7: Evolution! New prototype

Boom!

Just as Ragland watched Li An fall, a loud bang suddenly came from behind him, followed by a gust of wind. Then, the laboratory door flew past his right side and directly slammed into the white wall in front of him.

This sudden change caused Ragland to spin around. As his gaze shifted, he immediately saw a figure stepping through the laboratory door with crisp footsteps.

It was Alex Mercer!

"Long time no see, Doctor Ragland."

"It, it's you!"

"What do you want?"

As Alex Mercer entered, Ragland immediately retreated, stumbling backward and knocking over experimental equipment behind him, causing a clatter.

"My target... is here."

Alex Mercer shook his head, directly raising his hand to point at Li An, who was lying on the ground. Then, he walked past Ragland to Li An's fallen body. Looking at the motionless Li An, a hint of brutality appeared on Alex Mercer's face.

Actually, Alex Mercer had discovered Li An's tracks while he was on his way to St. Paul's Hospital. However, at that very moment, Elizabeth Greene appeared. She was clearly there for him, directly blocking his continued pursuit of Li An.

Having no other choice, Alex Mercer could only engage in a fierce battle with Elizabeth Greene. Without surprise, there was only one outcome when fighting Alex Mercer. Even as a Mother, in front of Alex Mercer, the Prototype, a combination of human and virus, the Mother was ultimately absorbed by the Prototype. And Alex Mercer, in turn, became the man standing at the top of the food chain.

After dealing with Elizabeth Greene, Alex Mercer had rushed to St. Paul's Hospital immediately. However, what angered him was that Li An, who had originally caused a slight stir in his heart, was already dead.

At the same time, the moment he saw Li An, the slight stir that had once appeared in his heart also vanished. Alex Mercer knew very well what this meant: this Asian individual was no longer of any significance to him. Even absorbing his corpse would be nothing more than a pointless act.

"But now it seems, he's useless."

Alex Mercer let out a soft sigh. Although he didn't know why he had wanted to absorb this Asian individual before, that feeling had now disappeared. He had no interest in staying here anymore, so he immediately turned and left.

"This..."

Ragland knew Alex Mercer's personality well. Seeing him stride out of the laboratory, he had no intention of stopping him.

However, as Alex Mercer left in disappointment, Ragland's gaze once again fell upon Li An. He first walked to Li An's side, then slowly crouched down, his eyes constantly examining Li An's body.

At this moment, Li An seemed truly dead. There was no breathing, no heartbeat. Ragland touched Li An's arm and immediately noticed that his body temperature was constantly dropping.

"This, you... are you really dead?"

Ragland suddenly fell backward, directly sitting on the ground, a look of regret on his face.

He felt that he had a chance to save this Asian individual, but he was too persistent, too fanatical, even saying that this was his only hope. But now... Ragland sat beside Li An like that until his body felt a bit stiff before he came to his senses. As a doctor, he felt deeply guilty for failing to save a life, and even becoming the perpetrator.

As Ragland was filled with remorse, he was unaware that, in a place he could not see, Li An's body was undergoing terrifying changes. Beneath his skin, Li An's bone density, muscle strength, cell activity, resilience, and internal organs, among other things, were all undergoing earth-shattering transformations.

At the same time, the Death Paradise's notification sound kept ringing in Li An's ears, signaling that Li An was undergoing a tremendous metamorphosis!

"Hint: An antibody has been detected in the Contractor's body. Virus fusion in progress..."

"Hint: The characteristics of this virus are special. The current Contractor cannot complete the fusion independently. Paradise rules are intervening..."

"Ding! Paradise rules have intervened. Rules are being judged..."

"The current Contractor's crisis has exceeded the upper limit of the survival trial's intensity. The rules judge the trial to be completed ahead of schedule!"

"Ding! New Contractor survival trial passed. Newbie permissions have been unlocked. Rewards will be issued upon return."

"Ding! It has been detected that the Contractor has passed the survival trial and is currently in an extremely dangerous and unconscious state. Paradise rules are forcibly intervening..."

"Ding! Virus fusion begins. Current fusion progress 1%... 2%... 3%..."

..."Alas, I also bear some responsibility. If only I had persisted a little longer back then."

Beside Li An, after a long period of self-reproach, Ragland finally stood up. His body was somewhat numb. He walked directly towards the main entrance. Since Li An was already dead, he naturally had to find someone to dispose of the body. After all, strictly speaking, this corpse was also infected with the virus, so its disposal had to be handled with extreme caution.

As Doctor Ragland's footsteps faded down the corridor, Li An, lying in the laboratory, suddenly twitched a finger, and then his reactions gradually became more frequent. This was a premonition of him about to awaken.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, Doctor Ragland still hadn't returned, but Li An opened his eyes with a slightly dazed expression.

"I, I made it through?"

Li An sat up from the cold floor, first looking down with some confusion. After seeing that his body hadn't changed, he was first surprised, then showed an expression of joy.

At the same time, he also felt the changes within his body. Immediately, with a thought, several crimson gases spread out from his body, which caused Li An to look astonished.

"These are tendrils?"

Li An uncertainly looked at the gas extending from his back. How could his tendrils be like this?

He remembered that Alex Mercer's tendrils were completely biological in appearance and were dark red in color. But his current tendrils were gaseous and crimson, completely different from Alex Mercer's!

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Li An remembered something, something very easy to overlook in Prototype: Alex Mercer had actually died when the reagent vial shattered. During his transformation into a Prototype, Alex Mercer's corpse fused with the virus, thus becoming the first Prototype in history!

He, however, was different. He had actively injected the virus while alive, and he had also used the help of an antibody.

He and Alex Mercer were completely different Prototypes!