Chapter Twelve: Essex

“Slow down, slow down. Good, lower it, lower it...!” Wang Jing, clad in a brand-new powered exoskeleton suit, watched the massive transport vehicle as it hoisted freshly built off-road vehicles down to the ground.

After a brief negotiation, the United Government of the Wandering Earth universe readily agreed to the cooperation request proposed by the negotiation team. The Wandering Earth universe would provide equipment and personnel, joining with the special forces from various nations of the main universe to venture into the Resident Evil universe.

The suit Wang Jing wore now was the latest full-coverage powered exoskeleton developed by the Scientific Research Department of the United Government of the Wandering Earth. It not only enhanced reaction speed but also featured a layer of graphene steel plating capable of withstanding 12.7mm caliber rounds. Strapped to his back was a six-barrel Gatling gun and an ammunition box.

At Wang Jing’s insistence, every member participating in this operation carried a heavy weapon—some bore eight-missile launchers, others wielded 50mm rapid-fire grenade cannons, and some, like Wang Jing himself, had the six-barrel Gatling gun. In addition, each person was issued a QBZ47 rifle.

Gazing at the off-road vehicle, which was as large as an armored riot truck, Wang Jing turned to Liu Peiqiang and asked skeptically, “Are you sure this vehicle weighs only 1.5 tons?”

“Absolutely. Every detail has been meticulously measured. 1.5 tons is just the bare weight—without the tritium battery pack, weapons station, or external armor. Once everything is installed, the weight can easily double or more,” Liu Peiqiang explained.

“That’s still impressively light. Some pickups weigh more than three tons,” Wang Jing marveled.

“It’s all about materials. The frame and chassis are made with a lot of titanium alloy, and there’s extensive weight reduction design. The cost of a single off-road vehicle is enough to buy a main battle tank,” Liu Peiqiang admitted, unable to contain his amazement at the price.

“What’s the purpose of making something so expensive?” Wang Jing asked curiously.

“That, I don’t know. If you want answers, you should talk to the chief designer, Jiang Ning. She might know,” Liu Peiqiang replied.

“Jiang Ning?” Wang Jing questioned, puzzled—he didn’t recall seeing such a person in the movie.

“Yes, she’s the chief scientist at the research institute. Heavy transport vehicles were her project,” Liu Peiqiang answered, his tone reverent whenever Jiang Ning was mentioned.

By now, all five off-road vehicles had been unloaded. Next, the battery packs, weapons stations, and external armor needed to be removed to further reduce their weight.

The team participating in the operation arrived in all-terrain armored vehicles. To Wang Jing’s surprise, among the members were Wang Lei and Li Yiyi.

“Is this how the team for this mission was selected?” Wang Jing asked Liu Peiqiang, intrigued.

“Why, do you have any objections to the team?” Liu Peiqiang responded.

“No, not at all. Just curious,” Wang Jing replied, waving his hand dismissively.

“The selection was straightforward. Those who performed best in past missions were chosen,” Liu Peiqiang explained.

Once everyone had received their equipment, Wang Jing teleported the entire group to the Resident Evil universe, then brought over the five off-road vehicles and their components. After the expedition assembled the vehicles, Wang Jing imported a massive cache of weapons and ammunition from the Wandering Earth universe.

The five off-road vehicles were packed to the brim with munitions, for they would soon be facing hordes of zombies, and insufficient ammo would spell disaster.

After everyone boarded, a drone launched from the rooftop, soaring ahead.

Having lost precious time gathering the team, the expeditionary force pushed their vehicles to the limit, heading for Las Vegas, USA.

With ten passengers and fully loaded ammunition, each off-road vehicle could traverse over two thousand kilometers across the desert at eighty kilometers per hour.

Driving through the night at high speed, they arrived at Las Vegas within the allotted time.

No sooner had they entered Las Vegas than the drone spotted Alice and her companions battling zombies in the distance.

“Go support them! Remember, zombies must be shot in the head to be killed!” Wang Jing shouted over the internal comms.

As soon as he finished, the six-barrel Gatling guns mounted atop the five vehicles began spinning rapidly.

When they rounded the corner, five streams of bullets sliced through the zombies, sending dust flying and soon obscuring the battlefield.

“Mr. Wang, we’ve found the target!” Li Yiyi, controlling the drone, announced loudly.

“Move in and capture him. Remember, he must be taken alive!” Wang Jing ordered.

Liu Peiqiang immediately directed over comms, “Vehicle 2-3-4-5, continue supporting Alice.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Received!”

“Understood!”

...

Seeing the five unfamiliar off-road vehicles suddenly appear, Alice, wielding her Nepalese kukri, tensed. But when she saw their bullets were aimed solely at the surrounding zombies, her heart eased slightly, though the others were utterly bewildered.

The powerful Gatling guns quickly dispatched all zombies. The last one was sent flying against a wall by an off-road vehicle, then Li Xian, stepping down from the vehicle, finished it off with a shot to the head.

On the Eiffel Tower, the cowboy Zeiss, clutching a sniper rifle, watched as a squad clad in sealed powered exoskeletons—each carrying a heavy weapon—surrounded Alice and her group.

Alice, gripping her kukri tightly, eyed the armored figures warily and demanded, “Who are you?”

“Don’t be nervous. We’re here to help. Remember the person you met at the gas station who claimed to be from another world?” Li Xian said.

“He was telling the truth? You really are from another world?” Alice exclaimed in astonishment.

“Yes, we are indeed from another world,” Li Xian nodded.

On a rooftop nearby, Essex, observing all this via satellite, was equally stunned.

“How can there be another Earth?” Essex muttered in disbelief.

But before Essex could react, gunfire erupted outside the tent.

Helmeted security personnel were swiftly taken down by Liu Peiqiang and Wang Lei. The guards inside barely drew their weapons before their heads were blown apart.

Only Essex remained, nervously watching Liu Peiqiang and Wang Lei, who approached, their bodies encased in exoskeleton armor.

Just then, Wang Jing lifted the tent flap and stood before Dr. Essex, asking, “Where is the Hive?”

“Hmph! I am—ah!” Essex began, but Wang Jing cut him off with a heavy punch to the stomach. Amidst cries of pain, Dr. Essex doubled over, clutching his abdomen and kneeling in agony.

“I suggest you think very carefully before you answer,” Wang Jing whispered coldly in Essex’s ear.