Chapter 27: Embracing Immortality
"Thump, thump, thump…"
Rapid footsteps echoed through the tunnel corridor. They were almost there, almost out. Finally, they were going to escape. Seeing the white light at the end of the corridor grow brighter and brighter, everyone clearly understood that the exit of the dam stronghold was near. Their previously calm hearts couldn't help but stir with excitement. They were finally leaving this annoying, hellish place.
The final sprint—
"Whoosh, whoosh…"
"Whoosh, whoosh…"
The dim, yellow sunlight of late afternoon spilled over them, and their noses deeply inhaled the fresh, sweet air. The rushing sound of the dam's waterfall filled their ears, a continuous 'whoosh' like a musical score, yet also deafening like a drumbeat. They opened their eyes… Above them was a clear blue sky and white clouds.
The feeling of seeing the light of day again was so wonderful.
The world was so colorful and beautiful. For almost the first time, everyone realized how precious it was to be alive.
"…"
"We escaped!"
Looking at the surrounding scenery, Krauser, clutching his injured arm, couldn't help but murmur. Although this mission didn't give Krauser the same thrilling feeling as usual, it was exceptionally unforgettable. Perhaps this was the true terror of hovering on the brink of life and death!
"Yes, but it's not over yet,"
"drug lord Idalgo has disappeared, Major. Should we contact the United States Government directly for support and extraction, or do we plan to regroup and continue the pursuit?"
He sighed deeply.
Leon, standing beside him, came over to help Krauser and spoke, but then he handed the satellite communication system on his shoulder to Krauser, the Major. As an experienced Red Berets soldier, Leon didn't intend to act on his own initiative but instead gave the choice to Krauser.
After all,
even Leon himself didn't know what they should do now.
Major Krauser had an arm pierced, he himself had suffered minor injuries, but all their firearms and ammunition were depleted. There was also the girl Manuela whose condition was critical and required urgent treatment. The target, drug lord Idalgo, was nowhere to be found. Leon wasn't sure what to do next.
Continue the pursuit?
In their current state, they would probably die in the Amazon Rainforest. In a sense, this was already a semi-failed mission.
But should they retreat?
The target, drug lord Idalgo, had not been captured, and there was no sign of the T-Veronica Virus, let alone its recovery. Only the target girl Manuela remained, but Javier would likely never let her be taken back to the United States Government.
Therefore,
whether they pursued or retreated, they had failed. Unsure what to do, Leon could only let Krauser, their instructor and Major, make the choice.
However,
Krauser gave a slight bitter smile.
Now you suddenly remember him? Just now, you guys were all acting on your own, completely disregarding an old soldier's opinion. Now, when faced with the most difficult choice, you're throwing the big problem back at him. Really…
"…"
"No need to give it to me, Leon. Request the United States Government's support and rescue! Lives come first. Let's consider this mission a failure for now. If they question us later, just say the enemy was too cunning. I don't care how those United States Government higher-ups scold us. Besides… my arm is injured, and I don't want it to be permanently damaged. I need to go back for treatment."
Without hesitation,
Krauser directly chose to retreat. If it were his old self, he would never allow a mission to fail, because mission completion rate was a soldier's honor, and a soldier's honor was Krauser's honor. Even with severed limbs, Krauser would still grit his teeth and complete the mission. This was his pride as a soldier.
But now…
He realized something new.
That was comradeship. Since he was injured, and Javier and Leon were also nearing their limits, there was no need to keep fighting to the death. Retreating early was the best option. So Krauser chose to retreat.
Preserving life was the top priority. Honor… that kind of thing was no longer important in the face of life. Dying gloriously on the battlefield was not his only choice.
And hearing Krauser's answer,
Leon couldn't help but show a relieved smile. It seemed… although they hadn't completed the mission on this trip to the Amazon Rainforest in South America, they had gained something else precious: friendship. That was good; they hadn't come to this desolate, hellish place for nothing—
"Boom…!"
"Rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!!"
However,
just as Leon was about to press the emergency satellite communication system for help, a sudden loud noise came from the Amazon Rainforest behind the distant dam.
