Superman’s Saiyan little brother

"Definitely, and maybe it won't even take two years. Once I'm fully matured as an adult, my growth will surely accelerate!" Robert had no idea that Diana had considered so many issues. He spoke with firm conviction in his voice.

If Robert and the Kent couple had previously doubted whether Robert's stunted growth was due to malnourishment over the past fifteen years, they no longer mentioned it. After all, Robert was now eating more than anyone else without any visible changes. The Kents speculated that perhaps Robert, being an alien, was naturally short. They worried, but as long as Kara didn't mind, that was all that mattered.

Robert, however, wasn't worried about growing taller. After all, Saiyans grow in stages: infant-like, then child-like, and finally adult-like. Considering Son Goku was just over a meter tall at Robert's age, Robert believed he would definitely grow taller than Goku once he reached adulthood.

"That's good..." Diana breathed a sigh of relief, though she still seemed somewhat skeptical and concerned about what would happen if Robert never grew taller.

"I'm so hungry, I'm going to get something to eat!" Robert, puzzled by Diana's distracted state and not understanding why she seemed so spaced out after their intense battle, decided not to delve deeper into her thoughts and went to prepare some food after regaining some strength.

Soon after eating, Robert and Diana cleaned up the battlefield, erasing all traces of the fight, and then flew back to Diana's home. Clark too hastily averted his gaze.

Peeking at Robert's battle was one thing, but continuing to watch after Robert and Diana returned home would be impolite...

"You should take a shower; you're all dirty..." Back at home, Diana, recalling the previous time she helped Robert bathe, blushed but quickly covered it up, casually suggesting to Robert as if it was an afterthought.

"Okay, got it." Robert nodded, knowing he needed to wash off the dirt and wounds, despite having restored his damaged clothes using a transformation technique.

Soon, Robert went to the bathroom to shower, while Diana, her thoughts drifting to Robert's tail, chastised herself for getting distracted. She resolved to put aside thoughts of Robert's maturity and tail, as dwelling on it would be impolite.

Meanwhile, Robert and Diana were resting after their battle, and elsewhere, at Baron Strucker's base, Alfred arrived on Garon's private jet.

Upon seeing Alfred, Strucker paused, then scoffed, "I thought Garon himself would come to see me, not just you alone."

"One person is enough," Alfred responded confidently, unimpressed by Strucker's arrogance. "After all, there are no strong fighters here worthy of my boss's personal attention..."

"Do you think that just because my animal warriors are gone, there's no one useful here?" Strucker sneered, still upset about his recent confrontation with Pierce. "I was just venting some anger at Pierce. Now, if you're here to release some steam, I might consider going back with you..."

"In your dreams! Watch my Flying Crow Strike, Cat Landing, Bear Paw Strike, Cat Shake, Cat Turn..." Alfred's eyes flashed coldly as he leaped towards Strucker, not abandoning his habit of shouting out his moves during a fight, despite Robert's warning.

But to Alfred's surprise, Strucker dodged all his moves with ease. Alfred's attacks only hit the walls and ground, creating craters but not harming Strucker at all, as if Strucker had anticipated every move.

"That's wrong! There's something off about you! Your glasses!" Alfred, realizing something was amiss, focused on Strucker's unusual glasses, sensing trouble.

"Not bad, you're quite observant. I'm curious about you. What would happen if you were transformed into an animal warrior? Could you still shout those strange names..." Strucker mused with a glint in his eye, suddenly releasing a surge of electricity from his arm.

"Boom!" Alfred, narrowly evading the electric attack, was surrounded by explosions and dust, making it hard to see what was happening.

"Flying Raven!" Amidst the dust, Alfred's voice echoed, indicating he hadn't been hit by the attack and was counterattacking.

"Bang!" A loud collision followed. "What? How is this possible?! How can you be so strong?" Alfred's voice was full of shock and disbelief.

"Why would anyone think that I can give others strength but not possess it myself?" Strucker's mocking voice filled the air. "And you didn't think that fighting in the dust would give you an advantage, did you?"

With a loud crash, Alfred was thrown from the dust, landing on the ground in disarray.

Alarmed, Alfred realized Strucker, whom he had seen as a mere civilian, was terrifyingly powerful. Alfred, already a martial arts expert enhanced by the Super Soldier Serum, had surpassed all super soldiers and even Strucker's animal warriors in strength.

But as Strucker said, he could grant others power, so why not enhance himself? In a dangerous world, relying solely on subordinates was insufficient; true power came from within. All his research aimed to enhance himself, with subordinates and experiments serving as tests. Strucker had failed many times but also succeeded, gaining various abilities.

"Click-clack!" As Alfred reeled in shock, Strucker's footsteps approached, causing alarm. Alfred, recalling Garon's advice, thought frantically.

"If it doesn't work, lure him over, use Alexander Pierce to provoke him. Don't be rigid, understand? And most importantly, get the Monkey Talisman back. Even if you can't bring Strucker, secure the talisman at all costs!"

"Alexander Pierce... Monkey Talisman..." Remembering these keywords, Alfred saw the talisman on a nearby lab table, further from Strucker.

"Opportunity!" Alfred no longer cared why Strucker was so powerful; his only thought was to seize the talisman and escape.

"What are you looking at?" Strucker, emerging from the clearing dust, scoffed at Alfred. "Well? Do you accept my proposal? If you undergo the experiment, you'll be even stronger..."

"You know how my animal warriors regained their sanity? They were successful Super Soldier Serum recipients, but their powers didn't stack. That's always been a regret of mine..."

"But you're different, very special. You might create a miracle. Even if it fails, no big deal. Your boss will mourn you properly... Huh?!"

"Scythe Sweep!" Strucker was cut off as Alfred shouted and kicked up tiles, hurling them at Strucker.

"Damn!" Strucker cursed, dodging the debris. Alfred, seizing the moment, leaped towards the lab table and grabbed the Monkey Talisman effortlessly.

"So easy?" Alfred thought, sensing danger and dodging instinctively.

"Boom!" A blast destroyed the table, raising more dust. A figure rapidly escaped, knocking down Hydra soldiers and fleeing.

"Don't run!" Strucker's angry shout followed Alfred, who smirked confidently.

"So what if you're strong and skilled? A scientist can't outsmart me! Eat my dust!" Alfred taunted as he fled.

Unbeknownst to Alfred, Strucker wasn't pursuing him. Strucker watched Alfred's escape, smiling wistfully.

"Pity, he would've been perfect for experiments. Maybe I could've created the ultimate animal warrior..." Strucker sighed after a while. "But it's fine. Time to lay low. Garon will want the talisman back. I've lost manpower and Pierce is targeting me. It's not wise to clash with Garon now. Who's working for whom might not be clear."

"You might not know, but I've siphoned a lot of energy from the Monkey Talisman, just like the Tesseract. You taking it lets me hide and continue my research. Let's see who succeeds!"

Yes, Strucker had let the talisman be stolen on purpose, assuming Garon would understand. If Garon still troubled him, that would be impolite!

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