As he turned his head, Zhan Lan lay silently beside him with her eyes closed. Since the incident with the Alien Four, this girl had become polite and restrained when facing him, that distant composure making him feel as if he were confronting a stranger. Every time he witnessed this behavior, he could only let out an inexplicable sigh.

“Alright, everyone get up and sober up. We need to keep moving. Wake up, everyone!” Zheng Zha roared softly, his voice startling most of them awake. Except for the woman with the DV camera and the two new recruits, everyone else sat up, now alert.

Zheng Zha looked at the congested road ahead filled with vehicles. “We’re almost to the bridge from here. After crossing the bridge, we’ll find more vehicles to continue our journey. Everyone prepare yourselves; danger is highly likely starting from this point on.”

The woman with the DV camera asked curiously, “What danger? Could it be those zombies?” Zheng Zha couldn't very well tell them that he knew the Tracker would appear beneath the bridge and ambush them, so he could only reply, “Just be careful, everyone.”

With that, he was the first to step out of the bus.

After traversing past the still-burning vehicles, a large bridge appeared before them. Zheng Zha stepped onto the bridge ahead of Alice, followed closely by Alice, Jill, the big black man, and the woman with the DV camera. The remaining members of the Central Continent team followed behind them. Knowing the plot well, they deliberately slowed their pace, maintaining a noticeable distance from those in front.

As they walked, Alice suddenly looked toward the entrance of the bridge. “There’s something there. Yes, something is watching us from there.” Simultaneously, Zhan Lan connected her mental scan to Zheng Zha’s consciousness via the Mind Link. Through the scan, about three hundred meters away beneath the bridge, a humanoid creature was approaching, its Gatling gun seemingly aimed directly at them.

“Careful!” Zheng Zha roared, dropping to the ground. The others quickly followed suit. Only the big black man had terrible luck; a bullet grazed the steel railing, ricocheted slightly, and struck him in the head. The probability of being hit by a stray round like that was minuscule, yet it was deadly enough.

Jill let out a low growl and immediately helped lift the big black man’s corpse. Alice had just managed to shout, “Run!” before she could make the move to jump off the bridge; instead, she saw Zheng Zha plant his foot on the steel railing and push off hard.

He leaped over ten meters away, then angled down toward the ground, immediately accelerating toward the two-meter-tall, powerfully built humanoid monster. “Umbrella Corporation! I know you are definitely monitoring us through this thing! And you must be able to hear my voice, right?”

“Then now, I want to make a deal with you!”

“Remember, a deal—we are equals, not beggars!”

“I possess the T-Virus Ultimate Evolution form. I’m sure you are very interested in my genes. Now I’ll show you the power of these genes. If the city is targeted by missiles tomorrow, then I will also die here, and this T-Virus Ultimate Evolution form capable of strengthening anyone will vanish along with me. So, consider it yourselves,” Zheng Zha yelled loudly as he ran.

Utilizing his Qinggong, especially with his current high-level internal energy, each step carried him seven or eight meters forward. In the blink of an eye, he covered the three-hundred-meter distance, effortlessly reaching the towering humanoid monster. Before the monster could aim its heavy machine gun at him, he drove a fierce punch into its chest.

The difference in their body structures was obvious. Zheng Zha was tall and lean, but compared to the Tracker, his physical build was at a disadvantage. In contrast to the Tracker’s massive frame, which was roughly two and a half times that of an ordinary person, his was just the average size of a normal man, showing no signs of bulky muscle. This punch striking the powerfully built Tracker felt like mere scratching, especially considering the dense plating covering the creature.

Thud! A muffled sound, like a fist hitting a solid punching bag. The Tracker was actually sent flying four or five meters backward. Not only that, but Zheng Zha’s eyes suddenly glazed over. The moment he delivered that punch, he had broken through the first stage of the Genetic Lock, directly entering the second stage! To maximize his value in the eyes of Umbrella Corporation, he needed to defeat the strongest warrior they had designed—the Tracker before him—with the most ferocious and powerful combat strength!

