Chapter 19: Team Zhongzhou Does Not Keep Idlers

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

The five active members of the China Team were all gathered in the main plaza beneath the God's sphere. Excluding Wu Xian, the other four were fully armed, wearing form-fitting black combat suits and tactical vests laden with magazines, firearms, and other gear. They looked every bit like professional special operations soldiers, no less formidable than Matthew and his team from Resident Evil.

"Not bad, not bad at all. At last, you all look like real reincarnators."

Watching the four individuals, whose mental states and temperaments had completely transformed since first arriving in the God's dimension, Wu Xian allowed a faint smirk to tug at the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

Throughout these days, aside from the standard eight hours of sleep, Wu Xian had dedicated every waking moment to training the four, striving to ensure they could survive in horror movies within a short timeframe. Of course, standard training didn't require a jeep; that had been a "little surprise" specifically prepared for Zheng Zha.

The reason for such extreme measures was that Zheng Zha had exchanged for the bloodline of a Vampire Viscount, granting him vitality akin to a cockroach; ordinary training simply wouldn't produce significant results. Only by pushing him to such reckless extremes could he experience the terror of death and find the opportunity to unlock the first stage of the genetic limiter.

You might ask why go to such trouble? Why not just use the T-virus to force everyone to unlock their genetic limiters?

Heh, allow me to remind you of the team battle in The Grudge. Anyone who has read the original Infinite Terror knows that according to the God's rules, the moment a reincarnation team possesses three members who have unlocked their genetic limiters, the team battle mode is triggered—usually in the very next horror movie, or the one following it.

If the China Team were all to unlock their limiters now, Wu Xian’s calculations suggested they would most likely trigger a team battle in The Grudge. Everyone knows The Grudge is a recognized "hell-level" mission; adding a team battle would exponentially increase the difficulty, leading to certain annihilation if they were even slightly careless. Even for Wu Xian, even if he managed to survive, he would likely face the risk of being erased for a negative score.

Therefore, for safety, Wu Xian decided to temporarily conceal the hidden effects of the T-virus. At the very least, he would wait until the Alien 1 plot concluded, or until "that man" arrived, before considering collective unlocking.

Back to the point.

In short, the jeep training method, while appearing rooted in personal vendetta, was incredibly effective. In just half a day, Zheng Zha successfully entered the state of the genetic limiter. The sight of him lying on the ground like a dead fish afterward was the side effect of that breakthrough.

As for Zhan Lan and the other two, Wu Xian had devised training programs for them as well, though the process was significantly more conventional. Target practice, close-quarters combat, physical conditioning, reflex testing, timed weapon assembly, battlefield first aid—all these modern military training modules were adopted by Wu Xian.

And, of course, the most important training of all: getting beaten up.

To be more precise, beaten to a pulp.

It wasn't just about ravaging their bodies; it was about crushing their dignity. He would beat them while simultaneously acting as a master of verbal abuse, mocking them in every way possible to incite their rage. Once they could remain indifferent even while being pinned to the ground and humiliated, the training could come to an end. The rest would be left to reality to verify the final results.

"Are you ready?"

Wu Xian looked at the four of them, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "As previously discussed, everyone is returning to the Resident Evil world, during the gap between the first and second films. Your mission is to survive for ten days, clear as many zombies in Raccoon City as possible, and attempt to rescue plot characters like Alice and Matt from the Umbrella Corporation."

"Without a doubt, the final task is extremely dangerous. There is a constant risk of death, and it might even trigger the Resident Evil 2 plot prematurely."

"However, because of this, if you succeed, the rewards will be substantial. Based on my understanding of the God's sphere, you should each receive at least two C-rank side quests and at least 5,000 reward points."

Upon hearing the final sentence, the four held their breath. Their lingering nervousness instantly hardened into resolve. Having already experienced the benefits of enhancement, they understood the importance of reward points and side quests perfectly. Especially Zheng Zha—if he could obtain a B-rank quest and enough points this time, he could elevate his bloodline to that of a Vampire Count. At that point, his strength would grow exponentially, and he might even be able to contend with Wu Xian.

