Five Directions' Movements (Part 2)

Under the dark curtain, in the South District of Raccoon City, somewhere.

Li Shuangmu and his group of four followed behind the Guide Bee, walking all the way to the spot where they had originally separated from Yin Kuang, the intersection of a main street and a narrow alley.

Wang Ning stopped suddenly, walked to a pile of trash, bent down, and picked up a spherical object.

"What did you pick up?" Zeng Fei asked curiously.

Wang Ning tightened his grip, very stealthily tore off the micro-signal transmitter at the base of the grenade, then opened his hand and said, "It's the grenade I gave Yin Kuang earlier."

"A grenade?!" Zeng Fei's expression changed, and he said, "Could something have happened to Yin Kuang?"

Li Shuangmu also walked over to the trash pile at this moment, picked up a capsule, pinched it in his hand, and said, "And the 'fast-acting heart-saving pills' you gave him."

"This..." Zeng Fei was not stupid; he quickly thought of a possibility and said, "Are you saying... Yin Kuang threw these away himself?"

It was obvious that if Yin Kuang had truly encountered some danger, he might have panicked and thrown the grenade without pulling the pin, but the possibility of him throwing away the "fast-acting heart-saving pills" that could extend his life was extremely low. The only explanation was that Yin Kuang had discarded them himself.

"But... why would he do that?"

At this point, Zeng Fei was also a bit unhappy. He had kindly given him life-saving medicine, and he had actually thrown it away. Having one's good intentions trampled upon would make anyone feel quite displeased.

Li Shuangmu glanced at Wang Ning and said, "I don't know. Perhaps he couldn't trust us either. After all, our previous actions were indeed a bit excessive."

Zeng Fei's eyes widened, and he finally sighed, saying, "You're right... At the time, we were only concerned with our own safety; not only did we reject his plan, but we also had the intention of using him as a meat shield. If it were me..."

Wang Ning, however, felt that there was more to Li Shuangmu's words, and that the so-called "our actions were indeed a bit excessive" was likely directed at him. Yet he was very curious why Li Shuangmu didn't expose him on the spot for tampering with the grenade.

What is he trying to do? Wang Ning wondered, filled with suspicion.

Li Shuangmu said, "Let's not dwell on this. The most urgent thing right now is to find him as soon as possible. If there is indeed a misunderstanding between us, it is best to clear the air; after all, it is better to resolve grievances than to harbor them. In this place filled with danger, having one more friend means one less danger. Even if we cannot become friends, at the very least, we should not become enemies. What do you think?"

Zeng Fei nodded in strong agreement, saying, "Li Shuangmu, you're right. Misunderstandings must be resolved."

Wang Ning also nodded. However, he felt nothing but disdain in his heart, You, Li Shuangmu, would treat others as friends? That is a huge joke. I still remember that it was I who took your contract to kill a good friend of yours once... Are you even worthy of talking about friends?

"Let's go. The Guide Bee only has a lifespan of one hour, and half an hour has already passed," Li Shuangmu said. "We don't have much time left."

Zeng Fei and the others nodded.

Gradually, the figures of the five people were swallowed by the darkness.

"Li Shuangmu, do you think... Yin Kuang can succeed? Using that black dog to trade for the T-Virus?"

On the way, Zeng Fei couldn't help but ask, "I have a feeling that Yin Kuang might actually be able to pull it off. Thinking back on the journey, I increasingly feel that this person is not simple. It seems many things were within his expectations. Just like his previous deductions, they were very accurate. If we hadn't set an ambush in advance and caught the mercenaries off guard, I fear the ones who would have been wiped out in the end would have been us."

At this moment, Qian Qianqian, who had rarely spoken along the way, said, "But... it was Li... Shuangmu who formulated the ambush plan."

Li Shuangmu said, "Zeng Fei is right. Without Yin Kuang's prior analysis, I wouldn't have been able to formulate a combat plan so quickly. Perhaps we would still be searching the ground for that guide dog, only to be caught off guard by those mercenaries in the end. In this mission, Yin Kuang's contribution cannot be overlooked."

In the darkness, Qian Qianqian pouted slightly, feeling annoyed, I was defending you, you know... Why give all the credit to someone else?

"Yeah, I think so too," Wang Ning suddenly said. "It's a pity that we have some misunderstandings between us now. Otherwise, with his brains, combined with Li Shuangmu's skills and Zeng Fei's talent for shooting, such a combination would surely be very powerful."

Li Shuangmu said, "If it were only a misunderstanding, that would be fine. After all, misunderstandings can always be explained clearly..." After a pause, he added, "I've been thinking about it the whole way and suddenly thought of a possibility. Do you think Yin Kuang might use the guide dog as a condition to get the Umbrella Corporation to deal with that team of mercenaries?"

Without waiting for the others to speak, Li Shuangmu continued, "And what I'm worried about is that the Umbrella Corporation might turn around and use that team of mercenaries to deal with Yin Kuang... No, or perhaps us. This is what I'm most worried about. Although we have been careful to avoid surveillance cameras along the way, the entire Raccoon City is under the surveillance of the Umbrella Corporation; there's no guarantee we haven't already been discovered."

