Ren Ze: I think Alice and I are evenly matched

They did not care whether this world had become Zombie territory. Perhaps, in their hearts, a world like this was the best kind of world. After all, even if they committed every evil imaginable, no one would come to punish them!

"Give them a quick death!"

Ren Ze shook his head. Those determined to court death could not be stopped.

Splat!

The moment he spoke, a flash of silver streaked through the air. A throwing knife became a blur, piercing straight through the fleshy man's skull. Brain matter sprayed out along with the knife as it continued at an astonishing speed, instantly piercing the next person's head!

In the blink of an eye, all eight men fell to the ground with a crash, having had no time to react, their arrogant grins still frozen on their faces!

"Mr. Ren, you'd better come take a look!"

As Ren Ze was still searching around for the armory, James suddenly approached and spoke in a low voice.

"What is it?"

Ren Ze asked curiously.

"There are still two survivors in the holding cells. I can't make the call—you'd better ask them yourself."

"Oh, there are other survivors? Come on, let's go take a look."

"Tell me. What happened?"

When they entered the holding cells, there really were two burly men locked inside. Their faces were so bruised and swollen that their original appearances could no longer be made out.

As it turned out, both men were police officers. Other than those who had gone out on duty on the day the disaster broke out, four officers had remained behind at the station. They had focused only on the Zombies and let their guard down around living people. These eight thugs had seized the opportunity to subdue them at gunpoint. Their other two companions had tried to resist and were shot dead on the spot. The two of them had hesitated for a moment, only to be locked in the holding cells and beaten by the thugs daily for amusement. They had survived by sheer luck.

After hearing the two officers out, Ren Ze could not help but sigh. Could they be blamed for being cowardly?

Who could watch their companions get shot and still dare to resist? Besides, they had not been on guard against living people and had lost the initiative.

He immediately released them, explained the situation outside, and asked whether they were willing to leave with them. Both agreed without hesitation.

With the addition of the two police officers, moving supplies went much more smoothly. They led Ren Ze and the others to the armory, where the remaining firearms and ammunition were enough to arm more than fifty people. Upon hearing that Ren Ze had established a settlement, they immediately mentioned that there was still a police riot-control armored vehicle in the garage that they could drive away.

On the way back, although they had returned fully loaded, everyone was somewhat downcast.

"The collapse of order means that, for those lucky enough to survive, the threat does not come only from Zombies..."

Looking at the somber group, Ren Ze continued, "In this Zombie-infested apocalypse, some people are willing to help their own kind, to save and shelter survivors. Only by gathering together can everyone survive... But others would kill at the slightest provocation for a bite of food, a bottle of clean water, or even a piece of bread!"

"Then there are those who specifically set traps and take pleasure in torturing others to death! After all, in the apocalypse, none of the usual rules of order remain. As long as one can survive, any rule is acceptable! The ugliness and darkness of human nature will be completely exposed and magnified in the apocalypse. I hope you remember the lesson those two police officers taught us today. Don't let anyone catch you off guard."

Alice nodded and said solemnly, "I understand, Ren. If something like this happens again, I'll know what to do."

"You'll be fine. Ordinary people generally can't threaten you. James, I'm mainly worried about you and your team. Alice and I will find a way to take down Umbrella Corporation's underground base before long. When you carry out search missions, you must be careful. Keep a strict watch over the firearms and ammunition at the farm. Before confirming the character of any survivors you take in, don't hand out guns carelessly."

"I understand, Mr. Ren. I'll be careful. Sigh..."

James let out a sigh and answered seriously.

"Kindness and evil are both instincts humans are born with."

Seeing that everyone was somewhat dispirited, Ren Ze consoled them, "While we must always guard against others, we also cannot let evil take over our minds. We must hold fast to the bottom line in our hearts!"

Over the next month, every city across America fell completely. Washington held out for less than a week before announcing its fall. All remaining personnel withdrew onto fleets at sea, while Umbrella Corporation's North American division also retreated entirely into its underground base to cling to life...

