Inside the subterranean secret laboratory of the E.S. Consortium, the instruments connected to Fang Senyan suddenly blared an alarm.

"Warning, warning: Patient's non-invasive blood pressure shows violent fluctuation, currently at 140/200, with an upward trend." "Warning, warning: Patient's respiration/heartbeat shows violent fluctuation, exceeding normal limits by fifty percent, with an upward trend." "Warning, warning: Patient's bispectral index shows violent fluctuation…."

Just as the readout reached this point, the eighteen-million-Euro apparatus suddenly emitted a puff of blue smoke and electrical sparks, followed by a faint explosion. Immediately afterward, screws, gears, and other internal components could be seen flying out.

Then came the sound of grinding—ge zi ge zi—and upon closer listening, it was the unmistakable noise of Fang Senyan clenching his jaw! His chest rose and fell violently, his fists tightly clenched. The superficial veins across his body bulged beneath the skin, starkly visible, as if after extreme exertion.

San Zai panicked, ready to rush forward and pull Fang Senyan out of whatever crisis he was experiencing, but Zi immediately grabbed his arm, saying in a low, firm voice: "Don't go over there. He doesn't look like the virus is out of control; rather, it seems like he's undergoing immense mental stimulation. I don't know why, but if you get close now, you might get hurt."

It must be said that Zi's combination of a woman's unique sensitivity and the broad perspective of a Consortium leader was invaluable. She always managed to pierce through to the heart of a situation instantly. San Zai calmed down then, stepping back a few paces.

Zi frowned, then turned to the startled and horrified medical staff standing nearby: "Get out. Now."

The Professor stammered: "But?"

Zi frowned again, her tone turning severe: "I do not like repeating myself."

Instantly, the beautiful executive’s aura commanded the room. Doctors and nurses quickly withdrew. Fang Senyan’s strange episode persisted for about five or six minutes before slowly subsiding. Suddenly, he slammed one fist against the sterile containment unit. Although the unit was built extremely robustly—comparable to bulletproof glass—to prevent biochemical contamination, the sheer power Fang Senyan now possessed caused a heart-stopping sound of cracking upon impact. Another blow followed, and the transparent glass shattered into glittering shards across the floor. All that remained was Fang Senyan’s fist, veins prominent, standing fixed in the air. Accompanying this was his heavy, ragged breathing—a turbulent roar, like that produced by a ten-thousand-horsepower steam engine.

After a long while… the turbulent breathing finally quieted. Fang Senyan slowly opened his eyes. The blood-red hue within them receded swiftly, restoring clarity to his gaze. Finally, he stared blankly at the white ceiling for a moment, then turned to look at Zi and San Zai, letting out a long, slow breath: "I apologize; I lost control… The disease is still raging within Fang Senyan. But for him, it is now nothing." A full three hours later, the prompt from the Nightmare Mark finally arrived:

