Extremis Virus
"Marvel's Magnetic Field Rotation"
"Your research is excellent; your starting point was correct, your process was correct, and the results you aimed to achieve were also correct."
After listening to Maya Hansen's explanation, Doctor Death highly praised their research, considering it a milestone in human evolution. Then, the turning point arrived.
"Human genes are missing, like a missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle. If we could just put it back together, humanity could evolve into a completely new species... Unfortunately, your method is wrong."
Doctor Death presented a series of data formulas to refute the fallacies of the Vanguard Technology duo, asking, "What's the method you use for DNA recoding called?"
"Extremis virus," Maya Hansen said.
"Extremis virus..." Doctor Death pointed to the formula on the projection screen and said, "In order to create the Gaia Memory, I once conducted a large-scale analysis of human DNA genome maps and discovered that the human race, since its birth, has been like open-source software. As long as you have its source code, anyone can upgrade it."
"This analogy is inappropriate because human genes are inherently very unstable. Of course, this instability also means infinite possibilities—drugs, radiation, and many other factors can cause structural reorganization, leading to various benign and malignant mutations, turning people into monsters, or granting them special abilities."
"The existence of Inhuman is due to someone installing a plugin into their genes to upgrade them. However, the technology of this upgrade package is too low, and the Inhuman's abilities have various drawbacks."
"Your Extremis virus merely completes the source code, completely neglecting its immense potential. Furthermore, I predict that those injected with the Extremis virus have only a very small chance of experiencing evolution; there's a high probability they'll instantly turn into bombs due to genetic collapse."
The things Doctor Death said weren't just "speculations" based on movie plots, but solid scientific analysis: the human genome in this world is indeed very unstable.
Upon hearing this, Maya Hansen and Kilian's eyes lit up—not from the glow of eyes after being injected with the Extremis virus, but from the excitement of researchers who had made a new discovery.
Maya Hansen, who initially conducted research in this area, could only conduct related experiments on plants. Even so, the samples were still very unstable, and the plants were very prone to exploding. It was a formula that Tony Stark casually wrote on a small card that made her research advance by leaps and bounds. Kilian's ideas on human evolution coincided with Maya Hansen's, and the two of them worked together to successfully develop the initial Extremis virus.
However, the success rate of the experiments was not high. Volunteers usually ended up exploding. The only successful experimental subject was Kilian himself. At that time, they were preparing to seek investment from the military. The military had money, and the disabled veterans were also a very large market.
Like in other countries around the world, in the United States. military, wages are paid according to different ranks and branches of service.
Even the most ordinary soldier receives a bonus of $10,000 to $30,000 upon enlistment, and their annual salary after a year of service is around $30,000. Officers earn even more, with $60,000 to $70,000. Keep in mind that the annual income of an average United States family is only around $50,000.
Of course, in addition to their basic salary, soldiers also receive a wide variety of subsidies, such as food, accommodation, transportation, holiday duty allowances, and wear and tear on clothing and equipment. The cost of training a qualified soldier is not a small amount of US dollars.
When they retire, the soldiers will receive a substantial pension.
Of course, there are times when the United States can't afford to pay retirement pensions and subsidies. When veterans protested, the US resorted to using tanks to run them over and disperse them. This is one of only two records (to my knowledge) of tanks running over civilians in peacetime. The other instance was also done by the United States in South Korea.
With the Extremis virus, combat effectiveness is enhanced, and the service life of wounded soldiers can be extended, saving a significant amount of expenditure.
In order to produce a passable sample, Kilian, who was desperate at the time, chose to be injected. However, he was lucky. The Extremis virus repaired his defects, turning him from a cripple and ugly man into the handsome man he is today.
Before they could connect with the military, Baron Strucker's men approached them. Under a barrage of money, they sold their company and went from being owners to employees, but their situation was much better than before.
However, research on the Extremis virus has not yielded any results, and it still cannot escape the realm of a formula casually coined by Tony Stark.
To further improve the Extremis virus, it seems the only way is to ask Tony Stark for help—but no matter how you look at it, that's impossible.
However, Baron Strucker somehow managed to bring in such a remarkable figure who, simply by recounting the events, was able to raise the problems they had discovered in their research. It seemed he must have a solution.
"You've found a way to repair defects in the human body, but have you found the filler material to repair defects in the human genome?" Doctor Death said. "It's like you're doing human gene welding work, and you've found the best method, manual arc welding, but you're only thinking about welding by melting and welding metal parts, without the core metal of the welding rod as filler metal. Of course, the failure rate is high."
Did we misunderstand our approach?
"Your idea is correct, but your method is wrong. You could have created powerful superhumans, but even if the success rate of the Extremis virus increases, at best you can only create slightly stronger bio-soldiers."
Doctor Death stopped talking to the Vanguard Technology duo and turned to Baron Strucker, who looked completely bewildered. Although Kilian was in charge of the technology, it was Strucker who truly made the decisions. "I have two gene serums here, and I'm struggling with how to conduct human trials. But after hearing about your research project, it just so happens to be a complementary drug to the Extremis virus... Shall we start the experiment now?"
How could Baron Strucker refuse? Doctor Death and SHOCKER were Malik's partners. Having inherited the legacy of the Third Reich, their technological development differed from the current mainstream, yet they remained ahead of their time.
The Third Reich, Japan, and the United States are the countries in the world with the most thorough research on human genes. SHOCKER is also famous for its reliable human enhancement technology. Since Doctor Death is so confident in bringing out a gene serum for experiments, he must have something to be sure of.
As for the experiment failing, it's just a waste of some equipment, reagents, and experimental materials.
This research base has none of these three things in abundance.