An Unexpected Incident

The small leader who had been thrown out fell to the ground. The surrounding civilians, seeing him lying there, immediately seized the opportunity and surrounded him.

These dark forces had slaughtered or taken away their family, friends, and neighbors.

Their hatred ran deep, and they wanted revenge.

Seeing the situation under control, Tony prepared to take off and head to the next location to continue his fight against the dark forces.

However, just then, the refugees who had surrounded and beaten the leader were suddenly thrown aside.

"Help! Save me!"

"No, please!"

"There's a monster! Run!"

The cries of terror drew Tony's attention, and his eyes widened in shock.

The leader, who had been beaten by the civilians, had transformed into a monster. Though still humanoid, his arms had turned into mantis-like blades, and his skin had developed a chitinous armor resembling that of an insect.

"Hissss..."

With a furious roar, the leader charged at Tony. His speed was far beyond that of a normal human, almost covering a hundred meters in three seconds. Tony, barely able to react in time, was sent flying with a single blow.

"Bang!"

Despite being knocked back, the leader did not pursue Tony. Instead, he looked down at his hands and body, showing a complex mix of emotions—excitement, thrill, disgust, and relief.

Clearly, the leader still retained his human consciousness even after his monstrous transformation.

He recalled receiving the Son's blessing a few days ago, transforming into a new human. He had been injected with a crimson liquid, which felt cold and soothing. Initially, he thought it was some new drug being tested on them.

However, he later noticed his strength and endurance had increased slightly, assuming it was just a typical enhancement drug.

Little did he know that the Son's blessing only activated upon receiving severe injuries. Now, feeling powerful and nearly invincible, he reveled in his newfound strength.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

Meanwhile, Tony crashed to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop. He shook his dizzy head and looked in disbelief at the leader-turned-monster twenty meters away.

"Damn it, what's going on? Jarvis, analyze the situation."

"Mr. Stark, based on the current data, it appears the opponent has awakened some kind of superpower, with strength over thirty times that of a normal human. Close combat is not advisable."

Tony rolled his eyes at this. He knew better than to engage in close combat.

Despite wearing the impressive Mark III suit, he was still an ordinary human inside. While he could fly, fight, and had impressive firepower and defense, his neural reaction speed remained that of a regular human. The monster's speed far outstripped his.

Jarvis's voice continued in his ear.

"Mr. Stark, I have detected severe damage to your suit. I recommend immediate repairs."

Tony looked down to see a gash over thirty centimeters long and three centimeters deep on his chest. The Mark III was almost wrecked.

"How is this possible..."

This suit, made from special titanium alloy, had cost him over a billion dollars and could withstand a tank's frontal attack. Yet, it had been torn by this monster.

Was it those blade-like arms?

Before Tony could ponder further, the leader had recovered and was glaring at him fiercely. In the next moment, the monster vanished from sight.

"Bang!"

Tony, reacting a split-second too late, was struck again and sent flying. Rolling dozens of times on the ground, his head buzzed.

Despite the Mark III's strong defenses and shock absorption, Tony was still an ordinary human inside. The repeated impacts nearly gave him a concussion.

"Jarvis, take control and fly!"

Fearing another attack from the monster, Tony relinquished control to Jarvis.

"Yes, Mr. Stark."

Jarvis did not disappoint. As the monster charged again, Jarvis lifted the Mark III into the sky, quickly reaching an altitude of a hundred meters.

"Hisss..."

The leader could only hiss in frustration as he watched Tony fly away. Moments later, his back began to bulge and split, revealing two transparent insect wings.

The C-2 virus, after modification, allowed for passive or active evolution based on the host's needs. This evolution was irreversible, ensuring the host would continue to evolve and never revert to a normal human.

The leader was now undergoing a 'pupal stage,' evolving with insect genes.

High in the sky, Tony observed this development.

"Oh my God, what kind of monster is this? It even grows wings!"

Jarvis's voice continued.

"Mr. Stark, I recommend either fleeing now or attacking."

Tony's eyes flashed with determination.

"Jarvis, can my armor-piercing missile kill this monster?"

"Based on current data, there is a seventy-one percent chance of success."

Hearing this high probability, Tony grew excited.

"Then what are we waiting for? Fire it up!"

He raised his arm, launching a twenty-centimeter-long, four-centimeter-diameter mini-missile. Despite its small size, it packed a powerful punch, capable of destroying a heavy tank.

"Die, bug!!"

"Whoosh..."

The missile struck the leader in his vulnerable 'pupal stage.' In reality, enemies wouldn't wait while he powered up. Helpless, the leader watched as the missile pierced his skin and entered his body.

The next second.

"Boom..."

The explosion shattered his body into pieces, spraying dark red and yellow fluids everywhere.

"Oh yeah!"

Seeing the monster destroyed, Tony cheered. He then collected some samples of the monster's remains before flying westward.

For now, his desire to continue attacking dark forces had waned. With two significant gashes in his chest, the Mark III was nearly destroyed.

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