“A-Virus replication successful!” “You have successfully unlocked the Virus Monarch Talent Tree: Airborne contagious disease endpoint. Atypical Pneumonia (SARS Virus).” “You may activate other Virus Monarch Talent Trees to become stronger. Activating additional Virus Monarch Talent Trees requires 80 Merit Points!” “Ultimate Ability: Atypical Pneumonia (Inactive). The ARS pathogen rapidly proliferates within their bodies, exhibiting a frenzied amplification effect. The enemy’s respiratory system will collapse in a short time, much like the Twin Towers during 9/11, until they adapt to this immense agony.” “Activating this ability requires thirty Merit Points. You will simultaneously transmit the SARS virus to nearby enemies. Since this virus spreads via air and droplets, the onset cycle takes only three seconds to take effect.” “The moment it takes effect, it inflicts heavy damage on any creature hostile to you. As the SARS virus massacres human immune cells, it inflicts violent pain upon the enemy's nerves, causing dizziness for three seconds, and simultaneously inflicting 5% damage based on maximum health (when acting upon Contractors, this damage cannot exceed 300 points).” “Afterward, every 10 seconds, the enemy has a 75% chance of suffering the effects of a SARS tendril, resulting in one of three conditions: SARS Chest Pain / SARS Suffocation / SARS High Fever, and receiving the Disease Deepening debuff… Chest Pain: SARS erodes the enemy’s lungs, inducing intense agony for three seconds. During this period, the afflicted cannot perform any attacks, movements, or casting actions, and suffers damage equal to 100 + the sum of the caster's attributes… Suffocation: SARS virus erodes the enemy’s airway, causing them to be unable to breathe. During this process, the enemy’s movement speed is immediately reduced by 50%, and their hit rate drops to 0%, slowly recovering to normal levels over the subsequent ten seconds. Once SARS Suffocation strikes, the enemy immediately suffers 100 True Damage… High Fever: The SARS virus instantly raises the enemy’s body temperature from a normal 37 degrees Celsius to an astonishing 41 degrees Celsius. Under this effect, the mental energy cost of any of the enemy's abilities will soar to 500%! The high fever will gradually descend in a tiered manner over thirty seconds, and the spiritual energy cost will decrease accordingly (for instance, after ten seconds of high fever, the temperature might drop to 39.5 degrees Celsius, meaning the casting cost might then be around 300%). It will finally return to normal.” “Each time an abnormal status is triggered, the Disease Deepening debuff is applied to the enemy’s body. When the Disease Deepening debuff stacks to seven layers, the SARS virus triggers a Severe Symptom Effect. Under this effect, the enemy is simultaneously afflicted by Chest Pain, Suffocation, and High Fever, and the duration of all negative statuses is extended by 200%. Furthermore, the damage taken by the enemy increases by an additional 20%. Thirty-three percent (33%) of the damage sustained by the enemy during the Severe Symptom Effect will be converted into healing effects, curing nearby allies. The healing received by each ally cannot exceed 33% of their maximum HP.” “The Severe Symptom Effect lasts for 10 seconds. When it disappears, the Disease Deepening debuff is cleared from the enemy.” “This branch ability can coexist with certain other viral branch abilities.” “Please swiftly invest Merit Points to enhance this branch ability in order to unlock the rest of the Virus Monarch Talent Skill Trees…” Its power was beyond what anyone had imagined, and compared to the purely negative effects of earlier abilities, its lethal capacity had significantly increased. That initial 5% damage upon infection should not be underestimated. This might be manageable for Contractors, but recall the monsters on Pandora; their health pools often reached hundreds of thousands or millions. This 5% damage translated into an astonishing figure of tens of thousands!

Fang Senyan looked at the string of data and let out a wry smile: “Perhaps I really should temporarily put aside the process of advancing to Major General?”

Zi and San Zai watched him with keen interest. Fang Senyan looked at them quizzically: “What are you two doing?”

“Waiting for your explanation, of course,” San Zai said, spreading his hands with a grin. “What was that outburst in the sterile chamber just now? It worried Sister Zi half to death… Ouch!!”

San Zai flew across the room and stuck to the wall in a grotesque posture. The might of the Psionic Barrier needed no further explanation… Zi casually turned to Fang Senyan: “Since you’re alright now, I have a business deal to discuss, so I’ll be leaving.”

“Hey, Zi!” Watching her graceful figure depart, Fang Senyan suddenly called out, his expression growing heavy. After a moment of silence, he asked, “How about on the grass next time?”

Zi staggered as if struck by a bullet, looking as if she were spitting blood, then she clutched the wall and fled in disarray… Her elegant composure vanished in an instant. As Fang Senyan watched her leave, his smile slowly faded. Now, his eyes held an indescribable sense of wandering sorrow and pain.

“It’s not that I don't want to tell you everything… it’s just that our team is nowhere near the point where it can bear such a secret… This time, the SARS infection severely depleted Fang Senyan’s vitality, unlike the previous flu episode where he’d recover and walk away immediately after the test. He had to spend a long time recuperating, using IV drips, antibiotics, and everything else, but regretfully, nothing helped much. Even slightly strenuous movement would make him cough so violently it felt like his lungs were about to fall out.

Under these circumstances, Fang Senyan had no choice but to accept the identity of a patient, resting slowly and silently enduring the torment of his illness. Finally able to return to the Space, he was waiting by the staircase, quickly entering the Space in just a few motions.

As soon as he arrived, before Fang Senyan could request repairs, the Space notified him of a functional deficiency in his body—Hmm, that was the clinical term. For instance, the inability to walk was a functional deficiency; the inability to make love was also a functional deficiency; the inability to speak was yet another—essentially, a condition bordering on severe disablement. A subsequent check revealed that Fang Senyan’s left lung appeared intact, but it was utterly rotten inside. Only one-third of the right lung retained normal function! After spending a considerable amount of Universal Points, Fang Senyan finally managed to repair himself and regain his health.

He sat down on a stool and took several deep breaths. His gaze then fell upon the box sitting on the table labeled with the insignia "Imperial Military Urgent Transfer Privilege Delivery." This must be the package. Now that he had sufficient energy, Fang Senyan opened it, and his expression immediately grew grave!

Because inside the box lay a blood-red package!