G-Virus Enhancement (Asking for Some Votes)

After finishing his meal, Xiao Hen followed the small road by the street back to the residential area.

Although New City Residential Area had the word "new" in its name, it was actually an old complex. New developments were too expensive for Xiao Hen's father to afford, so for the convenience of his son's work, he had bought a secondhand two-bedroom apartment there. He had originally planned to sell the old place once Xiao Hen got married and take out a new mortgage on a new home, but now...

Xiao Hen checked the time on his phone and quickly returned home.

"The Shuttle still hasn't been fully repaired. Do I need to travel to another world again?" Xiao Hen closed the door, walked into the living room, took a bottle of yogurt from the refrigerator, and drank as he asked.

"Yes. Host, you must enter another world within ten days and find a way to repair the Shuttle," the Machine Intelligence Program said.

"Within ten days..." Xiao Hen muttered, then asked again, "How will the Shuttle be repaired? Will you repair it on your own again, and all I need to do is survive in that world for one month?"

His instincts told him it could not possibly be that simple. Sure enough, the Machine Intelligence Program's next words made him sigh.

"In the world of Resident Evil, the air contains a special energy fused with viruses, which helps repair the Shuttle. Therefore, I can confidently absorb that element. Other worlds may not be the same. After entering a world, I will naturally issue the items needed to repair the Shuttle in the form of missions. Please rest assured, Host."

Rest assured...

How could I rest assured if I don't know the details and can't make preparations beforehand?

Frowning, Xiao Hen rubbed his head and asked, "Can I know in advance what world I'll be going to?"

"Not for now. Once the Shuttle has been fully repaired, Host will obtain Intermediate Authority, allowing you to travel at any time, obtain world information in advance, and access all other relevant information."

The Machine Intelligence Program's voice remained completely flat, yet Xiao Hen's heart trembled. Once it is repaired, I'll gain Intermediate Authority?

"One last question!" Xiao Hen asked in a deep voice. "Once the Shuttle is fully repaired, will it leave me and return to the space where the Kroatia civilization is located?"

"No."

The Machine Intelligence Program's answer delighted Xiao Hen.

"The Kroatia civilization existed in the previous cosmic era and vanished along with the previous universe long ago. This Shuttle suffered severe damage while escaping the Great Universal Annihilation. Now, Host is the owner of the Shuttle. Once you successfully repair the Shuttle, you will obtain Intermediate Authority!"

A cold gleam flashed in Xiao Hen's eyes as he asked, "So you mean that if I don't obtain Highest Authority, you might leave me?"

"No. I will only choose a new Host after the current Host dies," the Machine Intelligence Program said.

Xiao Hen finally relaxed. If he died, why would he care about any of that? As long as he stayed alive, as the Shuttle was repaired bit by bit, it would sooner or later become his private possession completely.

Huff!

Letting out a long breath, Xiao Hen finally cast aside his worries after clearing up those doubts. He walked into the bedroom, stripped off his clothes, and sat on the bed.

"This G-Virus—you said you could assist me with the injection?" Xiao Hen took the G-Virus out of Storage Space. It was the greatest prize from his trip to the world of Resident Evil, a vial of shimmering green liquid that swayed gently with his movements.

"Of course. This virus can strengthen the Host's body, granting the Host greater survivability and aiding the repair of the Shuttle. I can assist the Host in injecting this viral agent!"

Injecting the G-Virus was not actually difficult. It did not require what Xiao Hen had imagined—an injection carried out in a laboratory with all sorts of cutting-edge equipment.

The Machine Intelligence Program's so-called assistance was not some advanced procedure. It merely told Xiao Hen several precautions and what changes his body would undergo during the injection process, then had Xiao Hen inject the G-Virus himself.

The test tube containing the G-Virus was an Umbrella high-tech test tube. It had a small mechanism that, once opened, automatically ejected a tiny, sharp needle.

Xiao Hen lay on the bed and took several deep breaths before stabbing the test tube into a vein in his arm.

Hiss...

The liquid was rapidly injected into his body. The green fluid flowed through his veins like little snakes, spreading throughout Xiao Hen's body.

At first, he felt nothing. But shortly afterward, his entire body began to heat up, and a suffocating tightness rose in his chest.

Clatter!

The empty test tube fell from his hand to the floor as an agonizing pain tore through Xiao Hen's chest.

"Please rest assured, Host. This is a normal part of the enhancement process. Please endure it!"

Xiao Hen's eyes turned red. Endure it? How could something like this be easy to endure? He gritted his teeth tightly to stop himself from screaming. If the other residents heard him and noticed something was wrong, they might call 110 or 120. Then the G-Virus inside his body might be exposed.

Gradually, the agonizing pain spread through his whole body. It was no longer merely pain in his chest; an even worse pain, as though his muscles were being torn apart, flooded his mind. Even every bone in his body gave off an indescribable numb, aching sensation.

Steam rose from Xiao Hen's sweat-soaked body, his skin reddened, veins bulged across his body, and a series of thumping heartbeats echoed through the bedroom.

Such powerful heartbeats did not belong to a human being. Xiao Hen was evolving toward the level of a superhuman. This was the terrifying power of the G-Virus. As an improved evolution of the Tyrant T-Virus, its effects were stable and powerful. More frighteningly, those carrying the G-Virus possessed combat instincts far beyond ordinary people's, allowing Xiao Hen to rapidly rise from the level of an ordinary human to that of a qualified warrior.

From countless pores across Xiao Hen's body, foul-smelling impurities were expelled. The excess fat on his body was burned away completely, his bones became denser, his muscles firmer, and his skin appeared fairer and rosier. Yet its toughness had become even greater.

Huff, huff, huff...

Xiao Hen panted violently. Compressing his body's evolution into such a short period inflicted tremendous pain on both body and mind. Even with his current iron will, he had nearly cried out.

Xiao Hen struggled to sit up. The numbing pain throughout his body was slowly fading, while waves of powerful vitality and energy surged from within. It was an incomparably powerful force of blood and life. Xiao Hen could even feel the blood flowing through his body, roaring like a rushing river.

Crack!

When he clenched his fists, he could even feel the air bursting in his palms. Looking around the room, everything in the bedroom came into view with incredible clarity. His mild nearsightedness was gone, and his eyesight was now even better than it had been in childhood.

Ordinary objects in the room transformed into all kinds of weapons in his eyes, each capable of dealing fatal harm to an enemy. This was the powerful combat instinct brought by the G-Virus, even stronger than that of the T-Virus.