Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Credentials verified."
As the scanner screen flashed the confirmation, a heavy quarantine door slid open, allowing a young man to step into the research facility.
Exploiting his high-level access clearance, he systematically entered various laboratories, scouting the premises to gather intelligence. He eventually attempted to breach the facility's main database.
Unfortunately for him, every project within Deep Blue Biopharma's facility was strictly siloed. Unless an employee was actively assigned to a specific program, attempting to steal data from other projects through manual access was virtually impossible.
Furthermore, his movements were far too conspicuous.
The exact second he initiated the database breach, Type Zero locked onto his signature. The entire laboratory was instantly placed on lockdown, and the quarantine doors were sealed shut via master override.
CLANG!
The heavy thud of the sealing doors startled the young man. His expression shifted instantly. He rushed over and tried to force the door open, and with a sudden, violent heave, he ripped the entire door clean off its hinges.
His raw strength was monstrously inhuman.
Type Zero's voice echoed through the room.
"An operative from DR Bio-Pharma? This is the first time I've encountered a symbiont capable of altering its physical appearance. Your research has progressed remarkably well."
He was exposed.
The young man's expression hardened. His skin rapidly mutated, blackening and condensing into a jagged bony exoskeleton. He scanned his surroundings, but saw no other researchers in sight.
Given that this voice had identified his nature instantly, he had every reason to believe that Deep Blue Biopharma possessed deep intelligence on DR Bio-Pharma's classified operations.
At the very least, they were well aware of the symbionts' existence.
Skipping all pleasantries, the operative slammed into combat gear, accelerating with all his might to crash straight into the quarantine door. A deafening boom echoed as he left a deep dent in the reinforced steel.
Yet, the door held firm.
"It's useless. You are merely making a futile struggle."
The operative scanned the room, staying on high alert.
"There's no need to be so tense. There are no symbiont warriors stationed here; my Boss has zero interest in this project anyway. Handling you doesn't require anything that dramatic..."
As Type Zero spoke, an airborne agent she had silently vented into the room took effect. The operative's vision blurred, his consciousness fading as he collapsed heavily onto the floor.
While the ultimate primordial parasite-killing virus was still in its developmental phase, the researchers had already gathered extensive genetic and cellular data on the organisms during their work.
This research had yielded several highly effective byproducts, such as a specific chemical compound capable of rapidly putting primordial parasites and symbionts into a deep comatose state with outstanding efficacy.
...
Inside Cultivation Facility No. 1.
Hyuk's phone rang, and Type Zero's voice came through the line.
"A DR Bio-Pharma operative infiltrated our research facility, meaning they've grown suspicious of Deep Blue Biopharma. Furthermore, they've traced our breeding facilities back to the company and have dispatched several agents to your location to investigate."
"Got it."
Type Zero had constructed the cultivation facilities far away from the urban center, leaving the surrounding perimeter completely barren. The moment Hyuk stepped outside, she spotted several figures walking directly toward her.
Three cold-faced men.
Hyuk's face remained impassive. She simply pocketed her phone, and... that was that. Immediately afterward, DR Bio-Pharma completely lost contact with the three symbionts.
...
Inside DR Bio-Pharma.
"All of them vanished?"
"Yes, Boss. It's as if they literally evaporated into thin air. Not a single symbiont we dispatched to investigate or steal data from Deep Blue Biopharma has returned."
The assistant's report caused Satoru to frown deeply. A simple reconnaissance mission had somehow turned into something spine-chilling. Deep Blue Biopharma felt like an abyssal beast with its gaping maw wide open, quietly waiting for them to walk into its trap.
"Has Deep Blue Biopharma made any moves?"
"No. They remain completely, utterly quiet."
That was exactly what made it so terrifying.
"Do we take further action?"
Satoru fell into deep thought.
After a long pause,
"No."
He decided to avoid provoking Deep Blue Biopharma for the time being. Regardless of what secrets they harbored, everything had to be subordinated to the ultimate lifeform initiative.
"Stop sending symbionts to their locations. Breeding elites consumes far too much time and resources; we cannot afford to lose them in a place like that. Aside from that, just keep a close watch on Deep Blue Biopharma."
"Understood."
Additionally, the assistant believed Satoru needed to be aware of another development. "Boss, we've located a new symbiont. He appears to be a wild Primordial host."
"A wild Primordial host?"
Satoru was astonished.