As for the farm, because it was far from urban areas and sparsely populated, Carlos spent those two weeks turning the entrance to the valley into an impregnable fortress.

After learning about the situation outside, the owners of several other farms in the valley were also terrified in retrospect and joined the settlement.

Over the past two weeks, they had taken in survivors fleeing from disaster while searching nearby towns for supplies. The settlement was thriving, bustling with activity.

Ren Ze handed all these mundane affairs over to James, Old Morris, and the others.

During those two weeks, aside from occasionally accompanying supply-search teams on protection duties, he spent most of his time giving Alice special training.

Now, even without using Psychic Power, Alice could fight Ren Ze to a standstill...

If she used Psychic Power, Ren Ze felt that he could probably escape by using Lingbo Micro-steps at full power...

That barely counted as an even match...

In the barren desert, Ren Ze rode a motorcycle at high speed along Highway 15 toward Las Vegas. Alice sat behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist as she carefully watched their surroundings.

Ren Ze had originally wanted to take an off-road vehicle, but he had no idea whether someone had tampered with things or whether it was simply such a coincidence. When they prepared to leave that morning, every car in the settlement happened to be out on assignment. To search for Umbrella Corporation's underground base near Las Vegas, Ren Ze had to choose between driving a heavy truck or riding a motorcycle. Left with no choice, he chose the motorcycle.

Elsewhere, beneath the desert, a meeting was being held in Umbrella Corporation's North American division underground base.

"How are the other bases doing?"

Chairman Wesker, seated at the head of the table, asked.

"Paris division: food supplies below 50%, six casualties, and the number of people affected by the biohazard is increasing."

"London division: food supplies down to 28%, seventeen casualties, and the number of people affected by the biohazard is increasing."

Before the remaining people in charge could deliver their reports, the conference room doors opened. A middle-aged man entered the room with his assistant.

"Welcome Dr. Isaacs of the Research Department to the meeting."

Chairman Wesker said.

"Greetings, everyone!"

Dr. Isaacs shook his head. "Chairman Wesker, I'm very busy."

"Does the Research Department have any reports related to the biohazard?"

the head of London Base asked.

"We have confirmed that they do not need food to survive. They crave fresh human flesh, but it is not essential. My research shows that they can remain alive for decades."

Dr. Isaacs answered.

"Are we going to be trapped underground for decades?"

The many base directors found the answer hard to believe and began discussing it heatedly.

"How is the Alice Program progressing?"

Chairman Wesker waved a hand to stop the discussion and asked Dr. Isaacs.

"Using the antibodies in her blood, I developed an immune serum that can not only counter the T-Virus, but even reverse the damage caused by it. It can restore these Zombies' original intelligence and memories, and eliminate their craving for human flesh."

"Are you confident you can tame them?"

Chairman Wesker asked.

"They are actually like wild beasts. As long as we can eliminate their animal instincts, we can train them. Though they are no longer human, there is a good chance we can tame them for our use. Then we can return to the surface!"

Dr. Isaacs answered with complete confidence.

"You've been experimenting for months with no results. We'll rot underground!"

The head of Paris Base strongly expressed his dissatisfaction with Isaacs.

"Ever since we completed the Raccoon City cleanup operation, we lost track of the original Alice. Without finding the real Alice, the project can hardly make progress. I had no choice but to use cloning technology to replicate her biological samples, but the results are inferior to the original, making the outcome difficult to predict."

"However, gentlemen! That is not the point. Compared to the original Alice, I am more interested in the young man beside her named Ren Ze. I believe you have all read the report on the Hive incident and the relevant data sent back by the Nemesis Program. His physical abilities are at least ten times those of a normal human. He can easily defeat Nemesis. Based on my deductions, he is even more powerful than Alice, and he has never undergone any modification! If we can capture him and uncover the secrets within him, returning to the surface will be no difficult matter!"