The rest of the team seemed unable to sleep as well; even Alice and the others had only managed a brief doze before everyone sat stiffly on the bus, silent.

Alice suddenly broke the quiet. "Zheng Zha, what are your plans now? Since you've caught Umbrella Corporation's attention, I imagine they'll send heavy forces to track and capture you. You won't be able to escape."

Zheng Zha stared out at the inky blackness of the night, murmuring, "I don't plan on running anymore. I'll fight back however I must. What about you? What do you intend to do? It seems you're also one of Umbrella's pre-selected test subjects." Alice sighed and fell silent, while Jill lit a cigarette, took a drag, and said, "Whatever must be done. We need to expose the truth about Umbrella Corp, let the world know what kind of company this is. It would be best to broadcast everything globally. It'll be difficult, but if I make it out of this city alive, I will dedicate every effort to accomplishing it. After witnessing the horrors inflicted upon the people in this city, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't act."

The woman with the DV camera had been recording every conversation. Just as she was about to speak, the bus slammed on its brakes, nearly throwing everyone forward. Simultaneously, a Black man appeared at the window, grinning at the occupants. "Hey everyone, hello! Officer," he called to Jill, "Do you remember me? You saved me with your gun back at the precinct. Look, I'm clean, totally unharmed, no bites. How about letting me join you?" Jill nodded to the others, Cheng Xiao whistled sharply, and then opened the door. The man immediately scrambled aboard, ecstatic. "Thank you so much, hahahaha! We’ve been moving non-stop, and every time we stopped, the zombies gathered around me. My legs are numb from walking. At least now I can finally sit down for a bit. Everyone, my name is Jason Ray, but you can call me LJ in casual settings."

This newcomer was clearly a talkative sort. As soon as he was on board, he began chattering incessantly. In the oppressive silence, his presence offered a slight easing of the tension, though the others lacked the inclination to engage. Thus, the journey was mostly filled with Jason’s sporadic monologue.

"Before I ran into you folks, I saw a massive zombie Mastiff pass down another street. That dog looked absolutely terrifying—easily bigger than a lion. It took off the heads of other infected dogs with a casual bite. I was lucky it didn't see me, or I wouldn't even know how I died."

Jason muttered, still shaken by the memory.

Alice finally snapped. "Alright, just shut up! This city is crawling with the infected; nothing you see should be surprising anymore."

Jason just chuckled. "That might not be true. I also saw a zombie carrying weapons—over two meters tall, a massive brute! It wasn't eating flesh either; it was just killing people with a heavy machine gun and a rocket launcher. The destructive power was terrifying. If I hadn't reacted quickly, I might have been pulverized on the spot, hehe." The group exchanged glances. They knew Jason was describing the Tracker. Then, they looked at Zheng Zha again; this man was clearly more fearsome than the Tracker, having managed to knock that creature down in close quarters. His power far surpassed that of an ordinary human.

As they spoke, the bus gradually passed the city center and began moving toward the elementary school. The density of the infected increased along this route. Although the bus smashed through them, it couldn't clear every single zombie; many were crushed under the wheels, leaving bloody messes on the asphalt. Helplessly, the occupants resorted to shooting any zombie that got too close. The infected kept multiplying, but fortunately, the bus moved swiftly, carrying them away before a massive horde could fully assemble. They were getting steadily closer to the school.

After another forty minutes of driving, the outline of the elementary school vaguely appeared ahead. This stretch of road was strangely quiet—no zombies, not even a flicker of light. It seemed unnervingly peaceful here.

The group disembarked from the bus. Zheng Zha and Alice led the way, followed by the rest of the team and the others. Along the roadside, two Hound transport vehicles sat with their gates wide open. The cages that had held the Hounds were all empty, meaning the formerly healthy canines had almost certainly turned into zombie dogs.

