A ferocious light flickered in Jake's eyes.
He opened his mouth and was the first to bite down on that long, slender neck. This wasn't Jack Muller; this was Jack Hanma—a Jack who possessed the power of the Way of the Bite.
There was no other way.
For Chris's sake, Jake was truly going all out this time.
After learning that his father was Wesker, Jake also understood the true source of his immortal power.
It turned out he was also one of the virus-infected.
Therefore, Jake understood that the only way he could evolve was through consumption—strengthening himself by devouring other viruses weaker than his own.
The progenitor virus had evolved step by step in this manner. The reason its upper limit was so high was that it was the original strain of all viruses.
It possessed a natural fusion advantage over other viruses.
It wouldn't reject any virus so easily, which was the real reason Jake dared to bite the Oculare Soldier in front of him.
"Crack—!!!"
*Munch munch...*
With one bite, the Oculare monster's centipede-like long neck proved to be extremely hard, like spare ribs, nearly breaking Jake's teeth.
But the progenitor virus within his body seemed to sense its host's desire to devour, which in turn stimulated Jake's internal urges.
Driven into a frenzy, Jake used his tactical knife to slice open the Oculare Centipede Monster's head.
Ignoring the hard, rib-like neck, he watched the fluids flowing from the head and, as if possessed, leaned in to swallow them.
"Ugh... Hurrr...!!!!!!!"
As the fluid entered his mouth, the trace amounts of C-Virus contained within further stimulated the progenitor virus cells in Jake's body.
Back when he was a Mercenary in the Edonia Republic, Jake had been injected with a dose of the Oculare infection serum.
But that tiny amount of serum hadn't turned Jake into an Oculare monster.
So, these fluids before him were even less of a threat; they were pitifully sparse. Other than being absorbed, they posed no danger to Jake at all.
However, the entry of the C-Virus into his body indeed made Jake extremely excited. His eyes became bloodshot and crimson, and his skin felt hot all over.
The dense bullet holes that had covered his body were actually fully healed in an instant, and the slugs were all squeezed out, clattering onto the ground.
Tasting the flavor of devouring another virus caused Jake's eyes to fill with deep greed as he looked at the Oculare Soldier's body.
"Swish—!!!"
In the next second, Jake threw the tactical knife in his hand with a powerful flick, the sharp blade shooting out like a bolt.
It struck the head of another nearby Oculare Soldier dead-on, while Jake himself lunged forward like a hungry wolf.
Experiencing the deliciousness of devouring viral power for the first time had made him lose control of his reason.
"Jake—?!"
Seeing Jake fall into this demonic frenzy, Chris, who was behind cover, frowned deeply and shouted in a low voice,
attempting to wake Jake up.
Because this state...
He seemed to have seen it somewhere before. Yes... in those infected by a virus—specifically, those about to go berserk and lose their sanity!
Volume 9 Resident Evil 6: Chapter 73 The Law of Hitting the Knees
"Jake...?!"
"Wake up! Don't lose your mind to the power of the virus, or you'll become a total monster!"
Seeing Jake's mind gradually being seized by the virus, Chris hurriedly shouted at the top of his lungs, hoping to awaken Jake's inner self. After all, Chris had seen countless people whose minds were consumed by bio-viruses.
Their ends were usually never good.
They either died a tragic death on the spot or were completely consumed by the virus, losing their will and turning into hideous monsters, stripped of their human dignity.
However, Chris didn't realize that Jake's current state was actually just fine.
Though he had an impulse to go berserk, he hadn't reached the level of mutation yet.
To put it simply...
The Oculare Soldiers present weren't enough to push Jake into the next stage of mutation.
At most, they only made him extremely frantic. Once all the prey was devoured, his berserk emotions would naturally dissipate.
As for whether he would attack Chris and the others, it was highly unlikely.
Because Jake himself was a perfect fusion with the progenitor virus.
He had combined with the progenitor virus in the womb and had coexisted with it since birth.
The relationship between them was no longer parasitic; there was no so-called host. The progenitor virus was Jake, and Jake was the progenitor virus.
Therefore, Jake wasn't as fragile as one might imagine.
Unlike other highly fused infected individuals, his will wouldn't be easily manipulated.
Furthermore, he wouldn't arbitrarily hunt living humans for food. The progenitor virus only chose high-energy lifeforms as prey to devour.
Like these Oculare Soldiers before him.
