Marvel's Death Merchant

"What's going on?" Marquis asked, looking puzzled as he held his luggage. "The superheroes went there too?"

"I don't know why, I just have a feeling that if we go to Tokyo, we might run into a lot of trouble, a lot of trouble." Ares looked at the sky; the sun seemed to have dimmed. The T-virus infection had spread uncontrollably, and no one could stop it. (To be continued...)

Chapter 252 Secret Research Institute

A secret military research institute in Manhattan, New York City, USA.

"Doctor, how's your research going? The T-virus and its antidote are extremely important," Nick Fury said nervously to a military biology PhD at a secret military research institute.

“Nick, you should know that the military and our institute have already informed us that we cannot tell anyone about our research progress, including S.H.I.E.L.D. Besides, you've asked me many times, have I ever given you any information? The answer is no! So this time, it's still no comment.” The doctor said this with obvious bluntness, turning back to walk towards the institute.

“Doctor, you need to tell me this. This is very important, and the T-virus was obtained by Black Widow and Hawkeye through great difficulty in Tokyo.” Nick Fury raised his voice slightly, but no one in the research institute could hear him.

Just as the doctor was about to leave, he turned back somewhat bewilderedly to look at Nick Fury: "Nick, why are you so eager to know the progress of the T-virus and that specimen research? Don't tell me it's to strengthen S.H.I.E.L.D.'s power. Iron Man has already been invited to join S.H.I.E.L.D. Actually, you originally wanted others to conduct the research, but some people seem to disagree. That's why you had me do it." The doctor's voice lowered considerably at the end of the last sentence, clearly indicating some dissatisfaction with Nick Fury.

"My purpose is very simple: for the security of the United States," Nick Fury said firmly, especially emphasizing the word "United States."

"Your operation was a great success, allowing us to obtain Umbrella's biotechnology, which will benefit all of humanity. General Ross also needs the T-virus and the Superman serum to enable enhanced humans to capture the Hulk," the doctor said thoughtfully.

"By the way, although I can't tell you about the progress of the T-virus research, I think you should also know some things."

“Okay, I’d like to hear it too,” Nick Fury nodded to the sky and said to the doctor.

“Alright, come with me!” the doctor said, leading Nick Fury forward.

The doctor led Nick Fury into a cold room.

"Are you ready?" The doctor prepared to open the specimen coffin.

“No need to say that. Have you forgotten that I was the one who brought this specimen back?” Nick Fury said calmly.

"Oh, right, I forgot about that," the doctor said, slapping his forehead.

"Clang—" The coffin door slowly opened.

"See? We've already dissected the zombie, so it's a little different from when you brought it back. But some characteristics are still there. Let me explain!" the doctor explained.

"First of all, its clothes are very ordinary, made of common fabric, which indicates that it is a human that has mutated."

"Isn't that obvious?" Nick Fury thought to himself, speechless.

“Take a close look at his skin, those pale areas. It’s all caused by the T-virus absorbing the host’s nutrients. Also, when it mutates, the entire body is absorbed by the T-virus, which also reduces its own combat power,” the doctor said, looking at Nick Fury.

"And the most important part of him is his head. You may not feel anything about that head, but when you used the electrical current to test it, I realized that it was actually the T-virus that controlled his brain," the doctor said, looking at the sample. Clearly, the initial research had taught him something.

"What's frightening is that, through our numerous experiments, we've discovered a terrifying secret." The doctor's expression turned serious.

"We found that the T-virus was dominating everything and was constantly mutating." The doctor looked at it.

“Constantly mutating!” Nick Fury thought to himself in alarm.

"It's about the T-virus's mutability. When we first started researching the original T-virus, we discovered that it not only has the ability to evolve, but also the ability to mutate. Those that can adapt can become superhumans, while those that can't will become zombies," the doctor said with lingering fear.

"At first, we thought it was just a mutation within ordinary zombies. However, due to a mistake in studying the T-virus samples, we discovered that the T-virus itself has the ability to mutate, as proven by experiments on mice." The doctor's expression grew even more somber.

"Mutation?!" Nick Fury was filled with terror. Ordinary zombies were one thing, but mutated T-virus creatures were a different story; Black Widow and Hawkeye had encountered special individuals.

"Well, I don't know about Tokyo, and we're not sure yet. However, I still hope to destroy that area, otherwise, if it spreads, even superheroes won't be able to handle it," the doctor said calmly.

"That's terrifying. It seems the military was right to destroy that place." Nick Fury suddenly felt that some people's decisions were correct.

Meanwhile, Wesker reported to Tang Tian from an office on the top floor of the Umbrella Corporation building, "Boss, Chris's sister Claire wants to go to Raccoon City, probably because of her brother. The company doesn't allow Claire to enter Raccoon City."

