Chapter 68: Formidable Aura of Killing Intent

The faint white mist of VX Nerve Gas was slowly spreading through the laboratory's vents, enveloping the entire sealed main lab in a deadly silence.

The smell of gunpowder from high-explosive grenades still lingered in the air, mixed with the thick scent of blood and the distinct bitter almond odor of the toxic gas, stinging the nostrils.

Lab benches overturned by the grenade's shockwave lay crooked against the walls, glass fragments were scattered everywhere, and the corpses of Umbrella security personnel lay strewn across the floor, dark red blood slowly seeping from the bullet holes in their chests.

A low, pained roar echoed from deep within the ventilation ducts, accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of mutated muscle rubbing against the metal walls. William in his g1 form, dragging his half-destroyed, festering body, had hidden in the deepest part of the ducts.

Grenade shrapnel had shredded the giant eye on his shoulder, and the VX gas had invaded his body through the wounds. Even if the G-Virus's regenerative abilities could barely repair his physical form, they couldn't stop the nerve gas from eroding his remaining consciousness.

He could only curl up in the darkness, letting out thick, low growls from his throat as his body, driven by the virus, began a new round of frantic mutation and proliferation.

In the center of the laboratory, in a pool of blood that had long since congealed into a dark brown, Chloe's body, which had been brutally torn in two, lay quietly. Her long silver hair was matted to her face by blood; her once clear eyes were open but devoid of any light, showing only the deathly stillness of completely dilated pupils.

But the moment the toxic gas completely filled the laboratory, the wound on her severed torso suddenly twitched ever so slightly.

Like a dying ember, a spark was reignited in the midst of a gale.

Billions of T-Virus particles, dormant deep within her cells, were instantly and completely awakened by the lethal stimulus of the VX gas. For a virus, the host's death marks the end of their survival, and at this moment, this nerve gas—powerful enough to instantly kill any adult human—became the final key to activating their full potential.

Thin, pale red protoplasmic tentacles, carrying viral activity, slowly extended from the cross-section of the severed spine and the torn muscle fibers. Like vines with a consciousness of their own, they reached toward the lower half of the torso half a meter away.

They precisely reconnected the severed blood vessels, nerve bundles, muscle fibers, and spinal vertebrae, like countless invisible hands stitching and piecing the shattered body back together bit by bit.

Under the influence of the virus, the broken bones proliferated and healed at a visible rate. The previously shredded internal organs regrew and returned to their positions within the abdominal cavity, while damaged blood vessels were rapidly repaired, reconnecting the body's entire blood circulation.

Every dying cell was frantically dividing and regenerating; nerve endings destroyed by the gas were being rebuilt. Even her chest, which had been pierced by sharp claws, was smoothing over its wounds, restoring her originally smooth and delicate skin.

This process lasted for a full hour.

During this time, Chloe had no consciousness. She was like someone in the deepest sleep, with all life activities governed by the virus's survival instinct.

Meanwhile, outside the heavy alloy lockdown door of the lab, a series of mechanical unlocking sounds rang out. A cold electronic voice announced:

【Branch Cleanup Team authorization verified. Locking door opened temporarily for 10 minutes. Repeat: unauthorized personnel remaining will trigger a secondary permanent lockdown.】

The heavy locking bolts retracted one after another, and the alloy door slowly slid open. Four figures dressed in black, fully enclosed hazmat suits and gas masks, carrying suppressed assault rifles, stepped quickly into the gas-filled laboratory.

They were the "Umbrella Cleanup Team" directly under Umbrella's North American Branch, specialized in handling scenes where viruses had spiraled out of control, destroying experimental evidence, and recovering high-value samples. Every one of them was a battle-hardened mercenary who knew Umbrella's B.O.W.s inside out.

"Target area confirmed. VX gas concentration at 370ppm, meets sterilization standards."

The lead captain raised a hand in a stop gesture, his voice coming through the gas mask's transmitter, cold and mechanical. "Number Two and I will sweep the scene for any remaining living things and recover G-Virus tissue samples. Number Three and Number Four, locate the remains of the Subject S01 and execute the recovery procedure."

"Received."

The four split into pairs, their movements efficient and alert. Their muzzles remained in a ready-to-fire position; even though the system showed no life signals in the area, they didn't relax in the slightest.

They had seen too many B.O.W.s that appeared dead but were actually in a state of suspended animation. The monsters created by Umbrella could never be judged by common sense.

Members Three and Four quickly located the pool of blood in the center of the lab and saw Chloe lying on the ground.

"Captain, S01 located." Member Three knelt down, aiming his rifle at Chloe's head while his other hand pulled out a bio-scanner and pressed it against her wrist. "Body shows lacerations consistent with the combat traces on-site. Life signals... wait, that's not right!"

On the scanner's screen, the flat line of death suddenly began to jump frantically. The heart rate soared from 0 all the way to over 200, and the cell activity value broke past the scanner's detection limit, glowing a blinding red.

Member Four immediately raised his rifle, his finger tightening on the trigger. "What's going on?! Isn't she dead?!"

Just as those words left his mouth, Chloe, who had been lying quietly on the ground, suddenly opened her eyes.

Those eyes were completely different from before. Her originally clear, light gray pupils were now covered with a faint layer of blood-red, and the whites of her eyes were filled with fine red capillaries. There was no emotion, no consciousness—only a primal, beast-like alertness and killing intent.

Before the two team members could react, her body had already moved.

Her regenerated body exploded with a terrifying speed far beyond anything before, even leaving a faint afterimage in place.

Member Three only felt a blur before his eyes, followed by a sharp pain of shattering bones in the wrist holding the scanner. He was hoisted up by an irresistible, massive force and slammed hard against the nearby alloy wall like a ragdoll.

"Thud—!"

A dull impact sounded. The hazmat suit's helmet was completely deformed from the collision. The person inside didn't even let out a scream before sliding limply to the ground, lifeless.

Member Four's pupils constricted as he immediately pulled the trigger. The suppressor let out several muffled gunshots as bullets poured toward Chloe's direction.

But in Chloe's perception, the bullets' trajectories were as slow as a frame-by-frame slideshow; she could even clearly see the rifling marks on the spinning bullets. She slid to the side, her movements fluid and without a single wasted motion, perfectly dodging all the bullets and instantly closing the distance to Member Four.

Her hand rose, her fingertips piercing through the bulletproof material of the hazmat suit to precisely grip the man's throat. With a crisp "crack," Member Four's neck bone was snapped, and his body slumped down.

The entire process took less than three seconds.

The captain and the remaining Member Two standing at the lab entrance reacted instantly, raising their guns to open fire, but Chloe had already turned. Those blood-tinged eyes swept over them coldly.

There was no human emotion in that gaze, only an overwhelming sense of pressure coming from the top of the food chain.

Their movements froze abruptly as a chill rushed from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads. They had seen Tyrants, they had seen Hunters, they had seen all of Umbrella's most terrifying B.O.W.s, but they had never felt such a suffocating pressure from any monster before.

In the single second they were dazed, Chloe appeared before them as if teleporting. With one punch, she directly crushed the captain's skull.

Member Two realized what was happening and tried to fire, but Chloe was a step ahead. She drew the backup pistol holstered at his waist, pressed it against his chin, and emptied the magazine.

Four corpses lay strewn across the floor, and silence returned to the laboratory, broken only by the intermittent hissing of oxygen leaking from the gas masks.