This World Is Seriously Ill

And the Asian female agent who had used the rope gun to leap to the second floor actually set up a vicious Barrett sniper rifle next to a load-bearing pillar!

Holy shit! Were they gearing up to fight a war in the Middle East or what?

The lightly equipped Umbrella Squad stared with bulging eyes. Glancing at the submachine guns and pistols in their own hands, a shameful feeling arose—compare people and you die, compare goods and you toss them away.

"They're coming! They're coming! Aim for the eyes and joints! Covering fire, now!"

At the command, everyone hiding behind cover picked up their submachine guns and opened fire wildly. A few grenade rounds exploded one after another around the Pursuer in the black trench coat.

"Don't stop, shoot while moving! You want to die huddled in one spot?"

Someone's roar echoed in their ears. For some reason, it sounded oddly reassuring at that moment.

The caught-off-guard Pursuer stumbled, its black trench coat torn to shreds.

"Bang!" Seizing the moment, sniper Ada held her breath and yanked the trigger.

A 12.7-millimeter amber bullet tore through the air, trailing gunsmoke.

"Boom!" The left side of the Pursuer's skull exploded open. The blue-gray monster toppled onto its back.

Good thing we brought this! This Barrett sniper rifle was a type of anti-materiel weapon.

Its primary targets were high-value, armored objectives like enemy vehicles, aircraft, fortifications, and ships—capable of easily piercing bulletproof glass and vests.

If used on a human body, a hit to the torso would have enough kinetic energy to snap the target in two or turn them into flying pulp.

That's why anti-materiel weapons were generally banned for use against people—too brutal.

But... if something could stand back up after taking a shot like that, it probably didn't count as human, right?

Everyone stared in shock as the monster, its skull shattered and gray-white brain matter exposed to the air and twitching, flipped itself back up from the ground.

"Roar!" In a furious bellow, the Pursuer hoisted its silver-gray M134 Minigun. The barrels began to spin and warm up.

"Get down! Take cover!" Kevin, the first to snap out of it, was on the second floor. He grabbed Ada by the thigh and dragged her and the anti-materiel rifle behind a load-bearing pillar.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" In an instant, bullets rained down on the castle like a storm.

And the spots everyone had been in just moments before got special attention!

When the sound of spinning empty barrels came again, the pinned-down group cautiously lifted their heads.

The sight before them made them suck in cold air. Not only was the castle's interior riddled with holes, but even the reinforced concrete load-bearing pillars had been chewed down by more than half.

Now the whole building was precarious, on the verge of collapse at any moment.

"Counterattack! Now! Now! Don't let it get close!"

Kevin scrambled up from behind the pillar, shook his head to shed a layer of dust, wiped the blood from his forehead, and screamed at the others still hiding below.

After emptying its ammo, the Pursuer casually tossed aside the spent M134 Minigun, hoisted a reloaded rocket launcher, and aimed the muzzle at the crumbling load-bearing pillars.

It was going to level the castle! Realizing the Pursuer's intent, Kevin immediately pressed a hand on Ada's shoulder, his voice urgent.

"One more shot! Blow its head off!"

"Hurry! Or we're all dead!"

As he spoke, a rocket streaked past with a long tail of flame, shattered the door, and blasted a massive hole in the outer wall.

After all this back and forth, both teams were battered and wounded. The situation looked grim.

"Stay down! Don't move!"

Ada's expression was grim. She pushed Kevin flat, lay her upper body across his back, braced the Barrett's bipod, and two heavy mounds of flesh pressed against him.

Once everything was set, the group—now in sync from the fight—risked getting torn apart by shrapnel, leaning out from cover to spray the Pursuer with fire.

Leon, the sharpest observer, aimed right at the exposed gray-white brain matter.

Though the hail of bullets barely did anything thanks to the Pursuer's self-healing, they succeeded in interrupting its reload.

Now! Ada noticed the Pursuer, fixated on loading the rocket launcher, had just jammed a rocket into the tube when Leon's shot to the brain made its movements stiffen.

