Chapter 20

Alex gave Lagrange a few instructions, then glanced at Dana, who was still unconscious, before leaving. Before he went, he also threatened Max, warning him not to meddle in other people's affairs. However, Alex showed no interest in Max's identity or abilities, perhaps because, in his eyes, the addition of one or two prototypes was not a big deal.

Max saw Dana Mercer, Alex Mercer's sister, who was an important character spanning both games, for the first time. In the early to mid-part of the first game, this girl was Alex's main contact, and most of the missions were received from her. However, according to the plot, Alex should have already known that he was just a virus prototype and had no sibling relationship with Dana. Despite this, the dominant Alex personality within him still made him subconsciously care about Dana's safety.

Speaking of this prototype Alex, he was a tragic character. Although he looked extremely similar to the deceased scientist Alex, he was essentially a virus. Like Max's absorption ability, every time he absorbed a creature, he would gain the creature's appearance and some of its memories. The human Alex's body was the first creature the prototype absorbed, as it was originally just a mass of viruses with no personality or form, so it chose Alex as the initial template. However, the memories and personality Alex obtained from the human Alex were incomplete. Although his behavior was no different from that of an ordinary adult, he acted like a precocious child, capricious and undisciplined, yet innocent and kind. It was this kindness that made the prototype Alex, who had only been born for eighteen days, sacrifice himself to carry away a nuclear bomb at the end of the first game to protect Manhattan and the people who had always been hostile to him, nearly dying in the nuclear explosion.

However, as the prototype absorbed more and more humans, his personality became increasingly complex and complete. The initial kindness was gradually replaced by thousands of memories of hatred, leading to Alex's darkening in the second game. This former hero eventually became the final boss who aimed to replace humans with evolved beings and create a new world.

Of course, those matters were irrelevant to Max, who could leave in two days. Now, it was better for Alex to ignore him, as the upcoming plot would involve fighting against Elizabeth and the King of Hunters, two major bosses. Max did not want to be caught up in such a terrifying event.

Doctor Lagrange temporarily set aside his questions about Max's body and began to study the data on the disc. Max did not know if the side mission was completed, but after Lagrange browsed some of the disc's content, he gave Max a new task.

"Anderson, the research results mentioned on this disc are about mutated creatures, but I only have a few samples of zombies. I need some blood samples from Hunters to conduct experiments and verify the theories here. But Alex has left, and I can't contact him... If possible, can you try to get some blood samples from Hunters?"

Max was delighted when he heard about the Hunter blood samples. He thought, "What you need is what I have." He reached out and handed the blood sample from the first Hunter he had killed to Lagrange.

Lagrange was surprised that Max would carry such a thing with him! Without asking where it came from, he immediately began his research and issued a second task: he needed more samples from different types of zombies for comparison!

This puzzled Max. Zombies were just zombies, were there different types?

After Lagrange slowed down his speech and explained patiently, Max finally understood. Although there were thousands of zombies in the infected area, they had individual differences. Some retained their pre-infection appearance, while others had grotesque, cancerous growths. Some had evolved tentacle-like or scythe-like appendages, and others were emaciated like mummies. These were the results of the Blacklight virus mutating randomly in different individuals. However, when controlling Alex in the game, these zombies, no matter how bizarre, were all easily killed with a single punch or a slash, so Max had never considered the nuances among them.

In short, Lagrange's requirement was that ordinary human-like zombies were not needed; the more unique the zombies, the better. He needed at least ten different blood samples for comparative experiments.

Max sighed, not expecting to return to the infected area so soon. He hadn't rested enough... But thinking of the quadruple difficulty reward, Max gritted his teeth and agreed to Lagrange's request, immediately setting out. He couldn't miss this opportunity; he needed to become stronger in this world as soon as possible!

Max returned to Chinatown, went to Anderson's house, and packed his crossbow and arrows into a large backpack. He holstered his pistol and, after preparing, left the house. He entered a bar, ordered a pitcher of beer, and quietly observed the situation.

The young girl Lauren from the gun shop told Max that someone in Chinatown knew a way to secretly enter the infected area. However, Chinatown was so large that Max didn't know where to start. He decided to follow the movie and visit a bar, as the main character usually gets inside information here.

