Dionysium—a green liquid metal from the DC universe possessing mind-boggling regenerative and restorative properties.
The exact origin of Dionysium was lost to time, but its presence appeared across countless myths and legends.
It was even said that Earth’s self-healing capacity stemmed from Dionysium itself.
In DC comics, several figures had obtained Dionysium.
Among the most famous were Vandal Savage, the Joker, and Ra’s al Ghul.
Even the legendary Lazarus Pit was merely an inferior derivative of Dionysium.
Dionysium only triggered its restorative properties when its host sustained damage.
At all other times, it remained latent and completely undetectable by any known means.
What Russell had just obtained was the purest form of Dionysium.
Russell was currently unaware of all this, his mind entirely consumed by agony.
He knew nothing of the system’s premature activation, the automated draw, or the reward distribution.
However, Russell’s ignorance didn’t hinder Dionysium’s performance.
Sensing that its host was on the brink of death, the Dionysium immediately activated.
On Hydra’s monitoring screens, an unexplainable self-repair mechanism erupted across Russell’s body.
The violent, abnormal reactions caused by the Abomination Serum were rapidly reversed and stabilized.
Before the Hydra scientists and medical personnel could react, the Dionysium finished its work, settled back into a latent state, and completely vanished from sight.
The appearance and restorative process of the Dionysium lasted a mere two to three seconds.
That fleeting window was so brief that not only did the Hydra personnel fail to process what happened, but even Russell himself was left utterly bewildered.
Just two or three seconds ago, he had been plunged into utter agony.
Yet in the blink of an eye, that unbearable pain vanished without a trace, as if everything prior had been nothing more than a hallucination.
However, Russell knew full well it wasn’t a delusion, because he could feel a dramatic shift within his body.
Though he hadn’t grown into a massive green monster like the true Abomination, he could still feel an immense, dormant power surging within him.
With a gentle flick of his wrist, the heavy metal restraints that had held him down tore open like paper.
“What is going on?”
Sitting up on the operating bed, Russell examined his hands in confusion before glancing at the snapped metal clamps.
[Host is out of immediate danger.
Reward fully integrated.
System entering hibernation!]
When the mechanical prompt rang out in his mind once more, Russell finally remembered.
As the creator of *DC Apostles*, Russell knew better than anyone what kind of game he had coded.
What he hadn’t anticipated was that his homemade game would transmigrate alongside him and fuse directly into his soul.
“Open status panel!”
Russell thought the command, and a 3D interface projected itself in his mind.
[Host: Russell] [Race: Human] [Supernatural Powers: Power of Abomination, Dionysium] [Strength: B] [Speed: C] [Physique: B] [Spirit: C] [Energy Projection: D] [Combat Skills: D] [Overall Combat Rating: C+]
After skimming the main panel, Russell opened the detailed descriptions for the Power of Abomination and Dionysium.
[Power of Abomination: A superhuman ability derived from the Abomination Serum combined with Hydra enhancement formulas, fully stabilized and regenerated by Dionysium.
Significantly enhances the host’s Strength and Physique, but lacks transformation capabilities.]
[Dionysium: A green liquid metal possessing immense restorative and regenerative abilities.
The host’s first Apostle reward.]
Reading through the details, Russell finally understood what had happened to him.
Before he could process anything further, a squad of soldiers clad in black Hydra uniforms burst into the operating room, raising their firearms and locking their sights onto him.
Looking at the squad before him, Russell had no doubt they would open fire the moment he made a move.
However, opening fire was exactly what Russell wanted right now.
After reviewing his status panel, he had a solid grasp of his physical capabilities.
Setting everything else aside, a B-tier Physique alone was more than enough to ignore standard firearms.
Of course, that assumed the system’s rating scale was reliable.
According to Russell’s original game design, an average human’s physical stats were set at D-tier.
Someone with a B-tier Physique was undeniably a walking tank—perhaps even tougher than a real tank.
As long as these Hydra soldiers weren’t carrying heavy anti-materiel sniper rifles, Russell didn’t have much to worry about.
Even if the system’s scaling differed from his original code, he still had Dionysium flowing through his veins as a safety net.
With that assurance, Russell decided to go all out and vent his bottled-up rage.
He had almost been killed like a lab rat the moment he transmigrated!
*I don’t go looking for trouble, but that doesn’t mean I’m scared of it.*
Besides, Russell was no longer a powerless programmer.
Action spoke louder than words.
Glancing at the Hydra soldiers, Russell intended to leap off the surgical bed in a cool, heroic fashion, but the result turned out completely different from what he imagined.
He bounded upward—and promptly crashed straight into the ceiling of the operating room, smashing a huge hole in the structure and getting stuck waist-deep.
This accidental blunder caught Russell off guard and thoroughly startled the Hydra soldiers.
Reacting on instinct, they pulled their triggers.
*Rat-tat-tat-tat!*
Deafening gunfire shattered the air as a hail of bullets flew straight toward Russell, who hung from the ceiling like a dried fish.
It was only after emptying their entire magazines that the soldiers ceased firing.
The operating room was a complete wreck, filled with thick smoke, riddled with bullet holes, and carpeted in brass shell casings.
Having dropped down from the ceiling, Russell raised his hands to shield his face, casually letting the gunfire pelt his body.
Just as he had surmised, with a B-tier Physique, he could entirely ignore conventional firearms.
The bullets couldn’t pierce his skin at all; the impact felt like someone repeatedly poking him with a finger.
Getting poked hurts a little, sure—but it’s not going to kill you.