DR Bio-Pharma possessed only a single wild Primordial specimen, the rest of their entire supply consisted of cloned parasites. Hearing that another wild host had suddenly materialized, he couldn't help but be shocked.
"Yes. I ran an investigation; his name is Wening..."
And so,
Wening officially entered DR Bio-Pharma's radar. They remained completely ignorant of his ties to Deep Blue Biopharma, only knowing that the parasite nesting inside him was a wild Primordial specimen.
Unlike the constantly fleeing Shin Habe, Wening had swaggered into DR Bio-Pharma's combat arenas multiple times, making it virtually impossible for them not to notice him.
His combat performance had been nothing short of dazzling. At present, his power was rapidly closing the gap with DR Bio-Pharma's tier-one elite symbionts, and he was already showing signs of impending evolution.
On the other hand,
Shin Habe, who had been constantly evading DR Bio-Pharma's pursuit, could clearly feel that the symbiont agents sent to hunt him down were growing stronger by the day. Continuing to run was no longer a viable option.
Out of options, he decided to actively participate in the combat Royales to force his own strength to grow through real battle. DR Bio-Pharma, seeing this, was more than happy to facilitate.
After all, Shin Habe possessed immense potential; having him rejoin the fold voluntarily was the best-case scenario. With both Wening and Shin Habe throwing themselves into the mix,
The slaughter driving the ultimate lifeform initiative reached an unprecedented frenzy.
Until one day,
Following a chaotic, massive free-for-all involving a large number of elite symbionts.
"Ahhh!"
"Ahhh!!!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
On a brutal battlefield littered with mangled corpses, the last surviving symbionts let out guttural, primal roars. Red light pulsed across their skin, venting massive clouds of pressurized steam.
The venting steam caused the surrounding temperature to spike dramatically, warping the air. Through the haze, several murderous symbionts, their bodies fully encased in crimson bony armor, stood tall.
A moment later, the chaos settled.
Five symbionts who had successfully achieved their first evolution locked eyes, quietly marveling at the incredible power surging within their bodies. Both Wening and Shin Habe were among the survivors.
"Is this... the level of power Shintaka wielded back then?"
Shin Habe was utterly astonished.
He felt as though he could easily deliver tens of tons of physical force with a single punch.
Witnessing this spectacle through the surveillance drone feeds, Satoru let out a thin smile. This marked the official, definitive transition of the initiative into phase two: "Now, let the slaughter continue."
On the battlefield.
Wening and Shin Habe traded a brief glance, then turned their attention to the other three evolved symbionts. Driven by raw, primal instinct and an insatiable hunger for battle, a fresh round of slaughter commenced.
...
Nine years passed in the blink of an eye.
During these nine years, DR Bio-Pharma poured an astronomical amount of capital and resources into the ultimate lifeform initiative, breeding symbionts that grew increasingly formidable with each passing batch.
Following Gluttony's death, they spent a year successfully cultivating another wave of evolved symbionts. This cohort included Wening and Shin Habe, two rogue elements who were completely outside the corporation's control.
Satoru didn't mind.
He believed that both individuals would ultimately serve as mere biological fuel to trigger the final birth of the ultimate lifeform. If anything, he was eager to see how far they could push themselves.
The initiative proceeded into phase two.
DR Bio-Pharma spent three years in this phase, where the unrelenting, frenzied slaughter eventually drove five symbionts to successfully achieve their second evolution.
Each evolution yielded a massive physical surge. A stage-one evolved symbiont possessed tens of tons of monstrous strength, while a stage-two evolved subject commanded hundreds of tons of terrifying force.
During this phase,
Shin Habe displayed an even more formidable form. He had evolved a pair of wings, enabling him to fly freely through the sky, dramatically boosting both his combat capacity and survival rate.
Wening didn't develop any specialized traits. Instead, his bony exoskeleton simply became significantly denser, and his physical proportions ballooned further post-transformation.
He looked like a literal mini-giant.
And so,
DR Bio-Pharma's ultimate lifeform initiative proceeded to phase three. They wanted these stage-two evolved symbionts to slaughter each other to force a third evolution.
Because this requirement demanded a vast supply of raw symbionts, DR Bio-Pharma was forced to shift its focus to remote, chaotic, war-torn regions of the world.
They unleashed a massive wave of cloned primordial parasites in one of these zones, turning the entire territory into a new slaughterhouse where newly born symbionts served as mere biological fodder.
