The Umbrella Corporation, as a global entity, required no further elaboration on its immense power, and as the location of its headquarters, the research base—in terms of sheer acreage and the tightness of its security—absolutely surpassed every other Umbrella facility. It could be said that the defenses here were so absolute that not even a fly could get through.

Yet, within such a fortress, hundreds of guards were soundly defeated by a single man. From the secure chambers to the central hall of the research institute, the path was densely littered with groaning guards. Although none of them were killed, anyone who had exchanged blows with Zheng Zha ended up with broken limbs, and many had multiple bones fractured.

Zheng Zha sat on the floor of the central hall, surrounded by the mass of downed security personnel. He had been merciless to every guard he encountered. However, he did not use the same brutal force on the researchers wearing white lab coats; he merely knocked them unconscious, unlike the guards, whom he left with shattered bones, all lying there moaning incessantly.

“The half hour is up. From this moment forward, anyone who attempts to attack me should be prepared to die…” Zheng Zha said, looking up from his seated position on the floor. In fact, apart from the rows of groaning guards, there was not another soul present in the hall.

Mere seconds after Zheng Zha spoke, a voice materialized out of thin air above the hall, originating from the surveillance monitors. The voice stated coldly, “Mr. Zheng Zha, do you truly believe we dare not use heavy weaponry on you? Even within this institute, we are not equipped solely with a large number of guards. This facility is equipped with security robots. Furthermore, there are meters-thick containment walls. Once those walls descend, do you think your strength can breach them? Impossible! At that point, I need only open a single toxic gas vent door to eliminate you…”

Zheng Zha waved his hand dismissively. “It makes no difference. Ending up in your hands would only mean death by dissection anyway. It would be better to turn this entire institute upside down before dying—say, by killing everyone I see and then completely detonating the research facility. In any case, I will certainly be reduced to dust, but you won't even get to keep my body for research. Whether this institute still exists would be debatable. Is that a scenario you wish to see?”

He was pure, unadulterated recklessness—a wild dog daring others to fight. Regardless of what Zheng Zha truly thought internally, his external display was utterly that of a desperate brawler. You want to dissect me? Fine, I’ll cause chaos and shatter this place with me; neither of us will escape unscathed. Who has more to lose in this standoff?

The voice clearly hesitated. After a long pause, it spoke again, “I need to report this situation to my superiors. For now, you should…”

“No need. After everything that has transpired, if I didn't know that by now, I shouldn't be in charge anyway… Hello, Mr. Zheng Zha. I am the Vice Director of this research institute, and also one of the directors of the Umbrella Corporation. You may call me Richard. We directors are extremely intrigued by the combat prowess you have displayed. Having you as a bodyguard is undeniably like keeping a small army by your side. We completely agree to your three conditions. Welcome back to the company, Mr. Zheng Zha…” An aged voice abruptly cut off the previous man’s speech, speaking with directness.

This was the truly powerful echelon of the company. Compared to the middle-aged man before, there was a vast gulf in both attitude and the decisiveness to make judgments. He instantly agreed to Zheng Zha’s demands and immediately began the process of integrating him back into the corporation. Since this G-virus carrier was not an irrational monster—meaning he still responded to concepts like power and status in a human manner—he was certainly controllable. Perhaps it was because Zheng Zha had refrained from mass slaughter that this action served as a signal to Umbrella; he did not wish to become the company’s enemy.

What followed was simple. Since Zheng Zha agreed to return, he was considered a company member. And this corporate executive was indeed a man of great boldness; he personally came to the central hall, not only meeting Zheng Zha but also conversing with him with an air of kindness. It was only when neither side displayed hostility that numerous rescue teams entered the hall to carry away all the groaning guards.

“Very good. Your strength, speed, neural reflexes, and your demeanor in handling matters… I greatly admire you, young man. Keep it up, and one day you too can become a high-level executive in the company…” The old man named Richard clapped Zheng Zha on the shoulder before smiling and departing the central hall. The matter of Zheng Zha had thus been settled.

