Chapter 83: The Moon and the Gods

Michael didn’t go home; instead, he returned immediately to his office and drew some blood for research. Yet, after observing for a long time, he could not find any notable changes in the blood. Enduring the pain, Michael went so far as to cut off a piece of muscle for study, even extracting some tears from his eyes.

Still, nothing unusual presented itself. Were it not for the risk of complications, Michael would have considered drawing out some brain matter for research. He returned to his original laboratory and found the cage of vampire bats; since no one had fed them in a long time, they had fallen into a state of dormancy, not quite dead. Michael gave them some mouse blood, and they quickly revived.

Michael suspected his brain had secreted a certain hormone, causing his craving for blood. As the urge had faded, the hormone must have been broken down by his body. He wanted to study the blood composition of the vampire bats to determine which hormone was responsible.

At the same time, he conducted several experiments on mice, merging their blood serum to see if similar phenomena would arise. So far, nothing had been observed, so he left the samples for further monitoring.

Michael glanced at the moon outside the window. The moon merely reflected sunlight, yet the brilliance of the full moon could trigger a bloodthirsty phenomenon deep in his genes. This puzzled him greatly. Could there be other elements hidden within moonlight?

One thing was certain: he did suffer from symptoms of bloodlust. He could control them if they appeared, but if Gwen was present, the risk of losing control increased, and he might inadvertently harm her. This worried Michael deeply.

“Keisha, when I lost control, did my body undergo any changes?”

Keisha replied, “Yes, there are many subtle changes. When your eyes register the full moon, your hunting instincts are activated; all your cells become much more lively. This is a trait common among moon-worshipping animals.”

Michael pondered. “Did you notice any changes in hormone secretion?”

“Yes,” Keisha said. “Thyroid hormones, adrenaline, androgen, hormones, dopamine—all increased. There was also a unique hormone, similar in effect to androgen, but far more pronounced. It can instantly increase your attractiveness to girls.”

“In simple terms, you may not just crave blood—you may crave the blood of females more specifically.”

Michael frowned. The legend that vampires prefer to hunt pure maidens—he had thought this was just a ploy to entice girls, but now it seemed there was some truth to it.

“I’m a little worried about Gwen.”

Keisha said, “If you’re about to do something irreversible, I’ll help you initiate an emergency brake.”

“Thank you.”

Keisha gave no further reply. Michael glanced at the time—already four in the morning. He needed rest.

...

Early the next day, Gwen arrived to report in. Seeing Michael still asleep, she did not disturb him but went to the laboratory to check his ongoing experiments. She saw the vampire bats and the mice undergoing interspecies gene fusion, and instantly understood what Michael was doing.

Following his procedure, Gwen took Michael’s blood downstairs to the genetic engineering lab for careful study.

When Michael woke, he found Gwen in the lab.

“I’m sorry about yesterday, Gwen.”

“It’s fine. I know that wasn’t the real you.” Gwen looked at Michael and asked, “Are you feeling better now?”

“Much better. As long as I avoid the full moon, it seems there’s no issue.”

Gwen was puzzled. “The full moon? Is there anything special about it?”

Michael felt equally perplexed. “I don’t know. In theory, the moon is just reflecting sunlight—there shouldn’t be anything unusual. On ordinary nights, nothing happens; only yesterday did something occur. Could the tides during the full moon be particularly unique?”

“That’s unlikely. Your records show that seeing the full moon triggers the effect, not merely its presence.”

Seeing?

Gwen’s words prompted Michael. “Many legends are tied to the full moon; it holds special significance in certain churches and clans.”

A spark of insight lit Michael’s eyes. “It’s not the moonlight, nor the tides—it’s the symbolic meaning, an abstract concept.”

Gwen understood as well. “It’s said that werewolves worship the moon and change form only during the full moon—otherwise, they must wait until the next year.”

Michael continued, “Not just werewolves, but also dark elves, vampires—all these dark creatures worship the moon, treating it as a symbol of their deity.”

He recalled books he’d read in the Sanctum, mentioning dark sorcerers who worshipped the moon.

“It’s a divine influence.”

Divine?

Gwen had always been a skeptic, but recent events—such as encounters with the Thunder God and Asgardians—had made her question that stance.

“Is it really divine?” she asked.

Michael looked at Gwen. “Some ancient gods imbued aspects of themselves into natural phenomena to foster human faith.”

“These ancient gods were exceedingly powerful primordial beings—perhaps ancestors of certain species. Most have been destroyed or sealed away by the mainstream pantheon.”

“Normally, the fusion of lizard, spider, or bat genes with human genes shouldn’t grant a person the strength to lift tens of tons.”

“I suspect the vampire bat genes originate from an ancient god who used the moon as their symbol.”

Gwen recalled the nightmare she’d had when awakening her spider abilities. Could her power also trace back to an ancient god?

Michael grew worried—was he being watched by an ancient god? He hoped he would only be affected during the full moon.

It seemed he needed to visit Kamar-Taj, to investigate how many deities are worshipped during the full moon, and which are associated with bats. If both conditions were met, the number should not be too large.

For now, this matter was set aside, and he turned to other experiments.

For example, Rhodey’s Patriot armor, which had yet to be upgraded. Michael followed the schematics and quickly installed new components.

To fit all the micro-missiles, he had to reinforce the armor, matching Rhodey’s principle that more firepower means more satisfaction.

Michael also added two shoulder guards, each loaded with his newly designed laser weapon, named Hive. Each Hive case contained nine barrels for rapid-fire and adjustable aim.

As for additional weapons, he designed them to transform. If memory served, Tony’s Mark Five was shaped like a briefcase, so Michael designed this one as a “Super Briefcase.” It could change into a gun, cannon, hammer, or sword—meeting various combat needs.

Looking at the thickened armor, he doubted Rhodey would opt for close combat.