And due to the special nature of the Gene Card, under the supervision of the Universe Will, your gains and losses must be proportional.
Each Punishment Card will pull a parallel timeline existing in New York City into this World, and allow this World to devour and merge with it.
The devoured World is random. A one-star Gene Card devours one World, a two-star Gene Card devours two Worlds, and so on.
He wouldn't choose a one-star card. His main mission was to destroy New York, and an ordinary beast, no matter how robust, couldn't possibly destroy New York.
The greatest possibility was to be caught, subjected to various experiments, or confined in a zoo for people to observe.
And not all two-star cards were suitable. For example, in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, adapted from the novel by the famous UK writer J.K. Rowling, there are many powerful creatures.
Such as the lightning-manipulating griffins, and rhinos that could spew magma; these were all very powerful.
But these animals were not suitable. James Nixxon needed a Monster Card that allowed him to develop discreetly and safely get through the early stage. If he really needed a card with powerful destructive force, wouldn't those three-star, four-star, or even five-star cards be better?
So, among the tens of millions of two-star Monster Gene Cards, James found a Gene Card named Basilisk.
Not only because Basilisk shared the same name as legends he knew, but also because Basilisk had a unique characteristic that other cards did not: the ability to freely switch between human and snake forms!
James had seen Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and he knew very well that the Basilisk Nagini possessed the ability to freely switch between human and snake forms.
With a thought, one hundred points disappeared, replaced by a brass-colored, retro card with black texture.
"Ding! Do you want to use the Snake Monster Gene Card?"
"Yes? No?"
"Yes!"
"Ding! Current card, [Snake Monster Gene Card] is loading!"
"Ding! Current card, [The Punishment of Basilisk James Nixxon] is activating!"
In an instant, James felt as if an electric current surged through his body. His muscles, bones, and even his internal organs trembled uncontrollably.
At the same time, within James's body, deeper than cells, within the chromosomes representing humans, earth-shattering changes were occurring.
The gene chains were opened, and genes were rearranged one by one, even giving rise to new chromosomes.
Unlike human chromosomes, snakes have different numbers of chromosome pairs depending on the species: some have 18 pairs, some have none, and some have more.
More chromosomes are not necessarily better, nor are fewer necessarily worse.
This mainly depends on the environment and evolution, as it contains all the secrets of a species.
James's current genetic recombination was less about fusing human and snake genes and more about approaching—or even becoming—the Basilisk species!
And the arrangement of genes was not completely copied verbatim.
Worlds are different; this was a transformation, and also an evolution.
From some perspectives, this was somewhat similar to Magneto's Mutant evolution theory.
But the difference is that the degree of Mutant evolution is uncontrollable. Some might evolve to the pinnacle, like Professor X, Magneto, and Phoenix.
They gained incredibly powerful abilities.
While some evolved halfway, thus becoming deformed monsters. Although they possessed some special abilities, a handgun could easily deal with them.
As for James's evolution?
This was a complete evolutionary chain. The same Monster Card contained countless gene chains that had evolved to the pinnacle. It would make the most perfect and suitable choice based on James's state and the surrounding environment.
Three minutes later, the abnormality in his body subsided, and James disappeared from the bed, replaced by a one-meter-long, entirely black snake with a pair of cold, dark golden snake eyes.
Name: James NixxonRace: Basilisk (Due to insufficient race slots, former race [Human] removed.)Status: Slightly hungryLevel: Juvenile (Juvenile, Growth Stage, Mature Stage, Complete Form.)Growth: 1%Current Points: 0
...
Main Quest: Destroy New York (Unique)Quest Description: Destroy New York. You can do it!Quest Progress: 01%Quest Reward: Return to original World.
...
Side Quest: The Growth of Basilisk James (1/ ) (Repeatable Quest, can be accepted repeatedly)Quest Description: Kill a New Yorker. That's right, the quest is that simple.Quest Progress: 0%Quest Reward: I Type Growth Potion (Can increase growth)
...
Breakthrough Quest: The Trial of Basilisk James (Unique)Quest Description: There is gain and loss. Go to Amazon, devour ten blood orchids, and complete the trial belonging to the Basilisk.Quest Progress: 0%Quest Reward: Can unlock second race (First race not deprived)
At the same time, the moment James completed his evolution, an invisible force swept through this Universe. In the Orphanage, the original memories in Mrs. Samantha's mind were altered at this moment.
White people turned into African Americans, and a music bar became an auto repair company selling high-end car parts.
Although both were named Owen, the difference was that this Owen was very strong and had a son and a daughter.
However, what they had in common was their love for racing, and both their loved ones died in an accident.
What changed Mrs. Samantha's mind was no longer the dangerous hobby of racing, but the man named Owen, who was said to be the boss of a certain street.
This made Mrs. Samantha very unhappy!
More than half a plate of finger biscuits and milk were eaten, and although he still didn't feel full, James felt much more comfortable. At the same time, he had transformed from a one-meter-long black snake into a six-year-old boy.
This process was not complicated; it was like an instinct. He could transform himself from a human into a snake, or from a snake into a human, in 0.5 seconds, or even less.
The speed of transformation mainly depended on James's reaction speed.
In addition, his sense of smell was greatly enhanced. A dog's sense of smell is 100 times that of a human, and a snake's sense of smell is even stronger than a dog's, roughly 1500–2000 times that of a human.
However, unlike dogs, snakes primarily rely on their tongues for smell.
Because his sense of smell was too keen, the moment he transformed into a black snake, James decided that from now on, he would no longer breathe through his mouth.
In addition, in his human form, he had a severe suppression of his sense of smell.
This also meant that although James's sense of smell was stronger than that of a normal person, the increase was not as exaggerated as a thousandfold. Generally speaking, his sense of smell remained at 10–20 times that of a human.
Perhaps one of the side effects of becoming a Basilisk is that he would become a person with mild mysophobia in the future?
Outside the Orphanage, accompanied by the characteristic roar of a Dodge Challenger, the man named Owen, with his inherent Godfather aura and a biker's leather jacket, stepped out of the car.
The roar of the engine caught Mrs. Samantha's attention and simultaneously put James on alert upstairs.
Besides the Dean, James was the only one still in the Orphanage. He knew that the person who came today was someone he would live with for a long time in the future.
From the window upstairs, James observed the man downstairs. His first impression was not very good; the aura of a gangster Godfather was too unique, and normal people wouldn't like such individuals because it implied danger.
However, from the other party's face shape, James vaguely felt a sense of familiarity.
He was certain that this face was absolutely not in his memory.
His memory wouldn't be wrong. Having lived two lives, his mental foundation was twice that of a normal person!
Besides, he was no longer a pure human, but a Basilisk with extraordinary abilities.
So he was certain he didn't know this man, but for some reason, he always felt that the man looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
Time passed by minute by minute, and James, on the iron bunk bed, pondered for a long time but still did not get a satisfactory answer.