It was as if something massive was about to burst out of the ground. Birds and beasts within a hundred miles heard this loud noise, and countless animals began to flee in a hurry.
"What is that…?! "
Hearing the loud noise,
everyone involuntarily turned their gaze. Not far from the dam stronghold, a white castle building collapsed with a crash, and countless ruins smashed heavily onto the ground, kicking up an enormous cloud of dust. What followed immediately after was like a sandstorm.
The surrounding rainforest suddenly stirred up extremely terrifying smoke and dust. Trees in the rainforest for dozens of miles collapsed with a roar, and the lush green life directly withered and dried up.
As if some life force had been drawn out, even the animals living within did not escape harm, all of them completely absorbed and devoured.
Dozens of miles of rainforest were instantly leveled, replaced by an incredibly massive white skeletal monster.
Like a giant spider, it had thick white skeletal legs all over its body, descending from the sky like enormous stone pillars. At the very front, there were arm-like drills, similar to a scorpion's stinger, capable of easily piercing through any structure and devouring prey, even underground bunkers offered no resistance.
Large amounts of red flesh enveloped its entire body like a meatball. Its back was covered in hedgehog-like white skeletal spikes, a living combination of a spider, a hedgehog, and a plant. The wriggling reddish-brown nodules were its flesh, and its abdomen could release both acid and explosive attacks.
The rest of its body had chaotic tentacles waving, just like Alexia back then. These tentacles could shoot out from the ground to launch surprise attacks. It also had a long head at the front, but it was completely covered in white bone. Its mouth could spit out a long tongue, similar to an anteater, and somewhat like the monsters from Emperor Kong: Skull Island.
And this was the masterpiece of drug lord Idalgo…
The mutated product of the T-Veronica Virus, the V-Complex, a berserk transformation into an ultimate monster with the abilities of a Emperor species.
After all, unlike Alexia, Alexia underwent fourteen years of low-temperature cryo-fusion, achieving a perfect fusion with the T-Veronica Virus while maintaining her human state, with almost zero side effects.
But drug lord Idalgo was different.
This was a forced berserk transformation, using the T-Veronica Virus's plant as a medium, and then his body, after being injected with the virus, fused with it, allowing the plant to bear the erosion of the T-Veronica Virus, while drug lord Idalgo was responsible for brain control.
In short,
it transferred the T-Veronica Virus's erosion of human cells to the plant, making the cultivated giant carnivorous plant endure this pain, and drug lord Idalgo only needed to control it with his brain.
However, this berserk fusion method had a very obvious flaw: as its power gradually strengthened, drug lord Idalgo, as the brain controller, would gradually lose his sanity. After all, it wasn't a proper fusion, and drug lord Idalgo would soon become a puppet of the virus, just like William Birkin once did…
However,
for drug lord Idalgo, it no longer mattered.
Just look at his current form: a behemoth nearly 30 meters tall, looking down on the ants below like a god. Just a slight movement of his foot could change the surrounding terrain. This was the power he desired.
Power enough to change the world. He wanted to destroy the Amazon Rainforest, destroy the Colombia government, destroy everything, and take revenge on everything in this world.
As for his daughter, Manuela,
it didn't matter.
Idalgo, as her father, would let his most cherished and beloved daughter reside within his body. After gaining his power, Manuela would not die. She would live forever with her father, no longer worrying that death would take her away!
This current form was merely the divine form born from assimilating the environment within dozens of miles of the Amazon Rainforest. If drug lord Idalgo continued to assimilate the plants and animals within the Amazon Rainforest,
within a few days, the entire Amazon Rainforest would be swallowed by him. A month later, all of South America would become his body, and then he would move towards other continents. In less than three months, the entire world would become his possession!
This was the product of drug lord Idalgo's madness…
Unfortunately,
Alexia had also fantasized this way, but she undoubtedly failed, falling at the feet of a mere few humans. And this time was no exception.
"…"
"Roar, roar, roar—!!!!"
A roaring howl,
the powerful sound waves swept over Javier's and the others' eardrums. drug lord Idalgo's fused V-Complex began to move, and the ground started to shake, instantly changing the expressions on Javier's and the others' faces.
