Marcus and Alex rode atop the massive Thunderbeast as it rumbled through the streets of Queens. Its broad back, protected by a crown-shaped, spiked carapace, resembled a small transport vehicle—quite practical for carrying cargo. Unfortunately, this Thunderbeast was merely an experimental creation, engineered through the Extremis Virus. Some of its features lacked the natural perfection of a true living organism, and the biological materials forming its body still fell slightly short in hardness and resilience.
Compared to the authentic Ultralisks from StarCraft, capable of charging through the vacuum of space, this imitation was far inferior. Still, in the Marvel world, no human army could compare to those space-faring forces, and for them, even this Extremis Thunderbeast was more than formidable enough.
"Alex, do we have to use elephants as the base material to create a Thunderbeast?" Marcus asked. After all, elephants were rare in the United States, and the sudden disappearance of a herd would definitely raise suspicion.
Fortunately, Alex's answer put him at ease. "No, ordinary zombies can also be evolved into Thunderbeasts. It just consumes far more bio-energy. The greater the size and strength difference, the higher the energy cost for reconstruction."
Everything came down to energy. For Marcus, his evolved infected subordinates were his energy producers. The more individuals capable of evolving ordinary zombies into Extremis variants, the greater their advantage would be in the upcoming battle for New York.
Suddenly, the roar of helicopter blades broke Marcus's thoughts. It seemed another squad of reckless mercenaries had come to try their luck. Ever since Marcus had ordered his forces to eliminate any trespassing mercenaries, none of them had ever left alive. Ironically, this only caused the market price for live zombies to skyrocket, attracting even more desperate mercenaries to their deaths.
Alex watched the helicopter descend onto a nearby rooftop before turning to Marcus. "Master, Thunder is nearby. Shall I have her handle them?"
"No need," Marcus said, amused as he patted the Thunderbeast's armored hide. He watched as the mercenaries—heavily armed and fully geared—filed out of the chopper. "Let's give the Thunderbeast something fresh to chew on."
That was always Marcus's approach—test, then apply.
Moments later, the massive Thunderbeast moved forward with thunderous steps. Though its gait looked heavy, it was astonishingly fast, shaking the ground as it approached the mercenaries' landing zone. The main street ahead was cluttered with abandoned vehicles, scattered chaotically after the city's evacuation. Several mercenaries were advancing cautiously among them when the Earth tremors caught their attention.
"What the hell is that!?" one of them shouted, peeking over a car hood. When he saw the five-story-high Thunderbeast emerging from the darkness, his jaw dropped wide enough to fit an apple.
But these weren't amateurs. The heavy weapons specialist immediately reacted, firing a rocket straight at the creature's head. The missile streaked through the air with a trail of white smoke and struck the Thunderbeast's crown, exploding in a brilliant flash that lit up the night sky like lightning.
As the smoke cleared, the mercenaries froze in horror—the Thunderbeast stood unharmed. Its thick carapace gleamed under the firelight, and its enormous, bone-like pincers opened with a metallic shriek. The insignificant blast had only enraged it. The creature bellowed, unleashing a deafening roar that shattered windows up and down the block.
Behind its armored shell, Marcus scratched his head and muttered to Alex, "Hmm, that roar's a bit unnecessary. Let's cut that next time."
"Apologies, Master," Alex replied calmly. "It's a residual animal instinct."
As the two conversed casually, the Thunderbeast charged. Its colossal limbs lifted and slammed down with terrifying force, leaving crater-like footprints in the concrete. Small cars were flattened underfoot, while trucks were hurled aside like toys. The beast's advance was like facing an army of ten thousand armored knights—earth-shaking and unstoppable.
Seeing the Thunderbeast bulldozing through the vehicles toward them, the mercenaries panicked, though instinct kept them from running blindly. "Get inside the buildings!" one of them shouted.
They believed the creature's size would keep it from following them indoors. If they could make it inside, they might survive. But reality proved them wrong.
As the last mercenary darted into a seven-story building, the Thunderbeast crashed straight into it without hesitation. Concrete and steel shattered like paper; its bladed crown tore through the facade, and its massive pincers sliced everything over a meter tall clean in half. Within ten seconds, the entire building collapsed into rubble. No one inside survived.
When the dust settled, the scene looked like the aftermath of a tornado—cars flung aside, buildings toppled, and not a single soul left alive. It was impossible to imagine anything standing against such destructive force.
Up above, Thunder had already dealt with the rooftop helicopter. For Queens, it was once again a peaceful and quiet day.
"Well done," Marcus said, leaping down from the Thunderbeast and gazing up at the monstrous creature, a mixture of awe and satisfaction in his eyes. "With this kind of weapon, our zombie army can finally stand toe-to-toe with the U.S. military's mechanized forces."
"Thank you, Master," Alex replied with a slight smile. "But this isn't the full extent of the Thunderbeast's abilities. Like all Extremis variants, it has powerful regeneration and heat emission capabilities. Its potential is far greater than this."
Regeneration and heat—Marcus already knew how devastating those traits were from Killian himself. On a creature this massive, their effect would be catastrophic.
The U.S. military was in serious trouble.
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T/N:
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