Though there was no outright explosion, the people inside the aircraft were thrown around mercilessly. The entire helicopter was nearly crumpled beyond recognition, leaving several occupants bleeding from facial injuries. Jason, in particular, had dislocated his entire arm from the impact.

Carlos reacted the quickest. The instant he regained consciousness, he yelled, "Everyone, get out now! This chopper is about to blow!" With that, he grabbed the two people nearest him and hurried toward the rear exit.

Zheng Zha and the others just snapped back to awareness. They quickly helped their battered comrades rise and scrambled out of the wreckage. From the outside, they could clearly see fuel leaking from the helicopter's tank, running directly toward the area of the flames. Before they had even gotten twenty meters clear, a wave of explosive pressure slammed into them from behind. The transport helicopter instantly erupted into a massive fireball, and the shop beneath it finally collapsed in the blast.

They ran another ten meters before finally stopping, all gasping for air. Zheng Zha sucked in a few deep breaths and immediately shouted, "Zhan Lan, what’s the distance now?" As he reached to pull out the communication box to contact the Umbrella Corporation executives—to tell them to ground the remaining armed helicopters to pick them up so they could continue toward the city checkpoint—he saw the few remaining attack choppers in the sky begin to plummet rapidly.

Their descent was visibly more catastrophic. Several armed helicopters slammed directly into the surrounding high-rises before exploding into huge balls of fire. The situation was undoubtedly far worse than what Zheng Zha's group had endured; the fact that they had survived at all was a miracle amidst the disaster.

"No chance for a quick exit then," Zheng Zha said to the others with a bitter smile.

Zhan Lan opened her eyes at that moment. "We are still nearly seventy kilometers from the checkpoint. My current scan range just barely reaches it. If we move forward about three kilometers from here, there is an underground parking garage. We should find usable vehicles there."

Zheng Zha let out a long breath. "Let's go. We can talk strategy on the move, Zhan Lan. Link the local terrain map to my mind."

Zhan Lan nodded and immediately connected the mental scan coverage for the seventy-kilometer radius to Zheng Zha's consciousness. Furthermore, as Zheng Zha focused his thoughts, this mental scan could zoom in and provide detailed markers for any specific area. After several minutes, Zheng Zha finally spoke, "Right here. This will be the battle location."

According to the plan previously established with Xiao Honglu:

Once they were less than one hundred kilometers from the checkpoint, the group would have to split into separate escape teams. Zheng Zha’s unit would be responsible for powerful interception. He could also simulate Zero’s consciousness to execute long-range sniping attacks. The second unit would be Zhao Yingkong, positioned near Zheng Zha’s location. If anyone decided to attack Zheng Zha and try to neutralize that sniper point, it would be her moment as the assassin to strike.

Zhang Heng would position himself at an even greater distance. His objective was to guard Zhao Yingkong and Zheng Zha. His Wind Arrow combined with Mind Condensation would grant him unparalleled destructive power. If the enemy dared to engage him on the ground, the very first arrow would guarantee the instant kill of an opponent! Even if it didn't kill them outright, it would certainly render the targeted enemy combat-ineffective in a split second! Although these three operated as separate units, in terrain that offered complexity, their attacks could interlock, effectively meaning the three of them could hold back the Demon Reincarnation Squad for at least several tens of minutes, perhaps longer. Crucially, they had to prevent the Demon Reincarnation Squad from catching up to the fourth team immediately.

The fourth team—Xiao Honglu, Cheng Xiao, Zhan Lan, the two newcomers, plus the six plot characters—would cooperate to reach the checkpoint entrance. While Zhan Lan would provide the Mental Chain and psychic scanning to the other three, Xiao Honglu would improvise solutions for escape or attack strategies. Cheng Xiao would serve as the final line of defense, as most of this group, apart from him and a few plot figures, were essentially dead weight with no combat ability. "The basic situation is as I stated: the team divides into four groups. The three of us [Zheng Zha, Zhang Heng, Zhao Yingkong] can escape independently in complex terrain. Even if we die, by eliminating one of them, we can still ensure the survival of the Central Continent team. You all must reach the checkpoint as fast as possible, because if you die, we also accrue negative points, leading only to total annihilation," Zheng Zha told the others plainly.

