Riding the shockwave of the blast, Zheng Zha tumbled back several meters before slamming heavily against the alloy wall. With a dull thud, he actually managed to dent the metallic surface into the shape of a human silhouette. Fortunately, the Dragon Crystal Necklace activated its function, projecting a semi-transparent shield that absorbed the missile blast and deflected the shrapnel. However, after weathering the explosion of those four micro-missiles, the light emanating from the necklace visibly dimmed.

After steadying himself, Zheng Zha spat out several large mouthfuls of blood. Although the explosion itself hadn't wounded him directly, the resultant shockwave had caused internal damage. An ordinary person subjected to that vibration would have been killed outright. It seemed the Dragon Crystal Necklace couldn't entirely negate the power of high-tech weaponry; at least against concussive force, the shock still permeated the shield and reached the body. Such a defensive item... was incomplete! For anyone without a secondary shock-dampening layer, this weakness in the Dragon Crystal Necklace was fatal! These thoughts flashed through Zheng Zha’s mind in an instant; this was a battlefield, and he had no time for lengthy contemplation.

Because several streams of visible, heavy-caliber bullets were already speeding toward him. Judging by the impact these rounds made on the alloy wall, there had to be at least four heavy machine guns positioned opposite him. For someone who had operated such weapons before,

this type of armament was all too familiar.

Zheng Zha only managed to block the machine gun fire for a few seconds before the immense power of the bullets began to overwhelm him. The Dragon Crystal Necklace was nearly depleted of energy, forcing him to channel his inner Neigong to feed it. The sheer power of the machine guns demanded a massive drain on his internal energy, so Zheng Zha hesitated no longer, drawing upon the Neigong from his ring simultaneously with his Vampire energy, activating the "Instant Annihilation" state.

"Shave!" Zheng Zha stomped his foot, deploying the Shave technique under the "Instant Annihilation" state.

In an instant, he darted forward over twenty meters at a speed invisible to the naked eye.

The machine gun fire was still trailing behind him. Simultaneously, he unleashed another technique from the "Instant Annihilation" state—a direct kick utilizing Tempest Kick—and over ten screams echoed from the central hall in the distance, interspersed with what sounded like bestial roars.

Zheng Zha leaped and launched a Tempest Kick. When he landed, he realized that in addition to hundreds of security guards, there were four Trackers facing him. Each Tracker was shouldering a man-portable anti-tank missile launcher, while gripping a massive machine gun in their right hand. However, their bulk was slightly smaller than the Tracker variant that Matthew and Eddie had transformed into during Resident Evil 2.

Even so, their size dwarfed that of ordinary men, especially since they were all clad in thick alloy armor.

That single Tempest Kick had severed more than ten guards, but when it struck one of the Trackers, it only elicited a shower of sparks. Clearly, the defense provided by the alloy armor was significantly improved compared to the steel plating worn by the Trackers in Resident Evil 2.

Zheng Zha’s speed was too great, leaving the security guards momentarily stunned. It wasn't until he landed from the air that the five hundred-plus guards simultaneously pulled their triggers, unleashing a torrent of bullets that whipped the air around Zheng Zha into a frenzy of paka sounds. This was the sound of casings hitting the protective shield before falling to the ground. When the machine guns held by the four Trackers roared to life, Zheng Zha could no longer hold the line. He was forced to use Shave again, fleeing at extreme velocity. In those one or two seconds, he had lost at least thirty percent of his internal energy.

It turned out that dense firearms fire wasn't only effective against the monsters of the Death God Legion; it posed a serious threat to him as well. If he hadn't possessed the high-tech defensive item, the Dragon Crystal Necklace, he would certainly have been eliminated given the overwhelming disparity in numbers.

"What now? I can’t just be pinned down here, can I?" Zheng Zha managed a wry smile, muttering to the ceiling.

According to the base layout map provided by Chu Xuan, there were no ventilation shafts leading directly into the central hall. Every single passage required traversing the central hall to reach other important routes. Therefore, if that area was held, he would have no way to access the other corridors. In other words, unless he could eliminate everyone in the central hall, he was effectively trapped here.