"One more thing. I will be accompanying you, but I will be operating independently. So, even if you die in the Resident Evil world, it has nothing to do with me. Don't expect me to save you."

With that, Wu Xian glanced at the four once more. "I'll ask one last time: are you all ready? If you regret this, I allow you to withdraw from this operation. But from this moment on, I will no longer consider you a teammate, and I will refuse to provide any form of assistance... Don't blame me for being cold-hearted. While the China Team is not a 'farming' team, it has one fundamental principle: we never provide for useless dead weight!"

His cold, resonant voice echoed through the main plaza. Wu Xian even utilized his mental energy; if any of them harbored thoughts of retreat, this was their final chance.

"Captain! We are ready. No one is quitting!"

Zheng Zha stepped forward, responding in a loud voice. The other three did not refute him, their attitudes making their stance clear.

"Very well. In that case..."

Wu Xian looked up at the sphere of light in mid-air. "God, have everyone transported to the Resident Evil 1 world for a duration of ten days. Deduct the reward points from my account."

As soon as he finished speaking, a brilliant light flashed. In an instant, the main plaza was empty.

Yet, a second later, the familiar light reappeared. The members of the China Team returned, though compared to a second ago, their states had undergone a cataclysmic change.

"God! Full recovery for all members! Deduct the reward points from each individual's account!"

Five beams of light descended instantly. One then retracted, lifting the four members—excluding Wu Xian—into mid-air.

Looking closely, one could see the varying degrees of damage on the four. Zhan Lan was pale, her eyes tightly shut, with bloody wounds on her left shoulder and thigh as if torn by sharp claws. Under the light of God, they were slowly healing, revealing the porcelain-white, delicate skin beneath.

The conditions of Li Xiaoyi and Mou Gang were even worse. They weren't exactly unrecognizable, but they were definitely disfigured, covered head-to-toe in blood. Fortunately, there were no fatal injuries. After about twenty minutes, they descended from the light beams, fully restored.

"That was close. I felt like I wouldn't make it back. Thank goodness for Brother Zheng..."

Li Xiaoyi wore the look of a survivor, looking back at the broken figure in mid-air with eyes full of worry and guilt.

Zheng Zha... his state could no longer be described as merely "injured"; it was true mutilation. His entire left arm was gone, both legs were clearly fractured and twisted, and there was a massive hole through his chest. One could see just how ruthless his assailant had been.

Strictly speaking, the assailant was not a person, but one of the most famous bio-weapons in Resident Evil: a powerful monster known as a "Tyrant."

The reason they had provoked these creatures was due to Wu Xian's mission—to rescue the kidnapped Alice, Matt, and other plot characters from Umbrella. However, the moment Zheng Zha and the others infiltrated the Umbrella base, they were surrounded by a large number of soldiers.

After a bitter struggle, led by Zheng Zha, the China Team barely managed to repel the soldiers and rescue Matt, who had not yet been transformed into a Nemesis. Then came the fighting retreat, attempting to escape the Umbrella Corporation.

Meanwhile, seemingly having discovered the special nature of the China Team, the antagonist of Resident Evil 2, Supervisor Cain, immediately requested the latest bio-weapon, the "Tyrant," from company headquarters to hunt them down.

There were three Tyrants, each possessing the terrifying strength to oppose a small army. They were far beyond what the current China Team could resist.

To protect Zhan Lan and the others, Zheng Zha unleashed the second stage of his genetic limiter in the heat of battle, perfectly wielding the power of a Vampire Viscount and successfully slaying one of the Tyrants.

However, it was Zheng Zha's first time entering the second stage, and he failed to manage his stamina. He quickly lost the ability to act due to the side effects, and the remaining Tyrants seized the opportunity to inflict grievous wounds.

Just at that critical moment, Wu Xian, who had been hiding in the shadows, suddenly appeared. With three strikes, he obliterated the remaining two Tyrants, finally leading the China Team and Matt out of the Umbrella Corporation's blockade, holding on until the return time limit expired.