The zombies patrolling the area below the lab came in all sorts of strange shapes.
There were Lickers, Cerberuses that were far more ferocious than they were in movies, and human zombies that had a pair of broken bat wings on their backs with their fangs revealed.
Their build did not stand out among the zombie guards, but their aura was very violent and bloodthirsty, making Chen Gou feel like when he had faced the Master in the abyss of The Strain.
Aren't these zombies vampires transformed by the T-Virus?
Chen Gou was secretly terrified. Now that the T-Virus no longer parasitized ordinary humans but all sorts of powerful magical creatures, the zombies created were far more ferocious than those in movies.
The guards outside were a team of heavily-armed white soldiers. After asking a few questions, the captain told Violent Bear to wait outside while he led Chen Gou into the lab building.
The inside of the lab building was even more strictly guarded. Upon entering, one saw a circular corridor, and the place surrounded by the corridor was the real lab.
As a whole, it looked like a large box wrapped around a small box.
This was not only a measure to guard the place against enemies, but a measure to prevent the virus from leaking outside!
Chen Gou imitated An Zhanyu and pretended to be cynical while surveying the layout of the research building.
After a few minutes, he arrived at the door leading to the lab.
A bright orange biohazard sign was pasted on the left side of the double metal door, indicating that there was a potentially serious threat to the cytoplasm and organisms inside.
A red-and-white, eight-sided umbrella icon was pasted on the right, which was the very symbol of the Umbrella Corporation.
A warning sign on a side wall spelled the words 'Isolation Laboratory'.
Biochemical protection measures had to be strictly enforced.
No entry without permission!
The security chief who had led Chen Gou over rang the doorbell and a researcher in a lab coat appeared on the monitor.
"What is it?"
"The An Lan Clan's holy blood that you guys want is here." The security chief turned sideways to reveal Chen Gou to the camera.
"Bring him in."
The door to the lab opened automatically, and the tall and fit chief, who wore sunglasses even indoors, led Chen Gou in.
The corridor inside the lab was narrow. Even though this place was outside the lab, various horrific-looking "people" being held inside could be seen through the transparent glass walls on both sides.
If those creatures' bodies were in the process of zombification but still retained some human consciousness, the creatures crying out in pain could still be called humans.
Soon, Chen Gou was led to a spacious, bright office.
A middle-aged man with messy hair and an untrimmed beard was sitting behind a large desk, busying himself with his computer.
Upon seeing the incoming Chen Gou, he ignored the security chief, got up, and walked past with one hand outstretched before he said with a smile, "Mr. An, I'm Dr. Andric, the head of the lab. Welcome to the lab. I'm sure that if we join forces, we'll soon be able to create the Z-Virus."
Apparently, he had learned about An Zhanyu's attitude beforehand from Violent Bear.
His eyes were bloodshot and he had dark eye circles, an indication that he often stayed up late.
His hair and beard were unkempt, and the lab coat he was wearing had gray stains that looked like coffee stains.
His gaze was sincere and the joy he was expressing came from the bottom of his heart, which showed that Chen Gou's arrival was important to him.
In summary, he was a technical guy totally obsessed with viral research!
While looking him in the eye, Chen Gou outlined Andric's personality. Even if he wasn't totally right, he wouldn't be far off.
Such a person was relatively easy to deal with, as their research was all they had, and anything other than that would hardly interest them.
"Nice to meet you, doctor. Can I know what the Z-Virus is?"
Chen Gou reached out with his palm to shake hands with him and asked him about the virus that he had been hearing about for the second time.
Dr. Andric, who was clearly pleased that Chen Gou was showing interest in his research, excitedly explained, "Z means zion, which symbolizes heaven. This means that this virus has supreme power. If the research is successful, we will be able to transform everything and create the ultimate home of the world: Heaven!"
Chen Gou pretended to be surprised. "Is it more powerful than all the viruses the organization has worked on before?"
"Of course!"
Dr. Andric held the frame of his glasses as he said proudly, "The Umbrella Corporation now has a total of three S-class labs, all based on the Progenitor Virus, with blood, muscle, and bone as the entry points…
"We're developing a brand new evolutionary virus that can stimulate the human body's potential into evolving the corresponding parts, mass-produce super soldiers, and be stronger and stabler than the T-Virus.
"The entry point to the final base is blood. I've constructed an almost perfect genetic structure for blood mutation and I'm lacking only the relevant blood genes strong enough to serve as a blueprint. That's why we need you!"
They would be using blood as an entry point?
Had the Umbrella Corporation's technology advanced to the point where it could precisely pinpoint mutated body tissue rather than a full-body, disordered mutation like the T-Virus?!
"Although I don't understand very well, I know that your research is very impressive."
Chen Gou complimented him and asked with a sigh, "Can you describe to me what will happen when the Z-Virus is developed and used on the human body?"
"Strictly speaking, no one knows how powerful the Z-Virus will be until it's actually created, but we can use the laws of science to make predictions…" the doctor said before picking up the remote control on his desk and turning on the office's projector. Then, he worked on the computer for a moment and chain images of genetic material appeared on the opposite wall.
"This is the Progenitor Virus. Every virus, from the earliest T-Virus to the G-Virus, the T-Veronica Virus, and the Chrysalid Virus, started from the Progenitor Virus.
"This virus was originally extracted from a flower called 'Stairway to the Sun', which grew in the ruins of the Ndipaya Tribe in West Africa.
"This flower contains an RNA form of viral material that can enhance the human body's abilities, including physical strength and mobility, and prolong the life of human beings.
"However, in addition to these functions, this substance has highly toxic properties that few people can withstand and one eventually will die from.
"Because of this substance, "Stairway to the Sun" has long been considered a holy object by the local Ndipaya Tribe and has been used as a test for the selection of kings in ancient times."
Dr. Andric took the initiative to explain to Chen Gou, who looked extremely interested.
"The emergence of the T-Virus is a result of the Progenitor Virus fusing with leech gene fragments and hence greatly accelerating human metabolism.
"The Z-Virus I'm going to transform focuses on combining powerful blood genes to allow humans injected with the virus to evolve to the point where they can produce that powerful blood in their bodies, thus enhancing their abilities in all aspects.
"You should also know that blood is a source of power for humans and is more widely distributed than muscles and bones. It can reach every corner of the body.
"That's why I firmly believe that the Z-Virus will be stronger than the F-Virus and X-Virus of the other two labs!"