Chapter 9

Chuci, a database engineer for Oracle Corporation in the Greater China region, is known for his calm and steady demeanor, both in his attitude and actions, and in how he treats others. According to his boss, he is a cautious man who never makes mistakes.

So when Chuci threw a 'pineapple' into the tea room, he had already anticipated that he wouldn't get the complete glasses.

"Well, at least half of it can be used." Chuci rinsed the glasses with the broken left lens under the tap, wiped them clean with a cloth, and placed them on his nose. The left lens was shattered like a spider web, while the right lens remained intact. The original gold wire frame was corroded by concentrated sulfuric acid and looked quite unsightly, but it was Chuci's first trophy. He straightened the bridge of the glasses with his index and middle fingers, temporarily restoring eighty percent of his combat effectiveness.

Yes, that's right. For someone in an office job like Chuci, his standards have always been quite lenient. After successfully utilizing electronic warfare technology to earn a reward, he defined himself as a 'keyboard warrior' who fights with '0's and '1's. A suitable pair of glasses would obviously enhance a keyboard warrior.

"Red Queen, once I return to the central computer room, list all the defense mechanisms of the Hive for me."

Chuci slowly made his way back to the central computer room. The empty corridor echoed with the sound of his footsteps. Someone else might have felt uneasy, but Chuci, accustomed to solitude, seemed quite at ease.

Teamwork? Sincere cooperation?

Ha, Chuci has been used to working alone for a long time.

Sitting in a comfortable computer chair, Chuci began to write code, reprogramming the entire Hive's defense mechanisms and reconstructing the attack and defense system. The Hive, as a research institution, did not have particularly lethal defensive power except for the final execution and laser corridors. When Chuci changed the connection points of the fire suppression system's water tanks, a highly lethal mechanism covering the entire Hive was easily created.

"Drain the water from the G4-15 area." Chuci stared at the virtual screen and gave the order.

The Red Queen, who had been meticulously trained (or rather, had her permissions altered), had become Chuci's obedient servant. She was no longer as clever as before but was very compliant. "As you wish, sir."

The water level in the office area visibly receded, quickly revealing several dozen bloated, whitened corpses. After a few minutes, the corpses began to reanimate, crawling out of the ground and wandering around the office.

"First experiment begins. Red Queen, activate the fire suppression system in the G4-15 area and spray concentrated nitric acid."

Chuci had to thank the Hive for being a research institution; otherwise, 98% concentrated nitric acid would be hard to find. Nitric acid is more corrosive than sulfuric acid, but it is harder to obtain on the market, so many people habitually use sulfuric acid for revenge instead of nitric acid.

The Red Queen obediently activated the fire suppression system, using a dozen intersecting cameras to determine the positions of all the zombies. Yellow liquid spurted from the corresponding sprinklers, landing on the zombies and producing a large amount of white smoke. The entire space was soon filled with toxic fumes, making it difficult to discern the condition of the zombies.

Chuci waited for a moment, but received no reward information, so he immediately gave the order: "Switch the water source and spray clean water to dilute the concentrated nitric acid."

After a busy session, Chuci looked at the incomplete zombie corpses on the surveillance screen. The corpses lay on the ground, their heads half-gone, oozing purple, yellow, black, and gray pus. He confirmed that he could not receive a reward unless he personally killed the zombies.

"Red Queen, prepare for the second experiment. Drain the water from the G4-16 area and connect the fire suppression system to the central computer."

This time, Chuci planned to 'personally' take action. As soon as the zombies reactivated, he manually operated the system, using the cameras to track their movements, determined which sprinklers to use, and pressed the enter key. The turbid yellow liquid spurted out again.

Before long, Chuci's lips curled into a smile.

"Killed 19 zombies, received 19 reward points."

Indeed, only by 'personally' killing them could he receive a reward, not by using tools alone.

Since zombies worked, Chuci turned his attention to another screen, a familiar place he had passed by several times.

B Restaurant!

"Replace the pipeline of the hibernation tank No. 1, inject potassium permanganate into the nutrient solution, and connect the switch to the central computer."

Chuci tapped his finger, and potassium permanganate, known as 'corpse water,' was directly injected into the body of the Licker through the injection port.

The Licker, which should have broken free and gone on a killing spree, was confined in the hibernation tank. The low temperature made it difficult for it to recover its functions. The monitoring system indicated that the Licker's survival instinct had quickly brought it back to consciousness, but Chuci watched as the -20°C freezing gas turned the Licker into a block of frozen meat, unable to move.

The Licker's adaptability and resistance to toxins were impressive. Even after injecting two liters of potassium permanganate, which would have turned an elephant into a puddle of decay, the Licker still maintained a relatively intact form and began to adapt and evolve at a visible rate!

Its flesh became increasingly hard, and there were signs of a biological shell forming on its surface. The nanoscale monitoring devices inside the Licker reflected that its bodily fluids were gradually becoming alkaline, neutralizing the strong acid. At the same time, the Licker's body temperature inexplicably rose, and its sharp claws regained some activity, showing signs of breaking the restraints!

