Chapter 330: The Parasite Agent!
The Underground Arena
As a former councilman and current general, Sam Lane was all too familiar with how large corporations operated. Instinctively, he did not want to be entangled with them, but reality offered him no other choice.
A.R.G.U.S. needed power, especially strong individual combat capability, and Lex Luthor could provide exactly that.
One had a need, the other had a motive, and a partnership was formed.
Taking the elevator down to the underground base, the lights flickered on, revealing a massive, circular arena made of reinforced glass.
Sam Lane glanced around and said coldly,
"Where is this weapon you speak of?"
"One moment."
Luthor clapped his hands. Anthony Ivo, with dark rings under his eyes, looking like he hadn't slept in a long time, slipped out from a side door, holding a controller. He pressed hard on a red button.
The center of the arena split open, and a tank filled with green liquid rose up. Suspended inside was a Caucasian male with needles inserted all over his body.
Sam Lane frowned slightly. "Don't tell me he's the weapon."
Luthor built the suspense.
"Watch for a moment, and you'll see."
Sam Lane grunted. He wanted to see what kind of monstrosity this guy had cooked up.
"Begin, Ivo. Give the General a demonstration."
"I've been waiting for you to say that!"
Ivo cheered excitedly. He operated the panel, injecting half a vial of a pale purple agent into the man's body. The man began to shake violently. Large purple blood patches appeared on his skin, and his face twisted into a grotesque mask, seemingly in intense agony.
Suddenly, his body began to swell. His limbs thickened, muscles bulged, and the expanding bulk pushed out the needles inserted into his body, making him look like a giant.
The liquid in the tank started bubbling furiously, and the man awoke from his slumber. He clenched his fist and slammed it down hard.
Bang!
Large cracks appeared on the exterior. After a second punch, the tank wall shattered, and the liquid surged out. The man tore off the restraints on his body and roared like a wild beast. His eyes glowed red, radiating a brutal, killing intent.
"This is..."
Sam Lane realized what he was seeing, his face turning incredibly grim. "The Parasite! You're insane!"
Luthor gently shook his head. "Don't jump to conclusions, General. Keep watching."
Having gained freedom, the man began to destroy everything around him, smashing the containment tank to pieces. His murderous gaze then fixed on the three men outside.
He roared and charged forward, raising his arms and slamming them down.
Buzz!
The high-strength glass wall vibrated rapidly, emitting a sonic boom-like roar.
The man punched again and again, his strength escalating. Gradually, the air around him seemed to boil, rippling with visible shockwaves.
"Such powerful and fearless strength!"
Luthor murmured, looking as though he were admiring an exquisite work of art.
Sam Lane also calmed down, watching the terrifying, monstrous man a few feet away, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.
Anthony Ivo opened his display tablet and began collecting data.
Suddenly!
Crack!
Tiny cracks appeared in the reinforced glass. The cracks began to spread, reaching several centimeters in length in the blink of an eye.
Luthor wasn't worried. He asked with interest,
"Well?"
Ivo adjusted his glasses and said excitedly, "Even better than last time! It has reached fifteen thousand pounds of force and is still increasing! Damn it, I knew we could do it!"
Sam Lane interjected, "Mr. Luthor, I must remind you that A.R.G.U.S. is an official organization, not a terrorist group. We need powerful soldiers who can control themselves, not destructive beasts."
Luthor chuckled. "Don't worry, General. The experiment is just beginning."
"Ivo, initiate Phase Two."
Ivo waved his hand impatiently. "Don't rush me! Data collection isn't complete yet. Wait a minute."
Luthor: "..."
Sam Lane glanced at Luthor, then at the single-minded Anthony Ivo, and his mouth twitched into a subtle, mocking smile. The sarcasm wasn't lost on Luthor, who felt his anger boil but managed to suppress it.
All geniuses in the world have some quirks, and that goes double for a top scientist like Anthony Ivo, whose eccentricities were too numerous to count.
The Side Effects
Only after the data collection was complete did Ivo reluctantly initiate Phase Two of the experiment.
Two gun barrels appeared above the arena. A dart containing a yellow agent flew out and hit the man's back. As the agent was injected into his body, the man's appearance rapidly changed.
His overly powerful body began to contract inward. His height receded from 2.6 meters to 2.3 meters, and the blood-red light in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a more human look.
He panted rapidly, kneeling on the ground, motionless. After a moment, he stiffly raised his head.
"Let me go! Let me out!"
"You damned bastard, let me out!"
The man roared, slamming his fists repeatedly against the high-strength glass.
Luthor turned back. "How is it, General? Is it to your satisfaction?"
Sam Lane carefully observed the man's changes. After thinking for a moment, he asked,
"How long does the effect last? What are the side effects? What are the risks to the user?"
The three questions cut right to the core and also showed that Sam Lane was not fundamentally against this kind of morally dubious research. Luthor chuckled, taking out a file and handing it over.
"The agent's raw material is the cytosolic fluid of the Parasite. We have modified it. It can be used for a permanent superhuman enhancement program, or it can be formulated as an agent. As for the drawbacks..." He paused, then added, "There are two main points: One, the user will feel an intense hunger, requiring large amounts of raw food for supplementation."
"Raw food?"
Sam Lane frowned. "Can't it be substituted with something else?"
"No. It must be raw meat—fresh, bloody, and cut directly from a living organism."
Hearing this, a shadow crossed Sam Lane's eyes, but he suppressed it. "And the second point?"
"The user's own sanity will be negatively affected to some degree. They will become easily agitated, explosive, and aggressively inclined. Additionally, they will lose their reproductive capability."
"Of course, these are only the initial results. As our research deepens, it is highly possible to eliminate these negative effects and achieve a perfect agent."
Sam Lane fell silent. He flipped through the document, weighing the gains and losses of the endeavor.
Ivo's research was powerful. If successful, it could significantly enhance A.R.G.U.S.'s combat strength and compensate for the lack of high-level fighters. But if it failed, or if the secret was exposed due to an accident, the consequences would be catastrophic.
A.R.G.U.S. would be branded with a terrible reputation, universally condemned, and he would become a historical criminal.
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 20 chapters in advance!