As for Chris and the others... ordinary human flesh
seemed like dried cured meat to the progenitor virus—tough, salty, and unpalatable.
It couldn't compare to these Oculare Soldiers at all. So, under these circumstances, how could Jake possibly eat a living person?
"Hahahaha...!!!!!"
Wiping the viscous liquid from the corner of his mouth and looking at the group of Oculare Soldiers, Jake appeared exceptionally excited.
His eyes emitted a crimson glow.
Then, with a sudden movement, he rushed forward, his figure as swift as a ghost.
With the power of the progenitor virus activated, Jake's speed was greatly enhanced, and he simultaneously reverted to a primal fighting style.
The assault rifle on his back was instantly cast aside. After throwing his previous tactical knife, Jake immediately pulled a new one from his thigh.
"Bang bang bang bang bang bang—!!!!!!!"
However, these Oculare Soldiers weren't as frantic as Jake.
Until their ammunition was exhausted, they wouldn't discard the weapons in their hands.
Thus, they continued to use their firearms to shoot. Bullets sprayed, sparks flew, and tracer rounds rushed toward Jake like a dense meteor shower.
But the Jake of this moment was no longer what he used to be.
Firstly, the Oculare Soldiers' marksmanship wasn't skilled. Although they retained the muscle memory for operating weapons, they lacked the flexible intelligence of a living human to lead their shots on a moving target.
They could only point their muzzles roughly at the target.
Then they pulled the trigger and left the rest to fate. Only because of the sheer number of firearms did the Oculare Soldiers' attacks prove effective.
Now, Jake's speed and reaction time had greatly increased. While he couldn't dodge bullets as ridiculously as his old man, Wesker, who could turn his body into a blur to dodge, he could concentrate his mind so that bullets wouldn't hit his head.
As for the body parts below the neck, he would leave those to the progenitor virus's super-regeneration to handle.
After all, he was currently in a berserk state, and the progenitor virus's activity was fully triggered.
His recovery ability was no longer comparable to before; mere lethal wounds from bullets were no problem.
*Squelch, squelch...!!!*
Sure enough, bullets instantly pierced Jake's body, blood blossoms bursting across him as rounds tore away chunks of flesh.
But there wasn't a trace of pain on Jake's face.
Instead, he continued to charge forward relentlessly. This time, his body was completely controlled by the virus—though it wasn't his consciousness being controlled, but his sense of pain.
"Hurrr..."
Heavy panting sounded.
Jake braved the hail of bullets and reached the Oculare Soldiers in an instant. Looking at the prey within arm's reach, Jake's mouth twisted into a ferocious grin. His buzz cut and rogue-like appearance made him look even more sinister.
In terms of looks, he resembled a villain even more than his father Wesker, and Jake's ruthlessness was not inferior in the slightest.
*Clang... shing shing shing—!!!!*
A cold light flashed as he slashed.
A blade light struck straight at the neck of the Oculare Soldier in front of him again. The fragile flesh was instantly severed under Jake's forceful strike.
When the blade got stuck in the spine, Jake directly pressed down with both hands and forcibly twisted the head off. With a "crack," the head was separated from the body. Luck was on his side this time; this Oculare Soldier didn't mutate.
*Squelch...!!!*
Gripping the trophy head, Jake ripped away the gas mask on the Oculare's head, revealing a hideous, spider-like face covered in eyeballs.
But Jake didn't mind at all.
Instead, he plunged his knife into the forehead to gouge it open, grabbed a handful of the viral fluid contained inside, and brought it to his mouth to suck.
"Hahahaha..."
Tasting the flavor of another virus again
caused an excited expression to appear on Jake's face once more. However, given how disgusting and bloody this scene was, one wondered if Jake would vomit once he completely exited his berserk state and regained his senses.
After all, this kind of raw and primal consumption had never really been done by anyone except Lisa, the strongest female boss. Even Javier himself had consumed it via serum.
The continuous intake of C-Virus raw fluid made Jake appear even more berserk. Ignoring the bullet hole wounds on his body, he tossed the head aside and prepared to pounce on his next prey.
However, as if seeing the horror of this fellow monster, one of the Oculare Soldiers also discarded the firearm in its hand.
Amidst a series of frantic bodily convulsions, its original combat uniform and bulletproof vest were rapidly covered by a transparent green slime.
Soon, a humanoid cocoon was formed.