Lucky Little White Snake

Just as Orochimaru was slowly accepting Little White Snake, a mechanical voice rang out in his mind:

"Congratulations, host, for binding to the Snake Life Plot System!"

Even Orochimaru, known for his composure, was slightly stunned by the sudden voice in his head. Then, as if he had thought of something, he quickly began examining it carefully.

"Snake Life Plot System... Could this be the Cheat/System every transmigrator was supposed to have?"

Before Orochimaru could show his shock, another prompt came from his mind:

"This system has detected that the host's lifeline is full of ups and downs and plagued by misfortune. When the host triggers important plotlines, this system will provide certain rewards to alter the host's fate!"

"Trigger plotlines? And what are the rewards?"

Orochimaru hurriedly pressed for answers, but his question vanished like a stone sinking into the sea. The system gave no response.

The feeling of having something stuck in his throat, almost spoken but never released, left Orochimaru extremely uncomfortable.

Just as he began to suspect that he had merely been hallucinating, the system's voice sounded in his mind once more:

"This system has not yet been activated. The host is advised to wait patiently for the right opportunity. Given that the host is plagued by misfortune, this system will issue the Newbie Gift Package in advance. Would you like to receive it?"

"Newbie Gift Package?"

Orochimaru was overjoyed when he saw the prompt. Sure enough, the child who knew how to act cute got milk... got candy. It was actually being issued early.

"Receive!"

Although he knew this newfound Cheat/System would add something to his life, he could not keep the excitement out of his voice.

"Congratulations, host. You have obtained the abilities of Sebastian Shaw from the Marvel Universe. (Note: What good is a scientist without a sturdy body?)"

"Sebastian Shaw? Isn't that the Black King, the villain from X-Men: First Class?"

Although he had been a researcher in his previous life, he still watched movies and TV shows in his spare time. X-Men was a globally successful sci-fi film series, so naturally, it had left a deep impression on him.

And Sebastian Shaw, the villain at its center, had been an iconic old-school big boss.

The Black King could absorb kinetic energy, nuclear energy, magic, and nearly every other form of energy, then convert it to strengthen his own attributes or use it directly for attacks.

A grenade's explosion would be completely absorbed the instant it went off. Even attacks from dozens of machine guns or rocket launchers could be taken head-on.

It was said that if he stood on the sun, he would become invincible—provided his energy conversion efficiency could keep up.

Furthermore, the absorbed energy could keep him from aging and dying. Whether he truly was immortal as rumored, however, was unknown, because Magneto had already killed him.

This ability could be said to ignore all physical damage, as long as his physical constitution was strong enough and his energy conversion rate could keep up.

As for the Meiton/Dark Release Hiruko had developed, how could the faint glow of fireflies dare compete with the brilliance of the moon? This was a completely upgraded version of Meiton/Dark Release, utterly crushing it in every respect.

A burst of pain snapped Orochimaru back to his senses. The cells throughout his body seemed to be in turmoil, while dense bumps continuously rose beneath his skin. The sight was extraordinarily horrifying.

Anyone else who saw this scene would have been scared senseless, but Orochimaru had no time to consider such matters right now.

Cell division and reorganization were extremely painful, and the mortality rate was exceptionally high. That was why people opposed human experimentation—it was simply too much effort for too little gain.

As the pain intensified, Orochimaru was already drenched in sweat. Yet he did not let out a pained howl. Instead, he clenched the blanket tightly between his teeth, afraid that he might accidentally bite his tongue off.

Seeing Orochimaru in such agony, the tiny Little White Snake was at a complete loss. It anxiously slithered around him, hoping it could somehow help.

The pain came quickly and faded just as quickly, gradually receding within a few minutes.

But Orochimaru had long since lost consciousness. The impact of cellular division felt as though his soul were being torn apart. Even Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, found it difficult to endure. The intense pain made him pass out before he could hold on for long.

Seeing that Orochimaru had calmed down, Little White Snake stopped its restless movements and returned to his pillow, quietly standing guard once more.

Changes at the Genetic Level could not possibly be completed so quickly. Although the surface of Orochimaru's body had returned to normal, the cells inside him were still constantly changing.

His brain, internal organs, and bones were transforming step by step. Orochimaru knew nothing of these changes until the sky darkened once again.

"How is he doing?"

A middle-aged man's voice sounded beside Orochimaru's hospital bed. His tone carried the authority of a superior, as though he were not asking a question but demanding an answer.

"Lord Hokage, Senior Orochimaru's physical indicators are all normal. The reason he has not awakened after so long is likely a mild concussion, combined with his body having been under excessive strain recently. His body has instinctively entered a dormant state. I believe he will wake up soon. You need not worry."

Upon hearing the Hokage's question, the doctor did not dare conceal anything. The man before him was Konoha's highest-ranking leader, while Orochimaru in the hospital bed was no ordinary person either.

"Mm, getting more rest is good too."

After glancing at the uneasy doctor and then at Orochimaru, whose breathing was steady, the Third Hokage did not linger. He turned and headed out of the ward, with the doctors and nurses hurriedly seeing him off.

As the leader of a village, he was very busy, especially with so many things happening lately. He had only found the time to come take a look at his disciple after work.

Not long after everyone left, Orochimaru slowly opened his eyes on the hospital bed.

While he had been groggy, he had already heard their conversation. Unfortunately, though his mind had been awake, his body would not obey him. Only now could he open his eyes.

As he felt out the various parts of his body again, he noticed nothing unusual. But a powerful wave of hunger made him realize that a long time had probably passed.

When he looked out the window, the sky had already gone completely dark. In the distance, the lights in the villagers' homes had been lit, casting a soft glow.

Seeing that he was awake, Little White Snake excitedly crawled up before Orochimaru's eyes and wagged its tail.

"Ah..."

Sitting up in bed, Orochimaru stretched. After sleeping for a day and a night, his bones had practically gone numb.

Recalling what had happened before he passed out, Orochimaru quickly inspected his current body.

It did not look any different, but the hunger and yearning emanating from every cell in his body told him that none of this had been a dream.

The blanket still bore faint bite marks and a trace of blood from before he had fainted. Although nurses had come in to tidy things up during that time, they had clearly overlooked this detail.

And the hunger coming from his body's cells was not simply a desire for food. Orochimaru could tell that it was a craving for external energy.

At that thought, Orochimaru was already eager to try out this ability.