Chapter Nine: The Circle (Part 1)

Everything was crystal clear; the plan had no apparent flaws. So—no anxiety, no panic—just follow the steps as laid out and see it through.

And then? Observe closely, anticipate, hope, yearn—pray that nothing too unexpected happens in the process.

—Wang Luo

August 15, 1993, 3:13 p.m.
7 Frigel Street, 6.2 kilometers east of the rendezvous point, First Bank of Grizzly City

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Everything was ready.

Two trucks, five Umbrella Corporation uniforms, eight pistols, two clown masks (Wang Luo wore one himself, and handed the other to Zhou Yingxiong. Yang Wentian and Zhu Cunjia refused to wear anything, nor did Tang Xiaoxiao).

This hastily assembled team was about to embark on their first collective operation. In truth, after they arrived at the bank, the fighting didn’t last long.

They stopped the trucks, stormed the entrance, took down the security guards, and knocked out the cashiers. Of the three newcomers, none made much of a difference in the fight. Both Wang Luo and Tang Xiaoxiao were awkward—Wang Luo fired over a dozen shots without hitting a single enemy, nearly hitting Yang Wentian instead; Tang Xiaoxiao managed to shoot once before freezing in place, on the verge of tears. Ironically, Zhou Yingxiong, who had seemed half-dead until now, performed the best—he warned Zhu Cunjia of a potential ambush by a guard and wounded another.

When the fighting was over, Zhu Cunjia, who knew the place well, found the keys to the vault and the safe deposit boxes—yes, the First Bank of Grizzly City (Umbrella’s bank for financial transactions, and thus well-stocked with funds). The bank’s layout, security weaknesses, and the plan of attack had all been provided by Zhu Cunjia.

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The vault was vast. The pile of gold in the center dazzled their eyes; beyond it, stacks of US dollars and the jewels stored in the deposit boxes on either side declared the operation a complete success.

Yang Wentian looked at the gold with disdain (since neither the gold nor dollars could be taken out of this world). Zhu Cunjia seemed thoughtful (finding hidden, transferable gold without the others noticing would not be easy). Wang Luo remained calm, Zhou Yingxiong was shocked and stunned, while Tang Xiaoxiao was brimming with joy.

Afterward, Zhu Cunjia and Yang Wentian packed the loot into their spatial bags and moved it to the trucks.

The team’s joint mission ended there. Then, following Wang Luo’s plan, they split into two groups to carry out their respective tasks.

Wang Luo, Yang Wentian, and Zhou Yingxiong headed for the TV station.

Zhu Cunjia and Tang Xiaoxiao took a truckload of gold and cash to the city square to incite chaos and throw money to the crowds.

“It’s almost unbelievably smooth~” Zhu Cunjia hummed a tune, the key to a second secret stash tucked in his pocket—if zombies were everywhere, this would at least be a C-level difficulty key.

This stash would yield about ten times the profit of the hotel job, or the equivalent of six basic rookie scenarios. He tossed bundles of cash from the truck window, feeling a surge of delight.

People screamed at the sight, chasing and scrambling behind the truck. Some vehicles even gave chase. Zhu Cunjia fired a few shots at their tires, halting their pursuit. Stirring up chaos wasn’t a bad thing—the more tumultuous the situation, the greater the opportunities. Especially in the Resident Evil universe, where zombies were the main theme, today’s events were merely an appetizer.

Now, it was just a matter of waiting for Wang Luo to be erased by the Space, and for the police to storm the TV station, after which he could obtain the key to the third secret stash.

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How long could that kid last? When would the Space choose to erase him, and in what manner? Zhu Cunjia had seen people erased for breaking other rules before—most vanished in an instant, or turned into a puddle of blood.

Yang Wentian probably had his own plans. But it didn’t matter. Once Wang Luo was dead, the police’s attention would shift to Yang Wentian and Zhou Yingxiong, who had accompanied him. At that point, as long as he provided the police with enough information…

At this thought, he frowned. The fourth cache was the real headache—it was hidden in Umbrella’s underground lab, and its exact location was unknown.

Rumor had it the third cache contained clues to the fourth, but that was only hearsay. Still… was this all going too smoothly?

Was that kid lying?

From Wang Luo’s expressions, tone, and manner, Zhu Cunjia couldn’t detect a single false note. And what would be the point of lying about this anyway?

There was nothing significant to be done at the TV station.