Team B continued its advancement, and soon, the group came upon a train halted on the tracks. The deep red carriages stood still, surrounded by a silence as profound as death, devoid of any signs of life.
"It must be this train," Captain Enrico said as he slid open the train door. But only upon entering did everyone realize that the train had become a veritable train of death.
"How could this happen?" Rebecca gasped, covering her mouth in shock. The passengers on the train were all dead, their deaths horrifically gruesome, some beyond recognition. What kind of terror had this train endured?
"Be careful, these bodies might have turned into zombies!" Zhang Fan, recognizing the familiar scene, immediately suspected a biochemical attack.
As soon as Zhang Fan spoke, the seated passengers' corpses began to rise, as if just starting to mutate. Was this too much of a coincidence?
Regardless, the immediate task was to eliminate these zombies. Zhang Fan swiftly fired his gun, aiming for their heads. By the time the others joined in, Zhang Fan had already neatly dispatched the five zombies before him. Their numbers being few, he could quickly eliminate the enemies.
"You're quick, kid," Captain Enrico couldn't help but admire Zhang Fan's speed. He had long recognized Zhang Fan's strength and mental fortitude, but his consistent outperformance of the veterans was telling.
Zhang Fan simply smiled at the captain's compliment. For him, every zombie was an opportunity to enhance his abilities. His goal was to strengthen himself as much as possible, to protect those around him.
"Search the carriage thoroughly!" Having found the target train, the team's next step was to uncover the real cause of the incident. Although aware of the biochemical crisis, they needed solid evidence to alert others.
Moving to the next carriage, Zhang Fan was the first to spot someone ahead. He darted forward with lightning speed, aiming at the person, who also pointed a gun back at him. They were locked in a standoff.
A living person! The rest of the team quickly aimed their weapons, and it was then they recognized the man's face – handsome, with a hairstyle similar to Edward's, wearing a purple vest, combat trousers, dog tags around his neck, and tattoos on his arms. A typical American soldier.
"Billy Coen?" Rebecca exclaimed, surprised to see the convict there.
"You know me?" Billy seemed amused by Rebecca's recognition, though surrounded by gun barrels. It seemed he had no escape.
"You despicable murderer! There's no escape for you now. Drop your weapon and surrender peacefully!" Edward seemed agitated, displaying a deep loathing for killers like Billy. Had he had a bad experience in the past?
"So, you're members of S.T.A.R.S.," Billy mused, seemingly unfazed by the guns pointed at him.
Observing Billy, Zhang Fan doubted he was a cold-blooded killer. If he truly massacred 23 unarmed civilians, his clear, unthreatening eyes and casual demeanor wouldn't fit the profile. If he really committed such acts, he might as well be an Oscar-winning actor.
"Don't move!" Captain Enrico bellowed, thwarting Billy's attempt to leave.
Ignoring the warning, Edward couldn't restrain himself and fired a warning shot above Billy's head. The message was clear: another step, and the bullet wouldn't miss.
"Alright, I surrender!" Billy joked, even in surrender, not showing a hint of concern as his weapon was taken and hands bound.
"Senior Zhang Fan, do you think Billy Coen is really a killer?" Rebecca asked as they continued their search. Like Zhang Fan, she doubted Billy's guilt.
"It doesn't seem likely; there must be more to this story. But that's not our concern now. Let's focus on safety first," Zhang Fan shook his head, curious but aware that it wasn't the time for speculation.
"True."
Ascending to the second level of the train, they found more chaos. Among the scattered documents, Zhang Fan discovered the train belonged to the Umbrella Corporation, and its passengers were company executives and their families. This was intriguing since Umbrella was behind the biohazard. What play were they staging now?
Unlike the brightly lit first level, the second was dim. A lone candle lit a table, its flame burning steadily. Behind it sat a slender, middle-aged Caucasian man in a suit, still and unharmed.
As Charles approached to check, the slightest touch caused the man's head to fall off, revealing countless leeches pouring from the body. Could this be related to the 'Leech Queen' from the mission? What a baffling and unfortunate twist!