Biohazard! Crisis!

As soon as they left the convenience store, they were met with a scene of devastation. The world was dim, the streets deserted, cars overturned, public facilities in ruins, and newspapers fluttering through the air. The headline read "the\dead\walk," which translated to "the living dead\zombies on the loose."

Tonight was destined to be dark, silent, and bitterly cold.

Not far away, a person lay motionless in the middle of the road.

"Look! There's someone over there," Wei Ming said. "Should we go check? Maybe he's still alive."

"Uh..." Wang Ning said. "That doesn't seem like a good idea. Look, even our senior hasn't paid him any attention."

"Are we really going to leave someone to die?" Wei Ming protested. "If you won't go, I will!"

Everyone fell silent. They had only just graduated from high school. They weren't so coldhearted that they could walk past someone lying in the road without a second glance. Besides, they all seemed to remember what had happened not long ago: "A little girl was hit by a car and left in the middle of the road. Then another car ran over her frail body. Several people walked right past her without doing anything, utterly indifferent. In the end, a kind person did take her to the hospital, but it was still too late to save her young life. A precious life was lost to the indifference of our countrymen..."

And now, how much this scene resembled that one. Only the location had changed to Raccoon City, America, and the people involved were them and the person lying on the ground.

Yin Kuang didn't want the memory to haunt him. "I'll go take a look." He left the group and headed toward the person lying on the ground—or rather, jogged over. A life was at stake, after all. They couldn't afford to waste time.

"Wait!" Li Shuangmu tried to stop him, but it was too late. "Honestly. Have you forgotten where we are? You have to be careful where you play the good Samaritan." As he spoke, he drew his Desert Eagle, fitted it with a silencer, and jogged after him.

Wei Ming and Wang Ning followed too. They had formed a temporary group of four, so naturally, they would face whatever came together.

Zeng Fei and Liu Xiatian exchanged a glance, then looked at Xiong Ba. He stood there with his arms folded, looking completely at ease and wearing a mocking smile. In the end, they sighed and decided to stay where they were. Qian Qianqian looked from side to side. She wanted to go forward, but didn't dare, and anxiously pressed her lips together and clenched her fists.

Yin Kuang reached the man and saw that he was lying on his back to him, perfectly still, apparently unconscious. He reached out and gently shook him, cautiously testing his response. "Sir, what's wrong with you?" They were in America, after all, so English was the natural choice.

The man on the ground remained motionless.

Yin Kuang gritted his teeth and rolled him over. He immediately recoiled in shock. The man had a huge chunk missing from his shoulder, as though some beast had bitten him. Black blood covered the ragged wound, and it stank of rotting flesh. His face was especially alarming: deathly pale, barely human, and pitted with patches of decay.

"He stinks," Wang Ning said. "Something's wrong with him. We should leave. I've got a bad feeling about this." Wang Ning's Low-Profile Way didn't just help him avoid detection; to some extent, it also enhanced his own perception. That was why his initial perception score had been a full 11 points. He might not realize how high that was, but if he compared his score with everyone else's, he'd see that his perception was the highest—the only one above 10.

"Maybe he's still alive," Wei Ming said. "If you're scared, step back." He reached out to check whether the man on the ground was breathing.

"Hold on." Li Shuangmu, gun in hand, shook his head at Wei Ming. "He's already dead. Have you forgotten where we are? The world of Resident Evil. What's the main threat here? Zombies! He's been bitten. Judging by the wound, a zombie bit him. He'll turn into a zombie soon too. Getting any closer would be reckless."

"Well..." Wei Ming clearly knew that much and hesitated. "Then what do we do?"

"Put a bullet in his head," Wang Ning said. "That way, he won't turn into a zombie and run around biting people."

Yin Kuang asked uneasily, "But what if he's still alive? Wouldn't that make us murderers?"

"He'll turn into a zombie sooner or later," Wang Ning said firmly. "If he bites us, we'll turn into zombies too. Then we'll fail the exam and lose 10 years of our lifespan. Better not to take that risk. Even if you think you have years to spare, this isn't how to waste them."

Yin Kuang fell silent.

He had only 34 years left to live—34 years! He could only afford to die once. He was the one who had to be most careful here. Remembering how recklessly he'd acted just moments ago, he felt a chill run through him. If the man on the ground had suddenly turned around and bitten his hand, then...

Wei Ming sighed. He was starting to feel uneasy too, although he did have plenty of years to spare. "Sorry, American... Wait, his eyes moved!"

