Chapter 91: A New World (Part 4)

Daniel's words made Peggy Carter's eyes light up, but she quickly returned to her cautious demeanor. "What do you want in return?" she asked, fixing her gaze on him. As one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., Peggy knew better than to believe in something for nothing. The prospect of regaining her youth and rekindling her romance with Captain America was enticing, but she didn't trust that Daniel's help came without strings attached.

"I don't want anything," Daniel replied, unfazed by Peggy's suspicion. Given her past as a spy, it would be more surprising if she didn't have her guard up.

"I consider the Captain a friend, and I also have a good relationship with Stark. You can verify these facts yourself. My only request is that you don't tell anyone about my visit today." Daniel handed the vial to Peggy, signaling for her to drink it.

Peggy stared at the vial for a moment, then took it and drank the contents in one go. Daniel swiftly retrieved the empty vial from her hand.

"In about a week, you'll regain your youthful appearance. How you explain it to others is up to you. Just keep me out of it."

With those words, Daniel exited the room and rejoined Ada, grasping her arm before Apparating them both back to New York through a portal.

After they left, Peggy got out of bed and walked outside to find Sharon still unconscious on the floor. Her eyes flickered with thought.

"I thought you might ask for something in return," Ada remarked as she sat on the couch back in the villa, curiosity shining in her eyes.

"As I said before, I just don't want this couple to miss their chance." Daniel shrugged. He had no ulterior motives regarding Peggy. Although she had been a co-founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., she didn't know more about the current state of the organization than he did.

Given his capabilities, he saw no harm in lending a helping hand. Much like in the Harry Potter world, where he had subtly influenced events, he could alter destinies here. While he couldn't change the entire future, he could make significant differences for individuals, like preventing the death of one of the Weasley twins or saving Remus Lupin and his wife from sacrificing themselves in the battle against Voldemort.

Harry Potter's fate had also been altered. Unlike in the original story, Harry didn't have to fight Voldemort to the bitter end, losing many loved ones along the way. Though he might miss out on some of the fame, at least those close to him wouldn't have to die.

"Time to head to the lab." After spending about a week with Daniel, Ada decided to leave. Daniel didn't try to stop her; everyone had their own lives to live. After organizing his thoughts, he prepared to go to work.

With his current income, Daniel could easily adopt Stark's lifestyle—avoiding work, conducting personal research, or flying around in his Iron Man suit. But Daniel didn't want to waste his abilities, especially the powers of the Op-Op Fruit. That's why he established a lab focused on researching and treating difficult diseases, primarily those deemed incurable by current medical standards. This was his way of giving back to society.

Today, Daniel had two main reasons for visiting the lab. One was to check on a patient with AIDS who had been cured. Besides his travels between worlds and his own training, Daniel made sure to contribute to real-world issues as well.

"Brother Daniel!" As soon as he arrived at the lab, a little girl, about six or seven years old, rushed into his arms. She was incredibly cute and had been one of his patients.

Beside the girl stood two elderly people, her grandparents. They had come to pick her up from the lab. As they saw Daniel, their eyes welled up with tears, and they kept thanking him profusely.

The little girl had inherited AIDS from her parents, who had both died from the disease while working abroad. After their deaths, the girl had no one to care for her until her grandparents from China took over. They had almost given up hope when Daniel's lab reached out to them during a screening for AIDS patients. Holding onto a sliver of hope, they agreed to Daniel's treatment plan.

Daniel had specifically chosen children for his AIDS research, not adults. He initially contacted several families, but only this girl's grandparents agreed. There were a few reasons for this. First, despite Daniel having a doctoral degree, his young age made many skeptical. Second, being Chinese himself, Daniel had chosen to help Chinese families, but ironically, they rejected him due to racial biases. Third, his use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment plan met with skepticism, particularly from other Chinese who dismissed TCM's efficacy despite its rising global recognition.

Daniel didn't mind. He wasn't a saint; he wouldn't beg people to let him cure them. Although it was unfortunate for the children, the world had many who suffered, and he couldn't save everyone. He wasn't a god, and he could only help when the opportunity arose.

"No need to thank me." Daniel waved off their gratitude. After chatting with the girl for a while, he arranged for security to escort her and her grandparents to the airport. He had already booked their flight back to China.

Other labs might publicize a breakthrough in AIDS treatment to attract attention and investment. But Daniel didn't need funding or fame. The Op-Op Fruit's abilities gave him an inherent advantage in medical research, making even a challenging disease like AIDS just another virus to eliminate.

In the U.S., many labs claimed to work on curing AIDS, with some genuinely aiming to alleviate suffering. However, most were driven by profit motives. With millions of AIDS patients worldwide, the potential financial gains were staggering.

Daniel wasn't ready to release an AIDS cure to the public yet, mainly because he hadn't developed a universally applicable treatment. The little girl had been cured through his direct intervention, but he couldn't personally treat every patient.

There was a significant gap between lab results and industrial production. If Daniel devoted himself entirely to developing a universal AIDS treatment, he could likely succeed quickly. But he also needed time for his own training and studies.