To date, this phase had lasted six years.
Type Zero remarked, "Satoru and his colleagues are completely losing their minds. They are willing to risk exposing the entire trial just to force this ultimate lifeform initiative to its conclusion."
Hyuk asked, "What is the status of the initiative now?"
"According to DR Bio-Pharma's research, they believe that once the third evolution is complete, the ultimate lifeform will finally be born. These are the candidates."
Several profiles flashed on her phone screen.
Wening.
Shin Habe.
Along with several of DR Bio-Pharma's active symbionts.
"Seven individuals in total. All of them are currently displaying signs of imminent stage-three evolution. DR Bio-Pharma's dream of creating an ultimate lifeform is close to reality, it could be just one of them, or perhaps several."
Two seconds later,
Type Zero corrected herself: "Actually, let me rephrase that. Ultimately, there can only be one ultimate lifeform, and there is a high probability it won't emerge from these seven."
Hyuk was puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
A somewhat familiar face appeared on her phone screen.
Hyuk recognized him as Gluttony. Type Zero explained, "Just now, what appears to be a resurrected Gluttony entered the phase-three battlefield. He is displaying a completely overwhelming level of power. The odds are high that Shin Habe and Wening will die by his hands."
Hearing this,
Hyuk spoke: "Since DR Bio-Pharma's project is nearing its end, I suppose I should go check out the action. This farce has dragged on long enough; it's time to bring it to a close."
She had been on Gulan for ten years, consuming an immense amount of manpower and capital. The primordial parasite-killing virus had actually been successfully engineered two years ago, its efficacy proven through rigorous test trials.
The only reason she had held off on releasing it was to buy herself more time to farm the parasites and scale her strength. Once unleashed, this virus would rapidly blanket the entire globe via atmospheric currents.
Every primordial parasite infected by the strain would face certain death. Because the virus was engineered to prioritize transmissibility, its initial mortality rate was exceptionally low, featuring an incubation period that could last up to several years.
But once the full breakout was triggered, the mortality rate among the parasites would reach near-absolute, approaching 100 percent. It was a genetic weapon tailored specifically for their species, completely harmless to humans.
"Understood."
Type Zero understood Hyuk's intent. She quietly transmitted the commands, and the stockpiles of the anti-parasite virus stationed across the globe were released into the atmosphere simultaneously.
The countdown to the extinction of the primordial parasite species had officially begun.
Hyuk stepped out of the cultivation facility, her body slowly floating into the air. With a sudden, explosive sonic boom, she kicked up a violent gust of wind and vanished into the distant horizon.
Over the course of ten years,
Type Zero had constructed ten massive cultivation facilities for Hyuk. Hyuk had spent nearly every single day farming and obliterating primordial parasites to fuel her strength.
A single facility could churn out 100,000 parasites a day, meaning ten facilities yielded a staggering one million daily, amounting to 365 million over a year.
These were Hyuk's current status parameters:
——
[Name: Blair Hyuk]
[Race: Terran]
[Talent: Infinite Overload]
[Evolution Rate: 40%]
[Strength: 2.9 billion tons]
——
2.9 billion tons!
Indeed.
Her strength parameter was no longer measured in millions, but in billions!
When Hyuk first set foot on Gulan, her physical strength sat at 40 million tons. In just ten short years, her raw power had multiplied over fifty times, reaching a terrifying 2.9 billion tons.
This was a phenomenally terrifying concept.
It meant her physical density far exceeded that of a typical white dwarf star, several hundred, if not a thousand times over. She was, for all intents and purposes, a humanoid celestial body.
A walking cosmic wonder.
According to Type Zero's calculations, Hyuk's weight now approached twenty million tons. She had to constantly remain in a state of levitation, otherwise, her sheer mass would cause her to sink directly through the Earth's crust.
Her instantaneous burst speed could theoretically reach Mach 100, though Hyuk had never attempted to fly at such velocities close to the ground.
Doing so on Gulan would trigger a catastrophic disaster. Traveling at such extreme speeds would instantly compress the air in front of her, initiating a continuous aerodynamic nuclear fusion reaction that would generate a non-stop sequence of atmospheric thermonuclear blasts.
Thus, Hyuk heavily restrained her flight speed. If she went too fast, she would immediately transform into a planetary cleanser.
