Chapter Twenty-Three: Wesker

The same team as before—Li Xian, Liu Peiqiang, Wang Lei, Li Yiyi, and Alice—managed to break through the encirclement of the biological weapons under covering fire. During the escape, several Alice clones used telekinesis to clear enemies from their path, which temporarily drained their combat abilities, forcing the group to halt and wait for their recovery.

Yet, even after breaking out, the six were not out of danger. The tyrants and lickers on the perimeter followed closely, forcing the group to fight back while sprinting desperately toward the entrance of the Hive. With the assistance of powered exoskeletons, their speed through the ruins barely matched that of their pursuers. The massive tyrants, confronted with obstacles, either detoured or smashed through the debris. The lickers, under heavy machine gun fire, dodged frantically, sometimes failing to evade in time and getting their heads blasted apart.

In this relentless chase, the six finally reached the Hive's entrance. Wang Jing had brought over a dozen people from the main world to guard the opening, allowing the group to enter the Hive at last.

“Mr. Essex, they’ve made it inside!” Wesker reported from within the Hive.

“Then eliminate them. Do I really need to teach you that?” Essex replied leisurely, reclining on a soft sofa and sipping whiskey.

“Yes, sir!” Wesker nodded and strode out with his gun.

The moment they entered the Hive, the entrance was sealed by two steel walls, each several meters thick. “Looks like Essex wants to trap us like rats in a cage,” Liu Peiqiang remarked, staring at the seamless doors.

“Everyone, be careful. There are plenty of traps inside the Hive,” Wang Jing warned.

“Alice, you’ll lead the way from here,” Wang Jing said to her.

“No problem!” Alice replied, taking the lead as the others followed.

Soon, they came upon a gigantic ventilation fan. As Alice prepared to slip through the blades, Wang Jing suddenly said, “If it were up to me, I’d turn it on just as someone tried to pass through, slicing them to ribbons.”

Before anyone could comment, Wang Jing returned to the main world, grabbed several blocks of C4, and affixed them to the sharp blades.

“Everyone, step back. Stay clear to avoid any accidents!” he called.

Once everyone was at a safe distance, Wang Jing triggered the detonator. A deafening explosion sent dust swirling through the tunnel. When the air cleared, the enormous fan was shredded, its blades blasted apart or twisted and fallen from the main shaft.

They passed through the ruined fan. As they went by a security camera, Wang Jing raised both hands and flashed a universally recognized gesture of goodwill, then promptly shot out the camera.

Essex, witnessing the whole scene, looked displeased, but soon relaxed, tossing back his whiskey in one gulp.

After the fan, they reached a central ventilation duct. “The way ahead is blocked by rocks, but we can get into the control room through here,” Alice pointed to the pitch-black duct.

But as Alice stepped forward, Wang Jing stopped her. “This duct is so narrow—if there are traps or an ambush, we wouldn’t even have room to dodge.”

“So what do you suggest?” Alice asked.

With everyone’s attention on him, Wang Jing looked at the blocked pathway. “If it’s collapsed, we can just blast it open.”

He fetched several bundles of C4 from the main world, set them in place according to the demolition expert’s instructions, and after another loud explosion, a small opening appeared.

“Let’s go,” Wang Jing said to Alice.

They pressed forward through the opening, but soon, dozens of hulking zombie dogs lunged from the shadows ahead. In a flash, Alice, Liu Peiqiang, and Wang Lei dispatched them.

Wang Jing glanced at the camera on the wall, gave it the same universal gesture, and shot it out.

From the darkness up ahead, heavy footsteps echoed. It was Wesker, wearing sunglasses, surrounded by more zombie dogs.

“Alice, long time no see,” Wesker said with a crooked smile. The atmosphere turned tense, but Wang Jing quickly broke the silence.

“It’s so dark, and you’re wearing sunglasses. Can you even see anything?”

Wesker ignored Wang Jing’s provocation, turning to Alice. “Alice, as the security chief of Umbrella Corporation, you’ve brought strangers into our most important research lab. Don’t you feel the slightest bit ashamed?”

But Wang Jing, mimicking Wesker’s tone, retorted, “Wesker, as a human, you slaughtered seven billion people. Don’t you feel any guilt?”

Wang Jing's repeated provocations finally caught Wesker’s attention. “Sir, I’ve always been curious—why is there no information about your organization in our database? And your abilities intrigue us. You disappear without warning, then reappear with five people in tow.”

“Would you be interested in joining us? When this is all over, the whole world will be ours,” Wesker tempted.

But Wang Jing had no interest. With access to all the resources of both the main world and the Wandering Earth world, he needed nothing from Wesker.

“If I eliminate you, I can rule this world myself, without having to kowtow to anyone. I could do whatever I please.”

“And you—always under Essex’s thumb, getting ordered around like a dog,” Wang Jing said, intentionally glancing at the zombie dogs behind Wesker. “That must be miserable. Why not join us? Even if you’re a clone, we won’t hold it against you.”

Wesker’s expression darkened. “I am not one of those foolish clones,” he said coldly.

Seeing that Wesker had taken the bait, Wang Jing grew excited. If he could bamboozle a major villain, it’d be a story worth bragging about for a lifetime.

“How do you know you’re not a clone? The Essex I killed before also insisted he wasn’t a clone. How can you be sure?”

Wesker snorted, refusing to answer. Instead, he ordered the zombie dogs to attack, quickly ducking behind cover.

Wang Jing cursed under his breath, manning the heavy machine gun and firing at the oncoming zombie dogs.