Matt! Sorry for now! Zheng Zha thought to himself. As the Tracker crashed heavily to the ground, he charged forward and stomped viciously onto the Tracker’s right arm—the arm gripping the machine gun. With a sharp crack, the stomp landed solidly on the cement ground. The Tracker reacted incredibly fast; it appeared to have also activated the first stage of the Genetic Lock. The section of cement beneath his foot immediately cracked and buckled.

The Tracker rolled up and swung a massive punch directly at Zheng Zha. Its giant fist looked larger than Zheng Zha’s head, and the immense wind shear from the blow rushed toward him, seemingly capable of shattering Zheng Zha into pieces. Unexpectedly, Zheng Zha’s own massive muscles swelled, and just before the giant fist connected, he met it head-on with a fierce counter-punch. A sound of flesh colliding with flesh echoed, and the Tracker let out a miserable howl, withdrawing its hand.

At this moment, in a military camp on the outskirts of the city, several technicians stared blankly at a large block of data on their screens—injury reports for the Tracker, combat metrics of its opponent. This huge volume of data had left them in a stupor.

“Left—left arm comminuted fracture, fractured ribs in the chest. Combat capability reduced to about seventy percent. Computer prediction rate is less than five percent. The opponent possesses overwhelming strength, speed exceeding the Tracker One by over seven times, and strength more than three times that of Tracker One. Overall combat strength is over eight times that of Tracker One. The win rate is too low!” one researcher staring at the computer shouted.

Behind them, a young man who appeared to be a supervisor said, his face slick with sweat, “No, impossible! The Tracker is the strongest combat entity among all the bioweapons we designed. With a weapon, it can challenge an army of a hundred men. How could it possibly be defeated by such an insignificant figure? And how can someone possess such immense strength without any apparent change in physique?” As he spoke, Zheng Zha was already pressing his attack against the retreating Tracker. He never allowed the creature to exit his one-meter range because once outside that radius, the Tracker could utilize its heavy weaponry. Zheng Zha, however, did not wish to harm the Tracker—Matt’s life—so he stayed close, constantly attacking. After several more punches, he successfully dislocated the Tracker’s other arm, at which point the creature completely lost its fighting capability.

(Still not enough! This alone isn't enough!) Zheng Zha thought to himself grimly. Under the Tracker’s gaze, he suddenly charged toward a bridge. The distant team of technicians was also stunned. The supervisor said quizzically, “What is he doing? Running away? Why run away? Doesn't he have the advantage now?” Before anyone could comment further, they watched Zheng Zha sprint to the bridge and unleash a punch. This strike carried his potent internal energy. With one blow, the bridge was violently shattered across more than half its span. It wasn't just stone fragments flying; the bridge’s reinforcing steel bars were also sent soaring by the impact. A massive crater, roughly two cubic meters in size, appeared on the bridge deck. This single punch had nearly severed half the structure—this was not power attainable by a human.

Zheng Zha’s inherent strength alone was not capable of such terror. His internal energy, after being upgraded to the advanced level, retained its corrosive property, which had now grown even stronger. Eighty percent of the power in that punch was composed of this corrosive internal energy. If someone had better eyesight, they might notice that the scattered stone fragments didn't seem… but everyone's attention was focused on the massive hole in the bridge; who had the inclination to worry about mere bits of rubble?

Zheng Zha took a breath, stood before the Tracker, and continued speaking, “There is a public telephone at the intersection ahead. I know you have a way to contact me through that phone. We can discuss matters then. The T-Virus Ultimate Evolution within me is something far beyond your wildest imagination. If you want it, show me your sincerity.”

Saying this, he turned and walked toward the other side of the bridge.

Everyone staring at the computer screens in the command center swallowed simultaneously. The supervisor immediately barked orders, “Quickly, contact the Deputy Director—no, skip the Director and contact those above! Cancel tomorrow’s aerial bombardment, yes, tell them the air raid is canceled! Then dispatch five teams—no, seven teams of mercenaries into the city! Oh, and bring Tracker Two along. That experiment with superior physical conditioning—let’s see just how strong this so-called T-Virus Ultimate Evolution really is! Hahaha! If you can decisively defeat Tracker Two, then don’t even think about escaping!”