Virus King [Translation]

After getting what he came for and exchanging a few flirty remarks with the fierce Miss Song, Novak's mood was exceptionally good.

The looming pressures and crises of the apocalypse were momentarily forgotten.

Still, Novak felt an intense distaste for Dane.

In his previous life, his interest had been drawn to someone far more intriguing—Dane's mother, Song Daphne, the 'Sage of De M-anila'.

During the apocalypse, Daphne, with De M-anila as her foundation, had established Sage Song City, a city renowned among evolutionaries.

She was at the peak of the 'Saint' rank, just a half-step away from the legendary 'Emperor' rank.

While Daphne wasn't the strongest in terms of personal combat prowess, her financial power and the influence of Sage Song City placed her among the top three leaders after the fall of society.

This was precisely why Novak had made up his mind. After the apocalypse, if he were to build a city, it would have to be on the foundation of De M-anila.

The reason was simple.

Near De M-anila, there were numerous dungeons and secret realms, rich with precious resources, materials, and equipment.

Daphne, as the city's ruler, had access to this vast treasury. From the early days of the apocalypse, she had risen steadily in power, eventually turning Sage Song City into one of the economic hubs in the safety zones constructed by the evolutionists of Faeloria Country.

What did this mean?

Even for a talented and capable woman, managing to build and maintain such a foundation proved Daphne's extraordinary nature.

Of course, Daphne wasn't just any woman.

Even before the apocalypse, her business empire was the largest in De M-anila. And while she had married young and given birth to Dane, she'd become a widow within two years. Yet, she maintained herself so well that, walking down the street, she could easily be mistaken for Dane's sister.

With her intelligence, power, and beauty, Daphne was the epitome of a top-tier woman.

Thus, Novak's comment to Dane earlier hadn't been a mere jest—he truly 'was' interested in her mother.

Novak believed that if he altered his path this time—remaining in De M-anila instead of fleeing during the initial chaos of the apocalypse—he would certainly meet Daphne again one day.

There was no need to rush.

For now, Novak had no intention of returning to the dormitory. He had no plans to interact with his roommates anymore.

With his phone in hand, Novak headed directly to the Ritz Carlton Hotel, where he had stayed the previous night. He waved his hand and booked the presidential suite for a full seven days.

The cost? A cool $20,000.

The hotel staff wasted no time in catering to such a high-profile guest. However, Novak declined any additional services like exclusive butlers or chauffeured car transfers. Money was about to become worthless, and there was no point in saving it.

As for stocking up on supplies, food, or weapons?

Novak could only chuckle at the thought.

While evolutionists still needed food, his system backpack couldn't hold that much. Besides, the system's exchange feature allowed him to trade one copper coin for a day's worth of basic supplies.

As for medicine, evolutionists rarely got sick under normal circumstances.

Weapons? What could be more valuable than the equipment that dropped from zombies?

Even firearms and explosives would soon become useless, rendered ineffective by the changes in the world's magnetic field under the influence of the universe's will.

So, despite preparing for the apocalypse, there was actually very little Novak needed to do.

Since hunting zombies wasn't feasible yet, Novak decided to enjoy the luxurious services that modern society had to offer—services that would vanish in the chaos to come.

On the table in front of him, several syringes were neatly lined up.

Each one contained dark red, virus-laden blood.

Since awakening the Virus King talent, Novak no longer needed to inject these viruses manually. Instead, as soon as his palm made contact with them, the viruses in the blood practically cheered in unison.

Virus entities, which had no intelligence or thought, instinctively recognized Novak as their king.

Then, the viruses transformed into pure evolutionary energy, completely under Novak's control.

- [Rabies virus acquired, evolution points +0.5!]

- [Hepatitis B virus acquired, evolution points +0.3!]

- [Mad Cow Disease virus acquired, evolution points +0.6!]

- […]

Incredible!

Novak felt an overwhelming urge to embrace and kiss Aria. That little nurse had really come through.

The viruses extracted from the blood today had given him over 2 evolution points!

Compared to the points he had earned when he first injected the zombie virus and awakened the Virus King talent, this haul was substantial.

Though Novak wasn't sure how Aria had managed to collect such a wide variety of viruses, these evolution points were enough to significantly enhance his power once more.

However, Novak didn't rush to use all the evolution points to awaken the Blacklight Virus just yet.

Instead, he was curious about the Infectious Disease Evolution branch and decided to explore it further.

As expected, there were several sub-branches within the tree.

- Respiratory Droplet Infection: Enables large-scale infection through airborne particles. The infection cycle is normal, and its strength depends on the target's constitution. Abilities include cold, flu, tuberculosis, infectious pneumonia, etc.

- Liquid Infection: Enables large-scale or targeted infection through bodily fluids. The infection cycle is short, and its power is strong. Abilities include immune system suppression, organ failure, etc.

These were the two standard abilities Novak had expected. However, he wasn't particularly excited by them.

Using a cold or a cough to deal with zombies or evolutionists seemed absurd, even though Novak knew that the Virus King's version of these abilities would be far from ordinary.

Still, the idea seemed almost too comical.

Just as Novak was about to exit the evolutionary tree, something caught his eye—an obscure, almost hidden evolutionary path at the bottom of the tree. It appeared dim, likely because he didn't have enough evolution points to fully unlock it.

But what he saw made his breath catch.

- Mental Infection: Enables large-scale or targeted infection through mental power. The infection cycle is extremely short, and its strength depends on both the user's and the target's mental fortitude. Potential effects include anxiety, schizophrenia, mental breakdown, and more.

Novak's pupils narrowed in shock.