"Okay, I understand. Let Claire go in, you can go now!" Tang Tian rubbed his temples and waved to Wesker.

Tang Tian knew where Chris's sister would go, and he didn't stop her. The reason she went to Raccoon City to find him was probably because of Tang Tian's identity; only he could allow Claire into the city already overrun by zombies. However, speaking of which, Wolverine's enemies and some high-ranking officials in Tokyo, since learning of the T-virus outbreak in Tokyo, have moved all their assets to the United States.

"Phew, we're finally here! I can finally find Chris!" Claire, a girl with a ponytail and wearing a jacket, jumped off her motorcycle and exclaimed as she looked at Raccoon City.

It was already night, and the night seemed so long, at least for Claire. Bathed in moonlight, she looked like a lone boat adrift on a black sea, so utterly alone.

Claire hadn't eaten properly for two days and was looking for a place to get some food. However, on this deserted street, Claire's eyes were fixed on a small restaurant less than 30 meters ahead, a place that seemed to be telling her that she hadn't had a good meal in a long time. But she didn't notice the terrifying sounds pounding in her eardrums, as if telling her not to ignore their presence.

Raccoon City was dark and eerily quiet, seemingly deserted, a stark contrast to its previous brightly lit and bustling atmosphere. Claire had been to Raccoon City countless times, but this was the first time she felt utterly alienated. The eerie scene prevented Claire from immediately noticing anything amiss.

"Anyway, let's find something to eat first," Claire said softly as she pushed open the glass door of a restaurant facing the street. "Is anyone inside?"

No one answered her, but at that moment when she was least expecting it, a voice came from behind her, "Woo-woo, ripping, roar..." The roar was so unfamiliar, like the sound of an animal. (To be continued...)

Chapter 253 Deadpool

Hearing the sound, Claire jumped up immediately. She glanced behind her, but the zombie's nearly crazed face was already a step away. Claire didn't move, terrified. But by the time she reacted, she knew it was too late.

"Bang!" A bullet from a Desert Eagle pistol pierced the zombie that was about to pounce on Claire.

Claire paused, looking in the direction of the gunshot. In front of her stood a handsome young man with short blond hair, but he was expressionless, as if he couldn't smile. Then, the Desert Eagle was pointed at Claire's forehead.

"Th...thank you..." Claire said slowly, looking at Leon.

“This isn’t the time to say thank you. Let’s wait until we’re in a safe place.” With that, Leon led Claire out of the dangerous little shop and into a secluded room.

"Well, let me introduce myself. I'm Leon Scott Kennedy, just call me Leon. I'm a new police officer sent here by Umbrella Corporation, fresh out of police academy. I didn't expect to run into something like this so soon." Leon shook his head and said with a grim expression.

"Oh, what's that? Leon, did you bring a survivor?" A lazy voice came from a hidden place.

Claire turned her head and saw a masked man with two knives on his back and two pistols on his shoulders.

"Hello, my name is Wade. I'm what you call a mutant..." Wade explained casually to Claire as soon as he saw her.

“Alright, Wade. Now is not the time to talk. We need to get out of here. Umbrella Corporation left a helicopter at Raccoon City Central Hospital. That’s our only way out,” Leon said suddenly, his expression serious.

"Then... can I come with you? I want to find my brother," Claire asked Leon cautiously.

"Do you have a choice? Of course, we'll protect you," Leon said, scoffing. He glanced at Deadpool Wade.

“Okay, no problem,” Wade said nonchalantly.

The Raccoon City sun always seems to appear here at this time of year, as if by unspoken agreement. A sun breaks through the horizon in the east, leaping from the earth to illuminate the sky above where Claire and Leon's group are. It's as if it's lamenting the tragic events that have unfolded in this place.

A few days later, "Hey everyone, come over here," Leon said to the two men.

Wade and Claire moved closer, wanting to see if Leon had any other way to leave. Based on Leon's deductions, Claire knew that her brother and she were headed for the same place.

“The car we found is running low on fuel; it can only go about 10 kilometers. We need to find a place to refuel quickly, otherwise we'll have to walk. The road to Raccoon City will be very dangerous,” Leon said, looking at the two people beside him.

"Do you have any good ideas?" Claire asked nervously.

Leon opened a map that was in the car. He found their current location, and suddenly his hand stopped at the nearest building.

"Let's do it here, it's a gas station. Gas stations usually have fuel," Leon said confidently to the group.

"Yeah, whatever. As long as you don't have to face zombies directly," Wade said calmly.

The group got into the found car and drove towards downtown Raccoon City. Inside, they seemed to regain a sense of security, as if the world in the rearview mirror was being rapidly left behind, but their hearts remained heavy. Apart from Wade, Leon and Claire, no one in the car exchanged a single word.

