Starting from Prototype to Immortality

Chapter 30: A New Gene Acquired!

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[1 billion gene points consumed to traverse worlds.]

[World traversal successful. Would you like to anchor the Prototype world?]

"Yes!"

[Anchoring the Prototype world requires 1 billion gene points. After anchoring, you may spend another 1 billion points to return.]

Chang Wei couldn't help but exclaim internally, This system is a proper toll booth! It's ridiculously extortionate. I barely gathered a billion gene points in one world, and now you're asking for a billion just like that?

This system is oppressive and exploitative everywhere—when will it ever stop?

Thankfully, he had amassed over 100 billion gene points. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the heart to anchor the Prototype world.

Pure gene point evolution no longer had much of an effect on Chang Wei. His Blacklight Virus had already reached its limits by devouring biological genes. It required something new to stimulate its growth.

Unless it was something extraordinarily powerful, like Jenova, Chang Wei still preferred to focus on the Blacklight Virus. Although his super-virus system could integrate any virus without conflict, ensuring he wouldn't die from virus-versus-virus interference, he remained cautious.

"Anchor!"

Chang Wei ultimately decided to anchor the world. Who knew what kind of world he might end up in? What if it was some place like Holy Terra, the Sea Tiger world, or the chaotic primordial era with stars burning and divine weapons clashing? At least this way, he had an escape route.

Moreover, one world could mean hundreds of billions of gene points—as long as Chang Wei was ruthless enough.

In the Prototype world, Chang Wei had left behind the seeds of biological revival. It was uncertain how long it would take for them to thaw. He had absorbed all his Blacklight Virus back into himself, preventing the planet from independently evolving a mimicry of his ecosystem.

This scenario was proof enough that ruthlessness was essential. If he had eagerly rushed to traverse worlds upon barely gathering a billion gene points, he might not even have had a way back.

[World anchored successfully!]

[World captured. Traversal complete!]

Chang Wei felt nothing—no signs, no tremors. It was as if a drop of water had seamlessly merged with the ocean, utterly natural and without a ripple.

What greeted his eyes was a dark environment, lit only by streetlights in a city district. The eerie stillness was striking. Although the sun's last rays lingered, the city should not have been this silent at this hour.

"English again? What world is this now?"

Chang Wei pondered. Foreign films about viruses were countless—both obscure and mainstream ones. He had seen them all.

Could it be that the super-virus system selected a world unrelated to such films?

"It might not necessarily be a game or movie world I know."

Unable to determine the situation, Chang Wei activated his super senses. In just moments, he locked onto human activity.

At the same time, he detected something strange.

Intrigued by the anomaly, Chang Wei wasted no time heading toward it.

He made sure to keep his movements subtle. Still uncertain about the city's circumstances, he moved at what he considered an incredibly slow pace—about 100 meters per second.

Eventually, Chang Wei approached a sewer entrance.

"Smells, pheromones, sounds…"

The sewer before Chang Wei wasn't dark in his perception. Instead, it was as bright as daylight. Nothing could escape his senses. He could even "see" through thick concrete walls, perceiving the scenes behind them with precision.

Suddenly, a sleek, skeletal creature resembling a four-legged predator slowly crept toward Chang Wei in the darkness. Drool dripped from its maw, landing on the ground. In the next moment, it lunged like a venomous snake.

Snap.

Chang Wei grabbed its head, his fingers exerting force to crush its hard shell into powder. Green blood spilled onto his hand, sizzling as it corroded his skin. Without even flinching, Chang Wei allowed the Blacklight Virus on his arm to rapidly spread, evolving a corrosion-resistant outer layer.

"Xenomorph… So, this is Alien vs. Predator 2?"

With its humanoid build, insect-like exoskeleton, and highly corrosive blood, this creature was unmistakable. After evolving anti-corrosion abilities, Chang Wei's Blacklight Virus consumed the xenomorph's corpse entirely, further enhancing his acid-resistance capabilities.

Alien vs. Predator: Requiem!

For Chang Wei, xenomorphs were an excellent find in his current state.

For instance, their DNA optimization capabilities. Xenomorphs were oviparous parasitic creatures that grew rapidly. They carried blank DNA chains within their bodies, capable of recording superior DNA traits from their hosts. When fully developed, they exhibited characteristics of their hosts, with their appearance adapting accordingly. This was the result of DNA optimization.

This mechanism allowed these primitive organisms to continuously evolve and perfect their forms, adapting to various extreme environments, including atmospheric composition, temperature, and humidity. The "DNA optimization" trait heightened the terrifying nature of xenomorphs.

They weren't merely grotesque hunters with sharp teeth. This was evident in later examples like the agile xenomorph dog from Alien 3 or the Newborn hybrid of human and xenomorph DNA in Alien: Resurrection. All these outcomes stemmed from this optimization ability.