If the S-1 virus is a natural disaster that humanity cannot predict or prepare for in advance.
Then the S-2 virus is undoubtedly a man-made calamity, stemming from the greed in human hearts and the desires embedded in our genes.
"Hiss, isn't this the Armored Giant from Attack on Titan?"
Scrolling down to the first illustration of an Infected Body, the familiar form made Cheng Ye somewhat dazed.
The giant, approximately twenty meters tall, was entirely covered in insect-like armor plates, wielding a smokestack from a chemical factory as a weapon, creating an absurd feeling reminiscent of Lu Zhishen's uprooting of the weeping willow tree.
Opposite the giant were eight massive cannon muzzles, each with a diameter exceeding a meter.
Cheng Ye was not sure what would happen when the two made contact, but he knew the giant would certainly meet a grisly end.
After all, modern technology isn't like the devices in comics that require flying around to cut off necks.
The range covered by the cannons is the true law!
Further down, there were a few more illustrations: a speed infectee whose Achilles tendon had grown up to their neck, a flying infectee that had grown wings, an intelligent infectee whose brain occupied half of its body...
Comparatively, Cheng Ye found these infecteds almost endearing in their silliness, unlike zombies.
The exaggerated forms were obviously on the wrong path; no matter how foolish humans might be, they wouldn't consider these forms logical or sustainable for development.
It's only natural that they were eradicated within just over a year.
"With the first and second times, a third and a fourth aren't surprising anymore."
The question posed at the end of the author's page didn't seem strange to Cheng Ye; in fact, he found it quite normal.
The S series viruses caused great harm, yet concealed benefits of equal magnitude.
Flipping to the next chapter, the S-3 virus had indeed freshly emerged.
'The S-2 virus was eradicated in the summer of 2043, and in the ensuing five years, human civilization swiftly recovered. Various Shelter Cities were dismantled, and humans returned to life in familiar cities, with everything seemingly back on track.'
'Until the S-3 virus reappeared!'
'Despite decades of research into the S-3 virus, the exact origin of this special virus remains unclear to this day. It no longer infects humans but instead targets animals and plants. It flawlessly combines the characteristics of the S-1 and S-2 viruses, spreading through water sources and radiating worldwide in just half a year, yet it also facilitates breakthroughs in animals and plants, yielding numerous incredible effects...'
'It's unimaginable how this planet became so mad, with ordinary soil and plants, under viral catalysis, nurturing a special plant called the {Nine-Turned Ginseng Fruit} that can reverse aging. Consuming it instantly returns an eighty-year-old person to twenty, regaining their youth.'
'Even more incredible was that as the Nine-Turned Ginseng Fruit emerged, more and more unbelievable mutated animals and plants began to appear, allowing people to instantly gain immense power with mutant beetle meat, enabling limb regeneration and super healing with Centipede Grass, granting fire-breathing powers with Molten Lava Lotus, enabling low-altitude flight with Wind Ball Leaf...'
'Many people say this is the revival of spiritual energy, heralding the great age of contention for humanity at last. Meanwhile, others claim this is the return of the prehistoric era, with Immortal Objects from ancient mythology awakening one by one, ready to lead humanity back to the age of the ancients, standing at the pinnacle of the cosmos. I don't know who is right, but I am sure of one thing: this is definitely a virus scarier than S-1 and S-2!'
'It perfectly grasps the human mind, pinpointing humanity's weakness, accurately hitting the ultimate desire for immortality, power, and the extraordinary. When the flesh of rejuvenating fruit is fiercely contested by humans, and the fruit endowing humans with extraordinary abilities appears on the black market, the S-3 virus, in the gentlest manner, completes a more thorough massacre than the previous two disasters.'
'It doesn't need to destroy human order—as human greed naturally shatters everything!'
'Humans went mad, everyone went mad, driven insane for the extraordinary, for becoming stronger!'
'....(Violations), (crossed out)'
'It's laughable that after going through the bombardment of S-1 and S-2 viruses targeting themselves, humanity showed no signs of civilizational rupture, yet suffered heavy casualties after the S-3 virus, which didn't affect them directly. Vast cityscapes were left devoid of people, and all-out war completely erupted.'
End of a page.
No illustrations.