"Ah! Then... aren't we in danger?" Qian Qianqian cried out.

Wang Ning said, "I think the only one in danger is likely Yin Kuang. Because if he wants to trade with the Umbrella Corporation, he will definitely expose his location. Perhaps he is already under the surveillance of the Umbrella Corporation at this very moment. As for us, it's only a possibility. If we are careful, there is no need to worry."

Wang Ning had long since destroyed that micro-signal transmitter, so he didn't worry at all about their location being exposed. Let alone being caught by surveillance cameras. As a killer, concealment was the most basic lesson.

Li Shuangmu shook his head and said, "Don't underestimate any person or force... especially the Umbrella Corporation! If we discover Yin Kuang's whereabouts later, let's not act rashly for now. Let's see what he is actually planning."

Qian Qianqian asked, "What if he is in danger? Should we... should we save him?"

"..." Li Shuangmu was silent for a moment, then said, "We'll see. My head is a bit of a mess right now. Sigh, we are still too naive. The situation is a mess, and the more I try to sort it out, the more chaotic it becomes. We can only take it one step at a time. It seems that if we want to survive well in this 'University,' we must grow up as quickly as possible."

Wang Ning and the others couldn't help but nod...

However, a dazzling firelight rose from behind a building in the distance, and it was a long time before it was submerged in the thick, dark night!

A few seconds later, a huge explosion sound arrived, rolling in from far to near, making a rumbling noise as if a giant were beating a massive drum, deafening and soul-stirring!

The faint firelight illuminated the gloomy alley, and also illuminated the stunned faces of Li Shuangmu and the others...

************************************

"Damn it! I knew it, completing that ultimate reward mission wouldn't be that easy. Which wave of Lickers is this?"

In a dim and damp underground tunnel, a rough and angry voice rang out. At the corner of the tunnel, a pale red light flickered, illuminating the walls of the underground tunnel, before being instantly swallowed by the dimness within.

In that brief moment of flickering, it illuminated the tunnel walls. They were covered in dark red liquid that had almost turned black, as if the walls had been painted with a layer of dark red paint. Under the pale red light, it looked even more eerie and bloody.

Clearly, that was not paint. It was blood—blood infected by the T-Virus, emitting a foul stench and containing the mutated virus!

Turning the corner, one could see Xiong Ba's two-meter-tall frame blocking the middle of the tunnel like a wall.

Behind Xiong Ba, the Otaku reached into his pocket, pulled out a black scorpion, handed it to Xiong Ba, and said, "The fifth wave. A total of thirty-one Lickers, each wave being double the previous one. Among them, the Lickers in the fifth wave are clearly special ones that have undergone another mutation. How about it, big guy, can you hold on?" The Otaku looked at him with a playful expression as he said the last sentence.

Xiong Ba grabbed the black scorpion handed over by the Otaku, looking disgusted, and said, "I'm really sick of eating these disgusting things."

Although he said that, he still stuffed the fist-sized black scorpion into his mouth in one go, chewed twice, swallowed it with a gulp, and said, "Otaku, can't you raise your scorpions to be a bit leaner, with less fat and more lean meat?"

The Otaku shrugged and said, "No way. I'm not a Gu Master or a Beast Tamer; I'm just a Black Mage. Being able to cultivate these 'Black Magic Scorpions' is already a gift from the Headmaster. Even if the taste is terrible, they can replenish your 'Blood Energy,' so just make do with it."

"Hmph!" Xiong Ba spat on the ground and said, "This time it was a mutated Licker; who knows if a Matt the Tracker will show up next?! Even for us sophomores, completing this mission is incredibly difficult. For the freshmen rookies to want to finish it is simply a pipe dream!"

"But Senior Chong Ming and Senior Kong Ming completed it!" Ji Wen said.

"How can you compare them to us?" Xiong Ba replied. "Forget it... let's just keep moving. I hope this tunnel really leads to The Hive, and that we can reach the outside of Raccoon City through the secret door in The Hive..."

"It's not a hope! It's a certainty!" Ji Wen said. "If Senior Chong Ming said it's possible, then it must be!"

Xiong Ba shrugged and said, "Let's go... we have a little over two hours left. I hope we make it in time..."

However, the moment the three of them took a step forward, the entire tunnel suddenly shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck.

Cracks began to appear on the tunnel walls, and sand and chunks of concrete rained down from the ceiling like a downpour.

"What's going on?" Xiong Ba was shocked.

If this were truly an earthquake, the three of them would be doomed! No matter how powerful they were, being buried more than ten meters underground meant certain death.

Otaku's expression turned grim. He pointed upward and said, "It's not an earthquake; there was a massive explosion right above our heads! I suspect Alice and Matt the Tracker have started fighting. Only a battle between those two could cause such a commotion."

Ji Wen nodded and said, "Yes, perhaps. Let's ignore them and pick up the pace."

"Agreed."

As soon as the words left their lips, the three figures vanished into the tunnel, moving with such speed that they were barely visible to the naked eye.