American comic book: Absolute Spider-Man

At this point, Maya was no different from a corpse, except that she was not yet brain dead.

At this moment, her aorta ruptured, and blood filled her entire chest cavity. Blood from different sources mingled in her body, causing a hemolytic reaction.

Various unpleasant smells emanated from her body, the stench of incontinence and reflux of stomach contents caused by the loss of control over the body's valves from the brain.

If it weren't for the existence of so many incredible forces in this world, Peter, with his limited knowledge, would have given up long ago.

Instead of sitting with Tony in the nauseating mixture of Maya's blood, excrement, and vomit from the two Death's End soldiers, trying to repair this piece of flesh that could only be described as having warmth.

Tony had taken off Maya's clothes when he stopped the blood gushing from the bullet hole, and now she was only covered by a coat, which was the last bit of dignity Tony was giving her.

Peter gestured for Tony to lift Maya's right hand, then lay her on her side in the pool of blood. He located the fifth intercostal space under Maya's right armpit, plunged the needle in, and then pulled it out.

The stagnant blood that had been trapped in Maya's chest cavity immediately gushed out under pressure, splashing onto the ground and Peter's face.

As the pressure in Maya's chest cavity gradually decreased, blood from other parts of the body finally began to flow and converge into the chest cavity where the pressure was lower.

Although this mode of movement is very unhealthy, at least it gets people moving.

Peter rose from the pool of blood, watching Maya's swelling gradually subside, and thought to himself, "Whether it succeeds or not depends on this."

Finally, Maya began to radiate high temperatures, her skin turned crimson and even had a somewhat transparent texture, revealing the bones beneath her flesh.

The Extremis virus took effect and began to modify Maya's body.

The blood accumulated in the chest cavity evaporated and dissolved rapidly under the terrifying high temperature, the hemolytic reaction caused by different blood types was forcibly quelled, and the fragmented red blood cells re-aggregated and repaired under the intervention of the virus.

The refluxed material and mucus in the throat and mouth are instantly carbonized in the high temperature, turning into a few wisps of light gray that are carried out of the mouth and nose by the airflow, completely clearing the blocked airway.

The ruptured aortic wall frantically healed and reconstructed under the scorching heat, and the heart, which had stopped beating for three minutes, suddenly shuddered under the stimulation of the high temperature and began to pump blood again.

The bullet inside her body was squeezed out of the wound by the repaired flesh, her breathing began to return, and her consciousness began to recover. The modification by the Extremis virus was clearly showing initial results.

Tony gently placed Maya, whose temperature was rising, on the ground and watched as her life slowly returned.

But then, an even bigger problem arose for them.

The modification of the Extremis virus was never a painless gift, but rather a purgatory-like ordeal.

Just like the original Erskine serum injected into Captain America, the recipient had to endure extreme pain.

Only by consciously experiencing the entire process can the transformation be considered successful.

This process required the Maya to rely on their own willpower to get through.

If she loses consciousness, she will overheat and, like those failed modifiers, become a powerful bomb, blasting herself and everything around her to ashes.

Maya opened her eyes, looking at Tony in pain: "It hurts so much, I have... the Extremis virus?"

"Yes," Tony said, trying to sound casual, "your aorta was punctured, so we had to risk injecting you with the Extremis virus. But thankfully..."

"You might as well just let me die!" Maya said, lying on the ground, her face contorted in agony, her voice trembling as she endured the excruciating pain.

Before the transformation is fully completed, she has to endure the torment of high temperatures at all times.

This feeling is like countless tiny hot irons searing the blood vessels and nerves throughout the body, but the body is constantly repairing itself. It is many times more painful than simply being burned by fire.

"Ah!!!" Maya screamed in agony, the excruciating pain constantly assaulting her nerves.

Peter saw Maya's eyes roll back, revealing the whites of her eyes, her body convulsing, and her breathing becoming rapid and slow; he knew this was a sign of impending pain-induced shock.

"Tony, she's about to lose consciousness, say something," Peter urged.

"Maya, I know you're in a lot of pain right now, but you have to hang in there."

Tony said in a deep, serious voice, "I agree to help you improve the Extremis virus, but only if you survive."

"Let's go and eat that sour radish of Nachirian together, and then put the Extremis virus on the right track to help everyone who is waiting for your salvation, okay?"

"This cannot be done without you, so you must survive. I want to see you standing on the Nobel Prize stage with my own eyes."

As Tony spoke, guilt, helplessness, anxiety, and fear surged up all at once again, triggering a somatic episode of anxiety disorder. He sat in a pool of blood not far from Maya, helplessly hugging his knees.

Iron Man's voice, unusually tinged with a hint of a sob, asked, "Do you know Ethan?"

He was a doctor, someone who truly saved my life.

I was nearly killed in the explosion, with shrapnel piercing my heart. He used the most rudimentary equipment to build an electromagnet and put it in my chest, pulling me back from the brink of death.

Together, we built the first arc reactor and the first suit of armor in the cave.

Tony's voice grew increasingly pained.

"Just when we were about to escape, he fell to the terrorists' guns while trying to buy me time."

At the end of his life, he left me with these words: Don't waste your life.

So I've been constantly trying to change the world, to make it develop in a better direction; I'm atoning for my sins...

Listen, Maya, you must live. Don't make me go through that pain again, okay?

Tony's voice grew softer and softer until he finally buried his head in his knees.

This man, who called himself steel, was so immersed in sorrow like a child, weeping uncontrollably.

Peter slapped his forehead in regret. Damn it, he shouldn't have let someone with mental illness comfort others.

A few minutes later, the red light on Maya's body dimmed until it disappeared completely.

She successfully survived the transformation caused by the Extremis virus.

Maya, using the coat covering her, got up from the ground and placed her hand on Tony's head, who was lost in his own emotions, gently stroking his hair, which was covered in clumps of blood.

Peter, who witnessed the whole thing, was immediately thinking, "What material is this clothing made of? It's been exposed to temperatures of over a thousand degrees, and it's not damaged at all."

Tony gradually stopped crying. Feeling the touch on his head, he looked up at Maya with bloodshot eyes and smiled, "You're still alive. It feels so good."

The two first embraced tightly, and then their lips met.

Peter: ? ? ?

Seeing the two men sticking out their tongues, Peter's face showed a mixture of confusion, speechlessness, helplessness, and utter despair.