The Savior of American Comics? I'm the Subspace Evil God!

Chapters 480, 876, and 877: Rebecca and the 'Universal Vaccine'

"Huh? A universal vaccine?!"

Before Alexander Pierce could respond, Nick Fury, sitting on the other side, seemed to have heard the most absurd joke in the world and let out a piercing sneer.

The one-eyed man looked at Ross without any attempt to hide his disdain, and said in a mocking tone full of contempt and distrust:
"Mr. Ross, you've probably been misled by the [Subspace Group's] flowery rhetoric, haven't you?"

"Anyone with a basic understanding of science should know that the so-called 'universal vaccine' is a complete false proposition in terms of scientific principles...it is absolutely impossible for it to exist!!"

"Chief Fury is right!"

As if grasping at a straw, Genes, the head of the BSAA organization, immediately jumped in to defend Dr. Chambos, his fat, greasy face showing an eagerness to deny and distance himself, "We at the BSAA acknowledge Dr. Chambos's abilities!"

"She has demonstrated exceptional abilities in several past biohazard crises and is considered an authority in the field of virus research! But..."

He suddenly raised his voice and denied it with a resounding tone: "'A universal vaccine'? That's just a load of nonsense to fool children!!"

"If someone could actually figure this out, then Raccoon City wouldn't have been completely wiped out by a single H-bomb back then..."

The reason Genes stood up for Nick Fury at this time was not because he wanted to win him over or curry favor with him, but simply because Rebecca Chambos had previously left their organization, the BSAA.

He was also a member of the original eleven who founded the BSAA organization.

If the other side really succeeds in developing a "miracle drug" like a "universal vaccine," wouldn't that be a huge slap in the face to all their high-ranking officials?
This indirectly proves their incompetence and blindness; they couldn't even retain such top-notch scientific research talent.
For these high-ranking officials, there are often... no, I should say most of the time, face is far more important than human life.

So, just deny it!

However, Secretary Ross didn't even bother to lift an eyelid when faced with a barrage of hostile questions from Nick Fury and Genes.

He didn't rush to defend himself, nor did he even glance at them, as if the two were just two noisy flies.

This blatant disregard infuriated Nick Fury.

His dark, old face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water, and his single eye blazed with fury.

Of all those present, no one knew Ross's true identity better than him.

Even in Nick Fury's eyes, Ross had become a loyal 'dog' under Karl's command.

Therefore, he subconsciously believed that Ross's sudden appearance at this time was most likely at Karl's behest.

This made Nick Fury feel furious.

Damn it, Karl Mara, why do you always have to jump in and meddle in everything?

He had seemingly forgotten that he and S.H.I.E.L.D. had been following the exact same operating style all those years before.

Alexander Pierce narrowed his eyes dangerously, his sharp gaze fixed on Ross, his tone serious to the point of interrogation:

"Mr. Secretary of State, are you sure... that this 'universal vaccine' you're talking about really has the ability to solve this disaster that has swept away more than two billion lives?"

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that he deliberately emphasized "two billion" and "crisis," somewhat trying to shift the intangible responsibility onto Ross.

"I can't be sure if it can 'solve' the whole crisis..."

Ross shook his head without changing his expression, his tone remaining as calm as ever, revealing his true colors as a seasoned veteran of the officialdom.

He skillfully avoided the responsibility trap set for him by Alexander Pierce; he was not about to fall for such a basic mistake.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, silver USB drive that he had prepared in advance, handing it to the staff member standing by. "But this USB drive contains detailed experimental data and verification videos of the 'universal vaccine'."

"It may not be able to reverse all types of infections, especially those individuals whose bodies have undergone irreversible morphological deformities..."

As he spoke, his gaze swept across the BOWs, their grotesque forms frozen on the large screen, and his tone grew increasingly firm, "But it has been proven that it can, in a very short time, reverse the infection process in the vast majority of humanoid infected individuals infected with mainstream viral strains such as the [T-virus] and [G-virus], restoring them to...humanity!!"

The staff quickly inserted the USB drive into the device.

The screen then switched to a folder marked "Confidential," where a series of experimental reports and several video files labeled with different virus names were prominently displayed.

Alexander Pierce hesitated for a moment, then manipulated the mouse and double-clicked to open a video file labeled '[T-virus] Infected Person's Recovery Video'.

The video starts playing:
The scene focuses on a special isolation experimental chamber with walls made of thick bulletproof glass, exuding a cold, high-tech feel.

A female zombie occupies the center of the picture—she is dressed in rags, her face is grotesque and twisted, her skin is a deathly gray color, and her body, mouth, and hands are covered with dark red dried blood.

At this moment, she was like a wild beast that had completely lost its mind, frantically and futilely pounding on the glass wall in front of her with her bloodied and mangled hands and forehead, making a series of dull and heart-palpitating "thump-thump" sounds.

Along with it, some eerie, indistinct howls were also emanating from its mouth.

At this moment, a clear, calm, and authoritative female voice suddenly rang out from off-screen, "Experimental subject code [T-7], commencing the first phase of testing...injection of a sample of the extremely diluted gaseous 'universal vaccine'."

Immediately, a wisp of extremely thin, pale blue gas, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, silently diffused from the tiny exhaust vent at the top of the isolation chamber.

"Ugh..."

A shocking scene happened!

The female zombie, who was frantically slamming against the glass wall just a second ago, suddenly stopped moving.

The scene was as if someone had forcibly pressed the pause button.

Then, her stiff neck, like a rusty bearing, slowly and with a chilling anthropomorphic quality, began to rotate upwards.

Those bloodshot, cloudy eyes stared blankly upwards, as if trying to find something.

