Marvel's Death Merchant

"The surgery can begin immediately, but before that," Zeus's voice jolted Jack awake, "you must recover before the surgery! In your current physical condition, you simply cannot withstand such an intense surgery!"

Zeus's words make a lot of sense. However, restoring one's physical condition isn't something that can be done with a few words. While the self-healing ability is incredibly powerful, it requires sufficient energy. But now Jack discovers that apart from the hunter before him, there are no other creatures that can provide energy.

Jack was aware of the situation, and the information left by Tang Tian didn't allow Zeus to provide Jack with bio-energy, so Jack had no choice but to devour the Hunter. Then Jack's hand mutated and began to absorb the Hunter's energy.

Jack was still in shock as he lay on the operating table.

It's unbelievable that Jack actually absorbed all the energy of this hunter, a creature ten times his own weight. Such a massive body is now reduced to bone fragments. Even the energy in the bones has been absorbed.

When Jack fully regained consciousness, three hours had passed. Looking at his own abilities, Jack knew how powerful he was, but he couldn't believe it was true; he was simply satisfied with his abilities.

Jack actually absorbed the entire energy of the Hunter.

"It's unbelievable, Jack, you really are a special talent." Even Zeus kept praising him. But Jack soon discovered that what impressed him was not his appetite, but his recovery ability.

"I originally estimated that it would take you at least six hours to recover, but I didn't expect you to do it in just three hours!" Zeus exclaimed in admiration. "Clearly, you have evolved again, and your physical functions have improved significantly! It seems that the more severe the injury, the more it can unleash your potential!"

The more severe the injury, the greater the potential it can unleash. Even if Zeus is entirely right, Jack wouldn't try it. He only has one life, and he must cherish it. He absolutely mustn't encounter a situation like that again. Even if he could recover, he'd need enough food, and he wouldn't always be as lucky as he was this time.

Besides, Jack can't treat the T-virus as food every time. After all, Jack's current mindset is that of a normal person, so he can't do that every time.

"Get ready, the surgery is about to begin!"

A hologram of Zeus stood beside him, and Zeus seemed to be watching him with fanatical fascination, as if he, lying on the bed, was not a person, but a lab rat.

Looking at Zeus's expression, Jack had a feeling that he might have been tricked.

"By the way, you just said there were 36 such surgeries. What is the success rate?" Jack asked somewhat anxiously, hoping Zeus would say something to reassure him.

Unfortunately, Zeus's words made me even more uneasy: "None of the thirty-six surgeries were successful. The chairman has just started this plan; what I said was just my simulation."

I yelled, "Not a single one of the thirty-six attempts was successful, meaning there's less than a 10% chance of failure!" This AI was definitely up to no good, actually using Jack as a guinea pig.

Jack struggled, but to no avail. Although the C-virus had been successfully developed, it wasn't fully tested, so a suitable test subject was needed. He was tightly bound to the operating table, not with some kind of tough leather—those were useless to him. He was bound by composite material rings made by Tang Tian—one on each of his wrists, ankles, knees, waist, and neck—firmly securing him to the bed, no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't budge. This composite material was truly extraordinary!

Jack struggled for a long time before finally giving up; perhaps this was the price he paid for gaining power. At this moment, Jack was like a fish on a chopping board, completely at the mercy of Zeus, this intelligent artificial intelligence.

"Don't worry. The success rate of this surgery used to be practically nonexistent because it was performed on all sorts of monsters. You're different; you're a new human fused with the T-virus, your body's resilience is dozens of times greater than the average person! This surgery has at least an 80% success rate, and you'll become Umbrella Corporation's ace." (To be continued...)

Chapter 239 Strengthening Begins

Knowing the experiment was about to begin, Jack said to Zeus, "My body is already incorporating the T-virus. I hope I can handle the implantation of the C-virus!"

