A Master Hunter Often Appears as Prey

Alice pulled out the shotgun she carried, aimed at the motorcycle's fuel tank, and fired.

Boom!

The motorcycle exploded into a burst of sparks in midair.

"Focus! Use your Psychic Power to spread the flames as far as possible and ignite them!"

As Ren Ze's words fell, Alice closed her eyes. The sparks from the exploding motorcycle instantly spread through the entire flock of crows overhead, burning them all to ashes!

Perhaps such intense, large-scale use of Psychic Power had drained her mentally. Alice stood there, looking as though she could collapse at any moment, and Ren Ze immediately stepped forward to catch her.

Only then did Claire snap out of her shock. She got out of the vehicle and walked toward Ren Ze and Alice. "Thank you so much for saving us. My name is Claire, captain of the Claire Rescue Team!"

"Hello, I'm Ren Ze. This is Alice."

Ren Ze smiled and shook Claire's outstretched hand before introducing Alice.

Claire shook Alice's hand, then looked at her in amazement. "Um... are you a god?"

"Uh..."

Seeing the worshipful look in Claire's eyes, Alice did not know how to answer for a moment.

It could not be helped. Alice had looked far too cool just now—like a divine being descending upon the world. She had blown up the motorcycle with one shot, then used Psychic Power to set every Zombie crow in the sky above them ablaze.

"Just kidding. But really, thank you. If you hadn't come to help in time, all of us might have died beneath the beaks of those Zombie crows today!"

Claire spoke with heartfelt gratitude.

"You're welcome! We heard your broadcast and came over. Good thing we made it in time."

Ren Ze smiled.

"By the way, Mr. Ren, could I invite you and Alice to join our Claire Rescue Team?"

Looking at Ren Ze and Alice, Claire suddenly thought that if they joined the rescue team, their future journey would be much safer.

As Claire's invitation ended, many of the people still hiding in the vehicles looked at Ren Ze and Alice expectantly. They knew that if these two joined the rescue team, their lives would be much safer from then on.

"I'm afraid not for now. It would be dangerous to follow us, and we still have an important mission. But I can point you toward a place. It's a settlement we established. It's very safe at the moment, with no infection. Do you have a map?"

Ren Ze shook his head as he answered.

"Yes, I'll get it right away!"

After hearing Ren Ze's refusal, Claire's expression gradually dimmed. But after hearing the rest, her spirits lifted, and she immediately ran back to the vehicle to fetch a map.

Ren Ze circled a valley at the lower left of Salt Lake City on the map. "Go there. It's roughly a hundred kilometers southwest of Salt Lake City. Once you get close, you'll quickly find our outposts. You won't have to wander around like this anymore."

Umbrella Corporation North American Division, underground research base.

"Dr. Isaacs, a powerful energy fluctuation was detected in the nearby desert, but it dissipated shortly afterward. Based on my calculations, there is a 45% chance it was Alice and a 50% chance it was Ren Ze."

The virtual little girl formed by the Umbrella Corporation North American Division's artificial intelligence spoke to Dr. Isaacs.

"Perform triangulation and locate the position of the energy burst! At the same time, deploy satellites to scan the area!"

As Isaacs spoke, a triangular zone appeared on the screen.

"If it was Ren Ze, then his value is even greater! If it was Alice, then she has grown tremendously since leaving Raccoon City! That energy fluctuation was truly astonishing!"

Looking at the energy data on the screen, Isaacs sighed.

A while later, the satellite imagery displayed on the screen showed that the two people had a 70% resemblance to the recorded images of Ren Ze and Alice in the system. Dr. Isaacs revealed a triumphant smile and murmured, "I've finally found you!"

About ten minutes later.

"Dr. Isaacs, satellite surveillance shows that Ren Ze and Alice are heading for Las Vegas."

The virtual little girl appeared before Isaacs again.

