Chapter 15: Clues
Manhattan Island – The Sealed Bridges
Chang Wei had only been here in the game before, remembering the extremely annoying machine gun emplacement guarding the entrances and exits.
However, after the situation became real, it wasn't just a single machine gun anymore. There were several emplacements. The early Ravager spawnlings all perished while attempting to cross the sea.
Because of this, Chang Wei had to personally intervene. In theory, without obtaining his virus sample, Dr. Raymond McMullen's Blacklight Virus detectors shouldn't have been able to detect his creations. This was especially true since those Ravager spawnlings were hidden within normal human bodies or other covert locations.
Now, Chang Wei understood why. Anything that attempted to cross the bridge—whether infected or uninfected—would be shot dead. The Marines and Blackwatch soldiers stationed there were armed with grenade launchers and rocket launchers. Even the weakest weapon was a light machine gun, capable of shredding anything into pieces. On top of that, there were helicopters and tanks.
The sea was also under lockdown, with aircraft carriers and escort ships temporarily deployed, making it impossible to swim out.
"This is really troublesome," Chang Wei muttered.
Then an idea struck him. After selecting a building, Chang Wei used the Blacklight Virus to create a stronghold within it—a "nest," to be precise.
He injected a massive amount of the Blacklight Virus into the newly-formed nest, granting it high activity from the start. Inside, Four-Armed Hunters quickly matured.
One by one, the Four-Armed Hunters emerged from the "mother core" of the nest, letting out low growls toward Chang Wei—an expression of their submission.
"Use this nest as a base. Convert all surrounding life into nutrients."
Chang Wei issued his command. Building a base under the enemy's nose seemed reckless, but with the Blacklight Virus, he dared to take the risk.
The Four-Armed Hunters immediately understood, roaring as they charged out of the nest.
Chang Wei didn't leave. Instead, he began designing a new, terrifying type of unit: the Enhanced Hunter.
These would be stealth-capable, Deteriorated Hunters.
Mimicry: Cold-Blooded Reptile
Mimicry: Chameleon
Mimicry: Light Distortion
These genetic traits were introduced into the nest using the Blacklight Virus as a carrier.
The base speed of Deteriorated Hunters was already troublesome enough. Adding stealth capabilities would make them exceptional assassins.
This new Hunter type was named "Anubis" by Chang Wei, symbolizing the incarnation of the god of death.
The nest accepted Chang Wei's genetic input. Once the Four-Armed Hunters brought back enough nutrients, it could produce the Anubis Hunters.
Chang Wei's command to the nest was simple: kill anything that moved—except their own kind.
Unlike the constantly roaming Chang Wei, Alex Mercer had been unable to track him down and was forced to give up temporarily.
Additionally, in the original storyline, Captain Robert had been killed by Four-Armed Hunters leading Deteriorated Hunters in an ambush against the super-soldiers. As a result, Alex Mercer's remaining objective was seemingly limited to stopping the virus and infection.
After all, no one had disclosed to him Blackwatch's plan to use a nuclear bomb to "cleanse" Manhattan Island.
Even if Alex wanted to search for Elizabeth Greene, she was now within Chang Wei's body and therefore impossible to locate.
Alex Mercer had no intention of helping Blackwatch fight the infected. Instead, he began clearing infected zones alone. At this point, his strength had grown immensely. Only a massive creature like the Hydra could still give him trouble. The other infected were little more than energy reserves for him to absorb.
However, as he continued his lone crusade, a Four-Armed Hunter that had been searching for him finally discovered his location.
"What is this thing?"
Alex Mercer had just finished a grueling battle with a Hydra, barely managing to bring it down, when a swift Hunter struck him. Fortunately, his body was now much tougher than before, and with his armored form active, he escaped unharmed.
But then he saw a group of these strange creatures—smaller versions of Hunters but much faster.
Soon, the Four-Armed Hunter appeared as well. Seeing it, Alex Mercer couldn't help but think of Chang Wei.
This Hunter's arms looked exactly like Chang Wei's!
Could it be related to him?
The possibility made Alex Mercer fixate on the Four-Armed Hunter.
"Boom—!"
The Four-Armed Hunter lunged at Alex Mercer. Instead of dodging, Alex transformed his armored arms into hammer-like forms, his muscles bulging as he activated his Armored Muscle Form.
Superhuman strength + Armored Form + Hammer Form!
The triple-layered enhancements allowed Alex Mercer to crush Hunters effortlessly, giving him strength comparable to Chang Wei's.
If it had been Chang Wei himself, Alex might have hesitated. But this Four-Armed Hunter was not part of that consideration.
The two clashed head-on. A deafening explosion and surging shockwaves spread outward.
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