Before going to the operating table, Jack tested the regenerated limbs. Although they weren't as flexible as before, they weren't as bad as Zeus had described. Upon hearing that the success rate might be very low, Jack naturally wanted to stop and intensify the experiment. However, Zeus, like Tang Tianmu, had already prepared other methods.

In his self-reflection, Jack understood that while it would be best to improve his abilities, it wouldn't be good to force it, as his life was the most important thing. As a mercenary, Jack preferred to improve his abilities step by step rather than risk being subjected to enhancement experiments.

But Zeus clearly showed no mercy. His expression on the projector was full of fervor for science as he said, "Get ready, I'm about to inject you with the C virus. You must withstand the power of the virus to gain immortality."

Although Zeus said "immediately," the Terminator robot was actually injecting him while he was speaking. An entire vial of C-virus was injected into me. Soon, Jack felt its effects; his cells began to boil over, and he started to feel dizzy. Jack's body was like a reactor, experiencing the combined effects of the T-virus and C-virus.

Although he had been injected with a large amount of the experimental C-virus and felt terrible, the internal reaction was incredibly strong. Jack could sense a T-virus deeply embedded within him, preventing the C-virus from fusing. Jack felt a sense of familiarity with the implanted C-virus, and because the virus had taken control, he was temporarily powerless.

An hour had passed since the C-virus was injected into Jack's body. Due to the fusion with the C-virus, a blackish-gray pupal shell, resembling an insect, rapidly formed on Jack's surface, and the C-virus was continuously enhancing Jack's powers.

Then, Zeus controlled the syringe filled with molten adamantium, first piercing the skin inside his pupa, and then rotating it like a drill inside his body.

Although Jack was in pain, he knew it would drill through his bones to the very marrow. However, the power of the C-virus had also greatly enhanced Jack's regenerative abilities, but Jack was currently unconscious due to the C-virus and the adamantium alloy.

"You're finally awake!" Jack didn't know how much time had passed before he slowly awoke from his cocoon. As soon as he awoke, he heard Zeus speak in his ear:

"I thought the surgery had failed and you would never wake up again!" Zeus said calmly.

Adamantium is an extremely tough and stable alloy with a melting point as high as 3,000 degrees Celsius. This means that what was injected into his body was molten Adamantium at a temperature of 3,000 degrees Celsius. Although a layer of coolant made of special materials was placed around this molten metal, it was completely ineffective against temperatures of several thousand degrees.

As Jack's bones and marrow reacted with the molten Adamantium, he felt as if he were being roasted alive, but the power of the C-virus allowed him to slowly recover.

"Is the surgery over?" Jack was still a little confused after just waking up. "Am I still alive?" The composite material rings that had been binding Jack were now gone, and Jack moved his limbs, feeling very uncomfortable.

First, the weight was off; Jack felt his hands and feet were incredibly heavy, as if he were wearing sandbags weighing dozens of kilograms. This suggests the surgery was successful; at least his bones are now made of adamantium.

However, the C-virus, something that surpasses both the Veronica and G-viruses, allowed Jack to quickly adapt to his current situation.

Zeus clearly noticed his embarrassment and said rather seriously, "You've woken up, which means the surgery was a success. All your bodily indicators are normal, and your functions have improved to varying degrees. As long as you've woken up, there won't be any problems. And congratulations on becoming a top-tier C-virus infected individual."

"Although you were unconscious for quite some time, your vital signs are better than I expected!" Zeus's expression was pleased, which Jack could tell. It was genuine, because Zeus had no reason to deceive him.

"I've been unconscious for a long time?" Jack asked, puzzled. "How long exactly?"

Zeus said calmly, "Twelve hours!"

Jack suddenly realized with surprise, "Twelve hours!" What does twelve hours mean? Half a day is usually just a short period of time. But in this situation, no one can predict what might happen.

Zeus suddenly laughed and said, "Do you want to test your abilities?"

Seeing Zeus's expression, Jack asked somewhat displeased, "Why are we conducting experiments?"

Without hesitation, Zeus said, "Because all the Lickers I control have come to this room. Besides these Tyrants, all these biological weapons have come."