Once the decision was made to secure him, Zheng Zha’s treatment immediately improved by countless levels. First, he was given quarters within the institute that could almost be called luxurious. Everything was provided, save for an internet-connected computer, and he was even assigned a personal secretary—a beautiful blonde woman—to manage his daily needs and requests.

(While this could be interpreted as a honey trap, it was more likely a form of surveillance?)

Zheng Zha felt no desire for such a beautiful woman; he was no stallion driven by excessive lust. In his current situation, his mind was focused more on how to contact Chu Xuan and the others. Although he didn't know why the mental link had failed, he refused to believe the Zhongzhou Team had met with disaster, and certainly not that they had been attacked by Umbrella. Between Zhan Lan’s psychic scanning and Chu Xuan’s cunning, it was impossible for the Zhongzhou Team to fall into peril—this was something he firmly believed.

This left only one explanation: the ‘Main God’ had blocked the psychic scans of this research base to increase the difficulty of this survival horror movie side-plot mission. If finding the base and scanning it mentally was all it took, where would the challenge be?

This realization brought a measure of calm to Zheng Zha. What he needed most now was to quickly grasp all the intelligence within this research facility and find a way to link up with Chu Xuan and the others outside. Although he had seemingly integrated back into Umbrella, he was, after all, a highly valuable specimen to the company, and they could not trust him entirely. Thus, while he currently enjoyed freedom of movement, his range was limited to his suite and the few corridors outside; beyond those lanes, hundreds of guards stood watch. Sneaking out undetected would be asking too much.

Regardless, on the day after Zheng Zha reached an agreement with the Umbrella executives, a team of researchers finally escorted him beyond those corridors. They needed his cooperation for various experiments related to the G-virus, despite the unprecedented nature of studying a virus carrier alongside the virus itself.

“This is the research report we have compiled regarding the G-virus within your body. Since all the current data is scarce, this report is not very detailed. One of the reasons we’ve asked you to assist with research today is to obtain more G-virus cells from you for study… Naturally, we won’t be using anesthesia or dissection on you; drawing some blood and taking a few cell slides will suffice,” a middle-aged man said with a smile to Zheng Zha.

Zheng Zha merely nodded slightly, following the researchers silently. A contingent of about a hundred guards trailed them from a distance. It was clear that Umbrella still did not fully trust him, but Zheng Zha didn't care. As he walked, he observed the surrounding environment, noting the pathways, his current location, and the deployment of personnel—all of which he silently committed to memory.

As the team moved forward, they finally arrived at a spacious, sealed chamber filled with various pieces of experimental apparatus. It also featured a massive, seemingly exceptionally sturdy door, flanked on either side by transparent bulletproof glass, which divided the large sealed room into two halves: one side housing the equipment, the other being an empty open space.

The middle-aged researcher clearly noticed Zheng Zha’s confusion. He smiled and explained, “We will be conducting some experiments here shortly, such as injecting your G-virus into various animals. To prevent potential cellular rejection or mutation, we must conduct the tests in a room like this. The walls of this chamber are constructed from super-magnetic alloy, and this glass is composed of overlapping layers of the newest type of bulletproof material. Even with your strength, you absolutely cannot break through it…”

Zheng Zha offered a cold laugh but said nothing, allowing the researchers to draw his blood. As they worked, he curiously inquired, “What about the information on the T-virus original solution that I requested? And the location of Alice, the other T-virus carrier? I have the right to know these things, don't I?”

The middle-aged researcher looked feverishly at the blood being drawn from Zheng Zha. As he took the vial, he replied, “We will provide you with the research reports on the T-virus data this evening. As for the location of Alice, the other T-virus carrier… she is currently undergoing physical repair. She sustained severe injuries previously, and her condition remains critical. We can’t even perform surgery on her yet… In short, you cannot see her right now, for her sake as well as yours.”

Zheng Zha nodded and remained silent, watching the researchers busy themselves with studying his blood. After separating some of the cells, the middle-aged researcher suddenly shouted, “Bring in several new test subjects, and prepare a Licker… Inject them all with the virus! Something must happen, hahaha…”

With that, the researcher burst into a bout of ecstatic, feverish laughter.