Biochemical... Death... The Way Back!

Ding-ding-da-du...

A strange sound echoed through the empty classroom, as if coming from the distant starry sky, or perhaps from right outside the classroom door.

Was that the school bell?

"Look, the chalk is flying!" a student exclaimed.

Sure enough, a piece of white chalk suddenly drifted up in a bizarre fashion, arrived at the ink-black blackboard, and began to write with a frantic swish-swish-swish.

The white chalk wrote in blood-red letters.

"Entrance Exam, starting now!"

"Exam Scenario: Resident Evil: Apocalypse!"

"Scenario Difficulty: Freshman F-Grade (Extremely Easy)"

"Exam Objective: Survive for 5 hours."

"Exam Pass: Reward 200 Study Points, 5 Credits, 2 Comprehensive Evaluations. Obtain the title 'Freshman'."

"Exam Fail: Death equals failure. Being infected by the virus equals failure. You will exit the scenario immediately upon permanent death. Deduct 10 years of lifespan. Remove the title 'Rookie Student'."

"Restrictions: Weapons or abilities of mass destruction are disabled. 'Teaching Assistant' abilities are weakened by 50%. Rewards for tasks participated in by a 'Teaching Assistant' are reduced by 50%."

"Bonus Rewards: Kill 10 ordinary zombies to earn 1 Study Point. Kill 5 mutated zombies to earn 1 Study Point. Kill 1 Licker to earn 50 Study Points. Kill Nemesis to earn 500 Study Points, 5 Comprehensive Evaluations. Kill Alice to earn 1000 Study Points, 5 Comprehensive Evaluations, and 1 E-Grade Evaluation. If you obtain Alice's 'Blood of Unwillingness' after her death, there is a 10% chance to inherit her T-Virus genetic enhancement. Kill Dr. Ashford's daughter, Angela, to obtain the pure T-Virus serum, with a 40% chance to gain perfect T-Virus genetic enhancement. Reward 2000 Study Points, 10 Comprehensive Evaluations, 1 D-Grade Evaluation. Eliminate all Umbrella Corporation forces to earn 4000 Study Points, 15 Comprehensive Evaluations, 2 D-Grade Evaluations."

"Ultimate Reward: Destroy Raccoon City, and you will obtain the title 'Honor Student'. Reward 5000 Study Points, 20 Comprehensive Evaluations, 1 C-Grade Evaluation. However, you will become the public enemy of the United States; from then on, you will be targeted by all American local factions in any future scenarios set in the United States!"

"Headmaster's Tip: Cherish this opportunity well. You will never encounter such a good deal again."

Xiong Ba picked up the chalk, drew a few underlines beneath the final sentence, and said, "Read this sentence clearly. The task for the Entrance Exam is as easy as always, the rewards are as generous as always, and the penalties are quite light."

Ji Wen said, "Now, the exam begins!"

"BANG!!"

In an instant, the entire classroom was flooded with a brilliant, dazzling light, and the world turned pure white...

Location: 21-Point Convenience Store, Oak Street, South Raccoon City.

Time: Midnight, 12:00 New York Time.

Dim, cold, and foul-smelling. Flickering incandescent lights, broken wires sparking with a "zizzing" sound, toppled shelves, scattered merchandise, a pool of semi-coagulated black blood, and cold wind blowing through the shattered glass windows, emitting a wailing, eerie sound.

This was the 21-Point Convenience Store.

At this moment, Yin Kuang and a group of "Rookie Students" were crowded into this narrow space.

"Where... is this?" the very pure but timid girl asked weakly, the "chattering" of her teeth sounding incredibly eerie.

"How, how did we suddenly..."

Even someone as tough as Li Shuangmu couldn't help but tremble at this moment, then habitually pulled out a pack of Marlboro, lit one, and took a deep drag.

Seeing that they were about to start making noise again, Xiong Ba's nearly two-meter-tall frame immediately exuded a fierce, bloody aura. "Damn it! You idiots. If you don't want to die immediately, shut up right now. Didn't your counselors tell you not to be surprised by anything incredible you encounter? Are you pig-brained?"