All of this made Chuci's scalp tingle. The corrosion rate of potassium permanganate could not keep up with the mutation and adaptation rate of the T-virus!

It wasn't until the life support system automatically stopped and reported to the central computer that Chuci finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Killed 1 Licker, received 500 reward points."

His tense back relaxed, and he slumped into the large computer chair. The Licker's final struggle before death, with its grotesquely large claws almost tearing through the hibernation tank, was a sight that made Chuci want to curse himself.

"Be cautious! Be cautious! Be even more cautious!" Chuci slapped his face until it was burning hot, which finally calmed his racing heart.

"Red Queen, drain all the water from the confined areas, lock all the zombies, prepare concentrated nitric acid, and connect the activation switch to the central computer. At the same time, extract all the data on the T-virus, including the data on the B.O.W in B Restaurant."

After reflecting, he would not abandon what needed to be done. The main god's reward system named the B.O.W as a Licker, but Chuci suspected that the Red Queen might not be able to distinguish it, so he used the term from the central computer. Dealing with such a monster with potassium permanganate alone would be suicidal. He needed to understand the specific data and act accordingly to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

At the same time, even small gains can accumulate. Killing a zombie might only yield 1 reward point, but a few thousand zombies together would be equivalent to five or six harmless Lickers.

Rubbing his temples, Chuci entered study mode, reading through the basic data on the T-virus.

The T-virus, originally developed by Marcus, one of the three founding members of Umbrella Corporation, by combining an early-discovered ancient virus, the Progenitor Virus, with leeches, eventually isolated a new virus and named it after the first letter of "TYRANT." The virus is divided into virulent and mild forms, and the processes after infecting cells are different.

The T-virus belongs to the mild form.

The initial purpose of Umbrella Corporation's research on the T-virus was not to create zombies or develop biochemical weapons, but to use the T-virus's characteristics to develop a new generation of biological weapons (B.O.W) and attempt to enhance human genes to achieve immortality!

When Chuci read this, he couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. 'Immortality,' such a beautiful word, seemed not impossible from the attitude of Umbrella Corporation.

The T-virus integrates its genetic material into the host cell's chromosomes and coexists for a long time. During this coexistence, the host cell's genotype changes due to the integration of the viral chromosome. The most significant feature is the rapid acceleration of metabolism and the continuous proliferation of cells.

It is well known that the most significant characteristic of natural human death is the decline of life and the withering of cells. After the host is implanted with the T-virus, to maintain its parasitic existence, the T-virus spontaneously modifies the host's genes, enhancing the host's vitality and slowing down the rate of cell withering.

The original experimental data shows that in the T-No.477 experiment, the natural lifespan of a T-virus host in the second stage was tested. Ignoring the mystical factors of the soul, the physical lifespan of a T-virus host theoretically could reach 300 years!

This was still in the early stage of T-virus infection. According to the Red Queen's analysis of the existing data, the lifespan of a T-virus host in the third stage could reach 2000 years. The United States, for example, has not even existed for 300 years, making this truly immortality.

However, at this stage, Umbrella Corporation's research and development department encountered a bottleneck. In the first stage of T-virus infection, the virus could be suppressed with a serum, allowing it to coexist to some extent with the human immune system, enhancing vitality and preserving human rationality. However, the first stage of T-virus infection did not meet Umbrella's requirements. The suppressed T-virus could not fully function, and its excellent adaptability made it resistant to the serum after three treatments, requiring the development of new serums based on new characteristics, which undoubtedly limited the development of the T-virus.

After the hope of immortality faded, Umbrella Corporation began to study the second stage T-virus host, and the research purpose changed. They aimed to create biological weapons that were not afraid of death and pain and further develop extermination biochemical weapons. The B.O.W in B Restaurant was a masterpiece of this stage of Umbrella Corporation's Hive base.

From the work log, Chuci saw that not all B.O.Ws were stored in the Hive. A few months ago, three batches of sixty B.O.Ws with control chips had been transported to the Northern Headquarters of the United States.

At the same time, Chuci also found the method to eliminate B.O.Ws.

Extreme temperature!

For the B.O.W lying in the hibernation tank, the most suitable condition was -150°C extreme low temperature.

Of course, although Umbrella Corporation was wealthy, it was not possible to manufacture hundreds of hibernation tanks that could reach such low temperatures, as it was unnecessary. In actual operation, the hibernation tanks could only reach -50°C. However, this was enough. The low temperature made the T-virus inactive, reducing its protection of the host to the minimum. At this point, injecting potassium permanganate could easily eliminate these ugly creatures.

"Great, turn into cute reward points obediently." Chuci decisively modified the hibernation tank's operating program, began to lower the temperature, and then injected potassium permanganate, waiting for the moment of harvest.

"Sir, someone has entered the Hive."

Just as Chuci was leisurely waiting for the harvest, the Red Queen timely gave the warning.

PS: Early update, and wishing everyone a happy new year, may all your wishes come true, may non-single people have healthy children, and may single people find their partners soon!

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