Beneath the dark curtain, somewhere in the South District of Raccoon City.
Li Shuangmu and the others followed the Guide Bee to the spot where they had parted ways with Yin Kuang earlier, at the junction of a main street and a narrow alley.
Wang Ning suddenly stopped in front of a garbage pile and bent down to pick up a spherical object.
"What did you pick up?" Zeng Fei asked curiously.
Wang Ning tightened his grip and discreetly tore off the tiny signal transmitter on the bottom of the grenade. Then he opened his hand and said, "It's the grenade I gave Yin Kuang."
"A grenade?!" Zeng Fei's expression changed. "Does that mean something happened to Yin Kuang?"
Li Shuangmu had also walked over to the garbage pile. He picked up a capsule and held it between his fingers. "And here's the Quick-Acting Heart Pill you gave him."
"This..." Zeng Fei wasn't stupid. He quickly thought of one possibility. "Are you saying... Yin Kuang threw these away himself?"
It was obvious that if Yin Kuang had really run into danger, he might have panicked and thrown the grenade without pulling the pin. But it was highly unlikely he would throw away the Quick-Acting Heart Pill, which could save his life. The only explanation was that Yin Kuang had discarded them himself.
"But... why would he do that?"
Zeng Fei was beginning to feel a little upset, too. He had kindly given Yin Kuang something that could save his life, and Yin Kuang had thrown it away. Anyone would be unhappy to have their good intentions treated that way.
Li Shuangmu glanced at Wang Ning. "I don't know. Maybe he doesn't trust us either. After all, what we did earlier really was a bit out of line."
Zeng Fei's eyes widened. He let out a sigh. "You're right... At the time, we only cared about our own safety. We not only rejected his plan, but even seemed to be using him as a human shield. If I were in his shoes..."
Wang Ning felt there was more to Li Shuangmu's words. By "what we did earlier really was a bit out of line," he was probably referring to him. Still, he was curious why Li Shuangmu hadn't exposed him on the spot by telling them he had tampered with the grenade.
What is he trying to do? Wang Ning wondered.
Li Shuangmu said, "Let's forget about that for now. The most important thing is to find him as soon as possible. If there really is a misunderstanding between us, we should clear it up. It's better to resolve a feud than let it fester. In a dangerous place like this, one more friend means one less risk. Even if we can't be friends, at least we shouldn't become enemies. What do you think?"
Zeng Fei nodded in agreement. "You're right, Li Shuangmu. We need to clear up the misunderstanding."
Wang Ning nodded as well, but inwardly he sneered. You, Li Shuangmu, treat people like friends? That's a joke. I still remember how I took your job and went to kill one of your former close friends... And you think you can talk about friendship?
"Let's go. The Guide Bee only lives for an hour, and half an hour has already passed," Li Shuangmu said. "We don't have much time."
Zeng Fei and the others nodded.
Gradually, the five figures disappeared into the darkness.
"Li Shuangmu, do you think... Yin Kuang can pull it off? Trading that black dog for the T-Virus?"
As they walked, Zeng Fei couldn't help asking, "I have a feeling that Yin Kuang really can do it. The more I think about it, the more I feel he's not an ordinary person. It's as if he can predict so many things. Even his earlier analysis was spot-on. If we hadn't set an ambush in advance and caught the mercenaries off guard, we might have been the ones wiped out."
At that point, Qian Qianqian, who had said very little along the way, spoke up. "But... it was Li... Shuangmu who came up with the ambush plan."
"Zeng Fei is right," Li Shuangmu said. "Without Yin Kuang's earlier analysis, I couldn't have come up with a battle plan so quickly. We might still be searching all over for that Guide Dog, only to be caught off guard and killed by the mercenaries. Yin Kuang has made a great contribution to this mission."
In the darkness, Qian Qianqian pursed her lips in irritation. I was defending you... Why does everyone keep giving the credit to someone else?
"Yeah, I think so too," Wang Ning suddenly said. "It's a shame we've all got some misunderstandings between us now. Otherwise, with his brains, Li Shuangmu's skills, and Zeng Fei's marksmanship, we'd make a formidable team."
"If only it were just a misunderstanding," Li Shuangmu said. "Misunderstandings can always be cleared up..." Then he added, "I've been thinking about it the whole way here, and a possibility just occurred to me. Do you think Yin Kuang might use the Guide Dog as leverage to get the Umbrella Corporation to deal with the mercenaries?"
Before anyone else could speak, Li Shuangmu continued, "What I'm worried about is that the Umbrella Corporation might turn around and use those mercenaries to deal with Yin Kuang... No, with us. That's what worries me most. We've been careful to avoid the surveillance cameras, but the Umbrella Corporation is monitoring all of Raccoon City. There's no guarantee they haven't already spotted us."