Xiong Ba had deliberately lowered his voice. It seemed the 50% reduction in his abilities had a significant impact on him, enough to make him cautious. That's right, the "Entrance Exam" scenario was very simple, but no matter how simple, it wasn't a free lunch. In the "University," there were never any benefits given for free. Even in relatively easy sci-fi movie scenarios, powerful enemies existed.

Just like now, Nemesis, Matt the Tracker, and Alice could easily take the lives of these "Sophomore Students." The benefits of this "Teaching Assistant" title were not so easily obtained.

The group fell silent.

Ji Wen said, "Now, choose which of the three Teaching Assistants you will follow. Then, we will separate."

Li Shuangmu was startled and asked, "Separate? Why separate?"

"Hmph! I know what you're thinking. But I don't need you to tell me how to do things." Ji Wen didn't give the handsome man any face at all. "Now, you have 10 seconds to choose."

The three, from left to right, were the Otaku, Ji Wen, and Xiong Ba. The Otaku felt the least reliable because he was a total lunatic, but his black magic seemed quite powerful. Ji Wen, a woman, had been cold the whole time; she would have been a decent choice, but she gave off a sense of insecurity. Xiong Ba would have been the best choice—tall and fierce—but he was the most brutal and bloody, causing everyone to avoid him.

Three people, truly a difficult choice.

However, regardless, they only had 10 seconds to choose. They had to make a choice no matter what. No idiot would be stupid enough to go solo. In this strange place, following one of the three Teaching Assistants was undoubtedly the safest path.

Thus, the group quickly made their choices.

Out of the 30 people, there were 12 girls, and all 12 chose Ji Wen. Not a single boy chose her. Of the remaining 18 boys, 11 chose the Otaku, and 7 chose Xiong Ba.

Yin Kuang, Wei Ming, Wang Ning, and Li Shuangmu—the temporary group of four—chose Xiong Ba. In Li Shuangmu's words, "Although he is cruel and bloodthirsty, he is more reliable than the other two."

In the end, that timid and pure little girl hesitated, then walked out of Ji Wen's group and joined Xiong Ba's, drawing quite a few sidelong glances.

Some couldn't help but think wickedly: "Can such a kawaii girl withstand the ravages of that bear..."

With the groups divided, the three Teaching Assistants bid each other farewell.

"Be careful," Ji Wen said.

"Same to you," Xiong Ba replied.

The Otaku waved his hand and said, "No need to worry about me at all."

Then, Yin Kuang watched as Ji Wen's group and the Otaku's group departed. Why didn't Xiong Ba's group leave? Because Xiong Ba didn't want to leave yet, it was that simple.

Watching Ji Wen and the Otaku depart, Xiong Ba sat down on a sofa in the convenience store with a grand, imposing air, then grabbed a drink and began to sip it nonchalantly. Yin Kuang and the others were left speechless, watching him. Everyone couldn't help but glance outside, clearly regretting their decision to follow Xiong Ba.

Yin Kuang clenched his fists, gathered his courage, and asked a question he had been wanting to pose: "Teaching Assistant... Senior. May I ask a question?"

Xiong Ba let out a "hmph," which was neither an agreement nor a refusal.

"I want to ask, if we die... what happens? You should understand what I mean; I'm referring to when our lifespan is exhausted."

Yin Kuang had a very short lifespan—only 34 years. He was already 19, meaning his true remaining lifespan was only 15 years. If the rule was that each death deducted 10 years, he could only die once. Therefore, he wanted to know what would become of him after the second death, once his lifespan was fully depleted.

Xiong Ba spat out his straw and said, "Death! Total death."

"Ah!" everyone exclaimed.

"What about in reality?"

Xiong Ba shook his head and said, "I don't know. No one knows. Because those who have entered the 'University' have never left... No, legend has it that one 'Senior' once left the 'University' and returned to the real world. But he came back shortly after."

"What happened?"

"I don't know," Xiong Ba said. "Legend says he died suddenly after returning. No one knows what he experienced. No one knows why he left the 'University' only to suddenly return. Ever since then, no one has dared to discuss leaving the 'University' again."