"Very good. After all this time, I've finally caught this opportunity! Send out the order. Deploy two helicopters, assault team members, and fifty of the latest mutated Zombies. I'm going to give Ren Ze and Alice a surprise!"

After receiving authorization from Chairman Wesker, Isaacs had gained the highest clearance within the North American Division. He no longer needed to report to the board of directors, and immediately decided to act, heading to Las Vegas in advance to set an ambush.

"Let's go. Looks like we'll have to travel on foot now... Las Vegas isn't far ahead. Hopefully, we can find a usable vehicle there."

Ren Ze smiled helplessly at Alice.

Before parting ways with the Claire Rescue Team, Claire had wanted to clear out a vehicle for Ren Ze and Alice. But seeing how strained their transportation capacity already was, Ren Ze had declined her kindness. Besides, Las Vegas was less than a hundred kilometers away. That distance was quite far for ordinary people without transportation, but it was nothing to Ren Ze and Alice.

"Then let's see who's faster! I've practiced Lingbo Micro-steps for so long now—let's see if you can catch me!"

Alice replied playfully, immediately using Lingbo Micro-steps and running toward Las Vegas.

What a pity. She lacks that classical Eastern beauty, that particular charm...

Cao Zhi's "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River" suddenly surfaced in Ren Ze's mind. If Alice had been a classical Eastern beauty, she would have perfectly matched the poem's imagery. Shaking his head and casting aside those random thoughts, Ren Ze immediately followed after her.

Las Vegas, a city that had always stood near the desert, had now become utterly desolate.

Yellow sand filled the sky, dancing endlessly in the wind. The gambling city's iconic landmarks had been buried halfway beneath the sand, while the towering buildings in the distance silently spoke of their former glory...

"Ren, there's something wrong with that shipping container ahead! It looks like it was just placed there!"

Alice looked at the enormous shipping container in the middle of the road ahead and said.

"Why not use your Psychic Power to scout it out?"

Ren Ze naturally knew what was going on, but he still reminded Alice to develop the habit of using her Psychic Power to scout at all times.

Hearing Ren Ze's words, Alice released her Psychic Power and slowly extended it into the container.

"Oh my God!"

Alice immediately turned to Ren Ze. "Ren, the container is full of Zombies! And they aren't ordinary Zombies—I can sense that the ones inside are stronger!"

"Obviously, this is a gift from Umbrella Corporation."

Ren Ze nodded at Alice. "This time, it's up to you. Let's see the results of your special training these past few days! I won't intervene unless absolutely necessary. Leave all these Zombies to you. Oh, and unless your life is in danger, don't use your Psychic Power throwing knives either. They're our trump card against Umbrella Corporation!"

As Alice went on guard, the container doors opened. Suddenly, waves of roars came from within, and one muscular, agile mutated Zombie after another charged out with the howls, pouncing toward Alice.

"Not bad!"

Watching Alice skillfully use Lingbo Micro-steps to evade in battle while incorporating the Tianshan Zhemei Hand into her blade techniques, Ren Ze nodded in satisfaction.

Having Alice use the martial arts Ren Ze had taught her against real enemies in actual combat would probably improve her faster than his usual instruction and training.

Raising his head, Ren Ze looked at the sliver of a white tent roof visible atop a high-rise building in the distance. He knew Isaacs was there!

The fastest way to break a fortress is from the inside. What if Alice and I charge in recklessly, and Isaacs pulls the same base self-destruct stunt Wesker did in Resident Evil 4?

With that thought, Ren Ze grabbed a mutated Zombie beside him, twisted its arms behind its back, and lifted it up, preventing it from biting him.

"Alice, I'll leave this place to you. I'm going to say hello to the people from Umbrella Corporation!"

Following Ren Ze's gaze, Alice looked toward the high-rise. "Then be careful. I'll come meet up with you soon!"

Carrying the little "cutie" that wanted to bite him but could never reach him, Ren Ze strode toward the rooftop of that high-rise.