They had survived entirely on their own immunity, and the government had developed a serum vaccine by relying on the blood of these individuals.
If Jake had been injected with that bio-virus and hadn't mutated, then he was a natural serum vaccine.
If he were taken back for government research,
then a serum vaccine against the new virus could be developed in just a few days. This was an unexpected stroke of luck.
"Your name is Jake Muller, right?"
"Very well. You need to return to the United States with us now. Are you willing? I suspect the blood in your body can produce immunity to these viruses."
"If you can contribute a portion of your blood as a research sample, it could save tens of millions of lives."
"Do you see these monsters infected by the virus? If you want to... you can prevent even more innocent civilians from becoming these monsters."
Thinking of this,
Chris couldn't suppress his inner excitement.
He quickly reached out to pull up Jake, who was sitting on the ground, and hurriedly explained. This was a rare good thing.
Although they hadn't discovered the source of the bio-virus yet, let alone its name, they had found the antibody serum for it in advance.
It was an excellent measure, like fixing the roof before it rains or nipping a problem in the bud.
As long as they brought Jake back to the US, it wouldn't matter even if they couldn't find the source of the virus.
Because Jake's antibody serum could resolve the threat of this new virus, strangling it in its cradle. This was the best way!
"My blood?"
"Save tens of millions of people? Heh... I didn't expect my blood to be so valuable. I have no problem going back with you, but business is business."
"Once we arrive in the US, I need you to pay me a reward of two hundred thousand dollars. Only then will I provide my blood for your research. Can you do that?"
Upon hearing Chris's explanation,
Jake was instantly amused. He truly hadn't expected his blood to be so valuable, so he decided to hike up the price on the spot.
Although he agreed to return to the US with Chris and the others, he required them to pay a reward to get his blood.
After all, he was a Mercenary.
Mercenaries loved money. As long as the pay was right, Jake was willing to do anything. Two hundred thousand dollars was his psychological expectation; he wasn't being overly greedy.
Two hundred thousand dollars was nearly two or three years' worth of a Mercenary's salary. With that money, he could live comfortably for a long time. After all, it was just a bit of blood; Jake hadn't thought much further than that.
But in reality,
if he wanted to,
his blood could be worth millions of dollars.
Tens of millions would be a bit far-fetched unless it was a buyout; otherwise, for a few hundred milliliters of blood, two or three hundred thousand dollars was the upper limit.
"Hey!"
"We just saved your life, and now you dare to ask for a reward? As expected of a Mercenary, you perfectly fit the image of being insatiably greedy."
At this moment,
hearing Jake hike up the price,
Piers, who was standing nearby, couldn't hold back. He glanced at Jake and spoke coolly with a hint of sarcasm.
He was usually very refined and polite,
but for some reason, Jake really rubbed him the wrong way. The two were like arch-enemies; whenever Jake did even the slightest thing, Piers couldn't help but speak up to stop him.
To put it another way... Piers didn't want his captain, Chris, to be swindled by this greedy Mercenary.
To put it bluntly,
it was as if his captain, Chris, who was wholeheartedly good to him, was suddenly being snatched away. Piers felt very disgruntled; this was probably a soldier's sense of rivalry for favor.
After all, a childhood friend is no match for a newcomer. As Captain Chris's loyal subordinate and brother-in-arms, Piers didn't want his position to be usurped by Jake.
"Kid, are you looking for trouble?"
"You've been hostile toward me since the beginning. If you're looking for a beating, I don't mind teaching a lesson to a disobedient grunt like you on behalf of your captain. I'm negotiating with your captain, not you. Understand?"
Hearing Piers's mocking words,
the ill-tempered Jake had no intention of showing restraint. He was originally a hot-headed local thug.
Looking at the handsome Piers, Jake didn't hold back his verbal abuse and sarcasm. At the same time, he prepared to stand up, looking ready for a fight.
"What did you say...?!"
Seeing this,
Piers's anger flared up instantly. Jake's provocative face looked very punchable. Ignoring the attempts of his teammates to stop him,
Piers immediately rushed forward, intending to teach Jake a good lesson. Fortunately, Chris, as the captain, stepped in and stopped them in time to avoid the conflict.
"Enough."
"Piers didn't mean it. Jake, your request is reasonable. Our BSAA can afford the two hundred thousand dollar reward, but I expect you to follow my orders."
"Our squad still needs to head to the center of the battlefield to investigate the true source of the virus, so we won't be able to return immediately. You must stay with our squad and not run off. Can you accept these terms?"
After stopping Piers,
Chris turned back and slowly asked Jake. He agreed to Jake's request; two hundred thousand dollars wasn't a huge amount, but it wasn't small either.
However, the BSAA could afford it. Even Chris's retirement savings would be enough to pay for it, so Chris had no reason to refuse.
But he also had his own conditions.