He continued staring at the mental scan map in his mind. After a long pause, he murmured, "The specific interception point will be right here." This was the last area of complex street layout before the open road outside the checkpoint—beyond this point lay straight roads resembling a highway. In other words, if the Demon Reincarnation Squad wanted to use vehicles for a high-speed pursuit of Zhan Lan's group, they would have to pass through the firing zone of the trio. A divine bow capable of shooting down a celestial wolf, and a high-precision sniper rifle—both weapons could target the Demon Reincarnation Squad from a distance. This was their best, and only, method to buy time. "From here on, we leave it to fate."

The group ran forward and soon arrived at the designated underground parking garage. Even before they got close, several Zombie Dogs were already barking and charging up from below. These dogs were visibly much stronger than previous encounters, covered everywhere in grotesque tentacles, but their musculature and physique had clearly hardened; they were no longer masses of rotting flesh, looking more like they had been parasitized by some insect—horrifying and repulsive.

The group’s firearms were not to be underestimated. They shredded the dogs into fragments before they could reach striking distance. Having survived several massive zombie battles, the team's resolve had clearly hardened significantly. Even the woman holding the DV camera and Jason showed no change in their expressions. It was Miao Ruoleng who landed the final blow, blowing one of the Zombie Dogs’ heads apart with a Desert Eagle round.

"Our team is strong, and we have the reason and potential to grow even stronger. So please, God, do not let all my companions die here. I beg you!" Zheng Zha thought to himself as he took the lead toward the underground parking garage entrance. But before he had taken more than a few steps, a strange sensation of dread washed over him from directly overhead. When he looked up, he saw several tentacled zombies hanging upside down from the ceiling and walls. Among them, numerous corpses were being actively absorbed and wriggled by the tentacles. It wasn't just bodies; everyone watched as a Licker was half-consumed by the writhing appendages.

"Whoa!" Carlos shrieked first, raising his rifle and firing continuously at the upper-right angle above them. The bullets clearly startled the tentacled zombies, which began to writhe slowly. One of the tentacle zombies detached from the ceiling and dropped down.

Zheng Zha quickly retrieved an ultra-high explosive charge from his dimensional storage ring. He pulled the pin but didn't throw it immediately; instead, he silently counted down the time in his mouth. When the countdown hit zero, he hurled the explosive charge toward the roof of the garage and simultaneously threw himself backward, knocking several people behind him to the ground. Immediately, a blast of searing heat rushed at him from behind, followed by the violent, terrifying shockwave of the ultra-high explosive—it sounded like countless cars detonating simultaneously.

The entire parking garage seemed to tremble. Just as everyone feared it might collapse, the shaking stopped. They finally had a chance to look inside. The charge had detonated before hitting the ground, so the vehicles on the floor were not severely damaged—at most, a few car windows were shattered into dust. However, several large vehicles within the structure were blown into pieces, appearing completely irreparable from the outside.

Zheng Zha managed a wry smile. He led the group toward a Mercedes-Benz, saying as he walked, "Four people per vehicle. Stop being picky. Take the best sports car you can find and hit the road. Myself, Zhang Heng, and Zhao Yingkong—we’ll take one car. If everyone agrees, choose your vehicle and drive out immediately. Remember, keep moving toward the checkpoint. Do not fall behind or have any accidents, Cheng Xiao, I'm counting on you for them."

Cheng Xiao, who was trying to open the door of a red BMW, paused when he heard Zheng Zha's voice. He turned around seriously and stated, "I can’t vouch for the men, but I guarantee the protection of the girls. If a girl gets hurt before my blood runs dry, wouldn't that be the ultimate shame? Don't worry, I will absolutely keep my promise!" Zheng Zha sighed deeply and cast one more glance at the others—whether Zhan Lan, Xiao Honglu, the two newcomers, or the plot characters—these were the comrades who had relied on and supported each other during this time. From this moment forward, he would fight desperately for them. This battle would not end until death!