BXBX NOVEL Chapter 183: Deadly Control
It was something that not just anyone could pull off; even secret spies and highly trained agents would be hard-pressed to replicate the flawless execution of his job.
Not a single fingerprint was left behind—well, because he was made of bones.
He delayed checking his new skill, Viral Control, to give himself more time to study it in depth.
As he sank into the soft cushions, he took a deep paused, savoring the moment of peace.
That mission felt really long with all the roundabouts he had to make, just to ensure he didn't alert anyone.
At the same time, some questions remained unanswered, but he decided to let them go for now, knowing that dwelling on them wouldn't be productive.
He needed to focus on the present and his plans.
Reign glanced at his status window, focusing his attention on the available options.
The semi-transparent interface displayed his current stats and abilities, with a new section dedicated to Viral Control.
—
Slot : 1/3
Virus Name:
Transmission Method :
Incubation Period :
Host Range :
Environmental Stability :
Sequence:
Symptoms :
—
He examined the detailed interface for Viral Control, noting the various customizable parameters available to him.
As he focused on each parameter, a series of small windows popped up, providing detailed explanations of their functions and uses.
<More Information>
Virus Name: Allows host to name and categorize different viruses for quick identification and deployment.
Transmission Method: Determines how the virus spreads (airborne, direct contact, waterborne, vector-borne). Controls the speed and reach of the virus.
Incubation Period: Time between exposure and symptom onset. Longer periods for stealthy infections, shorter for immediate effects.
Host Range: Specifies the types of organisms the virus can infect (humans, animals, specific species). Ensures targeted infections and minimizes collateral damage.
Environmental Stability: Determines how long the virus survives outside a host (air, water, surfaces). Higher stability for persistence, lower stability for quick dissipation.
Symptoms: Defines the effects on the host (fever, fatigue, severe outcomes). Controls the severity and type of impact on the infected host.
<End Information>
'This is good stuff,' he chuckled, fully satisfied with the flexibility that Viral Control offers.
He began formulating his plan, considering multiple variables to tailor fit it.
'Let's see…,' he mused, diving into the step-by-step procedure.
First on his agenda was naming the virus.
"I'll call it Dark Death," Reign declared with a mischievous grin.
He got his inspiration from a well-known virus in his old world that had occurred hundreds of years before he was born.
[System: Dark Death have been registered ]
[System: Host has 40 Perk Points to use]
'Perk points?' he wondered, then checked the next step to figure out what "perk" means.
<Parameters>
Transmission:
Airborne : 15 Perk
Direct Contact : 2 Perk
Indirect Contact: : 3 Perk
Sexual Transmission : Free
Bloodborne Transmission : 1 Perk
Vector-borne transmission :1 Perk
<End>
'I see, so I'm limited to 40 Perk Points. That's disappointing,' Reign sighed to himself, feeling a bit let down. 'I thought I could just create anything.'
However, after thinking about it, he realized that being able to create viruses without constraint would make this skill too overpowered.
"System, what are the ways to increase the Perk Points? Can I just level the skill up?" Reign asked, curious about his options.
[System: 1 level = 1 Perk Point, however, because Viral Control is a unique skill, the host has to spend 5 Skill Points per level up to Level 20.]
Looking at the cost, he decided to check his available points to see if he could afford to level it up more.
========
[Points]
Attribute Points: 195
Skill Points :74
Dark Dust: 720,520 Dark Points
Evolution Points : 0
[Author's Note: In Chapter 157, I made a typo by stating "100 Skill Points" instead of "100 Attribute Points." I have corrected it.]
========
His dark points decreased a bit due to the cost of evolving Viral Slash to Viral Control, but he didn't mind because he still had more.
It was a good thing that he had absorbed a part of the corrupted horde that attacked the train.
"Upgrade Viral Control to level 15," Reign commanded ,
Viral Control (1) > (15) = 70 Skill Points
This granted him an additional 15 Perk Points, giving him more leeway to customize his virus.
His goal was to create a localized pandemic, ensuring the disease could infect a lot of people before the government could discover, counter, and isolate it.
For that to happen, he needed a powerful type of virus that would remain undetected until the incubation period was complete, at which point it would become deadly.
By then, it would be too late for anyone to react.
With what he observed so far in this world's current technological advancement, human technology was now capable of fighting off and neutralizing his virus given enough time.
To outsmart them, his virus should be able to have certain characteristics.
'First, I need to maximize its transmission' he murmured, eyeing the window and selecting the transmission options.
>Airborne
>Direct Contact
>Indirect Contact
>Sexual Transmission
He selected all the transmission routes except for the Vector (Bite) and blood Transmission because he wasn't planning to create a zombie outbreak. It would be useless and a waste of Perks.
Next, he moved on to the Incubation period.
It would be disastrous if the disease showed symptoms right away, as it would alert everyone far too soon.
So, he decided to change the time. There was a slider for it, and the more he extended the time, the higher the cost of Perk Points increased.
5 Days = 5 Perk Points
It was neither too long nor too short. He reviewed his plan again and concluded that it was the perfect timespan to wrap everything up.
Next was Host Range, which was an easy decision: "Humans."
As for animals, well, he wouldn't really gain much from infecting them, so there was no need to kill them unnecessarily.
He did not enable animal transmission because humans and animals react differently, and he didn't want to risk causing panic or attracting unwanted attention by having animals in the city suddenly dying one by one earlier than expected.
Second to the last was Environmental Stability.
In this case, he decided to increase the heat and cold resistance of the virus so that even heating or freezing the food would not kill the virus right away.
It cost him a total of 5 Perk Points to increase the resistance up to 50%.
'Now for the fun part,' Reign grinned from ear to ear as he finally reached the symptoms window.
The sheer number of possible symptoms overwhelmed the screen, causing the slider to shrink.
He was chuckling as he scrolled through the list, glimpsing symptoms ranging from mild discomfort to severe debilitation.
Each option seemed more tantalizing than the last, hinting at the number ways he could manipulate and infect his targets.
The only thing limiting him right now was his Perk Points, but with such an array of choices before him, he couldn't wait to unleash the virus .
'This will be fun,' he muttered sadistically, a sinister grin spreading across his face as he imagined the devastation this thing could inflict.
***
Authors Note
Starting from June 3rd, I'll be posting three chapters per day until June 10th, just like I did previously.
This will make a total of seven bonus chapters as a token of gratitude for the Powerstones and Golden Tickets for this month.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support.