The Garden

Xia Tianming ignored the sounds of his "subjects" tearing into one another behind him and the researchers' piercing screams as he walked out of the biolab ward he had turned into a hive.

Even after leaving, he could clearly perceive everything happening inside the hive, as if he had opened God's-eye view. Anything that happened there was "reported" to him in real time.

And none of those purified by the Blacklight Virus was suitable to become a perfect vessel for it.

As for why they didn't mutate into Hunters like Wesker, who had lost his sanity—

It was because Xia Tianming had deliberately kept the Blacklight Virus from invading their central nervous systems. Most of them had retained some of their own consciousness; only their bodies had been modified.

If the virus had invaded their central nervous systems, they would have become bloodthirsty, berserk Blacklight Zombies with no reason left. Wouldn't that be terribly dull?

Even so, the people carrying the Blacklight Virus would subconsciously obey any order Xia Tianming gave them, becoming puppets on his strings.

Those capable of merging with the Blacklight Virus were one in a million. If he thoroughly infected everyone unsuitable and turned them into mindless zombies, how would that differ from the lifeless biocalyptic world of today?

That wouldn't be called purification. It would simply be destruction.

******

Outside the hive, the Hunter Wesker had mutated into was still obediently crouching by the door, waiting for him. Every so often, it licked its blood-soaked claws.

As soon as it saw its master come out, it eagerly pounced on him and stuck out its crimson, barbed tongue, hoping to lick Xia Tianming affectionately.

If an ordinary person got licked by it, it would probably strip all the flesh from their face in one swipe...

Xia Tianming, with his keen sense of smell, caught a strong, rancid stench. He frowned slightly and casually punched the clingy monstrosity, sending it tumbling several times.

The Hunter got back up with a pitiful whimper, hunched its shoulders, and obediently followed behind him, not daring to move carelessly again.

In the end, a simp gets nothing...

"What have you done to my lab?!"

Spencer's weathered voice rang through the corridor again.

He had watched the surveillance footage from the ward. The moment countless viral tendrils extended from Xia Tianming's fingertips, the feed turned to static. He had no idea what was happening inside, and he had a bad feeling about it.

"I purified your failures."

Xia Tianming spoke calmly as he continued toward the last door at the end of the corridor.

Purified?

At the word, Spencer seemed to understand. His voice rose with excitement. "How could you know they were bound to fail? People only discover their potential when they're pushed to the brink. If their lives aren't in danger, how can their potential be brought out? One of those hundreds of people might have become another Alice!!!"

"I mean that every bio-weapon virus in your world is a failure."

Xia Tianming said coldly, showing no mercy. Before the old man could retort, a single glance from him was enough to make the Hunter leap onto the ceiling and smash the hidden intercom inside the wall with one swipe.

At last, some peace and quiet.

Xia Tianming pushed open the last door at the end of the corridor, revealing what lay beyond.

But the scene beyond the door felt like he had crossed dimensions into another world.

There were no cold tanks or armored vehicles, no soldiers standing ready, no hordes reeking of decay.

Only a vast garden teeming with life?!

Lush green trees reached up to the ceiling's domed roof, while vines climbed and curled across every visible surface.

Waist-high weeds covered the earthen ground, giving off the scent of fresh grass.

At the center of the garden lay an artificial lake, its emerald waters seemingly bottomless. The surface was calm, without a single ripple.

The air was pleasantly humid, and a light mist drifted through the garden. Insects chirped and birds called from time to time, while a warm breeze brushed his face. It was all remarkably soothing.

There was nowhere like this left in the ruined wasteland of the apocalypse. Yet Umbrella Corporation had created such an environment a hundred meters underground. Was this some place for the company's higher-ups to unwind?

They certainly had a taste for leisure.

Yet beneath the garden's seemingly peaceful surface, Xia Tianming sensed an endless undercurrent of danger!!

They lurked restlessly in the tall grass, waiting for some unlucky visitor to pass by before launching a fatal attack!

But Xia Tianming didn't like being passive. He preferred to make the first move.

Standing at the garden entrance, he didn't step straight into the tall grass where visibility was poor. Instead, he transformed both hands into claws, suddenly crouched, and drove them into the soil beneath his feet!

The Blacklight Claws sank into the earth and rapidly took root, branching out underground like sprouting seeds. In less than two seconds, they had formed a vast, black, treetop-shaped grid!

Then Xia Tianming channeled viral energy into it, causing the tendrils of the underground web to grow rapidly and sharpen until they burst through the ground like bamboo shoots after rain!

Dozens of Blacklight Giant Spikes erupted from the earth, skewering every dangerous creature hidden in the tall grass like candied fruit on a stick. They hoisted them high into the air, exposing them to view!

Roar!!!

Piercing howls instantly shattered the garden's tranquility.

With that single move, Grave Spike Annihilation, Xia Tianming had exposed every filthy creature lurking there!

The grotesque creatures impaled and lifted by the giant spikes had all been infected by bio-weapon viruses!

A rotting lion with a gaping maw split to its ears and a mouthful of fangs;

A deformed hyena with three snarling heads, like a Hellhound;

A gray wolf zombie with a dense array of sharp bone spikes protruding from its skin, and more.

Even herbivores like zebras, antelopes, and alpacas had mutated after infection, growing claws and fangs and letting out bloodcurdling, frenzied roars!

But now, with their bodies pierced by Blacklight Giant Spikes, they could only rage helplessly in midair, spraying virus-laden saliva in every direction.

Xia Tianming, naturally, had no intention of turning down such a feast.

He twisted the arms he had plunged underground. The spikes piercing the creatures turned with them, grinding their rotting flesh to pieces and dissolving it into viral energy. The energy seeped into the Blacklight Spikes, which then withdrew into his body, providing him with a huge supply of viral nutrients.

But the commotion he had caused completely roused everything lurking in the garden!

Piercing screeches rang out from the dense canopies of the trees. Swarms of infected birds, including Zombie Vultures, eagles, and crows of every size, burst out and blotted out the sky. Their numbers were enough to make anyone's scalp crawl!

The weeds rustled, their swishing sounds rising as they flattened the tall grass in their path and rapidly closed in on Xia Tianming.

The once-calm artificial lake suddenly churned with waves, as if something were about to crawl out of the water.

Even the plants that had seemed so peaceful began to stir.

The branches of the giant trees trembled. Countless nutrient-drained skeletons fell from the canopies, while massive roots tore free from the earth and writhed like octopus tentacles!

The Green-Spotted Vines covering the entire wall began to move like pythons, twisting their long, thick bodies as they silently crept toward Xia Tianming.

In an instant, everything here had turned into a scene of utter chaos!

It turned out this wasn't an ecological garden at all, but a biochemical garden...