Chapter 21

Baby was officially hospitalized this morning due to bronchitis, and it's expected to last about five days.

Since there are no elderly people to help, I have to take care of it myself, so updates for the next five days will naturally be a problem.

Fortunately, I still have some drafts of the book, so a burst update is impossible, but I will definitely not stop updating.

If the situation is good, I'll try to resume normal updates on Monday, but for the next two days, I can only update once a day. I hope everyone can understand.

I will remember the missed drafts, and as soon as Baby is discharged and everything returns to normal, I will make up for them.

Finally, I ask for your blessings and support. Thank you all.

...

Opening the car door and looking around at the familiar surroundings, Liu Rui'an let out a long breath.

Almost as soon as Liu Rui'an appeared, a sweet, loli voice echoed through the area.

"Welcome back, my master."

"Flame Empress, have the people take care of the things in the car," Liu Rui'an said as he got out of the car.

"As you wish, my master."

As the words of the imitation "Flame Empress" faded, the intelligent robots that had been waiting on the side quickly and orderly began their work.

Some were moving things, others were repairing equipment, and the most important large database was immediately uploaded to an independent server by the intelligent robots.

Considering that this world also has a lot of black technology, to prevent his trump cards from being stolen, Liu Rui'an specifically established a completely isolated database.

This way, even if the imitation "Flame Empress" is breached from the outside, it won't cause irreparable damage.

Liu Rui'an, who had entrusted the final work to the intelligent robots, threw himself onto the medical platform and said:

"Flame Empress, give me a report on what happened this month."

According to the AI's report, quite a few things happened this month.

First, Phil Coulson from S.H.I.E.L.D. came to visit and left a message to contact him as soon as possible when he found that someone was in a critical research phase.

Second, there was an issue with Tony Stark. Although the plot had changed, Ivan Vanko still came looking.

However, unlike the original plot, Tony Stark had already created a new element reactor and had his chest injury healed. At this point, Iron Man was not comparable to the original plot.

Especially without the burden and limitations of his chest injury, the inspiration-filled Tony Stark developed a new generation of Iron Man armor.

Even though this suit of armor was far less diverse than those in "Iron Man 3," its functionality was much stronger than the original Mark 4 and Mark 5 Iron Man armors.

As a result, Ivan Vanko, who sought revenge for his father, met a tragic end.

However, despite the tragedy, Liu Rui'an did not believe the news that Ivan Vanko was killed in prison by an explosion.

A person who could create a mini-arc reactor was too valuable for the U.S. government or Hydra to give up on.

As for the massive losses and widespread condemnation of Iron Man's actions reported in the news, it was clear that the government and Hydra were behind it.

Who could blame Iron Man for saying that no one would be able to master his technology for the next twenty years, only to be proven wrong shortly after?

To obtain the technology for the mini-arc reactor and Iron Man armor, these two forces were doing everything they could.

However, what truly caught Liu Rui'an's attention was a report about a monster attack in the Masiroshina slums.

Although the news was vague and the related information quickly disappeared, from the information collected by the imitation "Flame Empress," the so-called monster was likely the Hulk.

After using the medical platform to treat his body comprehensively, Liu Rui'an did not rush to contact the outside world but first upgraded his AI.

During the month in the "Resident Evil 3" world, in addition to deeply researching the biological technologies of the Umbrella Corporation, including the T-virus, Liu Rui'an combined the source code of the imitation "Flame Empress," JARVIS, and the original "White Queen" to develop a new generation of AI:

The Starling.

Originally, Liu Rui'an planned to name it Skynet or StarNet, but considering that he was in a highly advanced universe, the term "sky" was not appropriate.

As for StarNet, it was more suitable as a general term for the network, not for AI.

As a shut-in deeply influenced by otaku culture, Liu Rui'an naturally chose a loli image for his AI without hesitation.

In addition to the pure and cute black long hair and natural beauty, it also included the key elements of a young face with a large chest.

Since he had done all the necessary preparations in the "Resident Evil 3" world, the AI upgrade did not take much time.

However, what made Liu Rui'an frown was that the Starling was much stronger than the imitation "Flame Empress" in all aspects, but it also required much higher hardware.

