Virus, In Hand! (Part 2)

"Hoo—"

Yin Kuang held the palm-sized metal box high above his head. Facing the firelight reflected off the silver-gray metal, his face was flushed, and his eyes were brighter than ever, glowing like two lightbulbs in the dark of night.

He exhaled a heavy, ragged breath, as if trying to squeeze every last bit of air from his lungs. Then, he pressed the cold metal box to his lips and kissed it fiercely.

"Finally... finally, it's in my hands!! Hahaha... I finally got it!"

After all, he was a young man not yet twenty, and for a moment, he could not suppress the excitement and frenzy surging within him. He laughed heartily, even maniacally. He looked just like a penniless beggar who had suddenly picked up a lottery ticket, only to realize it had won the five-million-dollar jackpot—instant wealth!

At this moment, Yin Kuang truly felt as if he had struck it rich overnight.

He didn't want to think about anything else. Even if there was a chance he would turn into some unknown monster after injection, or even die on the spot, he didn't care. In his eyes right now, there was only the T-Virus Serum in his hand, something he had traded his life to obtain.

He laughed for nearly two minutes straight, and only when he ran out of strength and his laughter turned into coughing did Yin Kuang finally calm down.

Although his body still throbbed with waves of intense pain, perhaps due to the Cell Repair Agent he had injected, or perhaps because he had grown accustomed to the agony and his nerves had become numb to it, Yin Kuang managed to stand up, however arduously.

He placed the T-Virus Serum into his inventory... but suddenly, his eyes caught something in the middle of the panel... and his brows furrowed.

"The T-Virus is still the best..."

Yin Kuang sighed, bent down to pick up his pistol, and looked around, his expression turning grim.

As it turned out, the sound of the earlier explosion had traveled very far, and the towering flames had inevitably attracted large swarms of zombies. Because the fight between Yin Kuang and Nicholas had dragged on for quite some time, many zombies had already flooded into the Raccoon District.

Looking out, under the black night sky and amidst the flickering sparks, there was nothing but a sea of moving heads and swaying bodies. Although they moved slowly, the temptation of fresh meat made their pace relentless. Some of the more specialized zombies were even jogging forward.

From far away, a thick, putrid stench washed over him like a tsunami, making Yin Kuang nearly retch!

Damn it! I have to get out of here immediately. If I'm any later, I'll be picked clean to the bone by this horde! Yin Kuang thought to himself. He took a difficult step, limping into a narrow alley between buildings, his figure quickly swallowed by the shadows...

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

"Wang Ning... what are you doing!?"

Li Shuangmu had his back pressed tightly against the wall, his head tilted back, eyes looking downward. There was no panic or fear on his face; he was as calm as a windless lake.

Why was he tilting his head back?

Because a pitch-black dagger was pressed against his throat—cold and sharp. The skin of Li Shuangmu's neck had already been pierced, and a single drop of blood slid down the blade of the black dagger without friction, dripping onto the ground!

The person holding the dagger was Wang Ning, who wore a faint, indifferent smile.

"I'm not doing anything," Wang Ning said. "I just want to settle a score with you!"

"Settle a score?!"

"That's right, settle a score!"

"I don't recall ever owing you anything... in fact, we didn't even know each other before this. How can there be a score to settle?" Li Shuangmu said calmly. "And even if there were, is this how you settle it?"

"If you extend your right hand and drop that Desert Eagle on the ground, perhaps we can sit down and settle our accounts slowly—though I am confident that my 'Black Fang' would pierce your throat before you could even pull the trigger."

Li Shuangmu looked at Wang Ning indifferently, slowly extended his right hand, and dropped the pistol to the ground. "Is this enough?"

Wang Ning shrugged, withdrew the black dagger, and said, "Wouldn't it have saved a lot of trouble if you'd done that sooner?"

Li Shuangmu pulled out a handkerchief to cover his neck and glanced at the unconscious Zeng Fei and Qian Qianqian on the ground. "What did you do to them?"

"Ha! Since when did Young Master Li become so kind-hearted?" Wang Ning twirled the dagger in his hand. "Don't worry, I just let them have a good sleep. They might forget a few things when they wake up, but that's necessary."

Li Shuangmu said, "Speak! What do you want?"

"I want the 'Heart Blood of Guide Dog Mary'." Wang Ning stared directly at Li Shuangmu. "Consider it me owing you a favor."

