Chapter #13

Once Zeno reached Hargreave's office he found Prophet already sitting and having a drink while Hargreave was looking at him and chuckling from time to time.

'God, this guy won't let that joke die.' Zeno thought as he greeted the two men before sitting down himself.

There was an initial report of the virus on the desk, it was naturally the Manhattan Virus that came up during the second game.

Zeno read the report and compared it to his own knowledge from the game. "They're harvesting humans to build up their forces." He commented.

"Yes, quite the ingenious method. Reminds me of the Recovery Mode you implemented in the suit." Hargreave commented.

"Let's cut to the chase, what are we doing about this?" Prophet asked while he threw the report on the desk.

Hargreave sighed at him but still pressed the button on his desk to reveal two N2 Suits.

'Wait two!? Why are there two of them?'

[Huh, maybe he really is your daddy.] System said in a joking manner.

'Gross, he should have been over eighty by that time.' Zeno was grossed out but couldn't get the image out of his head.

"Prophet, one of the suits is yours. Naturally you're to give it back once the threat is eliminated. We cannot allow you to fully bond with the suit." Hargreave said while Prophet got up to wear the suit.

"Who's wearing the other one?" Prophet asked.

"Zeno will be wearing the other one." Hargreave revealed, shocking the others.

""What?""

Hargreave sighed and pulled the DNA test report he had been hiding for so long before projecting it to the big screen.

"As you can see. Doctor Zeno is the son I never knew I had. I naturally want to protect him." Hargreave said.

Prophet nodded without saying anything and left the room, he apparently didn't want to deal with such bullshit.

Once the door closed Zeno turned to Hargreave with an expression of WTF.

"I already loaded the Tunguska iteration in that one. It will protect you from the virus." Hargreave said.

"I don't need it."

"I know you must be disappointed in me but I just want to protect you." Hargreave insisted.

Zeno who was about to commit suicide during the next six months threw caution out the window and took the letter opener on the table befote stabbing his own neck.

Hargreave was shocked but his shock only kept growing as he watched Zeno's neck heal faster than he could comprehend.

"It happened during one of the experiments. Ever since then I stopped growing older, my wounds heal super fast.

To be honest I kept trying to kill myself during the last three years but it didn't work. I just don't die.

So, 'father' that suit would be wasted on me while it can be used to kill Ceph." Zeno finished while making sure to use air quotes while saying "father".

Hargreave looked at his son with a complicated gaze, even though he had been trying to get to know him, he realized he still didn't know anything about Zeno.

"Have you done all the tests, are there any adverse effects?" To his questions Zeno just transferred a report on his regenerative abilities.

He made it while testing his own limits, he wasn't planning on showing it to anyone but who'd think it would be used like this.

"Yes, I am healthy as a horse. Go out there and take some names." Zeno grinned as Hargreave read through the report with a stupid expression on his face.

'My son is freaking immortal!' Hargreave thought to himself. 'No wonder he is so nonchalant.'

[Urgh! The cringe!] The system groaned in the background.

"Well then, son. I guess it's time for me to kick some squid ass." Hargreave laughed as he donned the suit and left the room leaving Zeno alone.

'I must make some time for him after this whole Ceph invasion, especially since we'll both be immortal after I fuse with the suit.' Hargreave decided.

Unfortunately by the time he got back, the only thing he could find would be Zeno's cold corpse.

Once Hargreave left, Zeno moved towards his computer. He was prepared to hack into it but the computer recognized him and gave him full access.

'Well, for what it's worth Hargreave would have made a decent father for me I guess.' Zeno thought as he read about the Tunguska iteration.

It was about reverse engineering Ceph Spores and using it against the Ceph. The information can only be made use by a nanosuit, since Zeno didn't have one he had a system to record everything.

'Not that I am complaining but is it normal for you to have such a function?'

[Technically I should have been a cold hearted bastard. Do you see me complaining?]

'...'

Zeno started to go back to his laboratory once he finished reading about the Tunguska iteration and thought about how to fake his death.

According to what Zeno concluded. While his regenerative abilities take care of bodily harm, his regeneration doesn't reach to his mind and soul for now.

'Alpha Ceph was able to use psychic and telekinetic abilities in the third game, it shouldn't be far-fetched for him to be able to kill me.' Zeno had it all planned out.

He would bleed a little and write Alpha Ceph in the Ceph language and write that he was apparently weak to psychic attacks while apologizing to Hargreave for letting him down.

[That's going to be a long ass bloody writing...]

This way he can both get out of here guilt free and inform humanity about Alpha Ceph.

[Well, maybe he'll truly come for you. After all you did translate their language, who knows what you can do if you're allowed to live.] System quipped in the background.

'...' Zeno stilled his steps.

He was just at the door of his laboratory, he suddenly felt immense danger from the other side of the door.

[I'll prepare the reincarnation function.] System informed Zeno as he opened the door.

As he expected, there was what appeared to be a prototype Ceph Mastermind, capable of telekinesis and such abilities.

"Hello and goodbye Doctor Zeno." The Ceph greeted Zeno using perfect English while readying it's weapons.

"Thanks for the excuse, do please mangle my corpse to make it look more dramatic." Zeno instructed the confused Ceph before falling dead.

"What the fuck!?" The Ceph was confused.

<What the fuck!?> Alpha Ceph even more so because he found that his systems were hacked and he was given some directives.

|Use my blood to write this on the wall before detonating your pawn at my labs, make sure to destroy all the computers. That's the only way to get rid of my browser history.| Pitiful Alpha Ceph followed the orders while still feeling confused.

______

Hargreave and Prophet were fighting Ceph Troops when they got the news about the explosion inside Zeno's laboratory.

Soon they got a video feed where they saw Zeno's corpse. It seems he used his last moments to write a warning message about the Alpha Ceph while apologizing to Hargreave.

Prophet just lowered his head and prayed for the mad scientist while Hargreave was furious.

"Alpha Ceph, you're mine!" Hargreave swore to make the whole species pay for what they have done.

And that was the origin story of Hargreave the Mad Titan, the one man army that took the fight to the Ceph home galaxy and committed genocide on a intergalactic species to avenge his son.

But that's not the story we're following, however badass that sounds.

_______

Zeno found himself rowing on the river of Reincarnation once more, this time the river was calm and peaceful since he is incognito.

[Damn, you could have just forced the Alpha Ceph to commit suicide.]

'Meh, I got bored.'

[You really need a vacation. Let me look for an underpowered world for you.]

'I can't have sex, what's a vacation is going to do for me?' Zeno grumbled, he didn't even realize he has been getting more lustful.

[Well, you can go through Ouryuu's memories and get a hold of your instincts, your horniness might be the result of turning into a dragon.]

'Shit!'

The system guided Zeno through the river, along the way they saw other people going between worlds by using light bridges made by the Gods' they work for.

[Look at those sheeps working to entertain their masters.] System mentally spat at them.

'Are we not entertaining Merlin?'

[He is the creator of everything you see, he would have used us as entertainment either way. Thanks to his blessings the other gods cannot perv on us]

'Cool.'

The system eventually guided Zeno towards a world with a microscope symbol on it's gate.

[Well, this world is underpowered and looks scientific enough for us to build the suit.]

'Since when do worlds have symbols on their entrance?'

[Since we can see them?] It appears the system's mastery over Law of Reincarnation has been getting better.

'Well, try to make sure I start older than a newborn.'

[Got it boss.]