Seeing Through

Xia Tianming roughly gauged the enemy's firepower, concluding that the primary threats were the two armed helicopters circling overhead and the M1A2 Main Battle Tank.

The rifles held by the remaining soldiers shouldn't pose much of a threat, provided their marksmanship wasn't precise enough to land headshots every single time.

He recalled that in movies and games, the marksmanship of these Umbrella mercenaries was about as reliable as a Stormtrooper's; he hoped reality would be the same.

Xia Tianming prepared to use his current disguise to sneak around to the rear of the military force, launch a surprise attack, and prioritize eliminating the pilots of the tanks and aircraft that posed a threat to him.

Meanwhile, Captain Kromi looked at the restless horde of zombies ahead, but since his target had yet to appear, he felt a sense of unease and immediately contacted the Monitor again: "Don't those Sky Eye Satellites have thermal imaging? Turn it on and scan this horde."

Because ordinary zombies infected with the T-Virus were essentially walking corpses, their body temperatures were far lower than those of living organisms.

Even if that mutant was also an infected subject, its body temperature should differ from that of a regular zombie.

Upon receiving the order, the Monitor immediately activated the satellite's thermal imaging function to scan the restless horde.

The result showed that the body temperatures of the entire horde were nearly identical, with no special presence detected; there was only something resembling an octopus tentacle writhing within the crowd, causing the disturbance.

The Monitor relayed this situation truthfully to Captain Kromi.

Captain Kromi was stunned upon hearing this—could the target be using a feint to draw them away?!

He instructed the Monitor to scan the surrounding areas for other zombies again, especially those wandering alone.

The Monitor complied, and before long, he actually discovered a "zombie" that showed a temperature difference compared to the others and was actively approaching the military's position, relaying this information to the captain once more.

Receiving this intel, Kromi immediately picked up his binoculars and looked in the direction the Monitor indicated.

Sure enough, he saw a zombie acting strangely, quietly creeping toward the side and rear of the military formation.

If one looked closely, they would see that the "zombie" was merely covered in blood, with no signs of skin decay, though it mimicked the movements of a zombie quite convincingly.

Without the satellite's thermal infrared function, they might never have discovered the creature's existence.

Seeing this comical scene, Kromi couldn't help but sneer: "You're quite the actor, but let's see how long you can keep up the act!"

He took the sniper rifle handed to him by his second-in-command, rested it on the car window, and locked the scope onto the "zombie's" thigh.

This anti-material heavy sniper rifle could shatter half a person's body with a single shot!

Since his superiors had ordered him to capture it alive, whether it ended up crippled or not was none of his concern.

Xia Tianming, unaware that he had been discovered, continued to mimic a zombie, limping quietly toward the rear of the military force.

Suddenly!

He felt the viral tentacles on his body begin to writhe!

This was his Blacklight senses being triggered—a sign that danger was imminent!

Had he been discovered?!

Bang!

A thunderous gunshot rang out across the sky!

But relying on the danger warning provided by his Blacklight senses, Xia Tianming lunged to the side just in time!

Where he had been standing a moment before, a fist-sized crater instantly appeared, containing a smoking, thumb-thick bullet casing!

If his reaction had been even a fraction of a second slower, his right leg would have been severed at the root!

"Hmm? Dodged it?"

Kromi was slightly surprised, adjusted his aim, and pulled the trigger again!

This time, Xia Tianming, still on the ground, had no time to dodge and could only instantly morph his hands into Blacklight Claws, crossing them in front of his chest!

Clang!

Another gunshot rang out!

His hardened biomass claws actually had one of their blades shattered, clattering to the ground!

Xia Tianming stared at his broken claw in shock—was he being shot at by some kind of heavy weaponry?!

He could not hesitate any longer!

Xia Tianming quickly rose to his feet and, before the enemy could pull the trigger again, charged toward the military force using an erratic, unpredictable running pattern!

He shed his disguise, allowing the viral tentacles to coalesce into a black hooded sweatshirt that blended into the night.

As he sprinted, the surface of the sweatshirt, formed by the Blacklight Virus, extended fine, sea-anemone-like tentacles in a streamlined, aerodynamic shape to reduce wind resistance; combined with the leg muscles reinforced by the Blacklight Virus, he could hit a hundred-meter sprint in just three seconds!

Every step he took left deep footprints and spiderweb-like craters in the ground, a testament to his terrifying explosive power!

Captain Kromi naturally couldn't hit such a high-speed target with a sniper rifle anymore, so he shouted his orders: "Everyone, turn your weapons! Once the target enters range, open fire at will!"

The distance between Xia Tianming and them was about one kilometer.

If he maintained this three-second-per-hundred-meter sprint, he would likely reach the enemy in about half a minute!

As the distance between them closed, the eyes of both sides focused, but neither side retreated a single step.

On one side was a Blacklight Virus carrier stripped of the emotion of fear; on the other was a U.S.S. secret unit adapted to the cruel apocalypse.

In this wasteland, a close-quarters clash was inevitable, and one side would have to be defeated before it was over!

Fifteen seconds later, Xia Tianming finally charged into the military's firing range!

Without waiting for Captain Kromi to issue a second order, the soldiers collectively pulled their triggers, and a continuous roar of gunfire echoed through the air!

Xia Tianming transformed his hands into Blacklight Claws to shield his head, running in an erratic pattern to close the distance.

Even when a small number of bullets struck his body, it was of no consequence; the Blacklight Virus expelled the warheads from within him, causing not the slightest hindrance to his sprinting speed!

Twenty seconds later, less than three hundred meters remained between them.

Seeing the terrifying image of that man brandishing his claws as he closed in, the soldiers finally couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.

This enemy seemed even more ferocious than any they had encountered before!

Even when they had engaged Alice, who had perfectly fused with the T-Virus, she had never dared to charge head-on while tanking bullets like this.

It was as if this man before them felt no pain at all.

Captain Kromi noticed a hint of chaos spreading through the ranks and said coldly, "Don't lose your footing. Tank gunner, aim your cannon at his projected path and wait for my command to fire."

"But sir, didn't the higher-ups say we were to capture him alive?" the adjutant beside him asked in astonishment.

"Hmph, that guy isn't so easy to kill. As long as his head stays attached, I suspect he can survive. If we don't restrict his movement, we'll be the ones dying next." Kromi's brow furrowed tightly, and a long-absent premonition of death began to spread within him.

Just as Xia Tianming charged to within about one hundred and fifty meters of the troops, at the very moment he was about to rush into the tank's pre-calculated bombardment zone!

"Fire!"

BOOM!

Following Captain Kromi's order, the gunner executed it without a moment's hesitation!

The tank shell struck the ground directly at Xia Tianming's feet, triggering a violent explosion that immediately kicked up a dense mushroom cloud of fire, engulfing everything within a ten-meter radius!

Did it work?!

Seeing that terrifying enemy shrouded in the artillery fire, the soldiers instinctively began to breathe a sigh of relief.

Suddenly!

A silhouette wreathed in raging flames burst out from the sea of fire, charging straight toward the soldier at the very front...