Virus Sensitivity

Just as Xia Tianming silently devoured the Tyrant's headless body, leaving nothing but its metal skeleton, something happened.

Suddenly, spiral-shaped metal rods thrust out of the surrounding walls and floor, releasing a powerful, visible web of electricity!

When Wesker saw that Xia Tianming still wasn't answering him, perhaps feeling his pride had been wounded, he finally lost patience and pressed the electric shock button!

Nearly a million volts surged through Xia Tianming's body, making him convulse violently. Viral tendrils burst through his skin and writhed frantically, as if his entire body were about to explode!

But he still didn't release the tendrils devouring the Tyrant's body. Gritting his teeth, he continued to "eat."

Seeing that Xia Tianming seemed to react to the electric shock, Wesker resumed his cold expression and said, "My friend, do you really have to be so resistant to working with us? Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. There are plenty of ways to deal with you. I suggest you think it over carefully."

Xia Tianming still didn't answer. The tendrils on his body stretched out, twitching, and plunged into the concrete floor with a squelch, diverting some of the current shocking him into the ground.

The electric shock Wesker unleashed didn't make him give in. Instead, it stirred up the emotion the Blacklight Virus had stripped from him—anger!

Just let me get out of here. I'll pay you back a hundredfold for what you did to me!

An ordinary person struck by a million volts would have been reduced to a pile of black ash by now. But Xia Tianming was still eating, a glutton through and through.

"This guy... does he even have any other weaknesses?"

Seeing him still gnawing at the Tyrant's body, the shareholders couldn't help swallowing. A deep fear gripped them. If they really let him out, they had no idea what could stop him.

When Wesker saw that Xia Tianming still wouldn't give in, he increased the current even further!

By now, black smoke was rising from Xia Tianming's entire body. Some of his tendrils even sparked, crackling and popping!

His face was twisted into a demonic grimace, and black had swallowed his eyes until not a trace of white remained!

Finally!

Every last bit of flesh had been devoured from the Tyrant's remains. With a clanging crash, the enormous skeleton, now coated in liquid metal, hit the ground!

Virus energy +1000

[Blacklight Threshold 3000/3000]

The instant he crossed the Blacklight Threshold!

The tendrils extending from Xia Tianming's body lashed about wildly, twisting apart every protruding electric shock device around him!

Then the tendrils withdrew and quickly interlaced across his skin, soon wrapping him in a massive black-and-red cocoon!

The people in the Safe House watched, their faces once again full of astonishment.

Wesker, who had already seen this through satellite surveillance, was the only one whose expression wasn't as exaggerated as theirs.

"Has the kid evolved again? I'm rather looking forward to seeing what he'll turn into next." Rarely removing his sunglasses, Wesker walked up to the observation window and murmured to himself.

His intense curiosity made him forget how dangerous Xia Tianming was. He eagerly anticipated the man's next mutation.

When Xia Tianming emerged from his cocoon again, would he still look human? Or would he take on the monstrous appearance of a G-Virus-infected creature?

Wesker was confident that Xia Tianming would never break out of this impregnable fortress, which was why he had no fear.

The Blacklight cocoon Xia Tianming had become swelled and contracted in the middle of the testing chamber like the heart of a giant brimming with vitality!

Its "thump, thump" reverberated through the entire testing hall like muffled thunder!

During this time, Wesker used the automatic machine guns hidden around the chamber to test-fire at the cocoon. But the bullets only sparked against its seemingly soft surface, leaving faint marks.

The cocoon, formed from condensed viral tendrils, was far harder than anyone had imagined!

They didn't dare release any more infected creatures for further tests. Who knew whether Xia Tianming might evolve again, beyond their control?

So they could only watch helplessly as the enormous cocoon stood in the center of the chamber.

About half a minute passed.

The Blacklight cocoon's heartbeat gradually slowed, and the dried tendrils on its surface began to fall away. Just like before, it seemed all its nutrients had been absorbed by whatever lay within.

Then came a series of sounds like cracking eggshells. The cocoon completely crumbled, revealing the person inside!

Xia Tianming stood in the middle of the cocoon, now reduced to black powder, and lowered his head to look at his palm.

At a thought, a mass of black-and-red tendrils extended from his skin and rapidly covered his arms, condensing and layering over one another!

In less than two seconds, his arms had transformed into a pair of brutally powerful Biomass Blacklight Great Hammers!

The massive hammerheads, black and red, were covered in ridges, like they'd been carved with obscure demonic incantations. Countless tiny tendrils writhed frantically across their surfaces.

Had he just unlocked Hammer Fist Form?!

Besides unlocking a new viral weapon, every aspect of Xia Tianming's body had been enhanced, including his senses and strength!

He raised his Hammer Fists and tried bringing them down on the floor with all his might!

BOOM!

The floor within ten meters of him instantly caved in, riddled with cracks, as rocks flew in every direction!

If he struck a tank with this kind of force, he could probably flatten it with a single punch!

Xia Tianming immediately turned and smashed the wall. A huge amount of concrete crashed down, and the damage was far greater than what the out-of-control Tyrant had just caused!

Could he break out of this cage?!

He struck the wall several more times. Only after knocking away all the concrete did he discover that beneath it lay a massive metal plate, just like the one in the metal door!

No matter how hard he hit it, he couldn't smash through several meters of metal. All he could do was dent it slightly.

Seeing this, the people in the Safe House finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If he wanted to destroy the most secure facility in the world, every punch would have to hit with the force of a nuclear blast!

"Hmph. Stop struggling for nothing. You'll never escape this place. Your only way out is to work with us. If you—"

Wesker, who was usually a man of few words, had become unusually talkative today. He kept trying to persuade Xia Tianming.

But Xia Tianming paid no attention to his rambling. He stopped hitting the wall and closed his eyes, as if sensing something.

This evolution had enhanced all of his abilities exponentially, including his perception.

Filtering out Wesker's voice, which filled the entire testing chamber, Xia Tianming sensed what seemed to be a "kindred" somewhere in a particular direction. He could faintly feel it even through the thick protective walls!

Was this the Blacklight Virus's ability to sense its own kind?

Xia Tianming focused and tried to see if he could establish a connection with it.

Meanwhile, in the Temporary Research Institute next to the Safe House, a group of white-coated researchers gathered around a thick bulletproof glass enclosure, marveling at what they saw.

Inside the enclosure, a mass of dark red material writhed strangely in a petri dish. It looked like slime, a slug, or a lump of modeling clay.

It kept twisting into different shapes inside the glass, as if it were alive.

This lump of black material was a fragment the Umbrella Corporation had collected from the battlefield. It had come from Xia Tianming!