Carlos

Seeing the barely concealed worry in Alice and Jill's eyes, Zu Hao slowly straightened up, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said calmly, "I'm fine. As a special infected individual, the T-virus can't infect me, and I... won't infect anyone else."

Alice's gaze instantly sharpened. She stepped forward without lowering her gun. "How can you be so certain? That information is among Umbrella Corporation's highest secrets. Who exactly are you? Who do you work for?"

Meeting Alice's gaze, Zu Hao replied flatly, "I work only for myself."

He raised his hand and glanced at the gold Rolex he had swiped, its dial glimmering faintly beneath the hazy moonlight.

The hour hand was already nearing 3:10 a.m.

Less than two hours remained before the nuclear bomb that would destroy everything fell.

"There isn't time to explain."

Zu Hao's tone suddenly became urgent. He returned the sole remaining vial of azure T-virus stock solution and five antidotes to Angela, who was hiding behind Jill. "If you have questions, wait until we're alive and out of Raccoon City!"

Without waiting for anyone to react, he gently took Angela's hand, decisively turned, and headed for the school gates.

Alice and Jill quickly exchanged a look.

Jill gave a slight nod. Alice took a deep breath, finally lowered her gun, and said quietly, "Follow him."

Though their doubts remained, the immediate crisis outweighed everything else.

The moment they stepped through the shattered school gates, the stench of blood and decay hanging over the streets grew even stronger.

At that moment, a lone red phone booth by the roadside suddenly began ringing shrilly, tearing through the dead night.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zu Hao dashed forward and grabbed the receiver.

"Let me speak to Angela!"

Dr. Charles's anxious voice came through.

Zu Hao silently handed the receiver to the girl beside him.

"Dad!"

Angela's voice caught in her throat, though she tried hard to sound strong. "I'm fine. I'm okay..."

Dr. Charles visibly breathed a sigh of relief on the other end, his voice trembling. "Thank God! Listen, sweetheart, you must stay close to them. Don't leave their side for even one step. Dad will guide you out of here!"

"I will, Dad."

Angela nodded hard, as if her father could see her. "You need to be careful too."

After a brief silence, Angela handed the receiver back to Zu Hao.

Dr. Charles's voice became extremely serious. "Listen, there's not much time! You have to get to City Hall immediately! There's a helicopter on top of the building. It's your last chance!"

"City Hall?"

Jill cut in. "That helicopter probably isn't meant for us, is it?"

"That's right."

Charles did not deny it. "It's an evacuation point for Umbrella Corporation's senior personnel, but you have no other choice!"

"The nuclear bomb will arrive exactly at five in the morning. That is the last evacuation flight!"

Zu Hao said directly, "Tell us the best route."

"I will!"

Charles's voice was mixed with the hiss of static and the faint sounds of surveillance screens switching, clearly indicating that he was nervously operating the system. "I'll try to hack into the surveillance cameras along the route and provide you with real-time guidance!"

Click.

Zu Hao hung up, his cold gaze sweeping over the group.

"City Hall is about five kilometers from here."

Alice quickly calculated. "If the roads are clear, we can still make it if we leave now."

Zu Hao's sharp eyes swept over the outline of the City Hall building looming in the darkness. "Umbrella will definitely have set a trap."

"So... what's the plan?"

As Jill spoke, she checked the ammunition in her shotgun.

"Alice will draw their fire from the front."

Zu Hao spoke without hesitation. "I'll stay hidden and support her when the opportunity arises."

Alice raised an eyebrow and pointed at herself. "Why am I the bait again?"

A faint smile tugged at Zu Hao's lips. "Because you're Umbrella Corporation's number one target. If you don't show yourself, why would those people hiding in the shadows be willing to reveal themselves?"

Alice sighed helplessly and rolled her wrist. "Fine, but I hope your support arrives in time."

Just as Zu Hao and Alice rapidly sorted through their dwindling weapons and supplies,

a burst of chaotic, hurried footsteps suddenly came from the shadows at the intersection ahead.

Everyone instantly went on alert!

Zu Hao and Alice raised their guns at the same time, while Jill quickly ushered Angela and Bella behind an abandoned sedan.

Two men clad in standard black Umbrella Corporation tactical gear were fighting as they retreated. Working in perfect coordination, they used precise three-round bursts to drop five or six snarling zombies lunging at them.

But one of them was clearly moving sluggishly. His clothes had been torn open at the left shoulder, and dark blood was steadily spreading across the fabric.

"Umbrella's special forces?"

Alice lowered her voice, her eyes icy, her finger steady on the trigger.

Zu Hao watched carefully for a moment and recognized the unsteady figure as Carlos Oliveira.

He said quietly, "Let's ask what happened first."

As the two men drew closer and the zombies around them began gathering in greater numbers, drawn by the gunfire, Zu Hao made a quick decision. He stepped out from behind cover, raised his rifle, and barked, "Stop! Hands up, or we fire!"

The two men jolted in alarm, immediately stopping and swiftly raising both hands.

They had no idea how many people were hiding in the darkness and did not dare open fire rashly.

"Are you people from Umbrella?"

Alice's icy voice came from the other side.

"We used to be!"

Carlos answered between heavy breaths. "But now we work for ourselves. We got a call from Dr. Charles and came to rescue Angela. He didn't tell us we'd have company!"

His tone carried a trace of self-mockery and vigilance.

"I think there should be enough seats on that helicopter."

Zu Hao stepped forward, but his gaze remained fixed on Carlos's continuously bleeding shoulder. "You've been infected."

Carlos followed his gaze to his wound, took a deep breath, and a flicker of despair crossed his face before turning into composed bitterness. "Yes. About half an hour ago."

"If you think I'm dead weight, just take my teammate Nikolai with you."

He pointed to the companion beside him, who looked equally exhausted but had resolute eyes.

"You're lucky."

Without saying more, Zu Hao gestured for Angela to take out an antidote.

The girl quickly stepped forward and carefully injected the green liquid into the vein in Carlos's arm.

Compared to Peyton, who had tragically died in the original story, Carlos truly had fortune on his side. He had stubbornly held on until now and happened to encounter Angela, who possessed the antidote.

A moment later, Carlos's rapid, pained breathing gradually steadied. The horrifying black veins on his shoulder slowly faded as well, returning to their normal pale bluish color.

He moved his arm in disbelief. The searing pain, as if his flesh were being torn apart, was rapidly vanishing.

"Thank you..."

He let out a long breath, his relief at surviving the ordeal plain to see. "I'll remember this kindness."

Once the brief misunderstanding had been cleared up, both sides shared the same goal and decided to head for City Hall together.

They quickly found two cars that could still start. With Nikolai and Jill, who knew the terrain, driving, they smashed through scattered zombie obstructions and sped toward the city center.

More than ten minutes later, the grand outline of City Hall was already in sight.

A block away from the building, they abandoned their cars and approached on foot, using the ruins and vehicles as cover.

"Listen."

Zu Hao crouched behind an overturned bus and rapidly assigned tasks. "Carlos, Nikolai, Jill, you stay with Bella and protect Angela. Advance gradually from the front steps."

"As for Alice and me..."

He looked at the woman beside him, her gaze cold and sharp. "We'll climb up from the side and give them a 'surprise.'"