30: Perfect fusion of the ancestral virus

Polaris's instincts were very accurate.

The Progenitor Virus was an extremely dangerous, life-threatening thing for anyone.

But for Joa, who possessed the system, the Progenitor Virus had no harm; it was merely a key that allowed him to touch the extraordinary.

It was just a start, a beginning.

A beginning that transcended all the worlds.

He cupped Polaris's face, gently kissed her forehead, and inhaled the scent of her hair.

Then Joa patted Polaris's back, turned, and walked towards the Sun Ladder.

He stepped onto the stairs.

He set foot on the circular altar.

Arriving at the center of the altar, standing before the Sun Ladder blooming with bright red flowers, Joa took a deep breath.

'system, what should I do?'

"Ingest the stamen orally, allowing the virus to enter your body. The system will assist the host in achieving a perfect fusion."

"Whoosh!"

'Good!'

With a soft exhalation, Joa reached out and plucked a bright red Sun Ladder flower.

"Joa!"

Hearing the voice, he turned his head to look.

He saw Polaris with tears in her eyes, wanting to speak but hesitating, clearly her uneasy feelings had made her emotions somewhat out of control.

Joa showed a reassuring smile.

Immediately, his gaze swept over the warriors who had followed him here, who were also staring intently at him, their faces filled with confusion and worry.

A strange emotion suddenly surged within his heart.

Responsibility? Or a sense of belonging?

Perhaps both.

As a transmigrator, he should have been alone, without any attachments.

But now he had people he cared about, people he didn't want to lose.

'This feeling... it's quite nice.'

Joa looked at the Sun Ladder in his hand with determined eyes.

"Those who stand with me shall enjoy prosperity and eternal glory."

"Those who oppose me! Kill them all! Burn them all! Plunder them all!"

After speaking, Joa closed his eyes and, under everyone's watchful gaze, put the Sun Ladder into his mouth.

Gulp!

Without any chewing, Joa swallowed it directly.

One breath, two breaths.

Joa still stood there quietly; nothing happened, and he felt nothing.

'Sys...'

"Uh..."

Just as he was about to question the system, a clear sensation, as if ants were biting and devouring every cell in his body, came from within him.

'It's started!'

Enduring the pain, without making any sound, Joa barely opened his eyes to a slit, looking at Polaris, who was visibly nervous, her hands clasped together in front of her chest.

'Heh... I should have found an isolated place.'

'Now I can only endure it, I can't even scream.'

Joa knew very well that if he dared to let out even a single scream, Polaris would immediately rush to his side.

'The fatality rate of this Progenitor Virus is too high; I absolutely cannot let Polaris get close to me now.'

Enduring immense pain and torment, fine beads of sweat seeped from Joa's forehead, and his consciousness became somewhat scattered.

This was the price of becoming stronger.

Compared to others, Joa was already very lucky, with the assistance of the system.

If it were anyone else present.

They would have already turned into zombies by now.

His consciousness kept falling, as if plunging into a bottomless abyss.

Suddenly, a glimmer of light appeared in his dark consciousness, gradually enveloping Joa.

'This is...'

From birth before transmigration until now, scene after scene played out in a continuous loop.

'system! system! Why are these life reviews appearing?!'

'system?! Where did you go?!'

No matter how Joa called out, the system showed no reaction at all.

'No! I can't be turning into a zombie, can I?!'

As soon as this thought surfaced in his mind, the life review that enveloped him instantly vanished.

He suddenly opened his eyes.

Joa gasped for air, his face filled with terror.

"Joa? Joa!"

"What's wrong with you? Are you okay?!"

Hearing Polaris's call from afar, Joa regained his senses, looked up at her, and forced a smile.

Seeing Joa's expression, Polaris felt a slight relief, but her brows remained tightly furrowed.

After comforting Polaris, Joa realized that the pain in his body had disappeared, and he now clearly had a very full feeling inside.

Like... a sponge soaked in Water?

Or a prisoner freed from heavy shackles.

More accurately, it was like the relief experienced by a claustrophobic patient, who had been confined in a narrow, dark room for decades, suddenly released.

'system? Has the fusion been completed?'

"Progenitor Virus fusion completed."

"The host's lifespan has been greatly extended, and physical strength has been greatly enhanced."

Receiving the system's affirmative reply, Joa's expression was excited.

But then, he suddenly thought of something.

'system! I remember the Progenitor Virus doesn't turn humans into zombies, has an extremely high fatality rate, and isn't contagious, right?'

'How am I supposed to help my subordinate warriors fuse with the virus?'

Joa didn't want all his subordinates to die because of him.

"The Progenitor Virus fused by the host has been strengthened by the system. The host can, according to his will, choose whether to successfully infect others and impose restrictions."

Hearing this, Joa recalled what the system had told him before.

'Other infected individuals cannot pose any threat to me, including mental and verbal harm, right?'

His gaze fell on the worried crowd in the distance, and Joa raised an eyebrow.

'It feels like I don't need to impose restrictions; they won't do anything to threaten or harm me anyway.'

'The Captain America Legion, hahaha, this goal can be achieved very soon.'

'To be able to control the success rate and infectivity by myself, this system is truly generous.'

With a smile on his face, he stepped down from the altar.

Joa stood in front of Polaris, gently stroking her cheek, his gaze tender.

'system, I need to confirm again.'

'Lorna is a Mutant; can she perfectly fuse with the Progenitor Virus?'

"Yes."

Receiving the affirmative answer, the concern in Joa's heart completely dissipated, and he smiled even more happily.

"Lorna, I succeeded."

Although she didn't know exactly what he had succeeded in, Polaris was still happy for Joa.

"Congratulations!"

Tidying Polaris's slightly messy dark green short hair, Joa spoke softly.

"I have a gift for You, but I think perhaps I should first ask for your consent."

Allowing Polaris and his subordinate warriors to also fuse with the Progenitor Virus was a plan Joa had made long ago.

As his woman, Joa would naturally help Polaris become stronger unconditionally.

But for his subordinate warriors.

He was going to set some conditions.

The two hundred warriors who came with him to the Resident Evil world this time, Joa would definitely make all of them fuse with the Progenitor Virus.

But as for the others in Merryweather company later, if they wanted to become stronger, they would need to show Joa their performance.

Joa understood how important clear rewards and punishments were.

"What gift?"

Seeing Polaris look at him in confusion, Joa spoke softly.

"A virus that has no side effects, can give you a super strong physique, and greatly extend your lifespan."

"Oh, no, it's not entirely without side effects."

"The process of fusing the virus will be very painful."

"Are You interested?"