Resident Evil 2

Zu Hao woke groggily, a strong, pungent smell of disinfectant flooding his nostrils.

He rubbed his bleary eyes and found himself lying on an unfamiliar hospital bed.

Cold white walls surrounded him, and various medical devices stood silently beside the bed, faint lights flickering on their displays.

Turning his head toward the window, he saw that the sky was dim and yellow, as if it were already evening.

"Where the hell did they bring me? Am I still in China?"

Zu Hao muttered to himself as he tried to prop himself up.

His head was still foggy. He only vaguely remembered being hit by something and sent flying while crossing the street.

Strangely enough, he could not feel even the slightest pain. There was not so much as a scratch on him.

[Ding! The host has awakened. Would you like to bind the Negative Reversal System?]

A cold mechanical voice suddenly rang out in his mind, making Zu Hao shudder from head to toe.

"A system?!"

Seeing the translucent interface that had suddenly appeared before him, Zu Hao instantly sobered up and leaped straight off the hospital bed in excitement.

He had lived for twenty-eight years and read countless web novels. He knew better than anyone what a system meant.

It was standard equipment for transmigrators, a divine tool that could defy fate.

"Bind it. Bind it right now!"

Zu Hao responded without hesitation, his heart trembling with excitement.

The salted fish was finally turning over today!

[Ding! Binding the Negative Reversal System...]

[Ding! The Negative Reversal System has been successfully bound. A beginner's gift pack has been issued. Would you like to claim it?]

Unable to hide his excitement, Zu Hao said, "Claim it!"

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained Language Mastery, Combat Mastery, Firearms Mastery, Driving Mastery, Revolver +1, and Personal Storage.]

As soon as the system prompt ended, a flood of knowledge poured into Zu Hao's mind.

Languages from around the world, all kinds of combat techniques, firearm structures and methods of use, vehicle driving skills...

It all seemed innate, deeply branded into Zu Hao's memories.

Personal Storage was a dimensional space similar to a game inventory. It had twenty slots, each with a capacity of ten cubic meters.

It could store items, which would never spoil.

After quickly processing the information, Zu Hao cautiously asked, "System, what can you do?"

[This system is the Negative Reversal System. It can reverse the negative effects of any virus, cultivation technique, pill, spell, magical artifact, and so on into positive effects. Note: This system only affects external objects. Damage suffered by the host cannot be reversed.]

"So I can't exploit a bug by hurting myself. Fair enough."

Zu Hao pondered this, then quickly asked, "Where am I right now?"

[The host is currently in the world of Resident Evil 2 Apocalypse.]

[Current location: Raccoon City General Hospital.]

"Fuck! Why did it have to be a place like this?!"

A chill ran down Zu Hao's back.

He remembered the plot of Resident Evil 2. The entire city would be overrun with flesh-eating zombies, then wiped clean by a nuclear missile.

If he did not escape soon, he was definitely dead.

Zu Hao said urgently, "System, you brought me here. Can you send me back? Or at least switch me to a safer world!"

[If the host wishes to leave the current world, the host must remain in this world for at least twenty-four hours. Once the system has finished charging, a connection to a new world will open.]

"Twenty-four hours?"

Zu Hao sighed softly. "Looks like I'll have to rely on myself after all!"

He took the revolver out of his Personal Storage.

Zu Hao walked to the window and carefully pulled open a corner of the blinds.

The sight outside was suffocating.

The streets were deathly silent. Abandoned vehicles clogged the roads at every angle, some still belching black smoke.

Blood was splattered everywhere like twisted graffiti, yet there was not a single living person in sight—not even a zombie.

The sun was slowly sinking in the west. Night would soon fall.

"The virus has already fully broken out. The zombies must have been lured somewhere else by the survivors..."

Suddenly, an idea struck Zu Hao. "Since I have the Negative Reversal System, does that mean... I don't have to fear T-virus infection?"

A bold thought surfaced in his mind.

If I let a zombie bite me and deliberately infect myself with the T-virus, maybe I can become an evolved being like Alice...

But he quickly shook his head. "No. The system said damage to my body can't be reversed. If a zombie accidentally bites through my carotid artery, even a system won't save me."

