Chapter 25: A Breakout? Why Not Just Kill Them All!

"Move, move, move!"

Under the cover of a pitch-black night, various assault teams were rapidly advancing toward the forest in the north. It was not just the five teams originally guarding the southern urban district; the three teams that had been stationed to the east and west had also joined the movement.

"Faster! We cannot let James and his group reach the depths of the forest! The Director has issued a kill order—we must intercept them at all costs!"

They were heavily armed, carrying powerful weapons, including anti-tank rocket launchers—deadly tools that had previously been forbidden for use, for fear of damaging the Red Queen's motherboard. However, the sudden annihilation of the three assault teams in the northern woods had clearly put Umbrella on high alert.

They had decided that if the situation turned sour, they would immediately initiate a scorched-earth policy, destroying James and his group regardless of the consequences. Even if it meant destroying the Red Queen's motherboard, it was a sacrifice they were willing to make. The motherboard was valuable, but compared to the risk of James and his group escaping—or worse, exposing the company's secrets—it was secondary.

This world was not simply the world of *Resident Evil*. While the Umbrella Corporation here still wielded immense influence, it was unlikely to reach the level of global total control. If news of the T-Virus were to leak, the company would face an unprecedented catastrophe. It was not inconceivable that the entire corporation could collapse under such a scandal. Compared to that, the motherboard was truly insignificant.

Of course, that was the worst-case scenario.

"With eight assault teams participating in the encirclement, no matter what tricks James has up his sleeve, he cannot possibly break through!"

Raccoon City. Umbrella Corporation headquarters. The top floor.

Caine, the director temporarily overseeing the operation, was watching the battlefield from afar through several monitors. He held a walkie-talkie in his hand, ready to provide remote support and command.

Suddenly, on one of the screens, amidst the darkness of the night, he caught a faint glimpse of three red lights approaching the five assault teams near the southern district.

"What is that?"

Because it was a remote feed, the three red lights were tiny and blurry. Sometimes they seemed to vanish entirely, making him wonder if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Just as he realized something was wrong and prepared to contact the assault teams—

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Three consecutive explosions detonated directly above the five assault teams. The terrifying shockwaves instantly tore through the internal organs of every member. After the violent tremors subsided, not a single soul remained alive. When the fire died down, only a field of corpses was left on the ground.

"Dammit!"

Director Caine smashed his walkie-talkie against the floor, shattering it into pieces, his expression twisted in extreme rage.

"James! I will kill you!"

Five entire assault teams, just like that, gone. Added to the three teams lost in the northern woods and the three in the mansion, he had already lost eleven assault teams in total. These were not mere cannon fodder; each member was an elite operative. Raccoon City, acting as one of the Umbrella Corporation's U.S. headquarters, only had twenty assault teams in total. Five were permanently stationed at the main building, and fifteen had been deployed to the Hive. With James’s team having "defected" and eleven others wiped out, he had lost more than half of his armed force.

Even as a high-ranking executive, this was a catastrophic failure. He could already imagine the reprimands he would face from his superiors; he might even lose his position. One could only imagine the depth of his hatred for James.

However, Caine had no idea that Yu Fei was the one behind all of this. Even during their previous encounter, Yu Fei had taken great care to conceal his presence. In the eyes of Caine, James remained the mastermind from start to finish. Poor James was, unknowingly, shouldering a massive scapegoat.

...

"Ding!"

"Host has acted with benevolence; the merit is immeasurable!"

"Merit points +58!"

Current Merit: 130 points!

"Not bad!"

Yu Fei looked at his merit points, which had once again crossed the century mark, and felt quite satisfied. He could upgrade another Level 3 skill. However, he looked at his current Level 2 skills—Throwing and Computing.

"Level 2 seems sufficient for now; upgrading to Level 3 feels a bit wasteful."

At Level 2, his throwing skill had reached a world-class level. Combined with his physique stat of 1.5 and spirit stat of 1.2, hitting exactly what he aimed at was basic. During this operation, after three tests to gauge the timing of the bombs, Yu Fei had been able to make the three charges detonate at the precise altitude and time he desired. Achieving an airburst with simple timed explosives was something a normal person wouldn't even dream of.

James, Rain, and the others looked at Yu Fei as if he were a monster. As militants, they knew exactly how difficult that feat was. It was precisely because they knew that they looked at him with such shock.

Airbursting a timed bomb? And doing it with perfect timing and positioning, specifically targeting a fast-moving armed force? Am I crazy, or is this world crazy?

They even began to suspect that Yu Fei possessed superpowers, allowing him to control the bombs to detonate whenever he pleased. While that sounded absurd, it was easier to accept than the idea that he had achieved it through pure technical skill—the level of precision required made their scalps tingle just thinking about it.

Since his throwing ability was already sufficient, pushing it further to a legendary level wouldn't provide much extra utility, wasting a hundred merit points. Computing was useful, as this was a modern world, and having superior computer skills would be incredibly advantageous. However, it wasn't an urgent need.

"I'll save them for now."

His previous experience with the throwing skill had taught him that holding onto a reserve of merit points until they were truly needed could yield miraculous results.

"Now, we can break through."

James: "..."

You've already killed everyone. Do we still need to break through?