Zheng Zha paused to think. "No need for everyone to search for Angie. Here’s the plan: Alice, Zhao Yingkong, and I will go inside to look for the girl. Everyone else stays here on standby. Cheng Xiao, Zhang Heng, Jill—you three are responsible for everyone's safety. That’s the setup. Zhan Lan, can you track the girl?" Zhan Lan closed her eyes and shook her head. "No, I can't find any trace of her. You need to go look for her yourselves. Be careful."

Jason and the two newcomers, already unnerved by the eerie school, nodded vigorously upon hearing Zheng Zha's plan. Zhang Heng and the other two also nodded silently, gripping their weapons and spreading out in three directions to maintain vigilance. Seeing this, Zheng Zha nodded and walked inside.

As he walked, Zheng Zha told Zhao Yingkong, "Zhao Yingkong, those dogs are fast, so avoid close combat. Stick to the wire. Wait up, everyone."

Zheng Zha suddenly chuckled. He pulled several bone fragments and a handful of sand powder from his Na Jie (Storage Ring). Then, he produced the Livre des Morts (Book of the Dead) and began chanting in the esoteric, ancient Egyptian tongue. Immediately, the mixture of bone and sand began to fuse and transform. Within seconds, four Mummy Warriors stood before the trio.

Zhao Yingkong’s expression remained calm and lethal, but Alice shrieked in alarm, instantly raising her firearm toward the mummies while shouting, "Zheng Zha! What in the hell are you doing? What are those things? Are they zombies? Are they the hyper-evolved T-Virus variants you mentioned?" Zheng Zha quickly lowered her arm. "Heh, relax. I control these things; they pose no threat to you. Go! Kill every zombie on this campus!" The four Mummy Guards, weapons brandished, spun around sharply and immediately sprinted off in different directions across the grounds.

Their speed was astonishing; they vanished in a flash, running straight up walls and across ceilings.

Alice watched until the mummies disappeared completely before slowly lowering her handgun. "What in the world were those things? Zheng Zha, are you some kind of sorcerer? Using these demonic tricks? Tell me, what exactly was that?" Zheng Zha waved his hand dismissively. "Just a few minor tricks. Don't worry about it, hehe." Before his words had fully faded, violent gunfire erupted from a classroom on the second floor, followed by a man’s enraged roar. The three exchanged a look and instantly sprinted upstairs.

As soon as they reached the landing, a machine gun leveled squarely at them, its red laser sight settling precisely on their foreheads. Before them stood a man in mercenary gear, snarling, "Damn it, are you trying to scare me to death? If you’re alive, say something! What was that thing just now? A bony figure in armor, carrying a weapon and running across the ceiling? I thought it was a Licker! Didn’t you see that thing run past when you came up?" The trio could only offer wry smiles. What this man described was clearly one of the Mummy Guards Zheng Zha had just summoned. To think that they hadn't even killed half a zombie yet, and one of their own creations had already been scattered by this man. However, it wasn't entirely his fault; given that the world was overrun by the undead, encountering an armored, armed skeleton sprinting by would startle anyone. At least this mercenary had some self-control; he hadn't just started firing at any moving shape, which would have left the three of them truly speechless.

The mercenary vented his adrenaline until his shock subsided, then let out a breath. "Damn, that really got me. Got a smoke?" Zheng Zha wryly retrieved cigarettes from his Na Jie, tossed one to the man, and asked, "Are you looking for that girl too? Have you found her?" The man lit the cigarette, took a deep drag, and replied, "Good smoke. No, haven't found her yet, but the Captain has gone to the upper floors. Our chances are slim; all the students along the way turned. The little girl has likely turned too. Sigh... well, we’ll keep trying our best to find someone."

"Excuse me, are you looking for me?" A small, timid girl's voice drifted from the darkness. In the sudden quiet, the group instantly jumped. Alice and the mercenary immediately aimed their guns in that direction.

A little girl stepped tentatively out of the shadows. Fear touched her face, but underneath it was an overwhelming sense of excitement and relief. She jumped to—