Li Shuangmu frowned. "Don't you already have a portion? And you don't have the T-Virus Serum... wait, you!?"

Suddenly, as if realizing something, Li Shuangmu's expression shifted. "Wang Ning, don't make me look down on you!!"

"Oh my, oh my!" Wang Ning chuckled. "Does Young Master Li look down on me? Should I feel honored then?"

"...A single favor from you isn't worth this drop of rare heart blood," Li Shuangmu said.

"Do you remember Zhou Congyao?" Wang Ning looked at Li Shuangmu with a sinister grin.

"Zhou..."

At this moment, Li Shuangmu's expression finally changed. Though it was fleeting, it changed nonetheless.

"I killed him!" Wang Ning said. "I was the one who accepted the mission you posted on the Assassin Alliance. But you haven't paid me my commission yet. This is the score I want to settle. I assume a man of your stature, Young Master Li, wouldn't welsh on a debt, would you?"

Li Shuangmu stared at Wang Ning. "...Proof!"

Wang Ning smiled and then said, "It was Li Shuangmu who sent you to kill me... I knew it... it was him... it had to be him..."

Wang Ning's voice changed, shifting into the voice of another person. He seemed to be mimicking someone. Not only was the tone uncannily similar, but his mannerisms and expressions were also vivid and lifelike.

The expression was one of despair, pain, resentment, and relief...

"Fine!" Li Shuangmu's lips twitched twice. His handsome face seemed to be suppressing some kind of emotion, making him look incredibly grim. "You want the 'Heart Blood', I'll give it to you."

He reached out, and a thumb-sized glass bottle appeared in his palm. Under the faint light, one could see the bottle contained a small amount of bright red liquid—it was the reward for the hidden mission: the Heart Blood of Guide Dog Mary!

"Very good! I owe you a favor." Wang Ning snatched the bottle. "Perhaps one day you'll be glad you made this decision today."

Li Shuangmu gave a cold, mocking laugh. "A favor from an assassin... hmph, I'll be thanking the heavens if you don't stab me in the back."

Wang Ning didn't care about the sarcasm. "Pleasure doing business. Well, this is where we part ways. See you at the 'University'."

"Wait!" Li Shuangmu said, "Wang Ning, for the sake of our acquaintance, I'll give you a piece of advice."

"I am all ears."

Li Shuangmu said, "You had best not offend Yin Kuang to the point of no return. Otherwise, you will surely regret it in the future. Remember what I said today."

Wang Ning frowned, then smoothed his expression, saying, "You really think highly of him!"

With that, Wang Ning rushed out of the alley, crossing the street at high speed to chase into the alley where Yin Kuang had disappeared.

Li Shuangmu looked at Zeng Fei and Qian Qianqian on the ground, his eyes flickering with struggle.

The roars of the zombie horde echoing in his ears were drawing closer; it was still possible to leave now. However, even though Li Shuangmu was naturally quite strong, his stamina would not hold up if he had to carry the two people on the ground.

Yet, leaving them here, Li Shuangmu truly couldn't...

"Forget it, forget it. We were teammates after all. You never betrayed me, so how could I betray you..."

Li Shuangmu muttered to himself, hoisting Qian Qianqian onto his shoulder. "Damn it! This woman looks petite, but I didn't expect her to be so heavy... though she feels nice to the touch..."

Looking at Zeng Fei on the ground, Li Shuangmu really felt he was having the worst luck. "Once we get back to the 'University', you two owe me 100 points each for transport fees. You're heavy as pigs!"

After a resentful curse, he finally hauled Zeng Fei up and jogged into the alley. "I just hope I don't run into any more zombies... otherwise, I'm throwing you both away!"

"Hello... Dr. Isaacs?"

"You finally answered, Chinese boy. I thought you were going to stand me up." Dr. Isaacs's light laughter came through the receiver.

Clearly, although his words implied he was worried Yin Kuang would "not pay upon delivery," in reality, he wasn't worried at all—because every move Yin Kuang made was within his grasp!

"You should trust the integrity of a Chinese person," Yin Kuang said.

"Then, honest Chinese boy..." Isaacs said, "Are you satisfied with the little gift I gave you? Honestly, this might be my final masterpiece, so I was very serious and meticulous when I prepared it."

"Final masterpiece?" Yin Kuang asked, "Are you planning to resign?"

