"I have three demands. First, I expect to be treated commensurate with my identity. Second, my personal safety must be guaranteed. Third, you will provide me with data and information regarding the T-virus free of charge; I am also very interested in the G-virus. These are my conditions for cooperating with you," Zheng Zha said after a moment of thought.

The male voice seemed taken aback. After a long silence, only that male voice burst into manic laughter, soon joined by several other voices, as if mocking Zheng Zha’s audacity. Yet, Zheng Zha remained completely unfazed.

He simply rose slowly from the ground. When the laughter subsided slightly, he spoke, "I am not joking... It seems you haven't grasped one thing: I am not the white mouse you imagine trapped in a cage, but a ferocious beast standing face-to-face with you!" As the words left his mouth,

Zheng Zha bent down and slammed a fierce punch into the floor.

With a deafening crash—a sound akin to a rhinoceros striking steel plating—the entire sealed room seemed to shudder. By the time the men in black and the middle-aged researcher in the surveillance room could clearly see, a deep pit, over half a meter in diameter, had formed on the floor. Not only was the destructive power of Zheng Zha’s bare-fisted strike immense, but he then dug his fingers into the cavity, roared, and tore, ripping up the alloy steel layer that was three fingers thick.

This sight plunged those seated outside the monitoring screens into stunned silence. How could such a scene occur in reality? It seemed more plausible in a science fiction movie.

But the grating sound of the ruptured alloy steel layer relentlessly reminded them that this was happening in reality, confined within the sealed chamber not far from them.

Zheng Zha lifted the entire sheet of alloy steel, which spanned several square meters. Of course, based on his inherent strength alone, it was still slightly insufficient.

Thus, the moment he struck the ground, his entire being had already entered the "Explosion" state, attacking with such terrifying brute force.

The situation unfolding was actually a result of him holding back. Otherwise, a single kick would have directly blown open the steel door, several inches thick or even more; there would have been no need for all these theatrics. This was clearly just a calculated display meant to intimidate.

Zheng Zha held the massive slab of alloy steel, several square meters in size, in one hand, then let out a loud shout and smashed it violently against the steel door. With a dull thud, the door was severely dented inward. Then, he pushed off the ground powerfully.

His body shot forward toward the steel door at high speed. The instant his foot kicked the door open, his entire self transitioned into the "Destruction" state.

Just as he hurled the alloy steel block toward the door, his neck registered a slight prick. A minuscule steel needle had pierced a blood vessel near the edge of his collar. He knew instantly that this collar was intended to inject a substance capable of rendering him unconscious. Therefore, the very moment the fine needle pierced his neck, he instantly entered the "Destruction" state, gripped the collar with both hands, gave a sharp tug, and hurled it deep into the sealed room.

Scarcely half a second after he threw the collar, the steel device detonated. The immense blast wave swept through nearly the entire chamber. Had it exploded while still around his neck, Zheng Zha suspected even being in the "Destruction" state wouldn't have saved him. Realizing this, Zheng Zha himself was deeply shaken.

It wasn't just Zheng Zha who was terrified; those watching the monitors were equally aghast. Their fear wasn't rooted in Zheng Zha breaking out of the cell, but in his attempt to tear off the collar. The team leader had only exchanged a few words; he hadn't even begun uttering threats. Although Zheng Zha was confirmed as a G-virus carrier, because he still possessed his sanity, the Umbrella Corporation treated him like a high-value prisoner, using the high-explosive collar as one of their threats. In comparison, Zheng Zha escaping the cell would only necessitate sending more security guards to recapture him. But if he had died in the collar's explosion—if his body had been utterly destroyed by the blast—there would be only one outcome: the lead researcher, every scientist on the team, and all the guards would be summarily eliminated by Umbrella’s high command.

When Zheng Zha appeared unharmed on the monitoring screen, the men in black and the middle-aged researcher collectively exhaled in relief. The researcher immediately spoke, "Mr. Zheng Zha, please refrain from any more reckless actions. While we are absolutely determined to obtain the G-virus and wish to use your status as a G-virus carrier for research, this does not mean we will hesitate to kill you. Even just your corpse would suffice; we can still acquire sufficient G-virus from your remains!" Zheng Zha surveyed the surroundings near the collapsed steel door, finally spotting the surveillance camera tucked into a corner. He sneered toward it and declared, "That's not the crucial point. The critical question is... what do you have that can kill me? Let’s settle this: I will show restraint toward anyone who attacks me for the next half hour. After thirty minutes, however, I will begin to kill. I expect your reply within that time frame... If you agree to my three conditions, I will cooperate with Umbrella's research. After all, I was an employee once, and becoming a member of Umbrella later shouldn't be an issue. But do not try to subdue me again. I am making this clear: anyone who attempts to attack me with that substance will be instantly killed..." With that, Zheng Zha smiled, lifted the steel door from the ground, and hurled it violently at the surveillance camera. With a sharp crunch, the camera was smashed to pieces.

Breaching the secure chamber and then engaging the guards were actions Zheng Zha had carefully considered. First, he needed to ascertain his location within the research facility—a necessity whether he planned to escape or rescue others. Second, if his plan was to proceed, he needed to gain a certain level of leverage, at least acquiring intelligence regarding the location of the T-virus prototype. This display of strength was designed to heighten Umbrella’s interest in him, simultaneously granting him a degree of parity in negotiations with the corporation.

Zheng Zha moved along the corridor for only a few dozen seconds when he heard the dense sound of footsteps approaching from around a corner. Though he couldn't see them, based on his combat experience, the group was no more than ten meters away. He initially considered entering the "Explosion" state but paused slightly, instead activating only the state where his Gene Lock was loosened, and then charged toward the corner.

Even without activating the "Explosion" state, his speed utilizing Qinggong was extreme. He stamped hard on the alloy floor, leaving a slight imprint, and used that momentum to spring toward the wall. In the blink of an eye, the guards around the corner saw a figure charging directly at them. However, the figure seemed to be running too fast and was about to collide with the wall. But before they could hear the sound of flesh meeting concrete, they watched as the figure leaped upward the instant before impact, spun his body around, pushed off the wall with his feet, and plunged into the group of guards with unbelievable velocity.

The first guard, before he could react, felt a sharp pain in his chest and was sent flying several meters, colliding violently with two or three others before they all tumbled to the ground. Zheng Zha’s greatest strength lay in close-quarters combat—his power, speed, and nerve reaction time far surpassed ordinary humans even in his base state, especially while his Gene Lock was partially released; the movements of these men appeared like slow motion to him. After he sent one guard flying with a punch, another was just beginning to draw his stun baton. Zheng Zha seized the guard's wrist, wrenched him upward, and simultaneously delivered a fierce kick, sending the guard crashing into two or three others, sending all of them tumbling seven or eight meters away.

There were about fifteen or sixteen guards in the group. Zheng Zha had plunged into their midst head-on, neutralizing several before they could react. The rest finally snapped out of their stupor, but in such a narrow corridor, they dared not fire their weapons, opting instead to attack Zheng Zha with their stun batons. Such close-range combat offered him no real challenge. After about ten seconds, all the guards lay sprawled on the ground. Zheng Zha casually stripped off a security uniform and put it on. After being stripped of everything, he was left wearing only his underwear, which, while not hindering his combat, was hardly a comfortable way to run around naked.

"Now... let's make this place a bit more lively,"

Zheng Zha murmured with a cold smile, then continued sprinting down the corridor.

Leaping to...