Cheng Ye fell into deep shock, the words seemed to drag him into that era of madness, letting him see how humanity's nature was dissected, with weapons meant for others eventually turned into bayonets piercing civilization itself.
"The age of great contention, where everyone can be extraordinary."
"Even those hiding in Shelter Cities developed greed, and naturally, the foundations began to spin out of control, dragging human civilization into the abyss."
For some unknown reason, Cheng Ye suddenly thought of Earth.
If such a virus appeared on Earth, could humans withstand the catalysis from S-1 to S-2 to S-3 continuously?
And one thing, Cheng Ye had always been puzzled by.
The current Blue Star wasteland he was on, aside from certain geographical terms, bore no difference whatsoever from the Earth he was on before time-traveling.
"Could it be that I didn't travel to another world, but instead traveled through time?"
Cheng Ye couldn't help but speculate.
Modifying a few place names is not difficult, with extraordinary powers already emerging, redefining geographical boundaries becomes an effortless affair.
And as the text continued to describe the transition from the Old Era to the New Era, it seemed to continually confirm his judgment.
'The chaos brought by the S-3 virus lasted for a full fifteen years, with the population of Blue Star plummeting to less than two billion people. Wars broke out everywhere on the chaotic planet, and each time a new extraordinary item appeared, it would attract millions to participate in a "spectacle," and the reason this farce had an end was not because humanity realized the virus's dangers, but because the S-3 virus underwent another mutation, the S-4 emerged!'
'In the autumn of 2063 of the Old Era, the S-3 virus split to produce the special S-4 virus, laughable isn't it, it seemed like a cycle. The S-4 virus shockingly reverted to the S-2 era, losing its ability for widespread transmission, targeting only special groups for airborne spread, this special group being those previous... Extraordinary!'
"What?"
Cheng Ye felt a jolt inside, almost exclaiming out loud.
If living in these times as described in the book, perhaps one might not so clearly feel the terror of the S virus.
But in summary, from S-3 to S-4, isn't it like luring people in first, then slowly slicing into them with a cyber-fraud trick?
'Extraordinaries infected by the S-4 virus will have their inner power rapidly spiral out of control, their genetic chains fracture, turning them into a walking dead that can only survive on biological instincts, known commonly as: Infection Origin.'
'Though the S-4 virus does not directly affect ordinary people, the extraordinary power mutated within the bodies of the infectees remains a deadly source of contamination; a scant few people lucky enough to inherit a trace of extraordinary ability upon contact with the power, will repeat history, gaining power but losing sanity, becoming an Infected Body, acting based on residual memory, previous habits, and instinct, looping fragmented life segments.'
'The various Infected Bodies we currently encounter can all be traced back to the Extraordinary of the Old Era, with powers sourced from them.'
'Due to the inherent secrecy and specialty of the Infection Origin, human technology's lethality has become extremely limited. To prolong civilization, efforts began to reinstate the Shelter City program, protecting ordinary people while isolating the contagion from further expansion.'
'The first Firewood Shelter City, post-relaunch, was completed in 2070. To prevent future generations from retracing history and repeating mistakes, the survivors made a bold decision to detach from the Old Era, redefining the planetary map, deleting continents tainted by the Infection Origin and ruined cities from all maps, burying a portion of history that greatly harmed civilization, and embarking along the developmental path of a New Era.'
'Old Era year 2070, New Era year 1, human civilization re-embarked on the right track, commencing a path of struggle set to last hundreds of years. Alas, my lifespan is running out, and I won't live to see this disaster's true conclusion!'
'But perhaps... there might be S-5, and S-6, what do you think?'
Rustle.
Unknowingly, "Infection Origin" was turned by Cheng Ye to the last page, his gaze lingering on the question the author seemingly wrote with all their might.
S-5?
S-6?
The S series virus only mutated four times, nearly pushing human civilization to the brink of collapse.
If another round or several rounds of major mutation direction shifts occurred, reverting to S-1's wide-spread transmission model, with zombies reappearing, even surpassing carbon-based biological limits...
Cheng Ye couldn't help but shiver, immediately realizing that this wasteland could be far more dangerous than he imagined.
Meanwhile.
"It is now New Era year 35, if the buried history can be uncovered, proving this place to be Earth."
"Then it means... I haven't traveled to a parallel world, but instead... traveled 80 years into the future?"
...