The malicious behavior of some AIDS patients who deliberately spread the virus had particularly disgusted Daniel. He had heard of several such cases and found these individuals utterly reprehensible. This was partly why he chose AIDS as his first target for eradication.

"While this treatment is effective, it's too expensive for ordinary people." Daniel had used a virus to kill the girl's AIDS virus—a costly method that was unaffordable for most. Although lifesaving drugs could be priced exorbitantly, Daniel wasn't driven by profit.

In fact, before Daniel started his research, several experimental treatments for AIDS already existed. Like his current solution, these were limited to lab use and inaccessible to the general public. Only the super-rich could afford them.

"Stark's luck must be extraordinary; with all his romances, he's managed to avoid any issues. His precautions must be top-notch." Daniel mused as he reviewed the girl's treatment plan and uploaded the data to Red Queen's database.

Red Queen now handled all the data-related aspects of Daniel's operations. However, to keep her involvement hidden, her control was behind the scenes. Anyone looking to access this lab's information wouldn't find much.

"You must be Krauser." About an hour into his time at the lab, a man in his thirties with white hair entered. His left arm was heavily bandaged.

Daniel's second reason for visiting the lab today was Krauser. Rebecca had contacted him about a patient they couldn't handle, and Krauser was the one who needed help. Since Rebecca had reported Daniel's abilities to the higher-ups at S.H.I.E.L.D., their contact had diminished. It wasn't that Daniel minded the report, but Rebecca seemed involved in some secret project, limiting her external communication. Being a S.H.I.E.L.D. specialist came with its burdens.

Rebecca didn't know Krauser personally, but she knew Leon, and Krauser had been injured while fighting alongside him.

Initially, Daniel didn't want to take on this patient due to his upcoming plans and Krauser's ties to the military. Daniel had no interest in getting entangled with the U.S. military, knowing they wouldn't favor him regardless of his contributions. But when he learned Krauser's name and reviewed Rebecca's assessment of his injuries, Daniel's interest was piqued. He even postponed his next steps to accommodate Krauser.

The injuries on Krauser's arm were caused by the Veronica virus. Daniel possessed nearly all the T-virus strains, but the Veronica virus was still missing from his collection. Among the T-virus series, the Veronica virus was arguably the most successful.

Daniel had once planned to seek out the Veronica virus, which he believed to be in Antarctica. However, the vastness of the continent and his lack of specific coordinates, combined with his then lesser strength, led him to abandon the search.

According to his memory, Chris and Claire had destroyed the Antarctic facility. He couldn't simply ask them, but now, the virus had come to him.

Daniel knew of Krauser's story—after being injured, he was discharged from the military and wandered in search of a cure. Failing to find one, he eventually joined forces with Wesker and enhanced himself with a virus, becoming a formidable opponent who Leon eventually defeated in Resident Evil 4.

Krauser's predicament mirrored that of Emil Blonsky, also known as Abomination, who sought power at any cost. Unfortunately for Krauser, without Wesker, he had no benefactor and no access to viral enhancements.

"Is this the place that can help me?" Krauser's voice was weary and filled with desperation. He was a man who valued strength above all else, and his current

 state was a stark contrast to his former glory. If he had been whole, the military wouldn't have let him go, and he would have been a prime recruit for groups like HYDRA. But now, with his damaged left arm, he was of no use to them.

HYDRA often recruited former military personnel, particularly those discharged for various reasons. The same applied to the Centipede Project members, who were mostly former military with notable skills.

"I need to assess your condition. Unwrap the bandages." 

As Krauser unwrapped his left arm, Daniel couldn't help but gasp. The arm was grotesquely deformed, with necrotic flesh bulging out in places, resembling the appearance of a zombie.

"You didn't become a zombie despite the infection. The Veronica virus is indeed extraordinary. It's a pity Alexia Ashford had such an unreliable brother."

Alexia Ashford was a prodigious genius, famed even beyond the likes of Stark. She graduated from university at ten and joined Umbrella Corporation. However, she had faded from public view as she worked on the Veronica virus. Later reports suggested she had burnt out, becoming just another researcher, unaware that she was actually perfecting the Veronica virus.

"It's unfortunate I can't extract the Veronica virus from this." After examining Krauser's arm, Daniel sighed with disappointment. Yet, he wasn't too surprised. If Krauser's arm still contained the active virus, he likely would have succumbed to it by now.

Biological samples like blood or tissue degrade over time unless properly preserved, much like food spoiling. Without adequate preservation, their properties deteriorate.

"How is it?" Krauser's face was tense with anticipation as Daniel emerged from the lab. He had faced countless disappointments recently.

"I don't have a solution right now. I need to study the virus that infected your arm," Daniel explained. Alexia Ashford might be dead, but there was another potential source of the Veronica virus—Manuela, the drug lord's daughter.

"For now, I can only alleviate your symptoms." Daniel injected Krauser's left arm with a temporary treatment.

"I understand." Krauser felt the pain in his arm subside and nodded firmly.

"Once you get the virus, contact me again."

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