In an apocalyptic world crawling with zombies, even the slightest injury could be fatal.

"If I could find a T-virus sample, that would be better. Injecting it directly would be safer... If there really isn't one, then I'll consider zombie blood."

As he considered his options, Zu Hao knew he could not keep waiting. He gently pushed open the hospital room door and cautiously surveyed the hallway.

The emergency lights cast a ghostly green glow. Blood was splattered across the walls, while shattered medical equipment and scattered documents littered the floor.

When he passed the nurses' station, the television in the lobby was somehow still on, looping an emergency broadcast:

"Unexplained acts of violence continue to sweep across the city. Criminal activity is spreading constantly. We urgently need support!"

"The infected display extreme aggression, biting anyone they see. They are suspected to be suffering from some mutated form of rabies... Citizens, please remain indoors, lock your doors and windows, and await rescue..."

On the screen, crowds fled in panic while hideous zombies tackled and tore into pedestrians. Some thuggish-looking people were also taking advantage of the chaos to smash and loot stores. The scene was utter mayhem.

Zu Hao did not dare linger. He took a fire axe with a red handle from a fire equipment cabinet, stuffed some useful medical equipment and medicine into his Personal Storage, then decisively left the hospital.

The outdoor air was foul and murky, mixed with the stench of decay and gunpowder smoke.

Stalled vehicles and discarded belongings were scattered everywhere, making it clear how desperately people had fled.

Zu Hao stopped at a rundown newsstand and found a map of Raccoon City.

"I remember Angela is at Raccoon City Elementary School. She's the key to getting out of Raccoon City, and she's carrying the T-virus and an antidote. They should help me increase my strength."

He spoke quietly as his finger traced the map, quickly determining his current location and the best evacuation route.

Before he had gone far, Zu Hao noticed movement inside a white sedan ahead.

When he moved closer, he found a female zombie tangled in a seat belt.

Her clothes were in tatters, her skin was torn in several places, and her face was a bloody mess. The moment she sensed Zu Hao's presence, she began thrashing wildly and letting out hoarse growls.

Zu Hao's heart suddenly raced, cold sweat seeping from his palms.

This was his first time facing a zombie up close.

"Die."

Zu Hao gritted his teeth, raised the fire axe, and brought it down hard at the zombie's head.

But because he was nervous and she kept struggling, the blow missed its target and buried itself viciously in her neck.

Her cervical spine snapped, and the zombie immediately went limp.

Pulling out the bloodstained axe, Zu Hao stared at the dark red blood on its blade. After glancing at the street cameras, he walked to a secluded corner.

Humans have their limits. I'm done being human... System, reverse it!

With a ruthless look in his eyes, Zu Hao used the axe covered in zombie blood to cut open his left palm.

[Reversible item detected.]

[T-virus (trace amount): Also known as the Tyrant Virus. It can strengthen and reorganize the genetic factors of living organisms, granting the host astonishing endurance and vitality.]

[Side effect: It directly affects the cerebral cortex, causing partial necrosis and a severe decline in intelligence. The infected will transform into zombies.]

[Negative reversal: Congratulations, host. You have become a Perfect T-Virus Evolutionary Form. Your physique has greatly improved. Your reaction speed, regenerative ability, and strength are all several times greater than those of an ordinary person. Psychic perception has awakened. You are immune to T-virus infection and cannot infect others.]

The instant the system prompt ended, explosive power surged out from within Zu Hao's body.

He felt his muscles, bones, and even every cell undergoing violent transformation as tearing pain swept through his entire body.

Fortunately, the pain came fiercely but vanished quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the world in Zu Hao's eyes had completely changed.

His formerly nearsighted eyes could now clearly see the small print on a GG sign several hundred meters away, while his ears could catch the faint wailing carried by the distant wind.

He clenched his fist and felt unprecedented power flowing through his blood.

The wound in his palm was rapidly healing.

Even more remarkably, he had gained an indescribable sensing ability that allowed him to vaguely detect the locations of virus carriers within fifty meters.

Perhaps because the T-virus concentration was too low, he had not yet awakened psychic power.

"So this is the power of a T-virus evolutionary form..."

Zu Hao murmured as he casually swung the fire axe. The weapon, once heavy, now felt as light as a toy.