. The white long lab coat she wore openly fluttered lightly with each sway of her hips. This female scientist was none other than Victoria. She was the one I had met quite "personally" inside her dimly lit laboratory.

I remembered quite vividly how she had called me an 'enigma,' which was still a mystery to me... or maybe not. Maybe it had something to do with how my body turned out this way compared to the other grunts here. Was this the 'enigma' she was referring to?

I didn't have much time to think about it further, as Victoria finally presented herself at the center of the stage, capturing everyone's attention.

"Good morning, grunts," Victoria greeted us with the same mischievous smile I was quite familiar with. She and her fellow scientists' appearance stirred everyone into clamoring.

"Wait, who are these people?"

"Where did they come from?"

"They suddenly came out of nowhere!"

"Hold on... Is she who I think she is?"

"It is... She's the infamous super scientist—"

"Mad Star!?!"

Suddenly, a few of the grunts here gasped when they realized the identity of this female scientist.

The reaction of my fellow grunts here to her appearance was vastly different from Max Brain's grand reception. Some didn't quite know who she was, but others did. Some welcomed her appearance on the stage, whether it was because of her reputation or because she was quite a beautiful woman. But some, for reasons unknown to me... fell into dread instead.

"Mad Star...?" I muttered, repeating the name my fellow grunts were clamoring about. Hold on... wasn't her name 'Victoria'? Was this one of those 'superhero identity' bits? In this context, it would be a 'supervillain identity' instead.

Nevertheless... I really didn't know who she was, neither as Victoria or this 'Mad Star' villain persona of hers. I knew Max Brain because of his mainstream popularity, but her? Not much. I wasn't well-versed in the comic book fandom, nor was I an avid consumer of the media in the first place.

I did see a few superhero movies sometimes with friends and family, but those were limited to mainstream superhero characters such as Ultra Guy or Caped Detective.

If only I knew I would be reincarnated into this superhero world, I would have jumped into the superhero fandom long before... but then again, no one could predict how they would die. Death is inevitable, whether you die of old age, sickness, or an accident like me. Nobody could predict that, even for me, who died from being run over by a speeding truck...

Wait... no. That was partly my fault that I died there. I "accidentally" crossed a busy highway without looking and got run over. I was being an idiot back there...

Moving on...

As if he noticed my muttering, Grunt No. 704 looked back towards me. "Oh yeah, man. This is the so-called 'assistant' of Max Brain, Mad Star," he confirmed her identity to me.

"Really? Is she well known here?" I inquired, motioning to all the grunts who had mixed reactions to her arrival.

No. 704 averted his eyes a bit and scratched his head. "Well... yeah, she is pretty infamous around here," he answered.

"Infamous...?" I asked again, concerned about the worrying word he had just used.

"Haha, yeah. Well, she's—"

"The Mad Star?! The Infamous Mad Star!!"

Grunt No. 704 was about to answer my question but got interrupted midway by a sudden familiar voice to both of us, screaming out her name. We looked in the direction of the screaming and found our local supervillain expert and fanboy, Grunt No. 702.

"Mad Star...! One of the most brilliant minds in the world..." No. 702 began with a low muttering that could still be heard by those around him. "...the one and only scientist who discovered how to harness the power of a star...!"

He looked down while clenching his fists tightly as if he was trembling from excitement. He involuntarily revealed more info to those around him, as both of us listened to his informative rambling.

'Harnessing the power of a star...?' That sounded... overpowered. I at least knew what a 'star' was. It's basically a giant ball of plasma held together by gravity, isn't it? Our own sun is one. So, the thought of this malicious woman holding on to that power... was quite concerning.

"BUT!" He suddenly flared up, surprising those around him. "She then used that power to annihilate the whole armies and armadas of the former Veridia Republic's Armed Forces!" He excitedly exclaimed another horrifying piece of information.

