Suddenly, the lights flickered, then came on, illuminating the scene with a pale glow. Before I could react, a searing pain tore through my back, accompanied by the dull crack of a gunshot. I staggered under the impact, the force of the bullet pushing me forward, but I fought to stay upright, refusing to succumb to the pain ripping through my body.
I turned around as fast as I could, and was met with chaos. A group of ten armed individuals stood before me, their weapons spewing bullets at my zombies. My dogs, reacting instantly to the threat, lunged forward, unleashing their fury.
Without hesitation, I hurled myself into the fray, weaving between enemy fire and my own creatures. Bullets whistled past, some slamming into my torso and limbs, but I didn't falter. My focus was locked on the objective: neutralize the enemy before they could overwhelm us.
In the chaos, I managed to isolate the one who looked like their leader. With a quick, brutal move, I snapped his arms, his screams of agony echoing as I turned to his companions—only to see them already lying in pools of blood, their throats shredded by my four-legged allies.
I hurriedly converted them into Zombie Gs before turning back to the howling man.
"I'll ask you only one question," I growled, approaching slowly, my voice thick with menace. "Where's the money Umbrella gave you? Answer, and your death will be swift. Refuse… and I'll show you pain you can't even imagine."
His face turned pale, the terror in his eyes momentarily breaking through the agony. Despite the pain, he managed to speak, desperation seeping into every word.
"There's a safe," he stammered. "Behind the painting in my office… but I don't have the code. Only the depositor and the chief scientist do."
I stared at him for a second, then leaned in.
Without a word, I bit his hand and slit his throat in one precise motion. His stunned eyes met mine briefly, but I'd already moved on. I gave a signal to one of my dogs, who immediately bit into the corpse.
The man stood up moments later, his throat wound sealing before my eyes. A chill ran down my spine as I realized how far this regenerative ability could go.
On impulse, I tried biting the hand of one of my T-Zombies to convert them—without success. Apparently, the conversion only worked on recent infectees.
Determined, I followed the zombified man back to his office. My eyes settled on a painting—a stylized red rose intertwined with white lilies, forming an abstract Umbrella logo.
"How original," I muttered sarcastically, as the zombified boss returned to storage.
The reinforced steel safe stood behind it, mocking my strength. It was like something out of a heist movie, only here, the stakes were real. I clenched my fists and started pounding.
Each strike echoed in the room. The metal creaked under my blows. A small voice in my head told me this was madness—brute force would never work. But I silenced it. I had learned to embrace pain. My body would recover. My mind had only one goal.
The minutes dragged on, every second a war of attrition between me and the vault. My knuckles split, my skin tore, but I kept going. I had to.
Finally, a small give in the steel. One last blow shattered the lock, and the vault door crashed to the ground in a cloud of dust.
I looked down at my bloody fists, watching the skin slowly knit itself back together. The pain ebbed into a familiar warmth.
DING
The host has sustained a powerful impact.Resistance has exceeded 3000 kg/cm².
Choose one bonus:
Reinforce bones beyond tempered steel
Boost regeneration speed and endurance
Strengthen flesh to surpass titanium
I immediately selected regeneration. In this world, the ability to recover was more valuable than any armor.
Congratulations. A reward remains for exceeding a certain speed threshold.Thank you for your continued efforts.
I peered into the vault. Bundles of bills were stacked neatly in columns. Without hesitation, I transferred everything into my inventory. Over $110,000. A fortune in the days to come.
Alongside the cash, I found several research files—but no author names, no company logos. Everything was anonymous. That only deepened my distrust of Umbrella. They were hiding something. I would uncover it.
I also grabbed the vault door itself—over 200 kilos. It could serve as a makeshift shield. Damaged on one side, but still sturdy enough for combat.
Only one place left to check: the corpse pit.
I headed toward it, steeling myself for what I might find.
The scene below was a nightmare. Corpses, some still twitching, others already rotting, were moving with grotesque spasms. Some had mutated—Head Blades. Others… were worse.
Crimson Heads.
Ten white-skinned zombies. Twenty red. Their reddish tone and stillness made them hard to detect. Lethal.
I summoned my G-Zombies and unleashed them into the pit. The battle erupted instantly. But with my guidance, coordination, and sheer power, we took control.
The Crimsons took only 10 seconds to absorb. I flipped the first one onto his stomach.
Crimson Head successfully absorbed.Now available in the factory.1 Crimson produced every 12 hours.5 Crimsons available immediately.
In a flurry of motion, I converted 19 more. All drawn to me. All mine now.
Meanwhile, the Pale Heads were being held off by my mafia subordinates, backed by Jordan and his clones. Around me, the battle raged—but I stayed focused. Every conversion tipped the scales.
I reached one of the Pale Heads and pinned it.
T-Virus Variant Detected: Regeneration MaterialFactory-wide regeneration improved per collected sample.Immediate absorption in progress…
I quickly gathered the remaining nine Pale Heads, carefully noting that their regen bonus was lower than that of base Pale Heads. Still, as long as they were collected alive, they'd recover. With enough, the bonus would scale.
With the area cleared, I climbed out of the pit, fingers digging easily into the steel. I left the macabre lab behind me.
I erased every trace of my presence with obsessive care.
As I passed through a side room, I noticed a crate of grenades I'd missed earlier. Fate's little gift. I grabbed ten and stored them in my inventory.
The remaining three? I pulled the pins and threw them into piles of flammable material near the operating tables. A chill of satisfaction ran down my spine.
Six seconds later, explosions roared behind me—then even stronger blasts followed. The factory ignited.
I ran. Flames closed in around me. Heat licked at my body. My steps thundered through the collapsing hallways.
I reached the exit in a final, desperate leap, ripping the door open as flames chased me out. I hit the ground and rolled, trying to smother the fire.
"Fuck, that hurts!" I screamed, the pain of burning flesh a savage reminder that I was still human—if barely.
My clothes were shredded. My skin blackened. But I would heal.
The host has taken X/fire damage.No modifiers applied.
I fled through the night. Reaching my apartment, I climbed in through the window, avoiding any attention.
I dropped my gear on the floor and headed to the shower. The water rinsed away the ash and loose skin.
"Body," I muttered.
Body: ON/OFF
Strength: 1943 kg / 80 kg
Speed: 75 m/s / 10 m/s
Resistance: 3562 kg/cm² / 3562 kg/cm²
Slight resistance to flames and heat
I exited the bathroom and placed my burned clothes in my inventory, to dispose of them later.