The First Glimpse of the Great Villain

Meng Yi flipped to the last few pages of the folder. The first thing he saw was a photograph of an emblem combining a spread-winged eagle and a golden five-pointed star, labeled Blackwatch.

"After the virus leak in Raccoon City, America's special operations division, Blackwatch, immediately sealed off every route in and out of Raccoon City, containing the virus at its source within a corner of the city."

In the photographs, soldiers clad in black combat uniforms, wearing optical visors and gas masks, and armed with weapons such as M4A1s and HK416s, drove tanks and armored vehicles through hordes of Zombies.

Helicopters loaded with heavy firepower spat streams of flame, leaving severed limbs and flying black blood Wherever they passed.

Zombie Infected rushed forward one after another to their deaths, falling in swaths like wheat being harvested from a field.

Steel fortresses had been erected at every exit from Raccoon City, equipped with heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, missile vehicles, and everything else imaginable.

Tanks and armored vehicles displayed across the wilderness formed a black tide. Even through the photographs alone, one could feel the terror of a Modern Army.

As long as it was still a carbon-based Lifeform, how large a caliber artillery shell could it withstand? How powerful a missile could it take?

"The military?"

Luo Ji sucked in a cold breath. Flesh and blood clashing against a torrent of steel—there was no more blatant way to Seek death.

Escape Raccoon City, where Infected were everywhere, and seek Blackwatch's help?

As a Wallfacer, Luo Ji understood the military's harshness very well, as well as the Destructive Power a major nation could unleash in a crisis.

Never mind how dangerous it would be to escape Raccoon City. Even if they truly found Blackwatch, they would absolutely be greeted by machine-gun fire.

What were three survivors worth?

Who knew whether they carried the virus?

Killing them all to eliminate future trouble was the optimal solution.

Even if they escaped Blackwatch's "greeting" By Chance, the subsequent investigations would leave the three undocumented outsiders nowhere to hide.

A physical examination, then? Wonderful! You people were actually unaffected by the virus?

And what would happen once the abnormal physical state caused by Partial Digitization was discovered?

That would be perfect. Thank God for His gift—a VIP seat in a biohazard laboratory!

After just a few words from Meng Yi, coupled with A Little psychological suggestion, Luo Ji abandoned the most mistaken option.

"Ah, looks like we can only live in Raccoon City for a month."

"I hope it hasn't been too long since the Biohazard Crisis incident. There should still be some basic supplies left in the city."

For a moment, Luo Ji could not help feeling somewhat disheartened.

But he quickly pulled himself together and began considering how they could survive.

He had reasons he absolutely had to pass the Selection Dungeon.

His lover, family, and hometown were all bonds he could not sever, and they would also become the motivation that kept him going.

"Young Brother White Devil, let's search this building for supplies. We have to endure for a month no matter what. At least we can look out for each other if we move together."

Hearing Luo Ji's invitation, Meng Yi Shook Head.

"No need to make it so troublesome. Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows. How could a mega-corporation capable of developing a biohazard virus disappear so easily?"

When facing a composite biohazard-type world, memories from his Previous Life could provide only superficial reference.

Plot? There was no such thing as a "plot" in the real world.

The idiotic decisions made to highlight a protagonist's individual heroism were even less likely to happen among Eagle Sauce's think tanks.

Eagle Sauce might be bad, but Eagle Sauce was not stupid.

Alice, Li Sanguang, Chris, Jill, Claire, Ada Wong, Death Hank, Wesker, Alex...

What did these familiar "protagonists" amount to before the grand tide of history?

Never mind "protagonists" who were little more than Tool People. Even Umbrella Corporation would vanish when the time came for it to vanish.

Umbrella Corporation was nowhere near qualified to fight an entire civilization alone.

For that, one would need Shinra Company from Final Fantasy, Weyland-Yutani Corporation from the Alien series, Vault-Tec Corporation from the Fallout series, Concordance Extraction Corporation from the Dead Space series, or a monster like The Foundation.

"The building we're in has train tracks below it leading to the underground Hive built by Umbrella Corporation beneath Raccoon City."

During his earlier psionic scan, a three-dimensional model of the surrounding area had already taken shape in Meng Yi's mind.

The film version of Biohazard Crisis had mentioned that Raccoon City's Hive housed a large number of slumbering Umbrella Corporation executives, In Addition to human elites and dignitaries who sought to board "Noah's Ark" and travel to the "New World."

What a luxurious Gift Package. If that was true, Meng Yi could feast until he was stuffed!

Making alliances according to the greater situation, playing chess behind the scenes, and turning clouds into rain with a wave of one's hand—those were the basic accomplishments a Paradise Player should possess.

Charging around alone like a beast baring its fangs and claws was not only inefficient, but far too inelegant.

In that godforsaken Warhammer World, he had lived like a grandson. Even with Psionic Power, he had not dared use it without restraint, afraid of drawing the attention of a Warp Great Demon.

But in a biohazard-type Selection Dungeon...

He had had enough of a life spent walking on eggshells. He had decided to cast aside meaningless formalities, starting today...

Just as the world background had stated, the "demon" had already broken free from its cage.

Meng Yi stood, adjusted his clothes, and strode toward the door blocked shut by furniture.

After a moment's thought, Meng Yi paused, turned his head toward Luo Ji and the girl staring blankly in the corner, and asked, "I have some ideas that I need to verify at the Hive, the source of the virus. Do you want to come with me?"

It was not because some saintly impulse had struck him. When one had the ability, lending others a hand was no great effort. More importantly, he did not dislike Luo Ji.

Besides, if Luo Ji and that girl were left outside, they might become unstable factors that could drag him down.

If Blackwatch's sweeping soldiers captured them, his existence would be exposed.

His plans, which had yet to unfold, would inevitably become several times more difficult, possibly affecting the Final Harvest.

Every hidden danger had to be strangled in the cradle.

Since he did not want to "prove his path through slaughter," it was necessary to keep his two "teammates" by his side under the pretense of "protecting" them.

Of course, if the two "teammates" could provide A Little help, generous Doctor Meng would not be stingy. Even sharing scraps of the results would be enough to stuff a Tier 1 Player.

The inferior sought survival, the middling sought wealth, and the superior sought power. Meng Yi chose to have it all.

His fingers twitched beneath his sleeves as Mental Interference gathered, ready to strike. He waited for his "teammates" to answer, waiting for them to make the right choice.

Luo Ji's voice was somewhat hoarse. "The source of the virus? Young Brother White Devil, isn't that a little too extreme?"

"Ha ha ha, extreme? The bigger the waves, the more valuable the fish. Risks and rewards are often proportional."

Meng Yi Smiled and offered a slightly provocative "persuasion."

"Mr. Wallfacer—or rather, Mr. Luo Ji—what is your choice?"

"To live out this month in mediocrity, muddle through the next mission as well, and then die in some stinking ditch someday without even knowing why?"

"Evolution Paradise is not a charity. Even if you survive by some stroke of luck, you will not escape the great reckoning of the Advancement Trial."

"To live a lifetime, there is only one word: fight. Of all sins and mistakes, weakness Is the most original sin!"

Before Luo Ji could answer, the Silver-Haired Girl Curled Up by the window raised her head for the first time.

Her beautiful pink-blue eyes changed from confusion to contemplation. In a soft murmur, she said, "Weakness... is the original sin?"