Chapter 29: Johar, the Virus Genius

After Ye Hai was strung up in the tree, the NE-α parasite and the T-virus began operating at full capacity. His empty brain rapidly sprouted anew, and in a short time, a fresh brain had regrown. Through the nervous connections with the NE-α parasite, the memories that were originally transmitted to the parasite’s body were reloaded into his mind.

As if waking from another life, Ye Hai surveyed his surroundings, then felt his own head to confirm it was indeed back in place. Without hesitation, he took a syringe of “Simulated Zombie Virus” from the small satchel at his back and injected it into himself.

Ordinarily, this little trick for fooling mutants was of limited use in the radiation zone. But with the giant tree festooned with all manner of mutants, each baring its fangs at Ye Hai, the injection at last brought a measure of peace to the agitated horde.

The neural conduction systems of plants and animals differ greatly; as long as there wasn’t a mass disturbance among the mutants... By the time the giant tree realized that some of its vines had been severed and were no longer under its control, several minutes had already passed.

Seeing Joe in the distance thrust a syringe into his thigh, Ye Hai couldn’t help but smirk—injecting oneself had indeed become a hallmark move among corpse hunters! Ye Hai always preferred to pierce the major artery in his neck, while Joe invariably targeted his left thigh. Zero, that madwoman, delighted in stabbing herself right in the chest! Of the other two corpse hunters, one had so many pinpricks on his arm it resembled the arm of an addict. The last... claimed each time he injected his own backside, he was reminded of the joys of childhood—a truly preposterous notion!

Each had their own peculiar style.

After Joe injected the gray fluid, his entire body began to flush red. This was the effect of the recently administered “Boiling Blood Agent.” This cruel genetic compound, once inside the body, would heat the blood past 100 degrees Celsius in mere moments, causing it to evaporate and killing the victim in the most excruciating way imaginable.

And Joe was enduring this agony now.

The reason for this self-inflicted torment was that the Bloodbound Virus—one of the three trigger-activated devourer viruses Joe had invented—would only be activated if his blood reached 90 degrees Celsius.

Even Ye Hai had to concede: if not for his gene engineering system, he would be far less gifted than Joe when it came to virus development. Joe Hal was a true prodigy in viral research—the first to combine the Solar Staircase Primal Virus with the Zombie Virus to develop something rivaling the T-virus.

Moreover, in the field of viral activity suppression, Joe surpassed every expert and scholar in the galaxy.

The Musclebound Virus, used just yesterday to clear corpses from the cave, was one of his creations. It could dissolve any lifeform below stage five until not a trace remained, erasing them from existence.

The Bloodbound Virus, however, was Joe’s specialized weapon for combating mutants. This virus required extremely high temperatures—90 degrees Celsius—to survive even briefly. Given the industrial conditions on Zombie Star, it was nearly impossible to manufacture a container that could preserve the virus. Joe, therefore, used his own body as the vessel, employing a series of techniques to induce deep dormancy in the virus so it could adapt to the “low temperatures” of the human body and thus survive.

Once released, the virus would invade all hosts infected with the Zombie Virus, triggering frenetic activity to maintain the high temperature required for its own survival and reproduction.

Thanks to the Solar Staircase Virus’s formidable regenerative powers, any damage sustained during its clash with the Zombie Virus would be rapidly repaired. The ultimate result was the detonation of the Zombie Virus—an explosion whose splatter further accelerated the Bloodbound Virus’s invasion.

As these viruses moved ever faster, they would multiply exponentially, ballooning their numbers in a snowball effect.

Joe had engineered this miraculous virus with the mutant tide in mind, a weapon of last resort to annihilate vast numbers of mutants at the cost of his own life. Originally a desperate gambit, now—having survived the T-virus transformation—the Bloodbound Virus might become a devastatingly powerful standard weapon.

If the various bioweapons of the viral crisis aimed primarily at enhancement, then Joe’s path was the pursuit of ultimate destruction!

As Joe’s blood evaporated, dense blood mist seeped from every pore. At first, the virus seemed sluggish as it emerged from Joe’s body, as if dazed from a long sleep. Then, the next moment, the red mist surged as if fiercely provoked, rushing toward the encircling horde of mutants.

As the Bloodbound Virus rippled outward from Joe in waves, it instantly invaded the bodies of the mutants. Those infected first froze, then their bodies began to contort in bizarre ways, with blood-filled holes of various sizes erupting across their forms. At last, with a dull “bang,” they burst apart.

From the fragments of these exploded mutants, even more red mist billowed out, ravenously consuming nearby mutants.

It was as if a drop of red ink had fallen into clear water, sending ripples outward that rapidly expanded. The color did not fade in the slightest; if anything, it became even more lurid and unnatural.

Surrounded by mutants, Joe still stood upright—but his eyes were vacant. At last, a gust from the chain of explosions toppled him backward, his fate unknown.

Squatting on a branch of the giant mutant tree, Ye Hai watched all this unfold with cool detachment. He sliced through the many vines binding the nearby mutants, and in an instant, they tumbled down like rain.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Ye Hai shifted form once again, mimicking a Licker, and dropped to the ground with the rest. Amidst the turmoil, he, in the guise of a Licker, dug a large hole and quickly slipped underground.

...

“My god!”

“What is that red mist?”

“Like a swarm of locusts devouring a field of rice, it wiped out all those mid- and low-level mutants in an instant?”

Zexi, who had been watching events below, suddenly sprang from his chair and strode forward a few steps, unable to contain himself. Staring at the large screen in utter shock, he didn’t blink.

“The stage-seven plant mutant has begun to make contact with the red mist!”

“It exploded—its tendrils are bursting!”

“The giant tree—its branches are shattering as well... This... It’s unbelievable!”

“That’s a stage-seven mutant, controlling thousands upon thousands of others, and in just a few dozen seconds... in no time at all, everything’s been wiped out!”

“God, it’s astonishing. Look at that red mist—it seems almost alive, actively seeking out mutants... Is it some kind of virus?”

“The Undercurrent must acquire him...”

“Send orders to my darling immediately—he is to check on that corpse hunter at once...”

“If he’s still alive, get him out of the radiation zone!”

“I don’t care about any so-called weight-loss mutant virus, I... I don’t want it this time... Maybe next time!”