"How many Lickers are there in total?" Now that Zeus has the Hunters under control, there's no point in thinking about anything else. Jack just hopes their numbers aren't too high and that he can manage to keep them in check. Although he's only just begun to acquire these powers, Jack doesn't want to use them yet.

Jack's modest hopes often went unfulfilled, and this time was no exception. Zeus, however, spoke casually: "Only nine Lickers, though three of them have mutated into Hunters!"

"Nine heads!" Jack was already lamenting. Nine Lickers—what did that even mean? And three of them had already mutated into Hunters. Just now, a single Hunter had almost killed him.

"This is a bit troublesome, but it's still possible." Although Jack felt it was troublesome, he was still very excited.

Zeus continued slowly and deliberately, "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not trying to harm you; on the contrary, I'm helping you. Although the enhancement was successful, it's not easy to fully adapt to this powerful force. The fastest way is to adapt through actual combat."

While Zeus's words made a lot of sense, he didn't entirely agree, saying indifferently, "There's no need to attract them all at once. Wouldn't it be better to attract them one by one? I think that way we can quickly increase our strength."

Zeus shook his head indifferently and said, "The greater the pressure, the easier it is to unleash your potential, just like the Hulk who has just appeared. He is getting stronger and stronger."

“I think I will unleash my potential; both the hunters and the lickers will become my energy,” Jack said confidently.

Zeus stared straight at him, seemingly full of confidence, and said seriously, "I told you, you will become the strongest warrior! You are easily killed by biological weapons, because you are the warrior that Mr. Donald has chosen."

But Jack was confident in his newfound power, and then a roar erupted.

Of course, the biological weapons that rushed over were not just Lickers and Hunters, but even more terrifying biological weapons.

Because Jack's keen senses detected a dangerous aura. This aura was completely different from the previous ones; now, only one thing was certain: a battle was about to begin. (To be continued...)

Chapter 240 Practical Training

"Believe in yourself, you have been transformed." After saying this, Zeus disappeared, and the wall slowly closed behind him.

The destructive power of biological weapons was simply too great. Zeus was clearly leaving Jack to fight alone, hence the tight security around the doors. Jack could understand that. What he couldn't understand was why Tang Tian had so much confidence in him, resorting to such a large quantity of biological weapons at once.

The three-headed Licker roared, the sound echoing and booming through the room, causing the windows to thump and rattle – a truly astonishing spectacle.

Having come this far, there was no other way but to confront these biological weapons. Having just devoured an entire Hunter, his injuries had fully healed. Now, apart from not yet adapting to the Adamantium skeleton and the C-virus body, everything else was fine, and he felt full of energy. Jack vaguely felt that his strength had increased significantly again.

The leading Licker was less than ten meters away from him; one more leap and it could attack Jack. Jack had already seen the fierce glint in its eyes; a battle was about to erupt.

The Licker's powerful hind legs pushed off forcefully, propelling it ten meters into the air—a mere trifle. In an instant, it was upon Jack, its sharp claws slashing down towards his forehead.

Jack quickly dodged to the side, knowing that his bones had turned into adamantium alloy, increasing his weight, so he had to use extra force, afraid that he wouldn't have used enough force like before.

This time, however, he used too much force. He pushed off with his right foot and retreated to the left, intending only to dodge slightly so that the Licker would land empty-handed and he could then launch a counterattack. Little did he know that he had used far too much force, and with a single kick, he crashed heavily into the wall!

Keep in mind that he was originally five meters away from the wall!

Jack himself was startled. This couldn't be happening! The increase in his physical abilities was so dramatic! The power—Jack's impact actually dented the thick wall; the speed—although it was only a five-meter distance, it seemed like only a split second after his push-off, and he slammed into the wall; the jumping—he knew he hadn't used his full strength, but he covered five meters, and as he hit the wall, his head also hit the ceiling.

No wonder Zeus said he had been transformed and had such confidence in him; he had clearly calculated his fighting strength.

