The Extremis Virus was a marvel of biotechnological horror — a synthesis of biology and nanotechnology. The virus existed in a conductive liquid medium, stored within billions of microscopic nanotubes. Once injected into a host, it infiltrated the body's repair center — the biological control hub that stored the body's structural blueprint and directed regeneration whenever the body sustained injury.
The virus's first act was to override and replace that repair center, constructing a new system altogether — the Extremis System.
When that happened, the host's brain would register the entire body as one massive wound. The system would then begin the process of "healing" by destroying the old, "damaged" flesh and rebuilding the host from the inside out.
During this process, the infected body would become encased in thick, hardened scabs. The host would lapse into a coma, writhing unconsciously as their body was torn apart and remade. The transformation was agonizing — a process of destruction before rebirth.
That cycle of death and renewal was why the virus had earned its name: Extremis — the point of no return.
The pain, however, was matched by its rewards.
Those who survived the metamorphosis became something far beyond human — possessing strength, speed, and resilience on a superhuman level. They could heal from nearly any injury and even channel the bioelectric energy surging within their new bodies into intense thermal output — enough to raise their core temperature to several thousand degrees Celsius or detonate themselves like living bombs.
Such beings were known as Extremis Soldiers.
This was the full truth behind the Extremis Virus that appeared in Iron Man 3. Even in its original form, the virus was terrifyingly potent. If Marcus could merge it with his own zombie virus, the resulting hybrid could reach unimaginable power.
Moreover — while the movies had never addressed it, the original Marvel Comics had revealed an even more dangerous property. The Extremis System was programmable.
Through direct reprogramming, the virus could alter a host's biological template, allowing them to evolve into entirely different forms — dragons, insects, giants — limited only by imagination and code.
With this, Marcus could create a diverse army of specialized variants — an evolved legion of undead soldiers capable of facing the U.S. military head-on. That was why the Extremis Virus was not merely desirable to him — it was essential.
---
The night was suffocatingly dark. Clouds swallowed the moon, and the cold wind cut through the silence like a knife. The air itself seemed to tremble with an unspoken sense of danger.
"Winston, stay here and secure our exit," Marcus ordered quietly. "I'll infiltrate with Thunder first."
The giant gorilla's crimson eyes gleamed faintly in acknowledgment. Winston's immense size made him far too conspicuous for stealth, so Marcus had no choice but to leave him behind.
He turned to the woman beside him — tall, lean, and poised like a coiled spring. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thunder, scan the area. Tell me how many we're dealing with."
"Yes, Master," she said calmly.
Thunder — Marcus's second-ranked mutant underling — was a striking figure. Her short pink hair framed a face so finely featured it blurred the line between masculine and feminine. With a stoic expression and piercing eyes, she looked every bit the battle-hardened knight she was reputed to be.
Her ability was Bioelectric Manipulation, a versatile power that allowed her to detect, disrupt, and weaponize the electric signals of living beings.
She extended both hands toward the decrepit factory ahead, eyes closing as arcs of faint blue lightning traced across her fingertips. After several moments, she spoke.
"There are forty-eight life signatures in the facility. Five are within normal human biological parameters. The rest…" She paused briefly. "The rest are… abnormal. Extremely abnormal."
Marcus's eyes narrowed. "Five normal — test subjects, most likely. The others are all Extremis Soldiers."
Forty-three enhanced soldiers. A full company. The odds were daunting.
"All right," he said. "Lead me through the blind spots. We'll find the main entrance first."
He hadn't taken three steps when a blaring alarm split the night.
Red lights flashed violently across the factory walls, sirens shrieking as reinforced blast doors sealed shut. Within seconds, a wave of Extremis Soldiers surged out from every corner — their molten-red bodies glowing faintly through the smoke.
Marcus froze, frowning. "What the hell? We didn't cross the perimeter yet."
Before he could assess further, Thunder's voice came through, sharp and calm. "Master — two intruders just entered through the opposite side. They've engaged the Extremis Soldiers."
Marcus clenched his jaw. Two intruders? Attacking A.I.M. head-on?
That kind of reckless confidence could only belong to one kind of people.
"Damn superheroes," he hissed.
He didn't know who they were — and he didn't care. But he could not allow them to reach the Extremis samples before he did.
"Move. We're going in."
---
He vaulted over the perimeter wall, landing silently — only to come face-to-face with a patrolling Extremis Soldier.
The molten-eyed soldier froze for half a second before raising his arm to shout.
"INTRU—"
The word never left his mouth. Marcus's right arm morphed into a gleaming blade, and with a single slash, he cleaved the man in half at the waist.
No blood spilled. No viscera flew.
Instead, molten-red liquid — glowing like liquid metal — poured from the wound. The bisected soldier didn't even scream. He merely dragged his upper body toward Marcus, his palm glowing red-hot as it reached out.
"Intruder detected—"
The soldier didn't finish. Marcus brought his blade down again — vertically this time. The silver flash split the man cleanly from skull to spine, slicing him into perfect halves.
And still… he didn't die.
The left half of his body continued crawling forward, clawing at the ground as the severed flesh began regenerating at an astonishing rate.
Marcus's eyes narrowed. "Impressive."
Even for him — an infected hybrid of the zombie virus — a bisected body meant certain death. But this Extremis Soldier continued to fight, defying logic and biology alike.
"Remarkable regeneration," he muttered. "But still flawed."
He noticed the pattern almost immediately — only the left torso remained active. The heart. That was the key.
"The heart's the weak point," Marcus said flatly.
He thrust his blade into the creature's chest. The red glow in its eyes flickered — and vanished. The body went limp instantly, collapsing like a machine losing power.
"Still dangerous, though," Marcus added quietly.
Because in the next second, the corpse began to glow.
A deep red hue spread through the body, its temperature climbing rapidly until the air shimmered.
"Oh, hell."
"BOOM!"
The explosion ripped through the night like a thunderclap. A shockwave tore through half the compound, blowing out every window in a hundred meters. A fiery mushroom cloud erupted into the sky, followed by a tower of thick, black smoke that billowed upward like a war signal.
Marcus shielded his face from the blast, his eyes glowing coldly beneath the flickering inferno.
"So that's how it is," he murmured. "A self-destruct mechanism… how delightfully inconvenient."
The battle for the Extremis Virus had only just begun.
__
T/N:
Hello everyone! My Patreon is just $3 — a perfect opportunity to access 45+ advanced chapters and support the translation.
🔗 patreon.com/user?u=79514336
Or simply search Translator-Sama on Patreon