Ambitious Steps

Max cracked his knuckles as he made his way into his new office at Cell Labs.

His eyes swept across the room. For an office arranged solely for him on such short notice, they had managed to fulfill all basic needs.

Neat and clean!

Indeed, he hadn't asked for much. They would be relocating the entire Cell Labs unit from here in a few weeks' time at most.

 Why waste labor and effort on flashy maneuvers meant for delusive dignity?

He walked past the office and strutted into the lab, he had no time to settle into the workspace. The lab was his main focus for now.

Removing his blazer, Max set it down on a chair and donned the lab coat the staff had conveniently prepared beforehand in the lab.

He picked up a new file, his other hand stroking his chin, twirling a pen in fingers as he mused on the most promising ways to explore the T-virus's potential.

He wasn't foolish enough to start experimenting on such an aggressive virus with little to no planning especially since this lab still wasn't legally his on any documents.

Currently, he was merely borrowing the lab for his personal use. But who knew whether someone might leak his research for a handful of cash?

Therefore, he would never leave anything substantial or core behind, not even by mistake.

His research would never see the light of day until he was fully prepared to face the world head-on.

Setting the file on the table, he began jotting down all the projects he could explore with the T-virus. 

Naturally, everything was written in a coded language only he could read, just in case anything was leaked unexpectedly.

'So, where should I start?' he mused inwardly. 'The T-virus in the Resident Evil world was a variant or more accurately, a washed-down version of the original Progenitor Virus. A more stable version, yes, but still too unstable for any commercial use.'

Max recalled both his own knowledge of the Resident Evil universe and the firsthand experiences of John, the persona he had inhabited during his mission there. 

He'd received it as a reward, and it had proven invaluable.

For many of his planned projects, he could trace Umbrella's steps backward, trimming the unnecessary actions they had taken, born from their obscure understanding of the virus. 

Those missteps had led to the dangerous waste of resources, both financial and human.

Even then, Umbrella had managed to utilize the T-virus for medicine, military applications, and even the commercial sector.

'First of all medicine. If I can cage the virus's extreme aggression, I could rake in billions through pharmaceuticals alone.'

He could easily follow in Umbrella's footsteps, developing medications from the T-virus. That would generate endless funding. 

However, Umbrella had never made medicine their core product; it was a whitewashing tactic, a front for the white market while hiding their darker goals.

'My next target would be the cosmetics and healthcare industries. Umbrella conquered global markets through their strategy. They were the uncrowned kings of the Resident Evil world.'

He, too, could stake his claim in that bottomless swamp of money.

The cosmetic market never receded, and healthcare, though less prioritized in developing or impoverished nations was a necessity in the developed ones. 

Even in poorer countries, the middle class and elite always kept a keen eye on health and well-being.

Medicine, cosmetics, and healthcare. With just a single virus, he could rule all three sectors.

As for the shadier markets using the T-virus to create bioweapons, that would take much more time and in-depth research.

Even with all his knowledge, the T-virus still needed rigorous experimentation on living subjects and complex biological analysis.

He would also need time and space to test how much the custom T-virus he had been rewarded with differed from the one in the Resident Evil world.

'So first, I have to check the difference between the T-virus by the system and the one in John's memories. Only then can I move forward.'

Max sighed heavily, folding the arms of his lab coat up slightly. He set the file aside and took a long breath.

The sheer volume of work he had planned was overwhelming. Secretly, he wondered whether he enjoyed overworking himself, despite becoming his own boss, he still heaped the responsibilities upon himself.

Maybe old habits die hard. Once a corporate slave, always a slave. In the past, it had been someone else's company. 

This time, it was his own.

The root cause, of course, was his utter lack of trust in others when it came to T-virus research. Such a powerful and dangerous resource could only be handled under his watchful eye.

Max took a sip of water from a bottle, his eyes blazing with determination.

He glanced around carefully. His gaze slid sideways, discreetly surveying the lab. Finding nothing suspicious, he silently summoned his system backpack and acted as though he retrieved a vial from his pocket.

The red vial—the T-virus.

His eyes lit up the moment they met the glowing crimson hue inside the glass.

Slipping on a fresh pair of gloves, he prepared several test tubes. Carefully, he set one into a steady stand.

His attention returned to the vial.

Slowly, deliberately, his fingers danced over the cap of the vial. Sweat slipped down his brow. The tension inside the lab was palpable.

If even a single drop spilled past the safety line and mixed with the atmosphere, there'd be no one left to curse his misfortune.

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. Patiently, he poured a few drops into the tube, then promptly resealed the vial and slipped it back into his pocket, vanishing it into system space.

A deep sigh of relief escaped his lips. A small, satisfied smile crept across his face.

Now… he could finally begin the basic experiments.

….

patreon.com/Vks_sh