Based on this anomalous state of existence, Type Zero classified her as a degenerate matter lifeform, essentially, a walking, humanoid neutron star.
While her density was still slightly short of a true neutron star, it didn't change the fact that Hyuk's raw power was formidable enough to be compared to the universe's most extreme celestial bodies.
...
At that same moment,
On the battlefield in the war-torn region.
A disheveled man, remaining in his base human form, effortlessly ripped a stage-two evolved symbiont in half. The pure, murderous bloodlust and oppressive aura radiating from him were terrifying.
Shin Habe, locked in combat nearby, stared at the newcomer's face and froze in absolute disbelief.
"Shintaka?!"
Gluttony.
He had been resurrected.
Gluttony grinned at Shin Habe, his expression warped with bloodthirsty madness. "Falcon, is it? Too bad, the man named Shintaka died ten years ago!"
With that,
Bony armor rapidly encased his skin, and he lunged straight at Shin Habe. Based on the beetle-like wings protruding from his back, it was clear that Gluttony had also successfully achieved his second evolution.
How was this possible?
Shin Habe's mind reeled.
The human known as Shintaka had indeed died ten years ago when Hyuk crushed his parasite. Although DR Bio-Pharma had managed to maintain his bodily life support functions afterward, his brain had remained completely unresponsive.
Yet, DR Bio-Pharma couldn't bear to discard Gluttony's high-potential vessel. After extensive research, their scientific team discovered a method to "resurrect" him.
They implanted a new primordial parasite into Gluttony's body, directly linking the parasite's consciousness to his nervous system. This allowed the highly intelligent parasite to take absolute, direct control of Gluttony's physical vessel.
This was why Shintaka had truly died ten years ago. The entity currently steering this body was the primordial parasite nesting inside it, which continued to use the moniker "Gluttony."
Furthermore, this specific parasite was DR Bio-Pharma's sole remaining wild Primordial specimen. The potential of a wild Primordial was naturally vast, far exceeding that of any clone.
Coupled with Gluttony's formidable physical vessel,
His combat capabilities were naturally pushed to an extraordinary, terrifying tier.
BANG!
Gluttony moved with blinding velocity. Shin Habe barely had time to cross his arms in a defensive block before Gluttony's fist collided with them, instantly shattering the bones in both of his forearms.
He was sent hurtling backward, crashing violently into the dirt.
"Too weak!"
Gluttony roared with arrogant laughter, immediately pressing his advantage. Panicked and knowing the gap in their strength was too vast, Shin Habe spread his wings and took to the sky. He was simply no match for Gluttony.
Unfortunately,
He wasn't the only one capable of flight.
Seeing him take off, Gluttony unfurled the beetle-like wings on his back. They buzzed at a high frequency as he executed a powerful leap, shooting skyward like a spear tearing through the atmosphere.
That bloodthirsty, crazed face zoomed in on him. Shin Habe couldn't react in time, in a mere heartbeat, their airborne silhouettes crossed paths.
Crimson sprayed across the sky.
Looking down at his chest, he stared at a gaping, bloody cavity. Just a short distance away, Gluttony hovered in mid-air, holding Shin Habe's ripped-out primordial parasite in his hand. With a single bite, he chewed it to pieces and swallowed it whole.
Following that,
Shin Habe's consciousness rapidly dimmed, and he plummeted from the sky. In his very last moment before blacking out, he finally understood: the monster before him was truly no longer his old friend.
...
"Yes! Exactly like that!"
Monitoring the live feed, Satoru was ecstatic.
The stronger Gluttony grew, the more thrilled he became. Only this specimen fit the definition of the Ultimate Lifeform.
Shin Habe and Wening had only ever existed to serve as nutrients for his growth. This was the sole reason why DR Bio-Pharma had tolerated their rise in the first place.
...
On the battlefield.
Wening watched Gluttony's relentless slaughter, feeling a suffocating sense of pressure. Even a stage-two evolved symbiont was completely crushed under the weight of Gluttony's power.
He stood no chance of winning.
Wening made his grim assessment.
However,
He had waited ten long years for this very opportunity. Either he evolved successfully into the Ultimate Lifeform, or he died in battle serving as Gluttony's stepping stone. Backing down had never been an option.
