As an otaku programmer, Russell had never imagined that creating a self-made gacha game would lead to such disastrous consequences.
Russell loved superhero movies and comic books, so he had created a simple superhero game for himself titled *DC Apostles*.
*DC Apostles* didn’t involve much advanced technical coding.
It was built much like the cash-grab gacha games produced by certain famous domestic game studios.
According to its design, *DC Apostles* allowed players to randomly draw superhuman abilities and items that had appeared in DC comics or movies.
There was even a tiny chance to directly pull DC characters as personal Apostles.
Any pulled superhuman abilities or items would be applied to the player’s custom character, enhancing their attributes.
In short, it was a game about drawing the powers of other heroes or villains to forge your own ultimate superhero or supervillain.
After completing the initial framework for *DC Apostles*, Russell naturally became its very first—and only—closed-beta tester.
What he never expected was that this seemingly straightforward beta test would throw him straight into the Marvel universe.
…
Looking around at the unnamed high-tech instruments and the blindingly obvious Hydra symbol emblazoned on the wall, Russell fell into silence.
Transmigration was hardly a foreign concept to him.
As an avid web novel reader, the trope of being transported to another world was about as cliché as it got.
However, when it actually happened to him, it proved far less romantic than it sounded in novels—especially considering he was strapped to an operating table, utterly unable to move.
Inside this mysterious operating room, besides the bound Russell, there was a bald doctor wearing a face mask and a white surgical gown, as well as a few young nurses whose faces were obscured but whose figures looked quite decent.
Right now, that bald doctor was holding a metallic device filled with a glowing green liquid, slowly stepping toward Russell.
Before Russell could even open his mouth, a cold, mechanical voice echoed throughout the room.
“Project Abomination, Subject 996, test commencing!”
“Abomination Serum: 1,000 milliliters.
Gamma Energy Neutralizer: 100 milliliters.
Super Soldier Serum Type-3: 100 milliliters.
Tissue Recovery Agent: 50 milliliters!”
Once the mechanical voice cut off, the bald doctor arrived at Russell’s right side and slot the metallic device into the operating table’s automated injector.
“Can we discuss this first?
How about giving me some anesthesia?
I’m pretty sensitive to pain!”
If he were anywhere else, Russell might have tried to bargain his way out.
But the moment he laid eyes on that Hydra logo on the wall, he abandoned the thought entirely.
This was Hydra—SHIELD’s mortal enemy, an evil organization bent on world domination.
If a villainous syndicate like this let him go just because he begged for mercy, they wouldn’t deserve to be called villains.
So instead of begging, he figured he might as well act composed.
At least that way, he would die with some dignity.
It had been less than a few minutes since he realized he had transmigrated.
He hadn’t felt any of the perks of being a transmigrator yet, but the threat of death was right in front of his face—like a sadistic Grim Reaper dangling a lollipop before his eyes.
Although the bald doctor heard Russell, he didn’t bother answering.
Instead, he swept a cold, indifferent glance over him, as if looking at a dead man.
Based on the doctor’s past experience, the man lying before him would say goodbye to this world in less than a minute.
Russell was Subject 996 of Project Abomination, which meant 995 subjects had come before him.
And so far, every single subject had died an agonizing death within one minute of being injected with the Abomination Serum.
Project Abomination, as the name suggested, was a initiative aimed at mass-producing Abomination soldiers.
Ever since the Incredible Hulk and Abomination threw down in New York, Hydra had set its sights on this terrifying creature capable of going toe-to-toe with Hulk.
To that end, Hydra had exerted immense effort to extract a sample of the Abomination Serum from General Ross.
Upon securing the serum, Hydra launched a thorough investigation into Abomination—namely, Emil Blonsky’s entire background.
Even the secret that Blonsky had previously been injected twice with enhancement serums under General Ross was dug up by Hydra.
Although Hydra wasn’t entirely sure what specific enhancement serum Ross had used on Blonsky, that wasn’t a problem.
Hydra possessed plenty of its own Super Soldier Serums.
As long as they understood the general path of enhancement, the rest was merely a matter of trial and error.
Thus, Project Abomination was born, along with the 995 unfortunate test subjects before Russell.
Subject 996 not only designated Russell’s test number, but also signified that he was receiving the 996th iteration of the formula.
“Project Abomination, Trial 996, begin!”
“Log subject vital signs.
Log Abomination Serum injection reaction.
Log Gamma energy readings!”
At the mechanical command, the staff in the operating room quickly evacuated, leaving only Russell bound tightly to the surgical table.
“Hydra, screw you and your ancestors!”
Feeling the luminous green Abomination Serum flood his veins, Russell couldn’t help but curse aloud, swearing a quiet vow in his heart.
If he didn’t die today, he would make Hydra learn the true meaning of despair.
…
As the Abomination Serum and the other agents flooded his system, Russell’s body underwent a violent reaction.
It was an indescribable agony.
The Abomination Serum raged through his body like scalding molten lava.
Wherever it flowed, it left a trail of destruction and raw, torn flesh.
And as the serum swept through, the other chemicals and recovery agents activated, rapidly mending the carnage wrought by the Abomination Serum.
Tearing, destroying, obliterating!
Healing, repairing, regenerating!
This chaotic cycle played out continuously inside Russell’s body, inflicting excruciating pain upon both his flesh and his soul.
By now, Russell didn’t even have the strength left to curse Hydra.
Only a single word dominated his consciousness: pain.
An agonizing, unutterable pain.
On Hydra’s monitoring equipment, all of Russell’s vital indicators skyrocketed far beyond normal limits.
His heart rate and body temperature reached staggering, incomprehensible levels.
A normal human heart rate usually stayed well under two hundred beats per minute, but Russell’s heart rate was currently exceeding a thousand beats per minute.
To put it vividly, his heart was revving like an electric motor running at full throttle.
The violent thrashing of his heart brought a drastic spike in body temperature.
Russell looked like a cooked lobster, bright red all over and pouring off steam.
Without a miracle, his transmigration journey was going to end here, plain and simple.
As for whether he would get another chance at reincarnation, only whatever god governed transmigration would know.
Just as the Grim Reaper was dangling that lollipop to lure Russell away, a series of mechanical prompts suddenly echoed in his mind.
[Host is on the verge of death.
Activating DC Apostles system prematurely!]
[Issuing startup reward: Destiny Points sent!]
[Host consciousness impaired.
Auto-draw initiated!]
[Draw complete.
Host obtained reward: Dionysium!]