Chu Xuan stated things with brutal frankness, chewing on a vividly green cucumber. Between bites, he remarked, "I did consider that aspect of the situation, but the probability of you being discovered by the Umbrella Corporation is only about fifty percent—half of a half, really. That’s why I didn't bother telling you. Since you can be reached no matter what happens, it's better to let you proceed naturally than to tell you and risk you slipping up..."

"Naturally stepping into your trap?" Zheng Zha asked with a bitter smile, now seated at the dining table, recounting the day’s actions over his meal.

"Trap? No, I'd call it a plan."

Chu Xuan's expression remained utterly impassive. He merely stated lightly, "The core of this plan is to let nature take its course. If you attract the attention of the Umbrella Corporation and your identity is exposed, then you might as well infiltrate their research facility. While inside, gather all necessary intelligence—whether it's completing the side mission objectives or stealing the TBD Stock Solution. With your combat power, you could turn the place upside down..."

Zheng Zha didn't actually blame Chu Xuan in his heart. As he himself had once said, this was Chu Xuan’s style: calculating every person, event, and object. While it might seem detached from human feeling, Chu Xuan possessed no sentimentality to begin with. Thinking this way, Zheng Zha's mood calmed. After all, this wasn't a deliberate setup to harm him; it was genuinely what Chu Xuan believed was the superior plan, and thus he paid no mind to anyone else's feelings... In fact, perhaps he didn't even know what 'feelings' were.

Zheng Zha swallowed his food, pondering for a moment before speaking, "Since things have progressed this far—the side mission, whether I wanted it or not, is accepted; the key characters, whether I wanted to meet them or not, have been met—there’s no point dwelling on alternatives. We'll proceed according to your intention: I'll act as the bait to infiltrate Umbrella. Under what guise, though? A GBD carrier?"

"Who calls themselves a GBD carrier? If you absolutely need a title to present yourself with, go back under the banner of a vengeful avenger. The narrative would be that you were harmed in the past and have returned specifically to seek revenge on Umbrella. With that pretext, whatever you do, the Umbrella executives won't find it the least bit surprising."

In the end, Zheng Zha had no choice but to agree to the plan. After discussing the details thoroughly with Chu Xuan—such as starting tomorrow by visiting the Umbrella Tower daily, and if Jian Lan noticed anyone tailing him, he would intentionally cause a massive disturbance, allowing himself to be 'captured' by Umbrella—it was fine, as his strength meant he could escape the research facility whenever he wished. The crucial objective was to delve deep inside and acquire vital intelligence.

"For instance, information on the TBD Stock Solution. Where it’s kept, research data, that sort of thing. Secondly, Alice's location. Since we've accepted the side mission, we have an A-rank reward of 15,000 points attached to it; these matters must all be accounted for. In short, that's the general outline. You use your GBD carrier status as an excuse for revenge to draw Umbrella’s attention, and then... we wait for those plot characters to arrive."

Chu Xuan finished his cucumber and then sat quietly beside him, murmuring to himself. Judging by his demeanor, he seemed to be calculating something new again.

This time, Zheng Zha dared not let his guard down. While Chu Xuan was laying out the entire plan, Zheng Zha quickly entered the third stage of unlocking his Gene Lock, simulating Xiao Honglv’s thought patterns. He meticulously reviewed the plan from beginning to end, only letting out a satisfied breath when he was certain there was not a single lingering trap or loophole. The saying 'once bitten by a snake' applied well here. He had been bitten by the 'snake' more than once. Even though Chu Xuan hadn't truly harmed him each time, and always prioritized the team's interests, he was always maneuvered into a situation where he unknowingly helped Chu Xuan achieve his machinations. That feeling was quite unpleasant.

"...I know you’re about to talk about mortal wisdom, but please, the next time you formulate a plan, give me a heads-up first. I wouldn't necessarily refuse. It's better than being kept in the dark and turned into a chess piece, isn't it?" Zheng Zha said with a wry smile.

"Not a chess piece," Chu Xuan countered. "But an important partner..."

"...While that may be so, I’m genuinely curious... do you truly understand the meaning of the word 'partner'?"