With that final thought,
Wening launched himself forward, blasting a massive crater into the earth. His body erupted with an intense, blinding crimson light. Deep Blue Biopharma's research team had used high-energy radiation to stimulate the latent potential of his primordial parasite's genes, meaning his actual combat capacity sat far above Shin Habe's, in a direct clash, Shin Habe would have been no match for him.
Sensing a genuine thread of danger, Gluttony spun around, his expression warping with absolute, fanatical ecstasy.
"Yes! That's more like it! Now this is a worthy opponent!"
After a prolonged, cataclysmic clash,
The fighting completely settled.
A sickening, bone-crushing crunch echoed across the quiet. Surveying the field, it was a graveyard of mangled symbiont corpses, only Gluttony remained standing.
He swallowed the very last primordial parasite, pushing through the final threshold of ultimate evolution. A torrent of boundless, raw power erupted from his body, radiating a brilliant red light and venting massive clouds of pressurized steam.
BOOM!
A devastating shockwave swept across the battlefield.
...
"Hahaha!"
Satoru couldn't contain his ecstatic laughter. His expression was wildly fanatical as he stared at the perfect, fully evolved form displayed on his monitor.
"Finally!"
"Finally, success!"
"The Ultimate Lifeform... is born!!"
DR Bio-Pharma's thirty years of relentless sacrifice had finally peaked. The future of the new era belonged entirely to them, they were about to become the pioneers of a new humanity.
...
A searing wave of heat swept across the rubble.
His chest torn completely open, Wening slumped limply against a shattered boulder. As his life force rapidly drained away, he stared at Gluttony's towering silhouette with a complex, unreadable gaze.
It was partly longing,
And partly bewilderment.
A certain woman's silhouette flashed across his mind, and he muttered to himself in a faint whisper: "Ultimate Lifeform... in the end, it was nothing more than a farce..."
Yet for this very farce, he had thrown away his life. He had exhausted everything he had, only to fail to reach the finish line, a finish line that had never even been worth a second glance from her from the very beginning.
No matter how strong he became, the suffocating sense of dread and pressure he felt whenever he faced Hyuk had never decreased by even a fraction. Even after he had evolved twice, her power remained unfathomably deep.
Thinking of this,
Wening found the entire situation utterly laughable.
Basking in his immense, newly acquired power, Gluttony noticed Wening's quiet muttering. He stepped out of the warping heatwaves and stood over his fallen opponent.
"What is the meaning of your words?"
"Haha... I'm laughing at how pathetic we are, Gluttony. Next, it's your turn to experience what true despair feels like..."
With those final words,
Wening's life force faded completely.
Gluttony's brow furrowed. He suddenly snapped his head toward the sky, only to see a silhouette slowly descending. She hovered just above the ground, quietly sizing him up.
Hyuk offered a casual word of praise: "That was actually a fairly spectacular battle."
...
"It's her!"
Satoru leaped out of his seat. He re-confirmed the face captured on the video feed, it was identical to the one from ten years ago, leaving absolutely no doubt that she was the very same individual who had killed Gluttony.
"Yes, it's definitely her!"
This finally explained how she had materialized out of nowhere back then. She could fly, and she did so without the aid of any wings.
"How is this possible?"
Satoru was dumbfounded.
"It defies all scientific logic!"
How could someone fly without wings?
Yet, with the undeniable reality displayed right before his eyes, he had no choice but to believe it. Realizing that Gluttony had now evolved into the Ultimate Lifeform, he quickly forced himself to calm down.
Things were different now compared to ten years ago!
Ten years ago, Hyuk had materialized out of nowhere to kill Gluttony. Now that Gluttony had successfully completed his evolution, she had appeared once again, clearly harboring no good intentions.
Satoru decisively issued his command.
"Gluttony, defeat her while avoiding lethal force if at all possible. She is an exceptionally valuable research specimen. If there is absolutely no other way, I authorize you to eliminate her."
...
Instantly,
Satoru's command was transmitted via the internal transceiver directly into the primordial parasite's consciousness. Gluttony's gaze narrowed as a terrifying aura exploded from his frame.
BOOM!
A violent heatwave swept outward. A blur of movement tore through the warped air at a thunderous speed, shredding the atmosphere as it closed in on Hyuk in a fraction of a second.
Facing this aggressive, thunderous assault, Hyuk made the exact same movement she had ten years ago. She simply raised a hand, effortlessly catching Gluttony's incoming strike.
A punch carrying thousands of tons of crushing force failed to budge her even a single fraction of an inch.