Testing

The mutagenic effect of Amazon Cells on living organisms inevitably came with intense heat. It was almost as if the process of developing an embryo into a mature individual had been compressed into a few short seconds. The heat generated by the materials consumed in the various changes dissipated in an instant. Some of it was carried away by evaporating moisture, while the rest spread into the surrounding space, causing the air to expand violently.

As this Lesser Bloodline transformed from a vampire into a Fang Vampire, it shed most of its restraints. The needles that had injected glucose, saline, anesthetics, and highly concentrated protein into its body were forced out by its muscles, and the puncture wounds healed in an instant. The restraints caught fire and snapped under its struggles, allowing everyone to see its whole body—though high-strength alloy handcuffs and shackles still held it to the iron bed.

The shackles had been cleverly fastened around the Fang Vampire's joints, its weakest points when exerting force. Combined with the iron bed, they left it completely unable to move. It could not break free unless it had the strength and resolve to snap its own limbs.

"Begin the test!" Doctor Death said, taking a sip of beer with a strip of dried squid. He gave the combatants their orders. The test, of course, was to find out just how strong the Fang Vampire was.

As a control for the experiment, another vampire bound to an iron bed was wheeled in. Unlike the one that had become a new species, this vampire had been injected with nothing and was not unconscious. It kept chattering at the combatants pushing it along.

#But Shocker combatants were all synthetics. They only obeyed the orders of Shocker executives and had no emotions such as fear. Even when alone and facing twenty-five Kamen Riders, they would still charge forward, weapons raised, and then face the grim realities of life.

Whether the vampire threatened them by revealing that it was a vampire or tried to bribe them with all sorts of benefits, the combatants remained unmoved. They only left after setting it down beside the Fang Vampire. Realizing it was in for a bad end, the vampire began cursing and swearing, determined to enjoy a few choice words before it died.

Doctor Death glanced at Victor on the tablet. He saw no trace of disgust on Victor's face—only the same amused smile. Then he said, "First, sunlight."

A lamp suddenly lit up in the room. Light of a specific frequency bathed both test subjects. The Fang Vampire stood unmoved, while the other vampire began screaming. After only a few seconds of exposure, the skin not covered by its clothes began to ulcerate as if burned, looking ready to melt away in another few seconds.

The light went out. The vampire scorched by the simulated sunlight had turned to ash, leaving only an empty bed. But the experiment did not stop. Another vampire was bound to the iron bed and wheeled in. A fire-suppression sprinkler opened overhead, spraying water mixed with garlic extract... Then came silver weapons, a cross, and a Bible.

For an experiment, Doctor Death's test procedures were crude and simplistic, but the results were immediately obvious.

#The control vampires had been replaced several times by the end of the experiment, while the Fang Vampire had done nothing but grow increasingly agitated, as if enraged. It had shown no other reaction. Even the sharp silver weapons had failed to leave a mark on its exoskeleton.

"Next is the final test: live ammunition!"

Small-caliber pistols, submachine guns, automatic rifles, and shotguns were all brought to bear. The Shocker combatants had bodies far beyond ordinary humans, and the shooting stands helped keep recoil from affecting their aim. Nearly every type of bullet struck the Fang Vampire's body, but most could only leave marks on its exoskeleton. The few that pierced its defenses merely caused it pain and made it scream.

One of the weapons, after all, was a shotgun, supposedly the great equalizer. They had even used slugs. The fact that the Fang Vampire could do no more than scream was proof enough of its physical toughness.

"This Fang Vampire was transformed from the lowest-class vampire. The stronger the Blood Clan member, the stronger the Fang Vampire they'll become after being injected with Amazon Cells," Doctor Death said. "And after a successful transformation, they can freely switch between their combat and ordinary forms. They won't lose their human appearance or ability to hide, nor will they provoke rejection from their original species."

Victor wanted to gain more power within the Blood Clan and, by extension, control a larger base of influence. That meant he could not present himself as a monster. Compared to the Blood Clan, with their long lifespans, short-lived humans were more creative.

#Vampires formed a parasitic civilization, utterly dependent on human society. Their rulers could not appear as monsters. Compared to a monster with a human heart, a monster with a human appearance was the one humans would trust.

Take the American people, for example. They could accept a president who was a Black man, and they could tolerate a president who was a spy sent by a country on the other side of the ocean. Even if the person in that office was an idiot, the American people would support him or her, because the president was elected by popular vote. Even if the president's new policies sent unemployment soaring, even if millions went bankrupt, they would have no complaints—because this was their "democracy."

But that president absolutely could not be nonhuman. That would make the people feel they were "slaves" to another species rather than citizens. Then either the president would be "disappeared" for the sake of "political correctness," or the American people would be wiped out completely.

After Marvel Comics made mutants nonhuman because of toy sales, mutants who became president in the comics never had an easy time. They were either assassinated or their policies backfired.

Before Victor could respond, a red light flashed in the Fang Vampire's compound eyes. It began struggling furiously. A moment later, there was a crack, and it forcibly snapped its bound hands and feet off its body. Reduced almost to a torso, it fell from the iron bed.

The moment it touched the floor, the exoskeletal appendages on its body rapidly swelled, propping it back up. Through the bulletproof glass, it glared viciously at Doctor Death and the vampire Bill. "I'll kill you!"

Thanks to the recent popularity of vampire-themed films and television shows, vampires in those works were portrayed as noble, elegant, and alluring creatures. So even as a low-ranking vampire, this Fang Vampire had been popular at nightclubs and other places. Those whose minds had been ruined by feel-good education would flock to it after learning what it was.

Yet in just one day, it had become meat on someone else's chopping board, transformed into a monster and cruelly abused as an experimental subject.

It wanted revenge! It wanted to tear apart the people who had made it this way.

Its four appendages scuttled rapidly as the Fang Vampire charged the bulletproof glass. But losing its limbs had greatly reduced its weight, and its injuries slowed it down. It only managed to crack the observation window before bouncing back. The bulletproof glass remained intact, thanks to its construction.

On the second impact, the Fang Vampire achieved its goal. Two appendages shot out like window-breaking spikes, and it hurtled through amid a storm of glass fragments, charging at Doctor Death, who looked frail and delicate. Bill might have been nothing more than a tool, but to the Fang Vampire, who had until recently been a low-ranking member of the Blood Clan, he was a hugely important figure. Even after changing into another species, the innate difference in status remained. The Fang Vampire instinctively avoided Bill.

But Doctor Death was the real tough nut to crack!