Ultimate Threat

Corrosive liquid sizzled across the floor, sending up plumes of white smoke with a piercing acidic stench that seemed capable of entering the nostrils and burning the organs.

Led by Ada Wong, everyone sprinted toward Laboratory B-07. The metal floor beneath their feet had been weakened by prolonged corrosion, and every step was accompanied by an unsettling creak, as if it might collapse at any moment. The emergency lights along the corridor walls flickered on and off, their crimson glow stretching their shadows into twisted shapes that danced endlessly across the walls, like souls elongated by fear, foretelling the horror that awaited them.

Wanda remained unconscious, her pale face utterly bloodless, strands of hair stuck messily to her forehead soaked in cold sweat. Li's arms had long since gone numb from carrying her, and the aching spread from his shoulders throughout his body. Every step felt like torture, yet the sincere resolve in his heart—to protect his companions and stop the disaster—had not faded, sustaining him as he pressed on without slowing.

When the laboratory doors burst open with a thunderous roar, a cold wind carrying the sharp smell of disinfectant and rotting decay rushed toward them, nearly making them vomit. Mixed into that stench was a sickeningly sweet, fishy odor, like countless decomposing corpses blended with biochemical waste. A massive incubation chamber occupied the center of the laboratory. Inside, the Virus Mother Strain emitted an eerie red glow like a beating heart, while the viscous culture fluid rose and fell with its pulses. Under the crimson light, it resembled a vat of boiling blood. The countdown numbers on the chamber ticked mercilessly—00:15:00. The red digits were especially glaring in the dim environment. Every passing second seemed to toll a death knell for the destruction of the world, each flicker like another step closer from the Grim Reaper.

"You finally made it." A cold voice drifted from the shadows, like a whisper from hell carrying bone-piercing chill. A figure in a black trench coat slowly emerged. Red sunglasses concealed his eyes, making it impossible to read his emotions, while a playful smile rested on his lips. It was Albert Wesker. With every step he took, the floor trembled slightly. He radiated a suffocating pressure that sent shivers down their spines, and every gesture displayed the imposing aura of one who stood above all others. Beneath the black trench coat, swollen veins could faintly be seen on his neck, twitching now and then as though living things were crawling beneath his skin. The sight was deeply unsettling.

"You think the likes of you can stop Umbrella Corporation's great plan?" His voice was filled with contempt, as if he were looking at a pack of insignificant ants.

Ada Wong's face instantly turned pale as paper. Even her vividly painted lips lost their color. Her grip on her gun tightened unconsciously, her knuckles turning white with force and the veins on the back of her hand standing out clearly. "Wesker... so you really are here." Her voice trembled slightly, her eyes filled with vigilance and fear. Their history of working together had taught her all too well how terrifying the man before her was, and dark memories connected to him surged through her mind like a tidal wave.

Wesker gave a soft laugh, cold and utterly devoid of warmth, as though it had risen from the depths of the underworld. The next second, his body shot toward them like lightning, moving so fast that the naked eye could barely follow, leaving only a black afterimage behind.

Li saw only a flash of black before an immense force slammed into his chest, as though he had been struck head-on by a speeding train. It felt as if his internal organs had been shattered. He was hurled away by the tremendous force and crashed heavily into the wall. His Protective Suit's alarm shrieked sharply, startlingly loud in the silent laboratory. Li felt as if all his organs had shifted out of place. Blood burst uncontrollably from his mouth, staining the Protective Suit across his chest red. The taste of blood filled his mouth as he endured the agony and tried to stand again.

Natasha reacted swiftly, firing both guns at once. Bullets streaked toward Wesker like meteors. Yet the instant they neared him, he casually flicked them aside with his hand. Sparks flew from the metallic collisions, and the crisp clanging echoed through the laboratory. "Foolish insects." Wesker snorted disdainfully and swung his hand. An invisible blast of air swept toward Natasha. The powerful shockwave sent her flying, and her back smashed violently into an experiment table. She let out a muffled groan, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. For a moment, she struggled to rise, feeling as though every bone in her body had fallen apart.