She didn't hesitate. She pulled the trigger.

"Boom!" Without the protection of its hard skull, the Pursuer's cranium was blown apart. Gray-white brain matter splattered everywhere. Its massive body convulsed and crashed to the ground.

We... won?

Minutes later, everyone snapped back to reality like waking from a dream. They collapsed weakly to the floor, gasping for air, congratulating each other on surviving by sheer luck.

Kevin then gave them about 30 minutes to bandage wounds and sent the unscathed Leon to the helicopter crash site to check for survivors.

But unfortunately, that jinx of a man only brought back a string of dog tags engraved with the soldiers' IDs.

"We're running out of time. Move out!"

The commander, who had earned respect through his performance, spoke, and no one objected.

The gate to the underground Hive officially opened!

Alice, I'm coming.

The boy muttered to himself, then took a deep breath and stepped onto the tram with the others.

Meanwhile, a squad wearing octopus-faced breathing masks, moving like ghosts, threaded through the jungle of the Acre Mountains.

"Remember your mission: destroy all evidence unfavorable to Umbrella, including witnesses!"

"Leave no survivors!"

The somber, oppressive voices passed between them, and on their shoulders were emblazoned the distinctive insignia of the U.S.S.!

PS: Boss, with all those blades in your hands, I'm pretty scared here.

I promise I won't ghost you, but you can't just cut me off either. Just joking to stay safe.

Section 32 Chapter 31: When the Wolf Pack Hunts

"The Wolf Pack is in position. The other side entered the Hive before us."

Before the ancient castle, Ruper, the sharp and capable female commander with her long black hair tied up, glanced at the bullet-riddled fortress and reported to her superiors through her earpiece.

"Based on the traces left on the battlefield, they seem to have exchanged fire with The Pursuer. The military forces are completely wiped out. What's left are those amateur counterparts from the security department and a mixed squad from the RPD."

At that moment, six U.S.S. armed personnel worked together to clean up the obvious traces, their movements professional and swift.

They were uniformly equipped with military-grade gear: soldiers wore black combat boots, pure black combat uniforms, tactical vests, and Kevlar ballistic helmets. The backs of their vests and the sides of their helmets bore unit insignias, and their uniforms displayed unit patches.

Additionally, to avoid viral infection, each special operative wore an SF-10 gas mask—vaguely resembling an octopus face—for the mission, along with helmets integrating personal radio headsets and microphones for communication.

"The intel was right. This group just changed their departure time on the fly. Stick to the plan!"

At the military encampment outside Raccoon City, a young man in a black leather jacket sat inside a tent, tapping his right hand on the table as he issued orders to this surprise force.

"Everyone, the hunt proceeds as usual!"

Commander Ruper, having received the exact directive from above, cut the communication and gathered the squad members who had been on perimeter watch.

Then, this commander—known in the Wolf Pack Squad as "Wolf Mom"—raised her right arm vertically, her voice low and oppressive through the breathing mask.

Instantly, the unit moved like a precision-wound machine, rapidly checking ammunition and clearing the path to the Hive.

Time to meet again! Hank, temporarily assigned to the Wolf Pack Squad, wiped his Combat Dagger clean, his gaze dark.

Everything was ready. These black specters, like a wolf pack led by the alpha, began advancing into the Hive.

At the military encampment, Umbrella Corporation executive Cain turned off his earpiece, pushed aside the canvas flap, and scanned the empty camp.

Trying to pressure the company into submission and expose its own secrets?

These people seriously underestimated Umbrella's depth and resolve!

But to fool that cunning fox, Mayor Warren, some losses had to be accepted.

For instance, letting a registered Umbrella security force—on paper—die alongside those rats from the police and military in the underground Hive.

That would clear the company of suspicion and allow the Wolf Pack Squad, playing the role of the mantis's shadow, to recover useful data and experimental samples.

If necessary, during the evacuation, they could have a nuclear strike prepared to wipe the area clean and destroy other evidence.