This humane gesture immediately drew cheers from off-screen viewers.

"Oh my god!!" "Great, it works! It really works!"

“Dr. Chambos, did you see that? It…it’s ‘seeing’?!”

"My God, this is simply a miracle... Even with extreme dilution, it has produced such a significant behavioral intervention in such a short time... So next, we just need to slightly increase the concentration, and it will surely bring even greater results!!"

“Congratulations, Dr. Chambos…”

The voice-over was instantly drowned out by a chorus of incredulous exclamations and ecstatic cheers.

However, amidst the praise, the gentle female voice known as Dr. Chambos rang out again. Although it remained calm, there seemed to be a hint of barely perceptible excitement in it:
"Record behavioral change data... Phase two: Increase the concentration of the 'universal vaccine' to the preset level B. Injection will begin in 10 seconds!"

"Yes."

This time, a more noticeable pale blue gas was slowly injected into the isolation chamber.

"Uh ah ah..."

The female zombie's body trembled violently, emitting a series of groans mixed with pain and confusion.

A truly shocking visual impact followed—the black veins on her body, which crisscrossed like a spider web and symbolized death and destruction, faded and disappeared rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye!

At the same time, her ashen skin seemed to be revitalized, gradually regaining the faint color and luster that human skin should have.

"I...I am..."

A clear female voice, tinged with extreme confusion and disbelief, came from the woman who had just transformed back into a human.

The woman looked down in disbelief at her bloodstained hands, which were no longer scratching themselves unconsciously like a wild animal, but instead moved rhythmically in accordance with her will.

A long-lost warmth from the flow of blood returned to my fingertips.

And the sharp, piercing pain emanating from the open wounds on my palms, torn open during the viral infection…

"Woooooooo..."

After a brief period of shock and disbelief, the elation of surviving a disaster and the grievance of being brought back from the dead surged forth like a torrent. The woman was instantly in tears, her voice choked with sobs, barely able to utter a complete sentence.

"Waaaaah... I... I actually came back to life..."

Although the video ended abruptly there, it left an unparalleled and profound impact on the minds of everyone present in the conference room.

In just a few minutes, the female zombie inside the isolation pod transformed from a bloodthirsty, mindless monster into a living, breathing woman with a clear mind, capable of feeling pain and joy!
This dual subversion of visual and psychological impact can be said to have exceeded the cognitive limits of the vast majority of people present.

If one hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes, and hadn't been informed beforehand that the other party was conducting an experimental test of a 'universal vaccine,' many people would probably have subconsciously regarded this scene as some kind of miracle or a special effect from a science fiction movie.

Is this the level of technology of [Subspace Group]?
Is this the true essence of the [Subspace Group]?
This... is just too powerful!

Alexander Pierce's expression grew increasingly complicated, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

He didn't speak, but silently, with an almost nitpicking desire for verification, he manipulated the mouse and clicked on the remaining video files one after another—[Real-life Record of G Virus Infection Patients' Recovery], [Real-life Record of Plaka Parasite Recovery]...

The content of these videos is almost identical, yet they are all strikingly similar.

The hideous humanoid zombies infected with different viruses, after being injected with that magical pale blue gas, experienced a brief period of pain, their abnormalities subsided, and they eventually regained their senses and turned back into humans.

Based solely on the experiments shown in the video, the 'universal vaccine' newly developed by [Subspace Group] has an almost 100% success rate in curing common 'human-shaped infected individuals' such as [T-virus] and [G-virus].

However, after these infected individuals recover to human form, the injuries they sustained do not heal.

For example:

If an infected person had an arm bitten off by another zombie, that arm will still be missing after the infected person reverts to human form.

If an infected person has been eaten away by other zombies and is left with only their upper body, they will likely die within minutes of reverting to human form if they do not receive timely rescue.

Therefore, for those infected with biochemical viruses but whose vital organs remain intact, their chances of survival are obviously much greater.

In addition, to everyone's slight disappointment, the "universal vaccine" was ineffective against "non-human infected" who had lost their human form due to genetic mutations, and could not turn them back into humans.

Even so, this miraculous potion, which could be transmitted through the air and could "reverse" zombies back into humans in a short time, still brought a profound shock to everyone present that was beyond words.

Like a ray of hope piercing through thick clouds and piercing through mountains of corpses and seas of blood in that suffocating abyss of despair, descending from the sky!

"...Mr. Chairman."

Ross's voice rang out again, breaking the shocking silence brought about by the 'miracle vaccine' video.

He met Alexander Pierce's gaze calmly, his voice firm and resolute, carrying an undeniable weight:

"Although I cannot say for sure how many lives will ultimately be saved from that hell by using this 'universal vaccine'."

After a slight pause, as if deliberately weighing the heavy possibility on the hearts of every listener, Ross continued in a slightly compassionate tone:
"But in my opinion, even if only a very small number of people can be saved in the end... even if it's only one in a thousand, one in ten thousand, that's still good, that's still... worthwhile!!"

However, just as everyone was moved by this "righteous indignation" and their emotions were fluctuating, Ross suddenly changed his expression. The heaviness on his face receded like a tide, replaced by a detached and relaxed demeanor as if it were none of his business.

He leaned back comfortably in his chair, spread his hands, shrugged his shoulders slightly, adopting an detached posture, and his voice returned to its previous calm:
"Of course, I'm merely offering the Chairman and everyone here a solution to the problem..."

"As for the final decision and whether the [Subspace Group] is willing to provide technical support, these are no longer directly related to me personally."

He deliberately emphasized the words "personal" and "unrelated," clearly intending to draw a clear line between the relevant responsibilities.

(End of this chapter)