Chapter 90: Corvus Glaive's Resurrection
Corvus Glaive led three super-soldiers to Mexico, intending to recover the stolen adamantium before it could be traded.
However, the veteran warrior was ambushed. A high-explosive mine detonated, obliterating Corvus's leg and severing his remaining arm.
Now, Corvus had only one intact left leg, and half his face was shattered. This time, he was truly crippled.
Critically injured, Corvus was immediately rushed to a military base on the US-Mexico border by senior White House official Seraph for emergency treatment. Although he survived, Corvus was barely functional.
A military transport landed at the base, and Ryan, face dark with anger, disembarked with his security detail.
Seraph, who'd arrived to greet them, hurried over. "Dr. Ryan, Mr. Glaive..."
Ryan ignored her and walked right past.
Seraph, undeterred, quickly followed.
They arrived at the base's emergency medical facility in an open jeep. Walking down the corridor to the ward, Ryan peered through the observation window at Corvus, who lay unconscious.
Seraph attempted to explain, "Dr. Ryan, Intelligence discovered that Japan had lost an adamantium sample, and Mr. Glaive wanted to retrieve it."
"What do you mean 'Japan lost it?'" Ryan glared at Seraph. "The adamantium is mine. When did it become Japan's?"
Ryan finally understood why Japan had dared to approach Celestial Island. They'd studied the adamantium sample and wanted more.
A powerful sense of menace radiated from Ryan, and Seraph's slight frame trembled instinctively.
"Dr. Ryan, what I meant was—"
"No need to explain. Go back and tell Ross to investigate this thoroughly. If anything happens to Corvus, someone will be held accountable. I promise you that."
Ryan had few close allies, and Corvus was one of them.
At that moment, a super-soldier who'd accompanied Corvus stepped forward and reported, "Sir, Commander Glaive believes we were ambushed, or someone deliberately leaked our operation. It's very likely we were specifically targeted."
Ryan turned to Seraph, who said anxiously, "Dr. Ryan, we'll get to the bottom of this."
"My patience is limited," Ryan said, pushing open the ward door and entering.
Corvus, lying in the hospital bed, slowly opened his eyes as the door opened.
Seeing it was Ryan, Corvus's emotions immediately wavered. "Sir, I'm sorry."
Ryan had specifically urged Corvus to be cautious before he left Celestial Island, but he hadn't expected this outcome. As Ryan's second-in-command, he felt deeply ashamed of his failure.
Ryan approached calmly, examining Corvus's wounds before saying, "As long as you're alive, that's what matters."
Corvus felt himself broken, too ashamed to face Ryan again.
The more Ryan tried to comfort him, the more distressed he became.
Ryan pulled a chair to the bedside and asked, "The soldiers say we were ambushed. What happened?"
Corvus, whose left side of face was badly injured, spoke with difficulty, barely audible.
"I have no concrete evidence, but it felt like a trap set specifically for me. A normal amount of high explosives wouldn't have seriously harmed me, but they used enough to destroy a main battle tank."
"They knew everything—including the operation's time and location. That's why..."
Corvus's suspicions were justified. Coincidences don't happen in covert operations unless someone leaks intelligence.
Ryan didn't understand military tactics, but he trusted Corvus's judgment.
"Since you suspect it, then investigate thoroughly. You can't remain in this state without answers."
Corvus, slightly disappointed, said, "I'm sorry, sir. I'm useless in this condition."
Ryan patted Corvus's shoulder. "If you want to retire and rest, I can guarantee all your living expenses. If you want to try recovery, I've just discovered a new serum that increases biological regeneration."
"Your injuries haven't fully stabilized yet. There's a chance you can recover. I can't guarantee the success rate—there's only a slight possibility, and a high probability of unexpected side effects."
Corvus and others had undergone genetic enhancement with the radiation virus. Theoretically, his genes were capable of accepting mutant gene fusion.
However, without clinical trials or human testing, Ryan couldn't guarantee results—not even ten percent certainty.
Corvus agreed without hesitation. "Sir, I accept!"
He was already in this state—what did he have to lose? He could take the chance.
Ryan nodded, stood, and said, "I'll take you back."
He then carefully lifted Corvus and carried him out.
After leaving the military medical center and boarding the plane, they flew directly back to Celestial Island.
Celestial Island Laboratory
At nightfall, in the Celestial Island laboratory, Corvus, with only one leg remaining, was placed on the examination table and secured with multiple restraints.
Ryan stood beside the table and instructed: "I need to make clean cuts on your leg and arm stumps, and you cannot receive anesthesia. Only this way can the healing factor truly activate. You must endure it."