Gwen hurriedly helped Ashley up from the floor, trying to find cover from Wesker's attacks. Ashley's face was pale, her eyes filled with terrified tears, and her body shook uncontrollably. Then Wesker casually waved a hand, and the experimental equipment beside him flew toward them like cannonballs at terrifying speed. At the critical moment, Wanda suddenly opened her eyes. Scarlet light ignited in her once-dull gaze, carrying a trace of resolve and determination. Scarlet Magic surged out like a tide, forming a sturdy barrier before everyone. Magic collided with metal equipment in a burst of blinding light. The enormous impact shook the ground, and cracks spread across the laboratory walls. Wanda took the impact and spat out another mouthful of blood. Her face grew even paler, and her body swayed as if she might collapse, but she still forced herself to remain standing.

"Interesting." Wesker looked at Wanda with great interest, licking his lips as greed flashed in his eyes, as though he had found a treasure he had long dreamed of. "This power... it will be perfect for improving my experiment." As he spoke, he tore open his shirt, exposing a chest covered in veins. The veins were an eerie purple, writhing beneath his skin like twisted little snakes and occasionally making faint gurgling sounds. He pulled a syringe filled with green liquid from his pocket and, without hesitation, plunged it into his heart, injecting every drop into his body.

As the virus entered his body, Wesker began to undergo a terrifying transformation. His muscles rapidly swelled, stretching his skin taut and glossy. His black trench coat burst apart, strips of fabric fluttering down like snowflakes. A layer of hard scales emerged across his skin, gleaming with a ghostly blue sheen beneath the red light. His fingers grew long and sharp, his nails becoming claws that could leave deep gouges in the floor with a casual swipe. A tail covered in spikes grew from his back, capable of smashing the nearby experiment tables to pieces with a single swing. His power surged dramatically, and an invisible pressure enveloped the entire laboratory. The surrounding equipment began to warp and deform, while glass containers exploded one after another with piercing crashes.

Li struggled to his feet, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and stared at Wesker with unwavering resolve, fury burning in his eyes. "We won't let you succeed!" He activated the full power of his Protective Suit. His Shock Gauntlet flashed with dazzling light as he charged at Wesker. But Wesker's speed and strength now far surpassed what they had been before. He merely shifted slightly aside, evading the attack, then slashed out with a claw. Li failed to dodge in time, and three bone-deep gashes tore across his shoulder. Blood gushed out, instantly staining half his body red. The agonizing pain nearly made him pass out, but he endured it and charged at Wesker once more.

Ada Wong seized the chance to circle behind Wesker, thrusting her dagger straight toward his heart. Her eyes brimmed with hatred and determination. The humiliation of being manipulated by Wesker for years erupted at that moment. But Wesker seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. His tail swept out like a steel whip, striking Ada Wong heavily in the abdomen. She cried out in pain, her dagger falling to the floor as she was flung away. She crashed into the wall and lost consciousness, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth as her body slid limply to the ground.

Just as everyone fell into despair, Gwen suddenly shouted, "Li! Look at those cables! The Virus Mother Strain's Energy Core is connected to the main lines in the ceiling! If we cut the cables, maybe we can stop the virus from activating!" Her voice carried urgency and hope. The detector in her hand flashed red as it sounded alarm after alarm.

Li followed the direction Gwen pointed and saw dense cables, like a spiderweb, connecting the Virus Mother Strain to a massive device on the ceiling. The cables flickered with eerie blue light, like the virus's veins. He gritted his teeth and charged toward Wesker again despite his injuries. This time, he did not attack head-on. Instead, he used the flexibility of his Protective Suit to continuously evade Wesker's attacks while closing in on the cables. Every dodge was perilous. Wesker's attacks grazed his body, leaving bloody marks across him.

Wesker quickly realized Li's intention, anger flashing through his eyes. "You want to destroy the core? Dream on!" He increased the frequency of his attacks. Every punch and kick carried enough force to kill, twisting the air around him into small vortices. But driven by unyielding will and a desperate desire for victory, Li weaved through the barrage. More wounds opened across his body, and blood stained every step he took, yet he never stopped moving.

Seizing his chance, he leaped into the air and smashed his Shock Gauntlet down on the cables. Boom! Sparks scattered everywhere as the cables were severed, and countless tiny metal fragments rained down. The Virus Mother Strain's red glow began to flicker erratically, and the countdown stopped with it. But before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, Wesker let out a furious roar, deafening enough to seem capable of bringing down the entire laboratory. Glass throughout the room shattered, fragments flying everywhere. "You bastards!" His body began to swell further, his power increasing exponentially. He had clearly been completely enraged. His eyes turned blood-red, and scorching breath poured from his mouth. A more harrowing battle for life and death had only just begun.