Surprise? Or Fright?

Wesker watched through the surveillance satellite as the soldiers emptied their magazines, then asked, "Well? Does the target show any reaction?"

"Report, sir. The target is unresponsive. It is possible he has truly been killed..." a sergeant replied.

"Possible? In the future, do not use such ambiguous terms when reporting to me. Drop a few more grenades. If there are still no signs of life, drag him out from the pit and escort him to the laboratory!"

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers complied, pulling the safety pins from their grenades and tossing them down simultaneously.

Three seconds later, a massive explosion echoed from the bottom of the pit. When they leaned over to look again, the target remained motionless like a corpse, his charred body riddled with shrapnel.

It seemed this guy was truly dead; indeed, no biological entity could survive the onslaught of a Rod of God.

A soldier drove over an armored vehicle, which had been left with several terrifying claw marks by the man, and used the mechanical arm mounted on the rear to lift the charred corpse from the pit, hoisting it up with extreme caution.

The surrounding soldiers kept their guns trained on him the entire time, their hearts pounding so hard they felt like they were about to jump out of their throats.

Although they knew that if this man were to come back to life, bullets would not cause him any real harm, it served primarily as a form of psychological comfort.

Having lost their captain, the soldiers executed the orders issued by Wesker, carefully and gently pushing Xia Tianming's charred corpse into the troop compartment of the only remaining armored vehicle.

This U.S.S. combat squad, capable of running rampant in the apocalypse, had lost two Black Hawk Helicopters, one M1A2 main battle tank, three armored vehicles, 95% of their manpower, and Commander Kromi just to capture this mutant!

It was effectively the same as being completely wiped out!

After loading the target, the remaining soldiers scrambled to claim the driver's seat or the passenger seat. Those who couldn't squeeze in had to sit in the troop compartment in sheer terror, huddled together with the enemy corpse lying on the deck.

They pressed themselves against the walls of the vehicle, staying as far away as possible from the charred body that lay sprawled in the center.

The fear this man had instilled in them would likely haunt them for the rest of their lives—provided they lived long enough to have a rest of their lives.

Next, these soldiers would spend the entire journey back to the base filled with dread, accompanying the corpse.

None of them noticed that the charred outer shell of the enemy, who had been bombarded by the Rod of God, was slowly cracking and peeling away.

Through the fissures, one could vaguely see the brand-new skin beneath...

Two hours later.

Under the direction of Supervisor Wesker, the armored vehicle carrying Xia Tianming's corpse drove to an open area and came to a halt.

It was truly strange that there were no zombies or other infected entities within a twenty-mile radius.

And when the armored vehicle was parked steadily at a certain spot:

BOOM!!

Suddenly, the ground shook violently without warning!

The ground directly in front of the armored vehicle suddenly split open, the fissure widening rapidly as surrounding sand and dust slid into the depths.

Before long, a massive metal passage leading underground was revealed!

The underground passage was ten meters wide and over twenty meters high, capable of accommodating multiple vehicles at once!

This was one of the entrances to the Umbrella Corporation's underground base.

In truth, there were multiple entrances leading to the headquarters, but only a very small number led to important locations; the others were dead ends, traps, or insignificant departments.

Umbrella Corporation was well-deserved of its reputation for starting in the security business; caution was present everywhere.

However, even the driver did not know of this secret passage; the route they took was guided entirely by Supervisor Wesker.

After the driver steered the armored vehicle into the massive passage, another boom echoed as the gate closed.

The spacious passage was pitch black, the dark depths seemingly leading to hell, quiet enough to hear only the whirring of exhaust fans, which sounded like the whispers of demons.

Only as the vehicle ventured deeper did the dim yellow lights on both sides of the passage flicker on one by one, leading them into the unknown.

It was unclear how deep the underground base went; the armored vehicle drove at full speed for nearly ten minutes before finally reaching a second entrance.

Under the command of Supervisor Wesker, the driver drove the armored vehicle carrying the corpse and the soldiers inside, revealing a massive space the size of a football field.

All four sides were constructed of gray metal walls, unfathomable and impregnable, with no other exits besides the entrance they had come through.

After the vehicle stopped, the soldiers who had spent the entire trip in the troop compartment with Xia Tianming's corpse rushed out in a swarm, their faces still etched with fear.

Being in a confined space with the corpse of such a terrifying enemy would give anyone a heart attack, which showed just how much psychological trauma Xia Tianming had inflicted upon them.

"What are you panicking about? Is this the military discipline of U.S.S. special forces?? Stay put on the side, and do not lower your guard!!"

Suddenly, Wesker's voice, which carried an inherent authority, echoed through the empty, dim, and enclosed space from an unknown source.

Hearing the order from their superior, the soldiers hurriedly stood in a row to await further instructions.

They noticed that the floor and walls here seemed to have dried bloodstains, as well as some shocking claw marks, and a lingering scent of blood faintly permeated the air.

Could this be one of the company's secret testing grounds?

Transporting the enemy's corpse directly here—was it intended for some kind of research or experiment?

Their thoughts were soon confirmed. Suddenly, a series of crisp clicking sounds rang out, and the lights of the cylindrical arena were all turned on, illuminating every corner like an underground sun!

This enclosed arena was actually nearly a hundred meters high, and the ceiling was also constructed of sturdy metal plates. If the only entrance were sealed, not even a fly could escape!

It was rumored that this massive testing ground had been built before the apocalypse, converted and reinforced from a Cold War-era air-raid shelter, capable of withstanding a nuclear detonation on the surface without being affected in the slightest!

Directly ahead, at a height of about thirty meters above the ground on the metal wall, sat a one-way mirror that allowed observation only from the inside looking out.

The soldiers outside had no idea that Director Wesker, who had just issued their orders, was standing right behind that mirror, accompanied by a group of middle-aged men in suits and several bald men in white lab coats who clearly looked like high-end scientific researchers.

Wesker had ordered the soldiers to transport Xia Tianming directly to this impregnable secret testing ground specifically to observe the miraculous structure of the infected subject in person.

A pot-bellied man in a suit grew tired of standing, sat down, and asked with a frown, "Wesker, where is this surprise you promised us? Are you referring to these remnants of a defeated army?"

These men in suits and leather shoes, who seemed entirely out of place in this post-apocalyptic world, were the high-level decision-making shareholders of the Umbrella Corporation; they were always present for any major corporate agenda or meeting.

Wesker smiled slightly and said, "Patience. The scene that follows is guaranteed to make your jaws drop."

With that, he waved his hand, and a team of staff members clad in full-body white protective suits walked into the testing ground from the outside.