When Corvus first received the radiation virus enhancement, part of his healing factor had activated, resulting in a bone blade that grew from his arm, which Ryan had later reinforced with adamantium.
This was why Ryan dared use Corvus for this experiment.
Corvus nodded firmly. "Sir, I understand."
Ryan didn't hesitate, producing a medical bite guard and placing it in Corvus's mouth to prevent him from breaking his teeth.
Then, channeling cosmic energy to form a precise blade, he sliced through Corvus's severed limbs with two swift cuts, creating smooth surgical surfaces.
"NNGH!"
Corvus's veins bulged with pain, as if blood vessels might burst.
Ryan retrieved an injection gun, loaded the healing factor he'd extracted from the test starfish into the chamber, and pressed it against Corvus's neck.
Click.
He pulled the trigger, instantly injecting the serum into Corvus's body. He then applied hemostatic seal tape to the wounds to stop bleeding.
Compared to the agony of the severed limb procedure, the needle injection was negligible.
Ryan walked to the video recorder. "Date: the 14th, time: 10:38 PM. First human trial of healing factor serum begins. Two units administered subcutaneously. Timer starts."
Ryan didn't know what dire consequences might occur, but this was Corvus's only chance at recovery.
As seconds ticked by, Corvus gritted his teeth and roared in pain. His body twitched, chest heaving, head thrashing side to side, trying to escape the agony, but he couldn't.
Ryan's greatest worry was that Corvus's body would undergo unpredictable transformation—becoming monstrous or devolving into necrotic tissue due to rejection.
Fortunately, his fears didn't materialize.
Thirty minutes later, a thin membrane, a callus-like substance, grew over Corvus's severed limb.
"It's working!" Ryan quickly repositioned the camera, hoping to capture the entire reaction process.
"Boss! It hurts! It hurts so much!"
The pain of regenerating flesh far exceeded the pain of amputation. While a severed limb transmitted pain through a single nerve pathway, growing flesh involved countless nerves simultaneously transmitting signals to the brain.
"Hold on, the serum's working. I know you can do this!"
Ryan had no way to relieve Corvus's pain. If he administered anesthesia, the nerve cells couldn't receive signals from the severed limb, the healing factor would cease production, and treatment would fail.
Two hours later, a flesh-covered rod, wrapped in hardened callus, emerged—shapeless but approximately the same length as the original limb.
Ryan periodically injected nutrient supplements to maintain Corvus's metabolic balance.
Without timely nutrition, even if the limb regenerated, Corvus's body would be drained of resources, leaving him emaciated.
"Sir, I feel it! I can feel it!"
Ryan smiled and nodded. "That's excellent. Keep going."
Five hours later, the cocoon-like covering revealed that Corvus's limb had returned to its original form.
Eight hours later, the shiny white cocoon began to darken, transforming into a dry membrane that adhered to Corvus's skin like a lizard shedding.
Ryan, wearing gloves and using tweezers, carefully lifted a piece of the cocoon. Underneath, skin as pale as a newborn's was revealed, which immediately returned to normal color upon contact with air.
He looked up and asked, "Try moving it. Can you feel it?"
People who've lost limbs often initially experience phantom sensations—believing their limbs are still present. This neurological phenomenon could lead to serious psychological issues over time.
Therefore, the psychological problems experienced by amputees weren't entirely due to weak willpower—they were often caused by confused neural pathways.
Corvus flexed his newly grown foot and nodded. "I can feel it, but..."
"But it doesn't feel entirely like your own foot, right? That's normal. A reconstructed nervous system takes time to integrate."
After confirming everything was stable, Ryan released Corvus's restraints. "Clean yourself up. Go shower and rest for two days while your nervous system adjusts."
Corvus tried to suppress his excitement. Although he didn't voice it, his lips trembled with emotion.
For Corvus and others like him, the experience of regaining a lost limb would be overwhelming.
Unfortunately, Corvus's earlier arm hadn't healed—most likely due to interference from the adamantium bone blade.
"Boss, I want to resume investigating the stolen adamantium."
Ryan waved his hand. "No rush. There's another phase of treatment. It's not too late to investigate after that's complete."
Seeing Ryan's refusal, Corvus relented.
After cleaning the dry calluses from his body, he carefully walked out of the lab, still adjusting to his regenerated limb.
Ryan brought Corvus's blood sample to the lab bench. He wanted to see if the healing factor, fused with Corvus's genes, could be transferred to his own Eternal physiology.
Two cell fusion attempts failed.
Ryan felt no regret. No matter how powerful mutant genes were, they were ultimately based on human genetics.
Without upgrading their genetic foundation, mutants would eventually age, sicken, and die. Their healing abilities seemed insignificant compared to the Eternals' near-infinite lifespan.
End of Chapter 90
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