"She what?!" I exclaimed, horrified. I didn't expect to hear that this woman was even more dangerous than I had initially thought. I knew she was somewhat not normal, borderline crazy even, but not to that extent. Was that why some grunts here had dreadful expressions upon hearing her name?

I then slowly turned my head towards Grunt No. 704, my expression one of disbelief. "Are those things he just said true?" I asked again, hoping for confirmation from him about what No. 702 had been rambling.

No. 704 laughed nervously as if he was unsure himself. "Haha, well... I think it was somewhat half the truth," he began, scratching his head as if trying to remember. "I heard that while she did make the infamous 'Star Bombs', the one who actually used them was Max Brain instead." He corrected what No. 702 had been rambling.

"I... see..."

I was slightly relieved to hear that she was not that insane. At the very least, I still thought she had a few screws loose if she was now working with Max Brain. So, she made the so-called 'Star Bombs' that were powerful enough to annihilate a fully armed force, but the one who dropped these bombs on them was Max Brain instead. Talk about getting the credit and infamy at the same time...

But still that Max Brain... annihilating the whole armed forces of a nation with what I could imagine as an alternative nuclear bomb... I should be careful with any of these people.

And also... 'former Veridia Republic'? Was that the name of a nation? I had never heard of it, so most likely it was one of those fictional nations that comic book authors made up for the story, wasn't it?

I then directed my attention back towards the stage where 'Mad Star' Victoria and her scientists had been standing... and found that she had been staring at me intensely all this time. I was startled, taken aback by the intense stare she had been giving me while I had been oblivious to it until now.

Even though there was a fair amount of distance between my position in the middle of the crowd and hers on the stage, AND this place was quite dark with no other illumination than the stage's spotlights, she actually managed to track me down and look right at me.

Seemingly aware that her staring shocked me, she then showed me the same mischievous smile I was starting to get familiarized with... You know what, maybe she was insane after all.

Luckily, she then averted her eyes to direct her attention back towards all of the newbie grunts. She clapped her hands again to gain our attention, and eventually, all of the grunts here stopped their clamoring. Satisfied that everyone had finally settled down, she began to speak.

"Once again, welcome to Lord Max Brain's army, loyal grunts," she started with a welcoming greeting. "I know that you all here are quite nervous about your new environment." She continued; her tone was sympathetic toward us, but... I had a feeling it was just sweet talk coming from her.

"Nevertheless! You are here, braving yourselves to become the pillars, shields, and most importantly... the swords of Lord Max Brain's Empire!" She continued with her speech, reminding us grunts of what Max Brain had just said before.

"And for that! I and my scientist squadron will help you all become the best grunts that Lord Max Brain can rely on!" She added, her tone high as if she was rallying us grunts.

All of the grunts erupted into cheers, seemingly at the prospect of getting help from these scientists, but... I wasn't exactly convinced by it, as I had seen the way these scientists acted during my first awakening in the test tube. ESPECIALLY, of course, with this Victoria woman, a.k.a. Mad Star.

My sentiment towards them wasn't the only one here, as I saw that Grunt No. 704 and No. 711 were also among those who weren't really hyped about the prospect of their help.

She clapped again as a sign for everyone to pipe down. As soon as everyone quieted down, she continued with her speech, "Well then, everyone... We will all begin by familiarizing you with the 'enhancements' we have given you for your transformation as grunts of Max Brain's army."

As soon as she finished, suddenly, the loud sound of a familiar hydraulic hiss could be heard, but it came from a different location than where we had entered this room. The sound came from our left as if another heavy metallic door had opened, and indeed there was.

A bright light seeped through the small opening of the large metallic door that was slowly opening, allowing more light to come in. The lights were so bright that I couldn't even see what was out there anymore, but... I could feel a strong gust of wind coming through the opened metallic door as if this door was leading us to the outside world.

"Well then... Let's begin with our orientation, grunts," Victoria said to all of us grunts, but unlike everyone else, only I saw the wicked grin on her face.