Section Eight: The Operation Begins
What am I doing?! This is dangerous! They’ll see right through me! I’m going to lose!
I’ll die!!!
Things are bound to spiral out of control.
—Wang Luo
August 15, 1993, 1:32 PM
Umbrella Corporation Warehouse No. 5, Martin Street, 12 kilometers northwest of the rendezvous point
———
Only two people were assigned to the operation: Zhu Cunjia and Yang Wentian. Their objective was to seize the company’s truck and uniforms.
“Umbrella Corporation has a mid-sized warehouse on Martin Street. For some reason, it’s already half-abandoned. Security isn’t tight. We should be able to get both the truck and the uniforms from inside.”
After Zhu Cunjia said this at the café, Yang Wentian was even more puzzled about his purpose for entering this scenario.
Before coming here, Yang Wentian had depleted all his resources practicing his skills. Guiding newcomers was the only thing left for him to do—earn a little in an easier scenario to prepare for the coming battlefield.
But Zhu Cunjia didn’t seem to be here for that at all... For one, there shouldn’t be two guides in a newcomer scenario; for another, he seemed far too familiar with this setting.
If an experienced contractor enters a newcomer scenario, the rewards drop dramatically. Usually, it’s only done by large team members, and only for rare equipment with special effects—even then, not in the Biohazard world.
Wait, this isn’t Biohazard—it’s “Aberration Crisis.” What’s going on? Scenario names don’t usually change like this.
Maybe it’s a trap. He couldn’t rule out the chance that Zhu Cunjia was here to guide his own team’s newcomers. Wang Luo, Tang Xiaoxiao—they could all be veterans. Maybe a bunch of old hands had entered this scenario by various means, causing all these changes...
———
A blade cut through the darkness, slicing into a fragile throat. Blood spurted forth, a wail sounded, and the body crashed to the ground.
I’m not suited to overthinking. Yang Wentian wiped the blood from his knife and shook his head.
Whatever their agenda, I have almost nothing left to lose. There’s nothing for me to fear! Even if they come after me, I still have my comrades to rely on.
Cold, hard, sharp steel.
Wang Luo... he probably isn’t working with Zhu Cunjia.
He couldn’t explain why, but the feeling was strong. So Yang Wentian went with his instincts—he’d clawed his way out of death’s grip by trusting his gut before, and he always did so.
Taking a key from the corpse, he stepped forward, unlocked the truck, and tossed in the three stolen Umbrella Corporation uniforms before starting the engine.
By the time he finished, another truck had already roared off—Zhu Cunjia’s side must be done as well.
If they weren’t on the same side, and if most of what Zhu Cunjia said was true... then was Wang Luo the wildcard?
At least, from the way he looked, he didn’t seem strong.
Yang Wentian started the truck and followed after Zhu Cunjia. His mind was full of his conversation with Wang Luo before departure.
“How did you know he had problems at home?”
“He reeks of the scent of a rejected, desperate, rutting male. Did you notice the look Tang Xiaoxiao gave him? Nine times out of ten it’s that sort of thing.”
“How could the system... Even if you told him all that, it wouldn’t do any good.”
“Oh, you never know. It could be of some use. I’ve never met a truly useless human.”
———
“So as long as someone can be of the slightest use, you’ll deceive him?”
“Deceive? I never lied from start to finish. Slander is a bad habit.”
“He’ll probably die, not solve his problem.”
“I never said he wouldn’t. Think carefully—did I ever say he wouldn’t die?”
“But you said—”
“Of course! On the battlefield, if he wins, his problems will be solved naturally; if he dies, the problem is solved as well—a dead man feels no fear, no inferiority, and certainly no pain over a woman. Isn’t the problem resolved?”
...That’s disturbingly logical. For a moment, Yang Wentian was speechless, his lips twitching before he let the matter drop.
Even if someone like that musters their courage, what good would it do?
That man, Zhou Yingxiong—if he really entered combat, facing a horde of zombies, he’d die in minutes. If he didn’t wet himself, it’d be a miracle.
But what’s it to me? I’m not responsible for someone I’ve only known for three hours. Wang Luo, on the other hand...
According to Wang Luo himself, he exuded a powerful presence.
Is he the wildcard? The one who makes the risk and reward so uneven? Is following his plan the only way to survive?
No, it’s too early to tell. I need to watch a little longer.