81: The Dawn of Doom
Underground laboratory.
"Although the lab rat experiments went smoothly, and Jarvis calculated the probability of accidents to be less than one in ten thousand, and all your clones successfully completed the enhancement," Lyon began. "But are you sure you want to do this?"
"Tony, this procedure has risks. You need to think it through!" Lyon emphasized again, warning Tony about the dangers of injecting the SS3 enhancement serum.
To minimize the risk, they had even brought in cloning technology from the Umbrella Corporation, conducting cloning experiments.
Just an hour ago, ten unconscious clones of Tony successfully underwent the enhancement process and were then destroyed.
Only after that did Lyon agree to let the real Tony undergo the procedure.
"Alright, I'm sure. Very sure!" Tony said, already lying down on the testing table. He strapped himself in with metal restraints and a waist belt.
"You know, you're starting to sound like another Pepper. And, well, Pepper would totally clone ten versions of me and then kill them one by one," Tony joked then motioned toward the instrument beside him.
"Anyway, I've never seen you this cautious before, Lyon," Tony remarked. "Where did the decisive, brave boy go? The one who didn't flinch in the face of danger but now looks terrified seeing his brother on the test table."
"This is something I've chosen to do, and it's something I must do," Tony continued. "I also have my own path to follow, Lyon."
"So, let's get started." Tony leaned back against the cold table, taking a deep breath. "Stop hesitating!"
Lyon gazed deeply at Tony, then nodded. He operated the instrument and injected the SS3 enhancement serum into Tony's body.
The serum worked quickly.
Before the syringe was even empty, Tony, who had just moments ago seemed resolute and ready to sacrifice himself, began screaming in agony.
Lyon suppressed the urge to react and signaled Jarvis to record the video of Tony's suffering.
If the enhancement succeeded, this would be blackmail material; if it failed... well, failure wasn't an option for Tony!
The SS3 serum contained too many evolutionary factors, and the enhancement process took much longer than the final version of the S-virus.
Lyon watched as Tony's body turned bright red, his skin burning as if it were being scorched by extreme heat.
Then, the charred surface of Tony's body cracked and shattered, revealing skin as pink and fresh as a newborn baby's beneath.
The wound on his chest also healed completely in the process.
But that was just the beginning.
Beneath Tony's skin, his blood surged. His bones creaked, cracking and shifting, aligning perfectly into a flawless structure.
His muscles swelled up like they were being inflated, gradually tightening into their optimal form. Every fiber and strand of muscle became perfectly defined, his streamlined physique second only to Lyon's.
Even his height increased by ten centimeters.
"Great, now this old man is going to be even more dangerous when he gets up to no good," Lyon thought to himself, highly suspicious that Tony's determination to inject the serum was just so he could become stronger and then go cause trouble.
The enhancement process lasted for two hours.
When it was over, Tony easily snapped the metal restraints, jumped off the test table, and headed straight for the cafeteria.
An hour later, after consuming enough food for ten people, Tony finished testing his physical capabilities with Lyon's help.
"Single-arm strength: 113 tons. Sprint speed: maxed out at 423 meters per second. I think you can probably ditch the Iron Man suit," Lyon quipped as he reviewed the experimental data.
"The most insane part is that you can control the E-mold; generate flames with your body; or even grow your tissues into fleshy tendrils; and you can use your blood to control other people," Lyon said, rubbing his forehead. "Honestly, your abilities make you seem like a supervillain!"
"Go to hell!" Tony laughed and cursed, one hand engulfed in flames while the other manipulated a writhing mass of mold, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"This is truly the next step in human evolution, Lyon. Are you sure you don't want to inject yourself?" Tony asked.
Lyon shook his head. "A true superman doesn't need any enhancements from a serum."
"Speak in plain English," Tony replied.
"This serum is useless to me. If anything, it would push my body into an unknown evolutionary path," Lyon explained. "Like turning into some kind of tentacle monster or something... SS3 serum was designed on the foundation of human DNA, so it only really enhances humans."
"But that doesn't mean I gained nothing from this. At least now, with this experience, it'll be much easier to research Kryptonian bloodlines in the future."
"Then make sure you include me in that research. The last thing I want is to wake up one day and find you've turned into Doomsday," Tony joked.
"Got it... I'll take you along when we go to the DC world too," Lyon said.
Lyon casually destroyed the experimental records as he spoke. "By the way, your 'mission' in this world seems to be completed. Should I send you back now?"
"Or are you going to stay and help us wipe out the zombies?"
Tony patted his Mark 4 suit. "I'm staying too. How can saving the world happen without me? I'm Iron Man!"
"Iron Man? With that physique now, Muscle Man sounds more fitting," Lyon teased.
"You've been shirtless this whole time. I get it, you're very satisfied with the muscles the serum sculpted."
Tony laughed heartily and struck a pose, showing off his chest muscles. "My muscles aren't any worse than yours now, Lyon."
"Oh, and don't forget to give Pepper a dose of the serum when you go back. She needs it." Lyon paused to think. "For now, stick with the SS2 serum. We still need more research to know if the SS3 is suitable for everyone."
"Relax, as if I could forget about Pepper," Tony replied, grabbing the clothes Lyon handed him.
"Alright, Muscle Man, it's time to go. We've got other things to take care of," Lyon said, half-smiling.
"I'm Iron Man! Just wait, I'm going to apply this biotech to my suits and leave your Super Mark armor in the dust!" Tony declared confidently. "Then you'll see, the Mark suit has no limits!"
"Sure, I'll be waiting for your new armor," Lyon waved as he walked away.
...
Half a month passed quickly, and most of the Raccoon City refugees had completed their S-virus enhancements.
Each of the survivors had become incredibly strong, with a minimum strength of over five tons. With this, Jill began forming an army, preparing to advance toward the newly established nation in the neighboring state to reclaim the fallen land.
During this period, Lyon mass-produced the final version of the S-virus and randomly distributed it to survivors in various regions across the globe.
In addition to this, every few days, Lyon would either eradicate zombies around the world or take a trip to space to bask in the sunlight.
However, when night fell over Raccoon City, Lyon sometimes returned to the city for a brief rest.
After undergoing SS2 serum enhancement, both Ada and Jill experienced drastic changes. Now, they were like a fusion of a hydraulic press and a furnace, incredibly powerful.
This gave Lyon a strange but interesting feeling.
As for Tony...
Tony charged forward alongside the main forces during the day, and his firepower made him the flashiest figure on the battlefield.
When they encountered super zombies, he would remove his armor and become the strongest fighter in terms of raw physical strength.
At night, Tony would retreat to the lab, working on modifications to his Mark armor. However, he kept the specifics of his modifications a secret, and Lyon, not wanting to intrude, didn't pry into what progress Tony was making.
Regardless, the world, once pushed to the brink of apocalypse, was finally starting to see the light of dawn. Lyon's name began to spread across various regions of the world.
However, the man who brought hope wasn't called a savior. Instead, everyone referred to him with a single title: "The God Among Men."
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