96: Chapter 96 System Reward: T-Virus Enhancer (Perfect Version)

Inside the sealed canister, a tube of dark gold liquid floated quietly.

It wasn't an ordinary gold. It seemed alive, flowing slowly within the test tube; with every reflection of light, it was as if a tiny sun were exploding inside.

Chen Yuan reached out to take it; it felt icy cold.

Yet, in an instant, a fine layer of sweat broke out on his palm.

"Perfect version..."

He murmured to himself, his voice carrying an irrepressible excitement.

Dr. Zola was still chattering beside him like a child showing off a treasure: "Boss! Do you know what this means? We've eliminated all the uncontrollable factors in the T-Virus that cause zombification, retaining only the purest evolutionary power! This is God's code! The ladder for humanity to ascend to the altar of godhood!"

Chen Yuan ignored him.

His consciousness had already sunk deep into his mind.

"System."

[Present, Host.]

[Congratulations, Host, on achieving the hidden achievement: 'Redemption of the Mad Scientist'.]

[Reward settlement in progress...]

Following the system's mechanical voice, a detailed data description popped up on the holographic interface before Chen Yuan's eyes.

[Item: T-Veronica Virus (Perfect Fusion Type)]

[Purity: 99.99%]

[Effect 1: All-Attribute Enhancement. After injection, the Host's strength, speed, endurance, and cellular activity will be permanently increased to 10 times the human limit. Bone density increased by 300%, and muscle fiber strength comparable to carbon nanotubes.]

[Effect 2: Super Healing. Even severed limbs can regenerate within 24 hours. Unless the brain is instantly destroyed, the Host will possess near-immortal vitality.]

[Effect 3: Sensory Awakening. Greatly increases brain development, granting the Host 'Bullet Time'-like dynamic vision and a sixth sense for danger.]

[Side Effects: None.]

Chen Yuan's pupils contracted sharply.

No side effects.

This was the point he valued most.

Those previous "strength enhancers," even the ones for Tyrants, had severe consequences of overdrawing one's life. But this one was truly perfect.

"Tenfold attributes..."

Chen Yuan gripped the test tube tightly.

Although his current body had undergone several minor enhancements and was much stronger than an ordinary person's, he still felt fragile when facing true non-humans—like a Tyrant or Alice.

As the mastermind controlling an underground empire, he disliked this sense of fragility.

He needed power.

Absolute personal martial force capable of crushing everything.

"Zola."

Chen Yuan turned his head, looking at the mad doctor who was still excitedly wiping the operating table.

"Leave."

Zola froze, his movements stopping.

"Boss? Don't you need my assistance? The injection process might have a little... well, a violent rejection reaction."

"No need."

Chen Yuan's voice was cold, carrying an unquestionable authority.

He didn't trust Zola.

Although there was a loyalty lock from the system, this mad scientist's head was filled only with experimental data. If he pulled some "stunt" during the injection just to see where the boss's physical limits were...

Chen Yuan didn't want to become the second Thousand-Faced Person.

"But..."

Zola still wanted to try; after all, witnessing the birth of a "new god" was too tempting for him.

"Get out."

Chen Yuan pointed at the door, his gaze sharp as a knife.

Zola shrank his neck, not daring to say another word. He cast a lingering glance at the golden reagent and shuffled out of the lab, looking back with every step.

"Alice."

Chen Yuan looked at the blonde bodyguard who had been guarding the door.

Alice nodded, understanding immediately.

"Understood, boss."

She stepped outside, closed the heavy airtight door behind her, and stood guard in the hallway like a guardian deity.

"Click—Whir—"

With a series of mechanical locking sounds, the core laboratory on the fifth basement floor became a completely sealed room.

Chen Yuan was now alone.

Along with that tube of golden liquid capable of changing fate.

Chen Yuan walked to the lab bench and took off his expensive custom suit.

He stood bare-chested, revealing lean but not overly exaggerated muscle lines.

He picked up the reagent and loaded it into a specialized high-pressure injection gun.

"Whew..."

Chen Yuan took a deep breath, adjusting the frequency of his breathing.

He looked at the young, handsome face in the mirror, which now held a hint of ruthlessness.

"Do you want to be a petty person hiding behind the scenes and plotting for the rest of your life?"

"Or be the... King who can tear through all obstacles with his own hands?"

He asked himself.

The answer was obvious.

Chen Yuan raised his hand, aiming the nozzle of the injection gun at his heart.

There, his blood was surging violently.

Without any hesitation.

Not even a single tremor in his fingers.

"Pshht."

He pulled the trigger.

High-pressure gas pushed the piston, forcefully injecting the dark gold liquid into his core blood pump.

One second.

Two seconds.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Chen Yuan could even hear the sound of his own heartbeat.

"Thump—"

"Thump—"

Then.

"Boom!!!"

It was like a miniature nuclear bomb detonating in his chest.

An indescribable sensation of searing heat instantly followed the aorta, sweeping through his entire body at the speed of light.

It wasn't pain.

It was burning.

Every cell, every nerve, every inch of bone was ignited at this moment.

Chen Yuan let out a muffled groan, his hands gripping the edge of the metal lab bench tightly.

"Creeeak—"

That special alloy tabletop, capable of withstanding tons of pressure, actually twisted and deformed like dough under his finger strength.

Blood vessels writhed frantically under his skin, like countless golden dragons racing along.

His pupils instantly turned pure gold, then quickly reverted to pitch black, repeating the cycle.

Sweat instantly soaked his body, then evaporated into white mist under the high temperature.

Chen Yuan gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead bulging like tree roots.

He was enduring.

He was transforming.

The feeling was like having every bone in his body crushed and reassembled, every muscle torn and sewn back together.

But he didn't cry out.

Because he could feel that behind the intense pain, an unprecedented, terrifyingly massive power was awakening.

He felt his senses extending infinitely.

He heard it.

He heard Alice's steady breathing outside the lab.

He heard the roar of machinery operating in the factory floors above.

He even heard the rustling of a lizard crawling across the sand on the ground above.

The world became incredibly clear and incredibly slow in his perception.

"Is this... what evolution feels like?"

Chen Yuan looked down at his hands.

Beneath his originally fair skin, a faint metallic luster shimmered.

He tried clenching his fist.

"Pop!"

A crisp sonic boom actually sounded in the air.

Power.

Endless power.

Chen Yuan slowly straightened his back; his muscle lines had become even more perfect, each one containing explosive energy.

He walked to the alloy target used for testing a Tyrant's strength.

It was a solid steel plate twenty centimeters thick.

Chen Yuan didn't wind up.

He just threw a casual punch.

"Boom—!!!"

The loud crash shook the entire basement.

In the center of the steel plate, a deep fist print appeared, surrounded by a web of cracks.

This was armored steel that even an RPG couldn't blast through!

"Ten times... no, this is definitely more than ten times."

Chen Yuan looked at his fist, a wild smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

He felt that he could now blow up a tank with a single punch.

"Call the Red Queen."

Chen Yuan's voice became deep and magnetic, a result of his vocal cords being enhanced.

"Present, boss."

"Lift the lockdown."

"Also..."

Chen Yuan casually grabbed a nearby lab coat and threw it over his shoulders, covering his body that was as perfect as an ancient Greek statue.

"Contact Jessica for me, as well as those few Hollywood starlets."

He stepped toward the door, each footfall making the floor tremble slightly.

"Say..."

Chen Yuan pushed open the door; the sunlight hadn't yet shone in, but the feral light in his eyes was already more piercing than the sun.

"I'm feeling very heated right now."

"I need someone to... extinguish the fire."