With the current hardware, it was impossible to fully utilize the Starling's performance.

Fortunately, Liu Rui'an had always intended this place to be a temporary base.

Moreover, even if the performance was not fully utilized, the Starling was still much stronger than the imitation "Flame Empress."

With a better AI, the systems of the intelligent robots were also upgraded immediately.

The most unexpected surprise for Liu Rui'an from this trip was not the various technologies of the Umbrella Corporation or the loli girl K-Mart he had hooked up with, but Alice.

More specifically, Alice's blood.

The fact that she could perfectly integrate the T-virus and even develop telekinetic abilities was not a coincidence but a result of human evolution, which could be considered both accidental and inevitable.

Especially in the development of the new "Divine Blood," Liu Rui'an unexpectedly discovered that Alice's blood could enhance the stability of the "Divine Blood," leading to a breakthrough in its development.

...

In the underground laboratory, over a hundred research-type intelligent robots stood in front of different instruments or control panels, making final adjustments.

"Is everything ready?" Liu Rui'an, dressed in a thin nightgown and looking completely different from his usual researcher image, walked to the main control panel and asked.

"All systems have been adjusted, my master," the research-type intelligent robot with a captain's emblem on its left arm reported quickly.

"OK." Satisfied, Liu Rui'an nodded and walked to the central area surrounded by numerous instruments and control panels.

On the platform in the central area, a cylindrical container made of half special alloy and half reinforced glass was lying flat.

The front of the container was currently open, and it was empty.

After all the preparations were completed, Liu Rui'an walked to the container, took off his nightgown, and lay down inside naked.

"Begin."

Following Liu Rui'an's command, the cylindrical container slowly closed.

With a "hiss," the container sealed perfectly, and then a stream of purple liquid began to flow into it through the pipes.

In just a few minutes, Liu Rui'an, standing inside the container, was completely enveloped by the purple liquid.

As the container slowly tilted, from a distance, Liu Rui'an, suspended in the liquid, looked as if he were sealed in a pure purple crystal.

Liu Rui'an, who had fallen into a deep sleep due to inhaling a certain gas, did not feel any discomfort from the purple liquid.

Under the orderly control of the intelligent robots, five medium-sized arc reactors began to output energy simultaneously.

With sufficient energy, the platform where the cylindrical container was located was soon covered by a large number of fine electric arcs and bright purple light.

The light halo lasted for almost half an hour before slowly fading away. When the platform returned to normal, not only had the purple liquid in the container turned into colorless pure water, but Liu Rui'an, lying inside, had also become unrecognizable.

As the water was completely drained, the cylindrical container slowly rose and split open with a "hiss."

Almost as soon as the container opened, Liu Rui'an, who had been unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes.

In that instant, the entire experimental area seemed to be swallowed by the purple-hued eyes.

When his eyes returned to normal, a smile quickly appeared on Liu Rui'an's face, which had become incredibly handsome.

Floating out of the container, Liu Rui'an walked to the full-length mirror that had been prepared.

Although he had expected some changes, seeing himself in the mirror still gave him a pleasant surprise.

The most immediate surprise was his height and physique. His height, which was originally 1.76 meters, had increased to 2 meters, and his physique had changed from thin to strong.

Even though this strength was still far from that of professional bodybuilders or strongmen, the well-defined muscle lines provided a strong visual impact, giving a pleasing sense of power and beauty.

In addition, his originally short black hair had turned into long purple hair that reached his ankles. Of course, he also had purple eyes and a much more handsome face.

After admiring his changes, Liu Rui'an raised his right hand in front of him.

Soon, his right hand, which could make even the best hand models feel inferior, began to change rapidly.

First, his fingers grew longer, then his nails grew longer, and finally, they transformed into a claw that no human should have.

(Refer to the gene mutation demonstration given by the protagonist in "Lucy" to several scientists.)

After returning his right hand to normal, with a thought, the long hair that reached his ankles quickly shortened back to its original length and color, turning back to the normal black for Chinese people.

After a dozen seconds, except for his height, which remained at 1.88 meters, and his face, which was slightly more handsome, there was no trace of his previous appearance.