"Where? Did they?" Yin Kuang and the other two stared at the man's eyes.

The man's eyes twitched again.

They had really moved!

The man on the ground hadn't turned into a zombie yet. He struggled to open his eyes, which wandered without focus. His lips moved as if he were trying to say something.

"How are you?" Wei Ming crouched beside him. "What are you trying to say?"

"Ma... Ma..." The American man coughed spasmodically, forcing out a few English words.

"Ma? What do you mean?" Yin Kuang leaned in too.

Wang Ning suddenly backed away. "Something's wrong. I've got goosebumps all over. I think—"

"Quiet, I can't hear him," Wei Ming snapped. He leaned closer again. "You were saying..."

The man struggled to say one word: "Mary." He waved one hand, then with immense effort pressed it against his chest and continued, "Ma... Ma... help... Grrraaah!"

"Get back!!"

Wang Ning shouted.

"Ah!!" Wei Ming suddenly screamed in agony and struggled desperately to shove away the zombie biting his neck. But the searing pain in his throat left him unable to use the strength he had.

Pfft!

The silenced Desert Eagle gave a soft hiss. A hole burst open in the zombie's forehead, without even a splash of blood. At the critical moment, Li Shuangmu had fired in time.

But it was already too late.

Wang Ning moved quickly too. He immediately took a Hemostatic Bandage from his hiking backpack and wrapped it around Wei Ming. "Wei Ming, how are you?"

"Damn it! It hurts like hell. Damn it, damn it!"

Hemostatic Bandage effect: Restores 5 health points and effectively stops bleeding.

Wei Ming had 25 health points. When the zombie bit him in a vital spot, he received a notification: "You have been bitten in a vital spot by a zombie. Critical hit! Health -15. Special damage: 'Thick-Skinned' disabled. Your main artery has been damaged, and you are now bleeding. You will lose 2 health points per second until you die."

Yin Kuang hadn't yet recognized Wei Ming as a "friend," so the True Affection Protection effect hadn't activated either. In other words, Wei Ming had taken the full damage all by himself.

Fortunately, Wang Ning had reacted quickly and used the Hemostatic Bandage. But because the main artery was bleeding, the bandage hadn't stopped the bleeding completely; it had only slowed it down. Li Shuangmu quickly took out a cold bun and stuffed it into Wei Ming's mouth.

Secret Recipe Goubuli Bun: Immediately restores 3 health points, then restores 1 health point per second for 3 seconds.

Though this secret-recipe soup bun was no bigger than a xiaolongbao, it was very expensive to redeem—15 Study Points. That was 1,500 yuan in Republic currency. What an outrageously expensive bun!

Still, it had kept Wei Ming alive. But things clearly looked grim. It was simple: Wei Ming had been infected with the T-Virus.

Everyone watched him in silence.

Wei Ming's face was pale. He gave a bitter smile. "What do you call this? No good deed goes unpunished? Cough! Cough!"

Yin Kuang said guiltily, "I'm sorry... If I hadn't run over, you wouldn't have—"

"Heh. It was my own choice. It has nothing to do with you," Wei Ming said. "So what if I lose 10 years of my life? I'll live to a hundred. A mere 10 years doesn't matter to me."

Just as everyone was grieving, Xiong Ba suddenly drew his gun and aimed it at Wei Ming.

Everyone was shocked. Yin Kuang shouted, "What are you doing?"

"He doesn't care about his own life, but I have to take responsibility for yours," Xiong Ba said coldly. "This affects my Comprehensive Evaluation too. Don't understand? Ask him yourself. Tell them what state you're in."

The bitter expression on Wei Ming's face deepened. "So... senior saw through it."

"But..."

Wei Ming waved a hand. "Don't blame senior. Look for yourselves... I don't... have the strength..."

A light screen appeared before them.

It was blood-red, flashing brightly!

Warning: Student Wei Ming, you have been bitten by a zombie and infected with the T-Virus!

Warning: Student Wei Ming, an unknown mutation is occurring in the T-Virus inside your body!

Warning: Student Wei Ming, you have a 1% chance of gaining a mutant T-Virus genetic enhancement!

Warning: Student Wei Ming, you have a 50% chance of mutating into a special zombie!

Warning: Student Wei Ming, you have a 20% chance of mutating into a Licker!

Warning: Student Wei Ming, you have a 10% chance of mutating into a Tyrant!

Warning: Obtain the T-Virus antidote as soon as possible!

"Gah!!"

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath, recoiling from Wei Ming.