"Damn it!"
Bai Ye cursed under his breath as he looked out of the elevator.
Even with the zombie falling, Bai Ye's danger was far from over.
The corridor outside the elevator was home to many zombies. The moment the gunshots rang out, they all turned towards Bai Ye's direction, shuffling forward with whimpering hisses.
Without hesitation, Bai Ye quickly raised his hand, aimed, and fired.
Bang, bang, bang...
As the gunshots resumed, the two zombies at the front fell, their heads exploding like shattered watermelons.
Bai Ye's eyes lit up slightly. Although he had returned to ten years ago and his physical stats were that of a weakling, his marksmanship hadn't changed much due to his retained memories.
After all, marksmanship was like riding a bicycle. Once learned, it stayed with you. His memories allowed Bai Ye to react instinctively. While it was undoubtedly a step down from his previous life, he was still at a respectable level.
The only thing that bothered Bai Ye was his current body. The recoil of the gun made his wrist ache.
As he mused, Bai Ye moved forward, flipping his wrist. The empty magazine was ejected, and he promptly inserted a fresh one.
When he obtained this Glock 17 from the gacha machine, he had also received ten magazines.
With the magazine reloaded, a zombie lunged at Bai Ye.
Bai Ye smirked. The timing was perfect.
The next moment, Bai Ye shoved the pistol into the zombie's gaping maw.
Bang!
A bloody hole erupted from the back of the zombie's head, spraying blood onto the floor. The creature then fell backward.
Bai Ye crouched down, tore a strip of cloth from the zombie's body, and wiped the blood off his gun. He then continued forward, his gaze now more alert than before.
The sudden appearance of zombies served as a reminder. Although he had been to Umbrella's underground base in his previous life, and the forbidden zone mission remained unchanged, everything within the base wasn't static. In his past life, Bai Ye hadn't encountered a zombie attack when exiting the elevator, but this time, zombies were lurking at the entrance.
This was normal. Zombies weren't inanimate objects; they moved.
"However, while living beings move, ..." Bai Ye glanced to the side, "...inanimate objects remain unchanged."
Passing through the corridor lined with metal plates, they reached an office area that looked no different from a regular office building.
But Bai Ye knew the normal facade would end here.
Beyond the office area was another corridor with metal plates, but this time, there were rooms on the sides with one-way glass.
Inside these rooms were metal laboratory tables, stained with blood, and littered with unsettling instruments.
Pliers, scissors, saws...
Anyone with a shred of intelligence could deduce the kind of experiments Umbrella had conducted here.
"After the experimental area, there should be the cafeteria. From the A6 corridor, turn towards B3..." Bai Ye pushed open a large metal door and smiled, "Found it."
This was a sizable room, filled with rows upon rows of silver metal shelves, stacked with silver bags, each with a small, twist-off opening at the top.
This was the base's food storage. Those bags contained emergency nutrient paste.
This was Bai Ye's objective. To survive in the world battlefield, food was a necessity. Therefore, while completing the forbidden zone mission, Bai Ye also planned to gather supplies.
Bai Ye casually swept his hand across a shelf, and the emergency nutrient paste began to disappear. His inventory was updated: Emergency Nutrient Paste: x50.
Bai Ye nodded with satisfaction and prepared to leave the food storage.
But at that moment...
Clang!
A sharp metallic impact suddenly echoed.
Bai Ye became extremely vigilant, instantly raising his gun with both hands and looking up at the ceiling.
The metallic sound had come from above.
Bai Ye's gaze quickly settled on the ventilation duct, and he slowly moved his feet.
Moments later, as the ventilation duct made another sound, Bai Ye quickly pinpointed its location and raised his weapon to fire.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...
As Bai Ye pulled the trigger, the gunshots continued to ring out, and soon, bullet holes peppered the ventilation duct.
From these holes, crimson blood slowly dripped down.
Drip, drip!
The blood landed on the floor, making a sound.
Was it dead?
No, not yet!
Suddenly, a tremendous bang sounded, and the ventilation duct exploded open with a huge gash. A monster lunged out.
The monster was humanoid but moved on all fours like a beast. Its entire body was devoid of skin, revealing only pale red flesh covered in a viscous fluid. A massive maw occupied half its face, and its hanging tongue was at least three to four meters long.
Bai Ye bared his teeth. This was no ordinary zombie; it was a Licker, a creature from Wang Wei's poetry!
Bai Ye decisively retreated, but it was a step too late. The Licker was incredibly fast. Its head twisted, and its crimson tongue lashed out towards Bai Ye.
In the next instant, Bai Ye's ankle was ensnared by the Licker's tongue, and he was instantly sent flying.
Bang!
His back slammed hard against the wall behind him, the intense pain contorting Bai Ye's face.
The Licker crawled on the ground, rapidly approaching Bai Ye.
Bai Ye tugged hard at the Licker's tongue, realizing he couldn't make it release its grip. He immediately raised his gun and pressed it against the Licker's tongue.
Bang, bang, bang!
A continuous barrage of fire severed a section of the Licker's tongue. Bai Ye used this opportunity to break free from its restraint. The intense pain sent the Licker writhing on the ground, emitting pained shrieks.
After a moment, the Licker rose again. Its aura grew more ferocious with rage. With a powerful kick of its legs, it lunged at Bai Ye once more.
Bai Ye scrambled to the side, using all four limbs.
Clang!
The moment Bai Ye leaped away, the Licker crashed into the wall.
The embedded metal plate of the wall emitted a loud clang as it was forcefully dented.
The Licker slowly backed away, shaking its slightly dazed head. It then turned and looked back in Bai Ye's direction. Its severed, crimson tongue dragged across the floor, leaving a trail of sticky fluid.
...