The intense battle for survival raged on for over ten minutes.
During this time, Wang Ye managed to copy all the experimental data from the Red Queen's mainframe and successfully duplicated the AI itself.
Gradually, the zombies in the passageway stopped pouring in.
The group, who had been fighting to the point of exhaustion, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
If it had continued any longer, even their strong mental fortitude wouldn't have been enough to hold out.
Moreover, the recoil from the energy pistols had left their hands completely numb.
"Finally, it's over…" Kaplan collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. His face was pale as he stared at the pile of zombie corpses that nearly blocked the entire passage. Spence and JD were in similar states.
In contrast, Rain and Alice seemed much calmer. After checking their weapons, they handed their pistols back to Wang Ye.
Meanwhile, Matt, who had spent the entire battle sitting on the ground under the group's protection, remained in a daze.
Wang Ye shook his head and pointed his gun toward the dozens of petri dishes in the dining hall. "See those petri dishes?"
The group nodded.
"Take a closer look through the observation windows to see what's inside."
Wang Ye smiled meaningfully.
Having been deeply impressed by Wang Ye's incredible strength, the group thought it best to follow his instructions.
Cautiously, they approached the petri dishes and peered through the windows to see the strange creatures inside.
The beings appeared to lack skin, their blood-red muscular tissue exposed. Numerous tubes inserted into their bodies pumped an unknown liquid. They stood about two meters tall, their lower halves obscured in darkness. However, their razor-sharp claws gleamed menacingly, sending chills down everyone's spines.
"What kind of monsters are these!?"
"I've never seen anything like this before!"
Wang Ye beckoned them over.
"According to the data, these are biological weapons secretly developed by the Umbrella Corporation using the T-virus—known as Lickers.
Lickers are incredibly fast and agile. Their sharp claws, combined with their immense strength, can easily cut through steel like it's butter."
As he spoke, Wang Ye raised his gun and fired several rounds at the observation window, killing one of the Lickers inside.
"That's why we need to kill them while they're vulnerable. If they're released when the Red Queen reboots, it'll be too late!"
The group nodded in agreement.
After a brief rest, they followed Wang Ye's lead, eliminating the anesthetized Lickers one by one.
Wang Ye then approached Matt, who was still sitting on the ground, and crouched down to unlock his handcuffs. He handed him an energy pistol.
"You saw Lisa earlier, didn't you?"
(Lisa was Matt's sister, who had turned into a zombie and was killed at the entrance during the defense battle.)
Matt's eyes widened as he stared at Wang Ye. "How do you know about my sister?"
"Don't be alarmed. I reviewed everyone's information before coming here, so it's no surprise I know.
Besides, I'm also aware of what you've been doing behind the scenes. I'll admit, you're not a bad person."
Wang Ye patted Matt on the shoulder. "Get up. You should know how to use this gun. Help us finish off the remaining Lickers."
Matt looked at the gun in his hand, then at Wang Ye's retreating figure, before standing up and heading toward the petri dishes to assist.
Working together, the group quickly cleared all the petri dishes.
As they regrouped, Rain suddenly turned to Kaplan and asked, "Kaplan, where's the captain? Why haven't we seen him?"
Kaplan, who had been relieved to have survived, immediately froze, his face clouding with grief.
"The captain... they're all dead!"
Rain and JD stopped in their tracks, turning to stare at Kaplan in disbelief.
But the look on Kaplan's face made it clear he wasn't joking. A wave of sorrow washed over them.
"The deceased are gone. Grieve, but move on.
Your captain completed his mission and died honorably. You should be proud of him.
But this place isn't safe. We need to retreat now."
After confirming that there were no surviving Lickers, Wang Ye slung his gun over his back.
Escape Countdown
"Damn it, we're running out of time! The airtight doors will lock permanently in 30 minutes, and we'll be trapped here forever!" Kaplan anxiously checked the countdown on his watch.
"Roarrrr~"
Suddenly, an eerie, piercing howl echoed from deep within the passage behind them.
"Move! It looks like there are Lickers on other floors, and they've already broken loose!"
Wang Ye quickly urged, "Don't look back! There should be a laboratory around the corner ahead. We can hide there and assess the situation. If there's only one, we'll deal with it. If there's more, we'll stay hidden!"
Wang Ye wasn't sure if there were Lickers on other floors. In the movie, only one location had petri dishes.
But if there was a B dining hall, there could very well be A and C dining halls too!
The group ran toward the lab at the corner. The Lickers' screeches and the grating sound of claws tearing through metal grew closer.
Finally, they reached the lab, opened the door, and began rushing inside.
As Kaplan and Spence struggled to manually close the heavy lab door, a blood-red, barbed, and unnaturally long tongue suddenly wrapped around Spence's arm, yanking him with immense force. The confined space prevented the Licker from pulling him out immediately, but Spence's arm was bleeding profusely, and he couldn't break free.
It all happened too fast for anyone to react.
"Bang! Bang!"
With two precise shots, Wang Ye severed the Licker's tongue, saving Spence from certain death.
The lab door was finally sealed shut.
However, Spence's arm, injured by the Licker's tongue, was now infected with the T-virus. The virus spread quickly through his bloodstream, and it was too late to amputate.
The only solution was to inject the antiviral serum.
But the serum in the lab had all been taken to the train by Spence himself, only to fall into Wang Ye's hands.
Alice, who had regained most of her memories, pieced together the story of what had happened.
Although Spence wasn't truly her husband, she still checked on him out of concern.
"Spence, how are you feeling?"
Spence stood up, glaring at the bloody marks on his arm. "Damn it! No, not you—I'm mad at myself for being so careless."
Realizing he had lost his temper, Spence quickly explained.
Alice shook her head.
"As long as you inject the serum in time, you won't turn into a zombie. We need to find the serum!"
She turned to Wang Ye, who was keeping watch nearby.
"There's no serum left here. According to the intel, the T-virus and its antiviral serum were taken by someone, and their whereabouts are unknown."
Wang Ye glanced meaningfully at Spence, who was growing weaker.
The T-virus's stimulation had restored all of Spence's memories.
He now remembered that the person who had stolen the T-virus and the serum wasn't anyone else—it was him.
Judging by Wang Ye's expression, it was clear he knew Spence was the thief. But why hadn't he exposed him?
Was Wang Ye waiting for him to turn into a zombie and then kill him?
(To be continued…)
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