[Mutant Regeneration Factor has spread throughout the entire body.]
The system prompt jolted Marcus from the fog of semi-consciousness, though it brought with it unbearable pain that racked his entire body. Thankfully, after countless battles and injuries, his pain tolerance had become formidable—enough to keep him from screaming outright.
[Warning: Virus is being modified by the mutant regeneration factor. Mutation imminent.]
Marcus could feel it—every single one of his internal organs was mutating, the cells twisting into a cancerous frenzy. The malignant growth spread rapidly, replacing his normal tissue at a terrifying rate. Under the crushing pressure of uncontrolled proliferation, the zombie virus was forced to abandon its human-cell hosts and attempt to adapt to the rapidly mutating cancer cells.
Finally, every cell in Marcus's body had been replaced—each one now a cancerous cell infused with the zombie virus.
[Commencing fusion process...]
All sixty trillion cells in his body began to change simultaneously. The once grotesquely deformed cancer cells gradually started reverting toward a more "normal" state under the virus's influence. Yet they could not fully return to what they once were. Instead, under the combined forces of the mutant regeneration factor and the zombie virus, his cells transformed into something entirely new—a hybrid, neither healthy nor malignant, something in-between.
[Cellular control partially lost. Metalization ability significantly reduced.]
"Damn it… just as I feared."
The metallic transformation granted by the zombie virus relied on absolute virus control over his cells—every cell acting as living metal. But now, with the virus no longer fully dominant, that control had fractured.
Testing his ability, Marcus immediately noticed the difference. The transformation rate had plummeted—his once-instantaneous metalization now took several seconds to complete, reducing his combat effectiveness by nearly a hundredfold.
That meant techniques like Sniper Arm, High-Frequency Slash, and Tenfold Iron Fist were effectively unusable.
Half his offensive strength—gone.
Still, not all the changes were bad. The mutant regeneration factor had fully integrated into his biology, taking over the virus's role in healing and even surpassing it.
[High-Speed Regeneration enhanced. New abilities awakened: Hyper Regeneration and Death Resistance.]
[Hyper Regeneration]: Greatly reduces bio-energy cost for healing. When bio-energy falls below 50%, regeneration speed increases by 150%. When bio-energy falls below 10%, healing no longer consumes bio-energy.
[Death Resistance]: When death occurs due to non-spiritual causes (including total disintegration, incineration, or molecular breakdown), consumes 5% of bio-energy to completely restore the body. Each activation reduces bio-energy capacity by 20% for 4 hours.
Marcus blinked at the prompt, then let out a humorless laugh. "So… I've basically got a weaker version of Deadpool's immortality."
It was strange, almost ironic. As long as this clone retained more than 5% of its bio-energy, it could technically resurrect indefinitely. The only issue was the temporary drop in energy capacity.
He sighed softly. "If only my real body had this ability…"
For a disposable clone, immortality was almost a cruel joke. It existed to die; infinite resurrection didn't make it more valuable—just more expendable.
Still, there was a silver lining. His powers had diverged so far from the original that the two were now drastically different entities.
If his true body specialized in offense—focused on metalization and brute combat—then this clone had evolved into a defensive variant, one built around endurance, regeneration, and attrition.
And that was perfect.
The greater the difference between his clone and his true form, the less likely anyone would realize they were the same person. With one identity acting as the hero, and the other as a ruthless force stealing technology and resources, Marcus could play both sides of the board—and reap the rewards from both.
But with his metalization weakened, he would now need weapons to compensate for his lost strength.
And lying conveniently nearby was a treasure trove—the remains of Deadpool himself.
The mercenary's body was riddled with weapons and gear, most of which had miraculously survived the carnage. Marcus started by picking up two customized SIG P6 Tactical Handguns, the same type used by British SAS and the U.S. Navy SEALs—9×19mm caliber, extended 20-round magazines, and pinpoint precision.
Perfect for close- to mid-range engagements.
He secured them to a belt formed from his own living metal.
But the true prizes weren't the guns. It was the blades.
Marcus reached for Deadpool's twin katanas—and the instant his fingers brushed the first one, a new system prompt appeared.
[Special equipment detected. Identifying… Identification complete.]
Special equipment? That was new.
[Name: Adamantium Katana]
[Material: Adamantium Alloy, Tempered Cobalt-Steel Composite]
[Weight: 1.8 kg]
[Length: 1.1 m]
[Description: A weapon forged for Deadpool during the Weapon X project using leftover Adamantium from the Wolverine experiment. Though its purity is only 54.7%, it remains a blade capable of slicing through diamond with ease.]
Marcus's eyes gleamed. Adamantium—the rarest and strongest metal in the Marvel Universe. Even Tony Stark couldn't secure enough of it to upgrade his Iron Man armor. To hold a blade forged from such material was a miracle in itself.
He tested it with a swing—slicing effortlessly through reinforced concrete. The wall split as though it were made of tofu.
A blade that could cut anything.
Then he reached for the second katana—expecting a twin Adamantium weapon. Instead, the system chimed again.
[Name: Carbonadium Alloy Katana (Prototype)]
[Material: Carbonadium, Tempered Cobalt-Steel Composite]
[Weight: 4.2 kg]
[Length: 1.1 m]
[Description: Developed by Weapon X researchers as an experimental weapon designed to neutralize Deadpool. Carbonadium inhibits regenerative abilities and prevents most healing factors from functioning. Wounds inflicted by this blade are extremely difficult to heal and often result in fatal blood loss. However, its suppressive effect on Deadpool's mutant regeneration is limited and only slows his recovery rate.]
Marcus's grin widened. "Well… that's poetic."
A weapon designed specifically to kill beings with regeneration. Against opponents like Deadpool—or anyone enhanced by Extremis—it was the ultimate countermeasure.
And considering AIM's Extremis soldiers relied heavily on accelerated healing…
Marcus slid both swords across his back, the Adamantium katana gleaming with cold precision and the Carbonadium one emanating quiet menace.
A perfect balance—one blade to cut through anything, and the other to make sure what it cut never healed.
"Looks like things are about to get interesting," he murmured.
___
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