Captain "Wolf Mom" Ruper, demolition and bomb disposal expert Beltway, virus collector "Four Eyes," medical rescuer Bertha, sniper "Ghost," scout Victor, and Team A survivor "Grim Reaper" Hank.

This professional unit, secretly assembled by Umbrella, was their true trump card.

After all, they often faced high-threat missions—carrying out risky covert operations worldwide, recovering infected tissue samples, and destroying evidence of dead bioweapons and Umbrella's bioweapon research.

Compared to them, the washed-out amateurs making up the security squad were just "assets" the company could discard at will.

Ever since those two security guards at the castle had turned to theft on the job, Cain, as an Umbrella executive, had been in hot water facing reprimands from above.

So he had to use the Wolf Pack Squad to complete the mission flawlessly and salvage his reputation.

Alice, is it? I hope you're still alive...

She was originally his most admired and valued subordinate. Who'd have thought that woman would betray the company over a shred of pity!

But if he used this chance to let those old fossils "die heroically," plenty of high-level seats would open up.

Challenges, sometimes, are also opportunities...

So now, the hunt begins!

The man gazed at the dazzling morning sun, as if seeing himself At the Peak of One's Power, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.

Meanwhile, in the tram heading underground, the black commander James introduced some basic facts about the Hive to his team.

"The Hive is a top-secret research facility under Umbrella Corporation, located 1,000 meters underground. It houses about 500 scientists, technicians, and other staff..."

"Starting at 8 p.m. last night, the Artificial Intelligence system controlling the Hive—the Red Queen—suddenly went offline. The Hive has been out of contact with the surface for nearly 12 hours..."

"Our mission is to assess the situation and rescue any trapped personnel as best we can."

Sure enough, this surface-level security team hadn't been directly told the full story. Kevin frowned deeply.

"That thing we ran into before the castle—who knows how many are inside the Hive. Do you still think this is just a simple rescue mission?"

The boy patted the dirt off his clothes, sighed softly, then turned to signal Ada to show the Umbrella squad the partial data on the T-Virus leak.

Even with some mental preparation, the news that Raccoon City was about to be doomed left them stunned.

Still, thanks to Kevin's earlier command of the situation, James and the others, after a moment of silence, chose to believe him.

"Since they didn't even bother to brief you on the basics, it's a shame—but it looks like you've all been abandoned."

These words, laced with regret, made the already suspicious Umbrella squad's expressions grow even grimmer.

"What's the plan?"

Black commander James handed over his sidearm, asking bluntly, as if ready to cede command to Kevin.

"Simple. If you want to live, do as I say."

Kevin didn't take James's pistol. His calm reply steadied the hesitant Umbrella Squad instead.

"Get ready to enter the Hive. Stay alert. Anyone—human or animal—could be our enemy."

As the tram slowed to a stop, Kevin gave the warning, and the team used tools to breach the path into the Hive.

Sitting on a crate, Kevin popped a few mint candies into his mouth and chewed, then waved over Jill, who was on guard duty.

"What's up, Captain? Where's that Ada girl who's glued to your side?"

Jill walked over, her black combat suit hugging her curves, a shotgun slung across her back and two M1911s in hand for close-quarters work.

But the Police Woman's tone dripped with mockery—clearly, she didn't think much of the female agent Ada.

Kevin rolled his eyes, plucked the cigarette from Jill's lips, crushed it out under her furious glare, and shot back irritably.

"Jealous of her too?"

"Perfect. Keep an eye on her for me along the way. Make sure she doesn't slip off and stir up trouble."

Jill, seeing her chance for a smoke vanish, shifted focus to Kevin's words. A chill ran through her, but her tongue stayed sharp.

"You two are hot enough to hit the sheets, and now you're stabbing her in the back? Men... tch."

Under the heavy mental strain, Kevin rolled his eyes again, not hiding his own venomous streak.

"Tsk, I can't afford a corporate spy. Why don't you two pair up and go for a little lady-on-lady action?"

"Get lost!"