"Ah! Then... aren't we in danger?" Qian Qianqian cried.
"I think Yin Kuang is the only one in danger," Wang Ning said. "If he's going to make a deal with the Umbrella Corporation, he'll have to reveal his location. He might already be under their surveillance. As for us, it's only a possibility. As long as we're careful, there's no need to worry."
Wang Ning had already destroyed the tiny signal transmitter, so he wasn't worried that their location would be exposed. And there was no chance they'd been caught by a surveillance camera. As an assassin, knowing how to stay hidden was one of the most basic lessons.
Li Shuangmu shook his head. "Don't underestimate anyone—or any organization... especially the Umbrella Corporation! If we find out where Yin Kuang is, we shouldn't act rashly. Let's see what he's planning first."
Qian Qianqian asked, "What if he's in danger? Should we... save him?"
"..." Li Shuangmu fell silent for a moment, then said, "We'll see. My head's a mess right now, too. Sigh, we're still too green. Everything's in a complete mess, and the more we try to sort it out, the more tangled it gets. We'll just have to take things as they come. If we want to survive at this 'university,' we'll have to grow up fast."
Wang Ning and the others all nodded without thinking...
Meanwhile, a dazzling burst of flames rose behind a distant building. After a long while, it was swallowed by the thick darkness!
A few seconds later, a tremendous explosion rang out. Its thunderous roar rolled closer, like a giant pounding a huge drum, deafening everyone!
The faint glow of the flames lit up the gloomy alley—and the stunned faces of Li Shuangmu and the others...
"Damn it! I knew completing that ultimate reward mission wouldn't be easy. How many waves of Lickers is this now?"
A coarse, furious voice rang through a dim, damp underground tunnel. At a bend, a faint red light flickered, illuminating the tunnel walls before the darkness swallowed it again.
That brief flash was enough to reveal the walls, which were drenched in a dark red liquid, almost black. It looked as though they had been coated with dark red paint. The faint red light made the scene even more sinister and bloody.
It was obviously not paint. It was blood—blood infected by the T-Virus, reeking of decay and carrying the mutated virus!
Around the bend, Xiong Ba's two-meter-tall frame stood in the middle of the tunnel like a wall.
Behind him, Otaku took a black scorpion from his pocket and handed it to Xiong Ba. "That was the fifth wave. Thirty-one Lickers in all, with each wave twice the size of the one before it. The Lickers in the fifth wave were clearly special ones that had undergone another mutation. So, big guy, can you hold out?" Otaku asked, looking at him with a teasing smile.
Xiong Ba took the black scorpion Otaku offered him, his face twisted in disgust. "I'm sick of eating these disgusting things."
Despite what he said, he shoved the fist-sized black scorpion into his mouth and swallowed it after a couple of chews. "Otaku, can't you raise your scorpions to be a little leaner? Less fat, more meat."
Otaku shrugged. "It can't be helped. I'm no Gu master or beast tamer. I'm just a black mage. Being able to raise these Black Magic Scorpions is already a blessing from the Headmaster. Even if they taste awful, they replenish your 'blood energy.' You'll just have to put up with it."
"Hmph!" Xiong Ba spat on the ground. "First mutated Lickers, and next they'll send a Tracker after us! Even for us second-years, this mission would be incredibly difficult. For first-year rookies to complete it is a pipe dream!"
"But Senior Chong Ming and Senior Kong Ming did it!" Ji Wen said.
"How can you compare us to them?" Xiong Ba said. "Forget it... Let's hurry up. I hope this tunnel really does lead to the Hive, and that we can reach the outside of Raccoon City through the Hive's secret exit..."
"Not 'hope'—it will," Ji Wen said. "If Senior Chong Ming said it was possible, then it definitely is!"
Xiong Ba shrugged. "Let's go... We've got just over two hours. Hopefully, there's enough time..."
But the moment the three of them started moving, the entire tunnel suddenly shook violently, as if there had been an earthquake.
Cracks appeared in the tunnel walls, and dust and chunks of concrete rained down from the ceiling.
"What's happening?" Xiong Ba cried, turning pale.
If it really was an earthquake, the three of them were done for! No matter how strong they were, being buried more than ten meters underground meant certain death.
Otaku's face darkened. He pointed upward. "It's not an earthquake. There's been a huge explosion right above us! I'd guess Alice and Matt the Tracker have started fighting. Only those two could cause this much damage."
Ji Wen nodded. "Yeah, maybe. Forget about them. We should hurry."
"Right."
As soon as he spoke, the three figures vanished into the tunnel, moving too fast for the eye to follow.
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