Of course, along the way, Wade killed most of them with his powerful superpowers; the zombies weren't Wade with superpowers.

So after driving less than a kilometer, a gas station appeared before them, so conspicuous in the heart of the city. They said nothing. They quietly drove towards the gas station.

The sun, as if permeating the sky with color, hovered in the air, overlooking the entire Raccoon City that it illuminated.

In Raccoon City, a prominent gas station appeared before them, filling them with excitement. This was their only way out. The three of them carefully entered the seemingly empty gas station.

"What kind of gas station is this? There isn't even a car here," Wade complained in a low voice as he walked.

“They must have driven off,” Claire said, looking at the marks on the ground.

“Let’s go to the parking lot and shops here. We can’t leave empty-handed, can we?” Wade shook his head and said to them.

“Okay, let’s split up. Claire and I will be the two ordinary people, and you guys go to the shop next door to find the food we need. We’ll meet up here later,” Leon said, pointing to the area.

"We need to hurry, a heavy rain is likely to come back to greet us." In that environment, our combat effectiveness decreased while the combat effectiveness of those creatures increased.

The three people split into two groups and began exploring the huge gas station.

As darkness fell, dark clouds gathered from all directions, enveloping the fiery sun. The sun was gradually obscured by the clouds, and the world seemed to fall into the hands of darkness once again.

Wade teleported instantly to one of the underground parking lots, and the emptiness of the parking lot immediately chilled him to the bone. There was clearly no gasoline, not even a morsel of food.

"Damn it," Wade muttered under his breath, then moved to another location.

“Let’s go check that out,” Lyon said, pointing to the gas station shop next door.

The two men entered the store, their eyes fixed on a row of neatly arranged food counters, overflowing with a vast quantity of food. At the very back, Leon even spotted several barrels of gasoline—a guarantee they would leave.

“Oh, this is really great!” Claire exclaimed excitedly.

"This gas station has pretty good perks, it even has its own shop and gasoline." A slight smile appeared on Leon's face. Luckily, the zombies had all moved to the city center, which is why there were so few zombies here.

Two busy figures appeared at the gas station under the dark clouds. They carried all the food they could lift and loaded it into their car.

"Hmm? What's that sound?" Leon asked Claire beside him.

"I don't know, maybe it's just a rumor?" Claire was focused on moving the food and finding the gasoline.

Leon was extremely vigilant, perhaps having learned this from the virtual world. She picked up her pistol and looked out of the car.

"Let's go, Claire." Leon's eyes remained fixed on the outside. "It's not safe here." Leon then turned to Claire.

“Oh, I see. But we must get enough that we need.” Claire said, then continued working. (To be continued...)

Chapter 254 Marcus's Plan

Leaving aside the situation in Raccoon City, Leon, Deadpool, and the others were preparing to leave and return to the United States to report on the situation. Hydra and Marcus were working on a new plan.

James Marcus is not only the developer of the T-virus, but who else besides Marcus, who was resurrected by the Leech Queen, could control leeches to attack the Umbrella Corporation?

The biochemical virus leak at the Hive Base, and even the biochemical incidents throughout the Arklay Mountains, were all caused by this hateful Marcus.

Yes, it was Marcus's hatred. It was hatred for Spencer, hatred for William Parken and Albert Wesker, and hatred for the Umbrella Corporation. That's why Marcus controlled the leeches and worked with Red Skull of Hydra to sabotage the Umbrella Corporation.

He was essentially the one who created the T-virus; no one understood it better than him. Its unparalleled destructive consequences could serve as a tool for revenge, and that's probably what Marcus was thinking. So he released the T-virus, setting the stage for world destruction, and had Hydra take the previously sealed T-virus out of the laboratory and destroy it elsewhere.

Red Skull wouldn't sympathize with his plight; what he needed was Marcus's significant achievements in T-virus research. Perhaps Marcus never imagined that, brimming with confidence and believing he could defeat Spencer, he would be betrayed by his two most trusted students, William Parken and Albert Wesker. Filled with resentment, he sank into the sewers, selling his soul to the Leech Queen, thus gaining a new lease on life and seeking revenge against the Umbrella Corporation.

Before being killed, Marcus was already a man driven mad by the T-virus, the instigator of Umbrella Corporation's biological weapons experiments. Now, he's even more insane, in the sewers of the Arklay research facility. After a long period of rebirth, his only motivation is revenge.

Marcus eventually found an opportunity to slowly undermine Umbrella Corporation's power by teaming up with Red Skull, a like-minded individual, and to spread the T-virus to the world. This was Marcus's objective.

“Oh. Hello, my partner, Red Skull,” Marcus said calmly, looking at Red Skull.

Marcus opened his eyes first; there were no pupils in them. Since it was just a leech simulation, it was completely fake, so there was no problem.