American comics: May the Holy Light deceive you

Chapter 29 Phoenix Elegy - 3

Because of the miraculous love between Zero, Peter Parker, and Mary Jane, Vega unusually showed his kindness and wanted to help Zero return to normal.

But to everyone's surprise, Zero refused, and then he explained the reason to the puzzled group.

Zero: "Mary has always hoped that I could return to normal, but I know my past self very well. If I returned to normal, I would definitely commit suicide. Even if I chose to live for Mary and the child, I would not be able to protect Mary and our unborn child because of my principle of not killing."

"This..." Vega really hadn't expected this. He was misled by Deadpool, who had returned to normal but showed no signs of abnormality.

Deadpool is an oddball; he's a madman who wallows in the mud. He's not just afraid to eat others, he might even have eaten himself when there's no food.

Vega and the Punisher exchanged a glance. The Punisher thought for a moment, then asked Zero, "If we have a way to restore the world to normal, would you help us so that your girlfriend and children no longer have to face the threat of the virus and the 'Flesh Eaters'?"

Zero: "I do!"

The Punisher: "Even if it means you die?"

Zero: "Even if I die!"

Zero's expression was very firm, and all three of them could tell that he was not lying.

Vega: "Are there other 'carnivores' like this?"

The Punisher shook his head. "Carnivores" are monsters controlled by their appetites. This is the first time he has encountered a "carnivore" like Zero.

The priest said, "Sigh, no wonder he's Spider-Man, loved by so many people."

Vega nodded in agreement. He truly deserves to be called Spider-Man, loved by countless people.

Spider-Man, parasitized by Venom, had the worst thoughts: buying discounted suits, demanding a raise, and wanting to sprinkle some ash in the eyes of bad guys. After becoming a "carnivore," Spider-Man, supported by love, actually went against his instincts and was still willing to give everything for his girlfriend Mary Jane, who should have been food in his eyes.

Vega released Zero, who didn't react. After stretching his body, Zero asked, "When are we going to rescue Mary? I'll do anything you ask as long as we get her back."

Vega: "We're waiting for Deadpool. He went to call your men."

"If you're worried, we can go now. I can take care of Kingpin and his men by myself."

Zero: "Don't underestimate Kingpin, he's extremely dangerous."

The battle that took place here before the disaster was secretly orchestrated by him, and he also secretly eliminated all the other teams in New York.

"There are still more than 200 'meat eaters' in New York. I only have 5 people here. The rest are with him."

He kidnapped Mary in order to eliminate me and thus unify all of New York.

"I can handle it, but I have a question." Vega briefly introduced his background and abilities, then asked his question: "'Carnivores' need to eat constantly. There aren't many people left in all of New York. Why don't you leave here to find food, instead of stubbornly staying here to fight for territory?"

In order to survive, predators in nature migrate with their food, but this is not the case for 'carnivores', whose appetites are even more terrifying.

Even when there is little food left in their territory, they are unwilling to leave it. Instead, they will fight to the death with other "feeders" for territory.

Upon hearing Vega's question, Zero fell into deep thought. After a long while, he calmly explained, "Because it's instinct."

Vega: "What will you do when all the food is gone?"

Zero replied without hesitation: "Eat your own kind."

Vega pressed further: "What if they've eaten all of their own kind too?"

Zero: "Eat animals, plants, and everything edible."

"They prioritize eating uninfected individuals, then their own kind, and only then plants and animals, and they also have a very strong sense of territory..." Vega frowned, now even more convinced that the virus that had turned the world into this was man-made.

Is the virus truly out of control, or is someone trying to wipe out all of humanity?

Was it the work of humans themselves, or some other unknown extraterrestrial force?

Confused, Vega asked, "Do you know the origin of the virus?"

Both Zero and the priest shook their heads. The Punisher hesitated for a moment before revealing what he had done.

After hearing his words, Vega and Zero didn't react much, but the priest exploded again. He cursed the Punisher with great emotion, calling him an existence more evil than the devil.

Vega, annoyed by the priest's constant chatter, cast a stun spell on him, and he fell asleep without resistance.

Vega: "You said the virus is an antibody that allows humans to survive in any harsh environment. It might have originated from an arms company or a military laboratory?"

The Punisher nodded: "Yes, but that's just my guess."

Afterwards, I investigated the source of the antibody, but I found no clues; all leads had been erased.

"At the time, I didn't pay much attention. A year after the disaster broke out, I saw the molecular structure diagram of the virus in the biological laboratory of New York University. Only then did I realize that the virus was the Survivor 118 antibody."

But it was too late. The whole world had become hell. All governments and superhero teams were gone. There was nothing I could do alone.

"Don't be sad. Even without you, those buyers will still use the antibodies. The final result won't change. The disaster will still break out." Vega comforted the self-blaming Punisher while continuing to speculate.

There are far too many superhumans in this world, and it's hard to say that there won't be someone who wants to eliminate all of them.

Could it be like the story of Resident Evil, where the virus was deliberately released to purify humanity?

There are many eccentric geniuses in the Marvel universe; perhaps some of them have mastered the methods of cloning and artificially cultivating humans.

They release the virus and hide away. Once all the superhumans are dead, they release antibodies or antidotes to purify the environment, and then cultivate new humans.

The Punisher: "What are your thoughts?"

"No." Vega shook his head. He had no clues at all, and his guesses were just that—guesses. It was better not to say anything and cause trouble for the Punisher.

He wasn't very curious; if he knew something, he'd just listen to it as a story, but if he didn't, it didn't matter.

Moreover, the truth is really not important. This is not a detective world, and it's not about convicting anyone. There's no need to waste time and energy investigating.

If Phoenix is ​​willing to be resurrected to save the world, she will know the origin of the virus when she travels back in time and alters reality. At that time, it will be her business how to solve the virus and whoever created it.

Seeing that Vega and the Punisher had stopped talking, Zero couldn't help but ask, "Can we go rescue Mary now?"