Eclipse of Tomorrow

Chapter 9 Devouring Transformation

As JOE's war fortress neared completion, several significant events were unfolding on the human side. In the past few days, it seemed like the world had gone through multiple changes in leadership, with various presidents and chairpersons taking office. However, there was also a notable development: the capture and transport of evolved individuals to the research facility within the Blue Xiang City human survival base. These evolved beings were subjected to extensive and painstaking analysis, but the scientists were struggling to make sense of their complex genetic sequences. The more powerful the evolved individuals, the more chaotic their genetic codes, making the researchers' task incredibly challenging.The fifth President of China, since the onset of the apocalypse, was feeling increasingly anxious. He feared that one day he might turn into one of those monstrous creatures. The first and second Presidents had succumbed to such a fate, being put down by a loyal bodyguard in his presence. The third and fourth Presidents had been driven to desperate measures by angry citizens and had taken their own lives.Since the establishment of the Blue Xiang City survivor base, resources were always in short supply. Each person was allocated only a meager portion of pet food as their daily ration, leading to desperate acts like mothers selling themselves to save their children, heart-wrenching separations, and even instances of cannibalism among the survivors. The security personnel within the survivor base had their hands full with their own safety, and they had little time or energy to intervene in these distressing situations.Due to the shortage of food and the resulting desperation among the survivors, many ventured outside the base in search of sustenance. However, whenever a group of several hundred left, hardly any of them returned. Those who did return either remained silent about their experiences or mysteriously disappeared soon after. It was clear who was behind these disappearances, but the survivor base remained tight-lipped, perhaps out of fear or a deliberate decision to withhold information.But JOE paid little attention to these matters. At this moment, he was quietly on his way to assassinate the Controller, accompanied by Raven One and Raven Two (after much deliberation, JOE decided to name the two flying creatures Raven One and Raven Two)."Master, I have a foreboding sense of dread in this place," Raven One suddenly spoke after a long period of silence, startling JOE nearly out of his skin. Luckily, Raven Two grabbed hold of him in time, saying, "Master, the situation is quite dire right now. Please don't let panic get the better of you!"JOE rolled his eyes and muttered, "If I'm considered panicking in a situation like this, what does that say about humanity?"After undergoing transformation and evolution, JOE was no longer a human. To be precise, he had become a unique being, part-evolved, part-undead. Currently, his genetic composition leaned more toward the evolved side, but when he consumed the evolved or mutated zombies, his genetic makeup would undergo a secondary evolution, optimizing favorable genes and discarding undesirable ones. He had yet to encounter mutated animals, and humans were no longer a possibility, as he hadn't seen a single strand of hair from evolved individuals, aside from himself. (Li Hu, a rogue like him, didn't qualify as an evolved individual; true evolved individuals possessed formidable superpowers, and Li Hu's abilities fell short of the mark, classifying him as a pseudo-evolved.)JOE had no intention of having his subordinates evolve. In his view, beings like his subordinates, whose strengths surpassed his own, were subject to disdain. Their inadequacy was exposed when a powerful evolved individual from the Elemental Class obliterated one of his subordinates. In JOE's eyes, this was the ultimate failure.JOE estimated that this was an ambush set up by the Controller. To confirm, he sent Raven One and Raven Two to scout from the skies.As expected, when Raven One and Raven Two had just taken to the sky, the Controller appeared. With a swipe of its claws, it left several bloody gashes on its body. The flesh of evolved or mutated zombies had already undergone initial regeneration, and even extraterrestrial laser blades could only leave superficial wounds. JOE's claws were incredibly sharp, as this encounter demonstrated.JOE, with a smug smile, was impressed by the advantages of his claws. They were not just efficient killing tools; they could also be quite handy for self-defense. But the Controller wasn't ready to give in. Whenever JOE's elongated tongue or claws came near, the Controller emitted sonic waves, disrupting JOE's thoughts. However, JOE was helpless in this regard; he couldn't stuff a piece of cloth into the Controller's mouth. If he dared to try, the Controller's sharp teeth would make him one of its mindless minions in no time.As the shadow assassins and the agile zombies prepared to launch an attack from the front, two figures perched atop a skyscraper swooped down at lightning speed, causing chaos among the enemy ranks. JOE's desperate situation seemed to be alleviating. However, at this point, JOE and the Controller had both sustained significant injuries. While JOE had managed to avoid being bitten, he had been scratched several times. He understood that if he allowed the battle to drag on, he might end up becoming a zombie. JOE muttered under his breath, "Black Hole Devour, activate!"A black hole suddenly materialized, pulling the Controller's body closer. But just as the Controller was about to be swallowed by the void, the black hole's consuming force seemed to vanish, and the Controller remained still. JOE was growing desperate and quickly exchanged for several high-explosive grenades. When these grenades hit the Controller's body, it finally responded. It appeared that the Controller had just completed an evolution and was currently in a weakened state.JOE swiftly retreated, leaving the Controller to be consumed by the black hole. Meanwhile, on Raven One and Raven Two's side, the zombies seemed to be wandering aimlessly, indicating that JOE had likely succeeded. However, JOE was now in a dire state. He felt as though he were burning up, worse than during his initial evolution. Suddenly, a thin layer of silk-like material enveloped his body, encasing him in a cocoon...