A major incident had occurred.
This so-called V-Complex was even more massive than he had imagined. The T-Veronica Virus was indeed a very dangerous thing. Quickly go to the Great Thunder Sound Temple in the Western Paradise to invite the Tathagata Buddha, no… go call the Ultra Warriors from Nebula M78.
Even human hosts who can transform into giants would do.
This was already a scene of Ultraman fighting monsters, a situation Javier and the others found very difficult to get involved in…
"Quick!"
"Leon, immediately use the emergency satellite communication to request the United States Government's support. Tell them to use their broken satellites to see what kind of monster has appeared in the Amazon Rainforest. If they don't come now, this thing will move towards the urban area, and that would mean tens of thousands of deaths!"
At this moment,
Javier, having reacted, quickly shouted to Leon behind him, and Leon, having come to his senses, also quickly used the emergency satellite distress call,
requesting the Colombia government's military to immediately send air force units to the Amazon Rainforest. An indescribable disaster had occurred here.
Krauser, with his injured arm, looked at everything before him with astonishment. This was the most shocking thing he had ever seen.
What was that monster?
Godzilla?
A monster that could only appear in movies?
A colossal monster comparable to a five-story residential building appearing before them would shock anyone immensely. This had already exceeded the scope of modern science's understanding. Was the power of viruses really that strong? How did that enormous body swell to such a massive size? Was it by absorbing the life force of rainforest plants and animals?
A flood of questions arose in Krauser's mind. For the first time, he felt curiosity, awe, and reverence for viruses. It was truly like a superpower.
"…"
"Father…?!"
And just at this moment,
while Krauser was still in shock, the girl Manuela also looked at the giant spider monster before her with astonishment. After a startled cry, Manuela quickly broke free from the restraints on her arm right under Javier's nose and ran towards it with all her might.
"Manuela—?!"
This startled Javier greatly.
What was this stubborn girl trying to do? He knew he was her father, but how could she not feel fear towards such a massive monster? What if that monster attacked? With just a light stomp, Manuela would become a puddle of mud, and all of Javier's efforts would be in vain.
"Damn it!"
"One after another, why do they never make things easy for me?"
He couldn't help but curse under his breath, and Javier also quickly ran after her, simultaneously pulling out the last smoke grenade from his waist, clutching it tightly in his hand.
He was going to use his last smoke grenade to turn invisible and rescue this stubborn girl, Manuela. He absolutely could not let her use the power of the T-Veronica Virus to eliminate Idalgo. If that happened… Manuela would also eventually dissipate into a golden light in this world.
Then wouldn't he have come to this Amazon Rainforest for nothing? No, absolutely not. Javier would not allow such a thing to happen!
"Bang…"
"Roar, roar, roar—!!!"
As Manuela approached,
Idalgo, who had undergone the giant V-Complex fusion, seemed to sense his daughter Manuela. He immediately turned his head and roared. His numerous blood-red eyes instantly noticed Manuela's slender white figure.
Idalgo, in his fused V-Complex form, could not hide his excitement. He immediately controlled his limbs and moved towards Manuela. Although his speed was slow, his strides were large, and the distance between them would quickly close.
Once they made contact,
Idalgo, in his fused V-Complex form, would immediately absorb his daughter Manuela into his body. That way, neither of them, the poor father and daughter, would die. This was true, perfect immortality…
The drug lord Idalgo, already in a state of frenzied madness, thought so in his heart—
Chapter 28: Abandoning Wisdom and Extinction
"Rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!"
The V-Complex monster that drug lord Idalgo had fused with was outrageously massive, which also indirectly proved the terror of the T-Veronica Virus. Its infectivity was the most powerful among all known viruses.
But it was also fortunate that this was the Amazon Rainforest in South America, where the V-Complex could only absorb life from some animals and plants.
If it had erupted in an urban area of Colombia, it would likely not only result in tens of thousands of deaths, but the V-Complex monster would also swell to an even greater size than it was now, truly becoming a giant creature!
"Crack—!"