That was, Jake could only operate under his watch. After all, he couldn't be certain of Jake's true background yet, so he couldn't let this guy wander off. He had to keep him close.
Fortunately,
Jake had no objections to this.
As a Mercenary, his job was to perform tasks for a reward. If the pay was two hundred thousand dollars,
then Jake had no problem accompanying a group of American soldiers deep into the heart of the war zone. After all, he was used to this lifestyle.
Hum...
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da—!!!!!!
However,
just at that moment,
the deafening roar of helicopter rotor engines suddenly came from above the abandoned, unfinished building where they were located.
A giant transport helicopter suddenly appeared before them, and hanging beneath it was a colossal creature.
It was pitch black all over,
a Zombie Giant with its head and spine encased in thick iron armor, looking like a suspended Gorilla Titan. The transport helicopter instantly dropped this behemoth into the center of the battlefield.
Boom—!!!
Roar————————!!!!!!
As soon as it landed,
the Zombie Giant caused an immense commotion. Dust flew up from the ground as it lifted its feet and crossed its arms in a charging stance.
After the giant made a running motion in place and let out a roar, it immediately began a rapid, headlong charge toward the abandoned building where Chris and the others were.
Thump, thump, thump...!!!!
The ground trembled violently,
as if an earth dragon were turning over. The massive giant charged with terrifying momentum, instantly smashing through the unfinished buildings blocking its path.
These buildings were like toy blocks,
turning into ruins with just a light touch from the giant. If it reached this unfinished building, Chris and the BSAA Squad would likely be buried instantly.
"Quick, retreat! Fall back now—!!!"
"Piers, request air support from the Government Forces. Tell them a large-scale BOW has appeared here and requires an aerial missile strike."
Seeing this,
Chris did not hesitate.
He shouted loudly to command everyone to run for their lives,
and ordered Piers beside him to immediately use the radio to request support from the Government Forces of the Republic of Edonia. Since the two were allies, the other side wouldn't just sit by and watch.
A behemoth like this giant,
while highly destructive, was a living target on the battlefield due to its massive size and could easily be hit by bomber strikes from the air.
Therefore, the best way to deal with this thing was to request air support. Using assault rifles would be a waste of bullets; they simply couldn't kill it!
Rumble...
As soon as he finished speaking,
the giant had already crashed into the abandoned building. A large amount of rubble fell and collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, the entire building had become a pile of ruins.
Clouds of dust billowed,
but fortunately, Chris's command had been timely. The BSAA Squad had already safely evacuated to the area of another unfinished building.
Losing sight of the BSAA Squad made the Zombie Giant irritable, and it could only vent by continuously destroying the surrounding buildings.
"Captain, the Government Forces say they can't provide air support. The enemy's anti-aircraft fire is too intense. Unless the anti-aircraft guns are destroyed, the Government Forces can't carry out a bombing run."
At this moment,
hiding at the top of an abandoned building, Chris watched the Zombie Giant's receding back from a corner of a window.
Piers, who was beside him, suddenly received a message from the Government Forces and hurried to report to Chris.
Hearing the term 'anti-aircraft guns',
Chris's gaze was drawn to the rows of anti-aircraft cannons built atop a nearby fortress. These flak guns were constantly firing bullets into the sky,
forming a dense net of fire.
The altitude was such that they could easily hit any flying fighter, bomber, or helicopter. It was indeed difficult for the Government Forces' air units to provide support.
"..."
"Give me another two hundred thousand dollars, and how about I help you blow up their Anti-aircraft Fortress?"
Hearing everyone's dilemma,
Jake, who had followed them during the escape, suddenly spoke up with great bravado.
His scarred face was filled with a confident expression, as if infiltrating the enemy camp to blow up the Anti-aircraft Fortress was a piece of cake for him.
This made Piers, who already disliked Jake, even more annoyed. An arrogant and ignorant Mercenary,
what was he doing adding to the mess? Did he think he was a superhero?
Running into enemy territory to blow up an Anti-aircraft Fortress? Did he think the soldiers of the Revolutionary Rebel Army were pushovers? Piers looked down on Jake more and more; the guy was just too cocky.
"..."
"What's your plan?"
Looking at Jake's confident expression,
Chris calmed down Piers, who was about to lose his temper.
Although he also felt Jake was being arrogant, Chris still wanted to hear his idea. After all, Jake's current manner reminded Chris of someone familiar: Javier.
"It's simple."
"Didn't they just drop that giant monster? That thing is a veritable unfinished building terminator."
"What if I lure that giant to their fortress? We let their own monster smash their fortress, and the problem is easily solved."
Hearing Chris's question,
Jake didn't keep them in suspense. He pointed at the Zombie Giant still wreaking havoc nearby and spoke with easy confidence.
Though the thing was terrifying, it didn't seem to have any brains.