Regardless, by the time Jill and the others arrived, the Central Continent Team had a general outline for how to complete the mission. First, Zheng Zha would use himself as bait to infiltrate the Umbrella research facility studying TBD weapons. Then, Chu Xuan and the others would continue scouring intelligence via computers. On the day of the operation, whether it was rescuing Alice or stealing the TBD, Zheng Zha would be inside, while Ba Wang, Wang Xia, Zero Point, Zhao Yingkong, and the others operated outside. Coupled with Luogandao’s space fortress-type triple-use robot—whose power remained untested—this force would coordinate an assault from the outside, ensuring they could throw Umbrella into absolute chaos.

"This is actually an opportunity as well. Our team's strength has reached a critical threshold. We might as well use this chance to test just how powerful we are. Therefore, this time, we won't hold back." Zheng Zha clenched his fist, addressing the other team members.

Meanwhile, Jill Valentine, Carlos, the Black man Jason Rei, and even the young girl Angie, arrived at the small inn with Carlos. Upon seeing each other, there were mutual expressions of relief and reflection. They especially spoke of the previous battle against the Devil's Reincarnation Squad, believing they would never meet again, yet here they were, united once more to fight for their comrade.

"...From the intelligence we obtained, Umbrella seems extremely interested in you. They desire the evolved form of TBD, the GBD. However, after the nuclear blast, Umbrella's top brass presumed you had been vaporized in the town, so they could only take Alice back. She is currently inside Umbrella's biological research facility undergoing repairs. Her body should be fully restored in about fifteen days. We must rescue her from that facility before Umbrella can inflict harm upon her." Jill Valentine informed Zheng Zha and the others. The beautiful police officer was still clad provocatively in a micro-mini skirt and nude-colored stockings, nearly exposing her long, shapely legs. Her inherent beauty, amplified by such sexy attire, caused the innkeeper to stare with undisguised drooling until she finally entered Zheng Zha’s room, leaving the proprietor reluctant to depart.

Zheng Zha nodded, "I've already heard the specifics from Carlos, so we have decided that I will act as bait to get inside the research facility. Based on what you’re saying, Umbrella is very interested in me? Then there’s no need for them to arrest me; I’ll deliver myself to them. Once I’m inside the facility, on the very day Alice’s recovery is complete, we’ll coordinate an inside-out breakout—we’ll really tear Umbrella apart!"

At the same time, deep inside the Umbrella Corporation headquarters, behind the heavily secured main building, several computer monitors were arranged facing each other around a large circular table. On the screens of these computers appeared the images of elderly figures, seemingly representing Umbrella’s top executives.

"...That is the basic situation. We believed the GBD carrier was killed in the nuclear explosion, yet he is still alive and has infiltrated the headquarters building through methods unknown to us. He is currently still in the city, but based on the data we have, the GBD carrier possesses astonishing combat power. We dare not send personnel to track him directly, fearing we might alert him and fail to capture him..." A young man stood respectfully outside the array of computer screens, reviewing a file in his hand.

An elderly man on one of the screens spoke, "We certainly have intelligence data on the GBD carrier, but aren't the researchers in the facility divided into two factions? One faction insists the GBD cannot possibly exist, arguing that biological evolution is highly probable, but evolving a biological entity into a superhuman in a single generation—such a BD is impossible. The other faction argues that given the extreme evolutionary and reproductive capabilities of TBD, a GBD in this form is not impossible, and might even possess new functions, such as granting its host... eternal life?"

The young man hastily replied respectfully, "Yes, that is their view. And from the series of experiments we have conducted, even the TBD Stock Solution possesses a degree of aging retardation due to the cellular activation effects inherent in TBD. It can even keep the flesh of the dead mobile for dozens of hours, so for the TBD Stock Solution, the effect on the flesh of the living would be even greater, although this effect is not obvious..."

"I know," another elderly man on a screen said, his eyes closed. "Furthermore, the TBD Stock Solution is too damaging to weakened flesh, which is why we require your continuous improvements. If this GBD truly possesses such powerful activation effects, even if it causes slight damage to the body, we can completely accept it..."

The young man nodded affirmatively, "From the data we've acquired, the strength and physical attributes possessed by this GBD carrier surpass that of an ordinary human by tenfold, perhaps more. To achieve such a profound change, its physical activation must be astonishingly strong... perhaps even capable of rejuvenation."

The old men on the screens fell silent. After a long pause, one of them spoke indifferently, "...Then, capture the GBD carrier at all costs... at all costs."