Starting from Prototype to Immortality

Chapter 8: New Abilities

Chang Wei quickly transformed into an infected to disguise himself, yet the two helicopters showed no mercy, killing him as if he were an ordinary civilian.

This was because they had been targeted by Alex Mercer too many times and were now fully aware of the Prototype's ability to disguise. In the game, their response might seem rigid, with their alertness fading once you were out of sight. However, reality allowed no such loopholes.

Blackwatch now adhered to the principle of "better to kill wrongly than let go."

"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!"

The helicopter-mounted machine guns opened fire, their terrifying power tearing up the concrete ground, leaving craters. The infected were shredded into pieces, and even Chang Wei, the "innocent civilian," was struck by the bullets, collapsing to the ground on the spot.

As soon as the two helicopters shifted their attention elsewhere, Chang Wei grabbed a nearby sedan and hurled it at them.

"Boom!"

The car smashed directly into one of the helicopters. The terrifying force carried by the car instantly deformed the helicopter, crushing the pilot and onboard soldiers into bloody pulp.

The other helicopter, sensing danger, attempted to turn around, but Chang Wei had already hoisted a rocket launcher.

"General!"

Chang Wei smiled slightly, pulled the trigger, and a rocket shot out with a roar, hitting the helicopter.

The helicopter exploded into a massive fireball, and the surging heat wave made Chang Wei feel like his hair was being singed. Fortunately, the Blacklight Virus's formidable regenerative abilities spared him from "balding."

With Chang Wei causing havoc, the infected soon breached the defenses, attacking civilians and expanding the infected zone.

Once the number of infected reached a certain level, Chang Wei began harvesting.

However, the harvesting process was too slow. Chang Wei contemplated a way to accelerate the spread of infection. If all of Manhattan Island were to fall, he could harvest at will. Better yet, if the infected could leave Manhattan and spread the virus to other cities, he could harvest even more genetic points.

"Evolution…"

Chang Wei chose an evolutionary direction: he wanted to develop "Blacklight Virus Parasites" capable of parasitizing and controlling hosts' actions!

The inspiration came from nature's parasitic organisms, such as horsehair worms or parasites that control snails. These parasites could manipulate their hosts' behavior, providing an excellent reference for Chang Wei.

Of course, he wouldn't go as far as devouring horsehair worms or similar creatures. That wasn't something he could stomach. Instead, he relied on the Blacklight Virus to find its own way, with the system's help, to evolve this ability.

The results did not disappoint—Chang Wei successfully evolved the Blacklight Virus Parasite!

This parasite met all of Chang Wei's requirements. Strictly speaking, it wasn't a worm but a sub-organism of the Blacklight Virus resembling a parasite.

According to the system's description, since it originated from Chang Wei—a Prototype who had undergone numerous evolutions—using it on other organisms, even infected ones, would provide a certain degree of enhancement.

Some might even undergo "atavism," inheriting genes from Chang Wei, the parent organism.

For instance, Chang Wei's electric form, four-arm overlord form, and flight form could all be passed on through these sub-organisms. He could also create variants without these traits to simply strengthen hosts.

To test this new ability, Chang Wei grabbed a fat infected individual. Aside from Hunters, this was the strongest infected among ordinary Blacklight organisms.

In his hand, black and red material wriggled, and soon a creature resembling a cross between a centipede, scorpion, and spider appeared in his palm. The Blacklight Virus Parasite let out a bone-chilling shriek before using its sharp mandibles and forelimbs to burrow into the infected individual.

"Why does it look so much like a Facehugger… but far more ferocious?"

The Blacklight Virus Parasite's appearance was terrifyingly grotesque, yet every move it made was under Chang Wei's control. He had a unique connection with it, akin to manipulating his own limbs. Even with his insect phobia, he found nothing terrifying about the parasite.

The infected individual, now hosting the parasite, struggled violently but was quickly subdued. Then, transformation began.

Under the influence of the more advanced Blacklight Virus carried by the parasite, the infected's body developed a carapace-like exoskeleton, appearing nearly indestructible. While it might still not withstand a punch from Chang Wei's four-arm overlord form, its defense was undoubtedly much stronger than before.

Moreover, as a weapon, its blade-like arms became more exaggerated and menacing, clearly capable of dealing devastating damage.