Chapter Nineteen: The Tyrant and the Retreat

Manning the Vulcan cannon mounted on the roof, he fired at the three Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, but for the Ospreys reinforced with bulletproof steel plates, the 12.7mm heavy machine gun rounds could not even scratch their defenses.

“It’s no use! Their armor’s way too thick!” Li Yi shouted anxiously.

“Damn it, Alice, use the mini-missiles!” Wang Jing yelled to Alice beside him.

“Watch this!” Alice called back, swinging open the SUV door and leaping onto the roof. Without hesitation, she unleashed all six mini-missiles from the launcher fixed to her back. The missiles streaked toward the rapidly approaching Ospreys.

Each missile struck home, blasting the propellers of the three Ospreys. Instantly, all three lost balance and control, plunging to the ground in a cascade of wreckage and erupting into three blazing fireballs.

The SUV sped around the burning debris just in time, but when Wang Jing glanced back, his pupils contracted sharply. That unmistakable bald head, the black leather coat, and the cold, indifferent expression that seemed to look down on all—Wang Jing’s mind flashed to a single name: the Tyrant.

“Step on it! Full throttle! Wang Lei, cover us with the cannon!” Wang Jing shouted in alarm.

“Copy!”

The electric motor’s hum surged, and everyone felt the force pin them back into their seats.

In the passenger seat, Wang Lei opened the sunroof, set up the recoilless rifle, and fired back at the three pursuing Tyrants. Alice rejoined the group inside, harassing the monsters with volleys from her caseless rifle.

Though Wang Lei’s repeated recoilless shots failed to kill the Tyrants outright, the explosions’ shockwaves slowed their pursuit.

“What the hell are those things? Not even cannon shells can kill them!” Wang Lei cursed.

“They’re Tyrants—the Umbrella Corporation’s most powerful bio-weapons! Only 30mm depleted uranium AP rounds can penetrate their armor!” Wang Jing replied.

Hearing this, the research team back at the main base sprang into action. “Quick, get me a 30mm cannon barrel—and matching depleted uranium armor-piercing shells!”

“Looks like we’ll have to fast-track the electromagnetic weapons project.”

“And raise our operational clearance level, too.”

Two of the weapons scientists discussed in hushed tones.

“Not good, we’re almost out of power!” Just when they thought they’d lost the Tyrants with their speed, Liu Peiqiang, at the wheel, brought grim news.

“We haven’t even driven fifteen hundred kilometers yet! How can we be running out so soon?” Wang Jing asked in frustration.

“It must’ve been the sudden acceleration—we used up too much energy at once.”

Hearing Liu’s explanation, Wang Jing cursed. “Who the hell set these performance specs so high? Even these are exaggerated!”

Back at the main base, Jiang Ning, overseeing a new helicopter test, coughed awkwardly at Wang Jing’s tirade. He turned to the scientists beside him, who were all looking his way. “From now on, test the performance specs at their absolute limits,” he ordered.

As the others snickered, Jiang Ning completed the helicopter’s performance test.

Meanwhile, in the world of Resident Evil, the SUV’s speed dwindled as the battery drained. Alice, eyes glued to the rear window, suddenly shouted, “They’re catching up again—the Tyrants are right behind us!”

“Everyone, grab each other’s hands—we’re heading back!” Wang Jing called, clasping Alice’s and Li Yi’s hands.

Li Xian, Liu Peiqiang, and Wang Lei also linked arms. After a brief charge-up, Wang Jing initiated the jump. Just before they crossed over, Alice used her telekinesis to pull the pins from the grenades beside the ammo crates.

The now-unmanned SUV slowed to a crawl and was quickly overtaken by the three Tyrants. As one of them leapt in front of the vehicle and punched straight through the hood, halting it instantly, the grenades—with pins pulled—detonated. The explosion ignited the ammo crates, engulfing the lead Tyrant in a fireball.

But the blast did not kill the monster. With an enraged roar, the Tyrant, wreathed in flames, began to transform. Its black leather coat burned away, and its already formidable muscles writhed and swelled, becoming even more massive. Clawed hands burst from its singed gloves, long and razor-sharp. Yet its face remained unchanged—cold and pitiless, crowned by that signature bald head.

“Experiment Tyrant Number 1 has entered Phase Two. Target lost. Unable to confirm death,” the Red Queen announced within the Hive.

“Perfect. Let’s see if our research paid off,” said Wesker, cigar in hand and glasses gleaming.

“This experiment risks going out of control,” the Red Queen warned.

“I know the potential consequences. Do as I say,” Wesker replied coldly, his crimson eyes locked on the AI’s holographic projection.

“Yes, sir,” the Red Queen replied, vanishing from the screen.

The moment Wang Jing returned to the primary world, he rushed to the research team’s workshop.

As he burst through the door, he found the scientists gathered around a two-meter-long 30mm rapid-fire cannon barrel, deep in discussion.

“What are you all doing?” Wang Jing asked.

One of the scientists, spotting him, waved excitedly. “Come here! This is the 30mm cannon you asked us to whip up. We’ve modified it so it can be mounted on your SUV or on an exosuit. It fires depleted uranium armor-piercing shells, just like you specified. It’s powerful enough to blow that monster’s head clean off!”

Wang Jing eyed the barrel, which was taller than he was, and couldn’t help but grimace. “It’s certainly powerful, but isn’t this a bit too long? And it only supports single shots, doesn’t it?”

“Heh, it was a rush job—we did all we could in the time we had,” the scientist replied sheepishly.

“Are you serious? I’m out there fighting for my life and you give me this makeshift contraption?” Wang Jing snapped.

“We knew you were in a hurry! If we’d had more time, we’d have built you something better,” offered an older scientist nearby.

“Exactly, exactly!” the others chorused, nodding in agreement.

Wang Jing cooled off and thought it over. “Can you guarantee its power and accuracy?”

“No problem. This barrel was salvaged from an anti-aircraft gun—precision is not an issue. It’s manual, but reloading is fast enough,” the first scientist assured him, patting his chest.

“All right, I’ll trust you this once. When can I use it?” Wang Jing asked.

“It’s ready now! If you don’t believe me, take it outside for a test!” the scientist replied confidently, gesturing to the field outside.

“Fine, I’ll give it a try.” Of course, Wang Jing wasn’t about to test-fire the weapon himself—he called over Liu Peiqiang to handle the trial shots.