Xiong Ba fell silent for a moment before continuing, "Actually, according to the normal rules, as long as you complete your credits and meet the comprehensive assessment standards, you can go to the 'Headmaster' to receive your 'Graduation Certificate' and then leave the 'University.' However, as far as I know, not a single person has ever managed to receive a 'Graduation Certificate.' So, I advise you not to think too much about it and just study hard. Perhaps one of you will be the one to receive that damn certificate."

"Then... what about our parents and family in reality?" Yin Kuang asked anxiously.

"There's nothing to be done," Xiong Ba said. "I also worry about my younger sister who has cancer, I worry so much..." Xiong Ba leaned back against the sofa. "No one is paying for her chemotherapy, and those wolves in white coats at the hospital will surely throw her out without a second thought for her life. I dream of getting out. But what can I do? The only path is to survive, get the 'Graduation Certificate,' and bring back the 'Cancer-Curing Drug' to save her. If those wolves dare to do anything unforgivable to my sister, I will show them what a real wolf is..."

Xiong Ba's tone was very, very light, almost inaudible. Yet, a thick, bloody scent seemed to permeate the entire convenience store.

Xiong Ba seemed tired from speaking and closed his eyes to rest. The heavy scent of blood dissipated along with his silence.

Li Shuangmu asked, "What should we do? Are we just going to huddle here and wait for five hours?"

Wang Ning shook his head and said, "Absolutely not. If it were that simple to pass five hours, Ji Wen and the Otaku wouldn't have needed to leave. Since they left, they must have had their reasons. Besides, if rewards were that easy to obtain, they wouldn't be called rewards. Years of gaming experience tell me that only by completing difficult tasks can one get rich rewards. Standing still will only lead to one outcome: game over!"

Yin Kuang said, "That's right. Aside from knowing that this is Raccoon City from Resident Evil: Apocalypse, we know nothing. The only thing we can do is follow the Senior."

Wei Ming curled his lip and said, "If this really is a movie world, I'd actually prefer to go explore on my own. I always thought Resident Evil was exciting when watching the movies; it would be a shame not to experience it now that I'm here. But tell me, do you guys really believe this is the movie world of Resident Evil? It's just too unbelievable."

"I don't doubt it," Wang Ning said. "Everything that has happened before our eyes so far has been unbelievable. Yet, what are the facts? They all happened."

Yin Kuang agreed deeply.

Li Shuangmu stepped forward and said, "From now on, we are teammates. Let's get to know each other. We will be fighting side by side soon. No matter how great one person's strength is, it cannot beat the power of a group. If possible, please state your abilities so we can better formulate a battle plan."

He introduced himself first.

Then came Wang Ning, followed by Wei Ming, and Yin Kuang introduced himself as well. However, since his special ability wasn't even clear on his interface, he didn't mention it, instead citing "Hardworking" as his special skill.

After that, a chubby boy stepped forward and said, "My name is Zeng Fei. Not 'fat' fat, but 'flying' fly. My special skill is 'Precision Strike.' My general skill is 'Qualified Soldier,' which adds 6 to Life, +1 to Strength, +2 to Perception, and -1 to Charisma. Using a gun can improve shooting accuracy. I spent some time in the military and have a bit of a talent for marksmanship."

As he spoke, he raised the sniper rifle in his hand. Yin Kuang didn't recognize the gun, and while Li Shuangmu seemed to know what it was, he didn't explain it to the others, as now was not the time.

The next person said, "My name is Liu Xiatian. My special skill is 'Sprint.' I'm a sports student, a sprint champion. I also have a skill called 'Two-Second Burst,' an active skill that adds 1 to Strength and Speed for two seconds. The side effect is a four-second state of weakness."

Finally, it was the turn of the timid girl. "I... my name is Qian Qianqian. My skill is... 'Pitiable,' which adds 10 to Charisma. That's... that's all."

"..."

The boys looked at her, all speechless.

Xiong Ba stood up at this moment and said, "Introductions over? Then let's go." Although his tone was as blunt as ever, the sharp-eared Li Shuangmu and Yin Kuang detected something different; Xiong Ba seemed to be treating them slightly better than before.