Rowan noticed a faint, molten-red glow beginning to pulse beneath Zhou Ping's skin. He knew at once the Extremis virus was taking effect.
The glow lasted for about three minutes. Zhou Ping's face twisted into a mask of pain, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"Ahhh!"
With a sudden scream, Zhou Ping arched backward.
Rowan wasn't surprised. In fact, his eyes lit up with expectation.
And just as he anticipated, Zhou Ping's skin became semi-transparent, his body igniting like a man made of fire. At the stump of his severed leg, the flesh writhed and melted like heated iron and then, unbelievably, it began to regrow.
Within seconds, the living room filled with a suffocating heat.
Rowan's gaze sharpened.
Limb regeneration achieved.
Now, the question was whether Zhou Ping's genes could stabilize.
"Hu… hu…"
The red glow gradually faded from Zhou Ping's body as his leg finished reforming. He exhaled in ragged bursts, hot steam leaving his lips.
When the agony finally subsided, he looked down at himself. His eyes widened in shock, then burst with uncontainable joy.
"My leg… it grew back!"
With a surge of excitement, Zhou Ping scrambled upright. His balance faltered for a moment after all, it had been years since he stood on two legs but he quickly steadied himself.
Tentatively, he took a few steps. No pain. No weakness.
"Oh my god… I'm healed!"
Zhou Ping laughed like a man reborn. For the first time in years, he was whole again.
The joy in his heart pounded almost as loudly as his chest.
Limb regeneration!
He knew exactly what that meant.
The Elixir of Life alone sold for thirty billion per dose.
This Extremis serum had to be worth far more.
"How do you feel?" Rowan finally asked.
"Incredible! Not only is my leg back, but even the damage to my organs seems to have healed. I feel… stronger. My whole body feels full of power!"
Zhou Ping clenched his fists, eyes shining with exhilaration.
"No discomfort at all?" Rowan pressed.
"Discomfort?" Zhou Ping thought for a moment. "Hmm… maybe when my emotions spike, my body heats up a little."
Rowan nodded. That was good news. No genetic instability meant Zhou Ping had perfectly adapted to the DNA restructuring of the Extremis virus.
"Oh right, Rowan," Zhou Ping added, scratching his head, "at the start, right after the injection, the pain was unbearable I thought my body would explode. But at the last moment, my genetic source energy kicked in, like it was putting out a fire. It carried me through the worst of it."
"Genetic source energy?" Rowan's eyes lit up.
Though disabled, Zhou Ping had indeed once passed the preliminary warrior trials, and had cultivated his genetic source energy.
Rowan hadn't expected it, but clearly that inner energy acted as a stabilizer during the DNA restructuring.
This confirmed his theory: warriors had a far higher success rate with the Extremis virus than ordinary people from the Marvel world.
It made sense.
In the Swallowed Star universe, every human underwent transformation from the RR virus. That already gave their genes a leap forward.
Becoming a warrior and cultivating source energy gave them yet another genetic advancement.
Compared to ordinary humans, warriors' DNA was far more refined, far more resilient.
And with genetic source energy acting like a built-in "fire extinguisher," their chances of survival skyrocketed.
"If the success rate turns out to be one hundred percent," Rowan thought to himself, "this could change everything."
"Zhou Ping, I need to test your healing ability now," Rowan said aloud.
"My healing?" Zhou Ping recalled Rowan's earlier words that after Extremis, he would gain near-limitless regeneration, so long as his head wasn't severed. His excitement flared. "Alright!"
Rowan nodded and willed a Kro-alloy dagger into his hand. With a flick, the blade sliced across Zhou Ping's forearm, opening a wound deep enough to expose bone.
Zhou Ping gasped in pain, startled at Rowan's ruthlessness. But almost immediately, the agony dulled, replaced by a prickling heat.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
The same molten-red glow reappeared beneath his skin, and before his eyes, the wound sealed itself.
It took less than three seconds.
"Incredible! The healing is unreal!" Zhou Ping stared at his flawless arm, excitement surging again.
With this ability, what beast could he ever fear again?
"Good. Now let's try something heavier," Rowan said calmly.
"Go ahead!" Zhou Ping nodded without hesitation. By now, his respect for Rowan bordered on reverence.
The Kro-alloy dagger blurred into motion, slashing through the air.
Szzzt szzzt!
In three passes, Zhou Ping was left with two gaping wounds in his torso and an arm severed at the shoulder.
For anyone else, it would have meant certain death.
But Zhou Ping did not fall.
Instead, each wound glowed with molten light. Heat shimmered around him as flesh knitted itself together, muscle and bone reforming.
Seven or eight seconds later, the wounds were gone. His arm regrew, whole and strong.
"Unbelievable…"
Zhou Ping finally understood Rowan's earlier warning. Unless decapitated, no injury would stop him.
This was as close to immortality as a man could get.
The thought of this ability spreading to the outside world made his head spin.
Rowan, watching Zhou Ping's complete recovery, allowed himself a satisfied smile.
So it was true. The Extremis virus lost nothing when used on warriors.
He ran Zhou Ping through several more tests. Physical strength, stamina, reflexes all enhanced, though only slightly compared to the regeneration. Still, the results were undeniable.
"Zhou Ping, I'll need you to sign a confidentiality agreement," Rowan said at last. "For now, news of the Extremis serum cannot get out."
"Of course," Zhou Ping agreed immediately. He'd just gained a miracle. Whatever Rowan asked, he would comply.
Relieved, Rowan nodded.
The Extremis virus was far too powerful and worse, it could be mass-produced.
Even war gods would covet it.
Though he'd secured a place in the Elite Training Camp, Rowan knew he might not be able to protect himself yet.
At first, he'd considered starting a company and selling the serum through the HR Alliance.
But thinking it over now that was too naive.
With stakes this high, even nations might send war gods to take it by force.
No the safest path was to bring Extremis to the Extreme Martial Hall.
Whether they bought him out completely, or partnered with him on profit-sharing, he'd benefit either way.
Most importantly, he'd gain the Hall's protection. Until he reached the war god level himself, that mattered more than anything.
With other forces, he couldn't trust they wouldn't simply kill him to claim the serum.
But Hong and Thor he knew from the original stories they weren't the type to murder for profit.
And since he'd already joined the Extreme Martial Hall, relying on Hong was the natural choice.
Having settled on this plan, Rowan had Zhou Ping sign the confidentiality contract.
"Alright, Zhou Ping," Rowan said at last. "Stay here with me for the next month. The serum hasn't undergone widespread clinical testing. There's still a chance of spontaneous combustion. If anything happens, I'll be here to save you."
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