Now even Jack himself is starting to have confidence. He feels that, even without considering the bones forged from Adamantium alloy, his current physique is at least ten times stronger than before.

Before Jack could calculate, the Licker, having missed its target, turned and roared at him before leaping into the air again. It pounced. Being a biological weapon, even if it was considered intelligent, it wasn't truly wise and didn't realize that Jack was no match for it in his current state.

This time I didn't dodge, because I was full of confidence. Jack had his reasons, namely confidence; in terms of speed, Jack was faster than him. Everything was very easy.

So, instead of retreating, Jack charged forward. Before the Licker's claws could reach him, he punched it in the head.

"Crack." The sound of bones breaking rang out quickly. Jack, under the influence of the C-virus, had actually struck the Licker's head hard.

"Ugh." The Licker's groan rang out, then vanished in an instant.

Then, with a loud thud, the Licker's enormous body crashed heavily to the ground like a tattered sack!

Its head was smashed. Jack looked at the predator's corpse, then at his own hands, and clicked his tongue in amazement. His exclamation came from the bottom of his heart: this was the true power of the virus.

The other two lickers, slightly slower than the first, were clearly stunned. They had originally planned to attack from both sides, but after seeing him kill their kin with a single punch, they stopped ten meters away.

Clearly, in their eyes, Jack was a much more powerful monster.

Jack glanced at it briefly, then his eyes turned icy cold, and his fighting spirit was unleashed.

Then he looked at his own hands, hands capable of smashing a Licker's head with a single punch. The immense power that Jack had gained also made him very happy.

Jack began to feel grateful to Tang Tian. Without Tang Tian's help, Jack would not have been able to possess such powerful abilities now, and all the hardships he had endured in Tokyo had now been rewarded.

Jack took a deep breath, turned sideways, and faced the two Lickers ten meters away. Behind them, a host of biological weapons were closing in!

There were Lickers and Hunters, as well as creatures he didn't recognize. But a bioweapon that could mingle with Lickers and Hunters couldn't be easy to deal with. Otherwise, it would have been devoured by the Lickers long ago.

Now, Jack has not only made a qualitative improvement in his physical functions such as strength, jumping ability and speed, but his senses have also been significantly enhanced. In particular, his amazing sixth sense of the virus has become a natural part of his body, and he can control it as flexibly as his ears, nose, eyes, mouth and tongue.

Now, his sixth sense told him that the two Lickers, who were now terrified of him, wouldn't dare attack him. In fact, he could sense that they wanted to escape and didn't seem to want to fight.

Jack stared straight at them, a confident smile unconsciously spreading across his lips.

Their timid eyes told Jack that he was right; they really did want to escape.

But how could Jack allow them to escape? In his eyes, that was the energy of the virus.

Jack rushed forward; the ten-meter distance was covered in a single leap.

Before the two lickers could even retreat, Jack was already in front of them. His speed not only shocked them, but even Jack himself could hardly believe it!

This time, Jack used all his strength, and even the mighty Licker didn't have a chance to react under his full power. However, just as Jack himself had predicted, his brain was not yet fully adapted to this body with a replaced skeleton and the C-virus.

Jack's original plan was to rush up to the two Lickers and, with lightning speed, smash their heads with both fists, just like before, using his body strength to smash their heads to pieces.

However, Jack misjudged his strength, jumping ability, and speed.

Jack leaped forward and was right in front of them in an instant, but the force was so great that he couldn't control it at all.

Before I could even throw a punch, my body still charged forward! I was positioned right between the two Lickers, and I charged through them unimpeded, heading straight for the group of bio-weapons that were desperately rushing towards me.

Jack couldn't help but sigh. He knew that only through fighting could he improve his strength; he wanted to become even stronger.

Indeed, only through actual combat can Jack fully develop his body, grasp information about all aspects of it, and thus enable his brain to make correct judgments. This is the true purpose of the combat training Tang Tian had Jack undergo. (To be continued...)