"Hmm—"
The moment the Kabane Virus invaded Hawthorne's body, it swelled up in response to the stimulus. He entered the human-beast form of his Zoan-type Devil Fruit, visibly transforming into a massive kangaroo-man.
To be honest, with his transformation, the spread of the Kabane Virus in his chest significantly slowed down. The most obvious sign was that the affected skin was no longer as dark purple, but rather a bit red.
"The increase in muscle strength allows him to withstand higher temperatures, naturally preventing his blood vessels from being easily scorched by the heat. But the key is whether he can retain his consciousness!"
Dr. Fritz observed Hawthorne's physical changes while explaining his thoughts.
Before long, a blue glow also appeared on the kangaroo-man's chest. However, possibly due to muscle strength issues, it couldn't burn through the epidermis, so it didn't form the transparent membrane typical of ordinary Kabane. Naturally, the brightness was also somewhat dim.
But when the light from the left carotid artery passed through his eyes and invaded his brain, he froze in place. The blue glow in his pupils lasted only three seconds before returning to black.
"Success?!"
Seeing this, Dr. Fritz and Councilor Addison outside the cell couldn't help but show joy.
"Do you still have consciousness? Say something."
Inside the cell, a researcher cautiously approached Hawthorne and asked lightly. However, the latter just looked up blankly, gazing around in confusion.
"Chirp chirp chirp~~"
"Huh?"
Hearing the kangaroo-man make strange sounds at him, the researcher looked at him in confusion and asked again, "Can you tell me your name?"
"Chirp chirp chirp~~"
Still the same, he continued to make inexplicable noises. The smiles on the faces of those outside the cell froze.
"That's the sound of a kangaroo. My hometown has them, so I'm very familiar with it," Steve Gus, who was sitting nearby, suddenly spoke up.
"So that's how it is..."
Dr. Fritz stroked his freshly shaved chin and said in a deep voice, "I didn't expect that legend to be true."
"What legend?" Senior Manager Addison asked curiously.
"It's said that among Devil Fruits, the Zoan type is the most special because it contains another consciousness and soul. It seems that's true now."
"Are you saying that Hawthorne's personal consciousness has been taken over by the Kabane Virus, causing the kangaroo consciousness within him to awaken and take over as the dominant consciousness?"
"Exactly, that's the only explanation."
Dr. Fritz gave him an approving look and said, "It's just unclear whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. But from the current behavior, the kangaroo-dominated consciousness seems very docile. However, the glowing heart also proves that its body has been enhanced by the virus."
After speaking, he ordered the researcher inside the cell, "Ron, come out first. Have them release Hawthorne's restraints."
"Yes, Director!"
As Team Leader Ron quickly walked out of the cell, the two men in black exchanged glances and, following the instructions, took out keys to unlock the Seastone Handcuffs and leg irons. However, the Bomb Collar around his neck remained.
"Chirp chirp chirp~~"
After transforming into a kangaroo-man, Hawthorne, seeing that they had released him, actually showed a human-like smile and made a waving gesture towards them, conveying gratitude.
"Just as I thought. Alright, find a place to lock him up. Make sure he has enough food and water. Check his condition in a few days, then send him back to Impel Down."
Dr. Fritz had lost interest in Hawthorne.
"Yes!"
Soon, a black-clad man from the cell led the obedient kangaroo-man away. The attention of everyone present then focused on Gus, who remained calm and composed.
Having witnessed two examples in a row, he had already relaxed, and he now had a clear understanding of the virus in his mind.
"Let's proceed."
"Go ahead."
Dr. Fritz nodded to Team Leader Ron, who once again carried the case and walked over to Gus. The process was the same as before, and without hesitation, he injected the virus into Gus's chest.
"Ugh!"
Gus let out a muffled groan as he felt a searing pain in his chest, as if it were being burned by fire. However, he gritted his teeth and managed to endure it.
His fierce eyes were fixed on the beams of light connecting to his heart, which then rapidly ignited it!
It was hot, scorching, and excruciatingly painful!
No wonder the first prisoner had let out such a horrifying scream. The level of pain was indeed beyond what an ordinary person could imagine. Beads of cold sweat had already formed on his forehead and back.
Finally, his heart was completely transformed, and the skin on his chest was burned into a transparent, tempered membrane. The intense pain vanished like flowing water, leaving him feeling warm all over, with a powerful sense of strength coursing through every muscle.
"Focus! The next step will determine your life or death. Try to prevent the blood from the left carotid artery from invading your brain!" Dr. Fritz raised his voice to remind Gus, promptly bringing his attention back.
"Alright!"
Gus's eyes suddenly sharpened as he lowered his head and stared intently at the glowing blue vein extending upwards. At the same time, he deeply immersed his consciousness within his body.
He began to attempt controlling the left carotid artery and the high-temperature blood within it, finding that the process wasn't particularly difficult.
Although the artery had become as tough as the heart membrane, and the blood was as hot and bright as boiling water, the artery was still an artery, and the blood was still blood—both remained under the control of Life Return!
"Success?!"
From the perspective of Dr. Fritz and the others outside the cell, as soon as he gave the reminder, the glowing left carotid artery on Gus's body obediently stopped at the collarbone, completely motionless.
This ensured that his eyes and brain were unaffected. At the same time, a large amount of sticky black threads secreted from his body, rapidly coalescing into a metallic-looking armor on his bare upper body.
This was the Biological Exoskeleton!
"I think it's done. You can release me now." Gus looked up with a bright, joyful smile. He had survived!
The only one among the three test subjects to survive!
"Hahahahaha!"
Dr. Fritz was ecstatic upon hearing this. He hugged Senior Director Addison beside him and exclaimed, "Our Kabaneri has succeeded!"
"Yes, yes! I never thought it would actually work. We've achieved a great feat, but..."
Senior Director Addison watched as Steve Gus removed his handcuffs, leg irons, and bomb collar, slowly standing up. He sighed and said, "Mastering Life Return is necessary to adapt to the Kabane Virus. That condition is a bit too high."
"No, that's not it!"
Dr. Fritz released him, his face still lit with an excited smile, and said, "The first test subject proved that as long as one's Haki is strong enough, it can suppress the negative emotions within the Kabane Virus."
"And Gus has shown that blocking the left carotid artery can also prevent the virus from invading the brain. This can be achieved physically, for example, with something like a bandage!"
At that moment, Steve Gus, led out by Team Leader Ron and another man in black, emerged bare-chested.
The bright blue light on his chest and the web-like glowing blood vessels spreading outward were so beautiful in Dr. Fritz's eyes.
"Doctor, there's actually another issue—the excruciating pain. That level of pain is unbearable for most people. Once consciousness is lost, even Life Return would be useless!" Gus said gravely.
"Indeed."
Dr. Fritz nodded in agreement. Although he hadn't experienced it himself, he could imagine how agonizing it would feel to have fire or magma coursing through one's body.
"Also, it awakened my Haki. This ability to sense the presence and emotions of those around me—it must be Observation Haki, right?"