A new chapter is up.
Come in, get comfortable, and let’s see what kind of trouble waits this time ❤️ ✦ “Speedrun Ranking?” Tony frowned as a virtual panel appeared in front of him.
The name at the top was painfully obvious.
[Tony Stark.
Kill Score: 100.] [Rank: 1.] [Black Widow…] [S.H.I.E.L.D.
agents…] “Of course I’m first.” Tony nodded, completely unsurprised.
With that much crossfire and explosive firepower, it would have been stranger if he had not taken the lead.
“That’s right.” “Keep it exactly like that.” Then his gaze sharpened as he noticed how quickly the score was changing.
Lickers were worth far more than ordinary zombies.
“Concentrate fire.” “Focus those things down.
Let them know who they’re dealing with.” Tony laughed.
“Yes, sir.” The moment JARVIS answered, the scattered barrage converged toward the center with ruthless precision.
Under the AI’s control, every round of firepower was used to its limit.
“Damn it.” “I can’t outscore that playboy now.” Natasha’s expression tightened as she watched Tony’s score pull away on the ranking panel.
Before, she could still rely on the other agents to surround and kill zombies, using numbers to scrape together points.
Once Tony changed tactics, catching up became impossible.
As one zombie after another fell, his score on the Speedrun Ranking stretched several times beyond second place.
Everything seemed settled.
…
Inside a U.S.
military facility, General Ross frowned.
“Tony is actually in first place?” “Then…” “What exactly is this unknown reward?” Ross was deeply connected to the Hulk and the military’s super-soldier projects.
The moment the mutant creatures appeared, the military had focused on them.
Twisted biological monsters were far too easy to connect to the experiments already being conducted in secret.
In an underground laboratory, researchers stared at the tissue samples suspended in experimental tanks.
Fear had already filled their eyes.
Then, in that tense atmosphere, a terrified shout broke out from the crowd.
“Oh my God.” “Damn it.
That’s the reward?
Are you kidding me?” The researchers stared at the screen as if they had seen a ghost.
“This is bad.” Even Ross felt a cold sweat break across his back.
[T-virus Enhancement] A vial glowing with pale fluorescent light appeared in front of Tony.
It was the special reward he received as the top-ranked participant after clearing the zombies and completing the mission.
“T-virus?” “The thing that created the zombies and Lickers?” Tony’s eyes narrowed.
Even Tony, fearless as he was, grew cautious.
If the system’s description was accurate, this was the root of an apocalyptic disaster.
In other words, this little thing had ended a modern technological world.
His caution meant nothing.
[Ding.] [Side Mission: Zombie Assault complete.] [Iron Man has received a special reward: T-virus Enhancement.] The system did not ask whether he wanted it.
The glowing vial slammed straight into Tony and vanished inside him.
“Son of a bitch.” “What the hell is this?” Tony was still cursing when a violent pain tore through his body, sinking into every bone.
In an instant, it felt as if every cell in him shattered and rebuilt itself.
Sweat poured out of him.
“Ah!” Then the worst of the pain passed.
“My body…” Tony lifted his head with difficulty, drenched as if he had been pulled from water.
It felt as if he had been rebuilt from the inside out.
Strength surged through him, endless and unfamiliar, as if every part of his body had been rebuilt.
The world itself looked different.
Tony realized he could keep up with the Lickers now.
Without relying on suppressive fire, he could use only the armor’s physical output and exchange blows with creatures known for their speed.
“Did it slow down?” “No.” “I got faster.” Shock ran through him as he finally understood the source of the change.
The T-virus Enhancement.
The reward from the mission.
Tony’s expression shifted between disbelief and excitement.
…
“How?” “The effect is that strong?” Ross stared in shock.
The fear he had felt upon seeing the T-virus reward had transformed completely into greed.
One vial had strengthened a playboy to this degree.
“This is comparable to the super-soldier program…” “No.” “The super-soldier program is garbage compared to this.” Ross shook his head, his voice decisive.
The military’s super-soldier program selected the best of the best, and even then the success rate was painfully low.
The T-virus?
One injection had transformed Tony from the inside out.
An ordinary human could now stand against Lickers.
Speed, nerve response, physical strength…
all of it had leapt forward.
It was far more effective than the military’s unfinished super-soldier program.
“This technology.” “This belongs in American hands.” An elderly general spoke with absolute certainty, his cloudy eyes filled with a predator’s greed.
…
At S.H.I.E.L.D., agents worked with their heads down.
“Speed increase: 200%…” “Neural response increase: 1000%…” “Strength increase: 180%…” “Enhancement still active.
Subject remains in a state of rapid transformation.
Duration unknown…” Data poured down the electronic screens like a waterfall.
The deep green glow of the numbers washed over Nick Fury’s face, making his expression look even grimmer.
“An unknown world.” “An unknown power.” “A system?” “Nexus Breach?” “What the hell is this thing?” Fury’s jaw tightened.
After seeing Tony’s transformation, he could no longer treat any of this as nonsense.
No hacker could do this.
The power Tony displayed was already dangerously close to that of a Level Three mutant.
And the T-virus Enhancement was still active, still optimizing and transforming him.
A force capable of turning ordinary people into something like that could not belong to some minor unknown organization.
“Does the Nexus Breach truly exist?” Fury clenched his fist.
The shock was enough to shake even him.
Even the king of spies, a man whose instincts questioned everything, was starting to believe.
“Maybe…” “Maybe it really does.” “At the very least, something beyond imagination is behind this.” …
In his apartment, Mason knew nothing about Fury’s shaken thoughts.
He only knew one thing.
This time, he had made a killing.
CREATORS’ THOUGHTS AuroraVale Thank you for reading.
I hope this chapter pulled you a little deeper into the story.
Stay close, because things are only getting more interesting.