"Haha! I didn't expect a Chinese person to have such a sense of humor. The benefits at Umbrella Corporation are very generous, and there are fixed holidays every month. It's not easy to find such a good job."

Yin Kuang frowned. Isaacs seemed completely unhurried, even chatting about Umbrella Corporation's benefits. What was he planning?

"Doctor, I think it is time for me to pay." Yin Kuang didn't want to stall with him and said directly, "The dog is in the basement of the building where I just was. I stuffed it in the refrigerator. It's easy to find."

"Good, happy to do business with you, Chinese boy... By the way, do you need me to escort you out of Raccoon City? Just as we agreed."

"Thank you very much, but no need." Yin Kuang was desperate to stay as far away from Umbrella Corporation people as possible.

"That is a pity," Isaacs said. "Good luck, Chinese boy."

The call ended. Yin Kuang tossed the phone aside and prepared to walk on, leaning against the wall...

However, he stopped after only a few steps—because a cold, sharp weapon had emerged from behind and pressed against his throat. If he took one more step forward, he would be sent straight back to the "University"!

At the same time, along with that cold blade, there was a familiar aura.

At this moment, Yin Kuang couldn't even swallow his saliva. Because once he swallowed, his Adam's apple would move up and down, and it would collide with that cold, sharp edge!

"Hand over the T-Virus!"

A familiar voice came from behind, cold and devoid of any emotion.

"Li Shuangmu!?" Yin Kuang widened his eyes, full of disbelief... but the next moment, he felt a sorrowful sense of resignation!

"Why should I give it to you? I traded my life for this! Why!?" Yin Kuang's voice was suppressed with rage, his eyes bloodshot and his face contorted.

An unprecedented hatred surged from the bottom of his heart, almost swallowing his reason in an instant...

"I advise you not to act rashly!"

"Kill me if you want! At worst, I'll lose 10 years of lifespan! If you want the T-Virus, keep dreaming!" Yin Kuang's fury was extinguished by the cold blade, and his mind grew calm instead.

"Ha!" The voice behind him gave a disdainful laugh and said, "I can kill you once without a sound, so I can kill you a second time... or a third... However, I highly doubt you have a second or third life for me to take... Am I right?"

"You..."

"I thought about it for a long time. Why you were so determined to deal with those mercenaries, why you had to obtain the T-Virus... Heh, in the end, do you know what I thought of? I thought of a possibility: your lifespan is very, very low! You are constantly under the threat of death. Therefore, no matter what, you must obtain the T-Virus and gain the T-enhancement. Tell me, am I right?"

"..."

"Not talking? Heh, so I guessed correctly?" The voice behind him let out a cold laugh. "Even if you obtain the T-Virus enhancement, do you think that with such a weak body, you could unleash even a fraction of the T-Virus's wonders? Your stats are simply too low. Even if you gained the T-enhancement, it would only strengthen your physique... Even if the growth potential is infinite, can you guarantee that before you grow up, you can dodge my blade, hmm? Even if it were given to you, it would be a waste."

Gradually, large beads of cold sweat seeped from Yin Kuang's forehead, slowly sliding down his delicate cheeks.

"So... the wise choice is to hand over the T-Virus. I can maximize the power of the T-Virus enhancement. I can guarantee that in the future, when you are in danger, I will save you from death three times. Look, how about this deal?" The voice of "Li Shuangmu" said blandly, "Of course, you can choose to refuse. Then, as a reward, I will kill you three times... provided you can withstand me killing you three times!"

"The choice... is in your hands, dear!"

After a long while, Yin Kuang raised his arm, which felt as if it were filled with lead, and said, "Li Shuangmu... you will regret this! For today's grudge, one day, I will return it... twofold!!"

In Yin Kuang's hand, he was indeed holding that vial of "T-Virus Serum," the double-helix container emitting a cold, ghostly blue light.

"A very wise choice, student Yin Kuang..." The "Li Shuangmu" behind him let out a soft "hehe" chuckle. "See you at the 'University'..."

"You...!!"

A jet of blood sprayed from Yin Kuang's carotid artery, painting a gruesome streak of blood on the dark wall...

"Notification: Your carotid artery has been severed, life force reduced to zero..."

"Notification: In 5 seconds, you will return to the 'University'."

"Notification: 'Rookie Student' Yin Kuang, this assessment..."