Max kept an eye on his surroundings and occasionally sipped his beer, but after finishing a pitcher, he saw no suspicious people whispering. There were only desperate drunks drowning their sorrows.

"Another pitcher!" Max shouted to the bartender.

The bartender handed him a pitcher of beer, looked around, and then leaned down to whisper to Max, "Sir, are you looking for a way in? Do you want to go to Baoshan?"

Max didn't fully understand the slang but sensed a breakthrough. He grabbed the bartender's hand and said, "What way...? I want to go to the infected area. Do you have a way?"

The bartender looked at Max with a disdainful eye and whispered, "I figured it out. You're carrying a suspicious big bag and looking around nervously. You must want to go to Baoshan... the infected area. Sir, you won't find a way here. Those who want to go to the infected area are desperate outlaws. Do they have money to drink?"

"Where can I find a way?" Max asked urgently.

The bartender smiled and held out his hand. Max understood and pulled out a hundred dollars and handed it to him. The bartender happily kissed the bill and put it in his pocket, then whispered to Max, "I heard that Scarface David is recruiting people at the seafood restaurant on the front street. He's planning to form a team to enter the infected area and make some money. You can go and ask him."

Max thanked the bartender, finished the pitcher of beer in one go, and left, leaving the money for the beer. The bartender watched Max's back and chuckled to himself, "What a lucky day! A well-known piece of information can earn me a hundred dollars!"

Max quickly arrived at the seafood restaurant, which seemed to still be in business. He asked the owner, who pointed to the back door. Max went around to the back and finally met the legendary Scarface David.

David was a short but stocky man. As his nickname suggested, he had a prominent scar on his face that ran from his forehead to his chin, with a stitched lip. He wore an old leather jacket over a round-neck T-shirt, and his exposed wrists and neck were covered in tattoos, clearly indicating he was a longtime underworld figure.

David was sitting on a trash can lid, with six or seven people standing around him, presumably those who had been recruited. A bald black man noticed Max first and walked up to him, warning, "Who the hell are you?" He then saw the large backpack on Max's back and raised an eyebrow, "You here to join us?"

Max ignored him and walked directly to Scarface David, bowing slightly and smiling sincerely, "I heard Scarface is recruiting. I want to go to the infected area and hope to join your team!"

Before David could respond, the black man, who had been ignored, lunged forward and tried to choke Max. But Max, with his immense strength, grabbed the black man's wrist, causing him to scream in pain and release his grip. Max turned around and pulled out his gun, pointing it at the black man's head, but heard the sound of guns being drawn behind him. Three guns were now aimed at him.

Max laughed, raised his hands, and the black man, released by Max, glared at him and raised his fist to strike. However, Max kicked him away before he could punch, without moving his upper body.

"Ha ha ha..." A hoarse laugh came from behind, and the guns were lowered. Max turned around, and Scarface David walked up to him and gave him a warm hug, "Welcome to my team, my friend. What's your name?"

Max laughed and replied, "Call me Anderson!"

"Great, Anderson. We need a strong partner like you for this mission!" David patted Max on the shoulder and said, "Come, let me introduce you to the others. These are the tough guys we've selected!"

David then introduced the others by name and their specialties. Max vaguely remembered a woman of South American descent and a bearded white man.

The South American woman was named Isla, in her twenties, slim, and neatly dressed. Max remembered her because she was the only one without a gun, carrying two short knives on her belt. In the world of Prototype, there was no such thing as martial arts or magic. The worst thing in a fight with zombies was to be caught in close combat. For David to choose her, her close combat skills must have been exceptional.

The bearded white man was named Frank. He was short and stout, holding a shotgun. Max remembered him because of his age; his beard was already gray, and he looked at least sixty. It was admirable that he still had the spirit to risk his life at that age.

Oh, and there was the black man Max had dealt with, named Johnny. He glared at Max with hatred, but Max didn't care. His goal was to enter the infected area, and once there, he would be free. A regular person posed no threat.

With Max's addition, there were now ten people. David felt the team was complete and, seeing it was getting dark, decided to start the mission. The group set off for the infected area.