"What do I do? I don't seem to have any heavy ordnance left to wipe them out... Should I use the 'Annihilation' state? But if I use 'Annihilation' now, and run into a dense line of guards again later, won't I just get pinned down again? Damn it, I should have brought some kind of large-scale heavy weapon," Zheng Zha muttered in frustration. When he infiltrated the research base as bait, he had stored the plasma bombs in his spatial pouch, along with his other large-scale weaponry. He had assumed that his own strength, combined with the Tiger Soul, would be more than enough to face any threat in this high-tech hellscape, yet he was effectively stopped dead by the firepower of a few hundred guards. It seemed the Dragon Crystal Necklace truly was a bargain-bin item, possessing significant deficiencies as a primary defensive tool.

(What weapons do I have left? Tiger Soul—no, too short-range... Spear of Judgment—no, its power is potent against single targets... Scorpion King Bracelet—no, due to the terrain, the thousand-plus Death God Legion monsters can’t get close enough for that. What else is there? Besides the two books... the two books? Right! The Necronomicon!) A thought sparked in Zheng Zha’s mind. He quickly retrieved the black Necronomicon from his storage ring. As his power had grown, this book had seen increasingly less use. Its summoning abilities were inferior to the Scorpion King Bracelet, and its offensive spells couldn't match the power of his self-created "Explosion" and "Annihilation" skills—and they all required Vampire energy. After creating those two skills, he had largely abandoned the Necronomicon.

However, this book contained auxiliary magic beyond summoning and offensive spells, such as Earth Magic for terrain alteration. It was precisely this magic that the members of the Central Continent team relied on to escape Cairo during their previous confrontation with the India Team. This was the incantation Zheng Zha had learned from Qi Tengyi, that tomb robber—that passionate man who, in his final moments, had displayed true manliness.

With overwhelming emotion, Zheng Zha held the Necronomicon and began silently chanting the required passage. As he finished the chant, his Vampire energy was drawn into the thick black book. Immediately, Zheng Zha felt the ground shake violently, as if an earthquake had struck. Between his current alley and the central hall, alloy steel walls, three to four meters high and resembling a staircase, erupted from the ground. It turned out this magic wasn't only responsive to rock and sand; it reacted to any surface, whether it was steel alloy or not.

Dozens of guards were already standing atop the newly formed alloy walls. As the ground rose, they found themselves perfectly positioned on the emerging structure, making them the first casualties Zheng Zha cleaved in two. Zheng Zha naturally seized this perfect opportunity. As the terrain shifted, he had already burst forward in his "Explosion" state, crossing the distance to the alloy steps in mere seconds. He swept his Tiger Soul horizontally, and no one remained standing before him. Then, without hesitation, maintaining the "Explosion" state, Zheng Zha leaped from the alloy steps directly into the crowd below...

Meanwhile, another battlefield involving the Central Continent team was proceeding with unchecked momentum. Under Chu Xuan's direction, every team member’s abilities and combat strength were maximized. This style of command was certainly no inferior to Zheng Zha’s leadership, and perhaps even surpassed it. However, Chu Xuan’s methods were always consistent with his strategic approach: calculating gains and losses based on probability, and driving tactics through benefit. For example, using one member as bait until the Dragon Crystal Necklace lost a certain amount of energy before the others eliminated the guards, or ordering Zhao Yingkong to conduct stealth attacks, provided the guards were few and the operation didn't take too long. Alternatively, having Ba Wang level a room with heavy weapons, but only if he confirmed the room held no vital assets. In essence, in his mind, team command was inseparable from probability and profit, a stark contrast to Zheng Zha’s style, which was forged entirely from his experience navigating countless life-or-death situations.

Thus, Chu Xuan and the others broke through into the depths of the weapons testing facility unimpeded, completely clearing out the internal defense systems. Several defensive robots were neutralized by Zhang Heng’s long-range +3 enchanted arrows. Aside from the timid man who was feeling slightly weak-kneed from witnessing too much bloodshed, all team members were completely unharmed.

Chu Xuan glanced at a thick stack of documents in his hand and a small vial filled with thick, viscous liquid. While examining the files, he spoke, "That’s the basic situation. The Central Continent team's combat power is formidable, but there is still significant room for improvement... I now have a basic understanding of both of your fighting capabilities and anticipate your performance in the next team operation... Now, let’s vacate the weapons testing facility... Oh, Zhao Yingkong, go notify Zheng Zha on your way. Tell him I saw a self-destruct countdown on the central computer here. It looks like both bases are set to detonate. We have seven minutes to escape. If you don't want to die, rush out quickly and use the Green Goblin Skateboard. Over and out."