Li Yiming took a deep breath.
In front of him was the staircase leading down to the basement.
Inside the stairwell, the lights flickered.
Several SEAL Team Six corpses were scattered across the stairs, lying in disarray.
Under the flashing lights, the crimson flesh and blood looked even more horrifying.
Compared to the people outside in the plaza, the deaths of these SEAL members were far more tragic.
Some had been torn in half, others were decapitated.
Expressions of extreme terror were frozen on their faces.
The floor was littered with internal organs, silently telling the story of their gruesome end.
Li Yiming stood still for a moment as his nose gradually got used to the stench of blood and decay.
He pulled out his dagger and walked straight to one of the corpses.
From the tactical vest of the dead soldier, Li Yiming retrieved a tactical flashlight.
Click.
Li Yiming pressed the button, and a beam of strong light instantly cut through the darkness.
The flickering stairwell lights were completely unreliable for visibility.
With this tactical flashlight, Li Yiming could now see into corners previously lost in shadow.
After acquiring the flashlight, Li Yiming raised his dagger and finished off the corpse that sat slumped against the wall, a terrified expression still on its face.
He had to be sure.
The poor soul, whose body was still mostly intact, might just “come back to life” at the worst possible moment.
Being ambushed in such a narrow stairwell could be a death sentence.
After ensuring the corpse stayed dead, Li Yiming gripped the flashlight and began descending.
The stairs were slick with blood, sticky underfoot, making Li Yiming deeply uneasy.
His footing felt unstable, and a natural sense of danger welled up in his heart.
Plap, plap.
Li Yiming cautiously made his way downward.
The flickering ceiling lights above him were disorienting, making him feel lightheaded.
With all the negative thoughts swirling in his head, Li Yiming’s heart started to race.
According to horror movie logic, something was almost guaranteed to go wrong here.
Even so, he felt no desire to turn back.
His pace was slow, but there wasn’t the slightest trace of retreat.
Whenever he came across a corpse that was still intact, he gave it an extra stab—just in case.
He eliminated every potential threat he could think of.
The rest, he’d leave to fate.
With each careful step forward, Li Yiming soon arrived at the B1 basement level.
Behind the emergency fire door was the hospital’s underground parking lot.
He approached the shut fire door and turned his body sideways to listen carefully.
Focusing his hearing, he clearly picked up the low growls of zombies on the other side.
It was obvious that there were at least five or six zombies in the parking lot.
With that information in hand, Li Yiming became even more cautious.
Though the fire door had a sign that read “Do Not Lock This Emergency Exit,”Li Yiming had no intention of following that advice.
He grasped the fire door handle and slowly locked it from his side.
The entrance to the underground laboratory elevator was on B2.
If he encountered trouble down there and needed to retreat, he could easily find himself trapped—“zombie dumpling style”—by the ones in the B1 parking lot.
As a loyal fan of the Resident Evil games, Li Yiming was naturally very familiar with these kinds of setups and foreshadowing.
Once he secured his escape route, he continued his descent.
Plap, plap.
Li Yiming’s footsteps echoed in the dead silence of the stairwell.
He carefully scanned every corner, every blind spot in his field of vision.
Even the ceiling wasn’t ignored.
After all, horror movie characters never look up—and he definitely wasn’t going to make that mistake.
Through this tense and thorough search, Li Yiming successfully reached the second basement level, B2.
This area was disguised as a storage room.
Aside from the usual stench of rot, the air also carried a musty, dusty odor.
Covering his nose and mouth with his arm, Li Yiming began by clearing any threats.
There were all kinds of broken and discarded equipment here, with plenty of shadowy spots perfect for an ambush.
Once he had checked the perimeter thoroughly, he aimed his flashlight deeper into the storage room.
Inside were rows of shelves, crammed full of various gear and supplies.
If he remembered correctly, the entrance to the underground lab’s elevator was hidden within this very room!
And the antivirus serum had also been left behind in here!
Li Yiming took a deep breath, then stepped into the cluttered space.
Faced with this maze-like terrain that was impossible to fully scan at once, Li Yiming chose to use an old trick.
He tapped the shelves with his dagger.
Clang, clang, clang…
The crisp sound of metal striking metal echoed through the storage room.
If there were zombies hiding inside, this noise would lure them out immediately!
Rather than die a humiliating death to some sneaky “stealth zombie,” Li Yiming preferred to face them head-on.
After a while of tapping, Li Yiming stopped.
He stood still, listening intently as the last echoes faded.
No sound… Upon confirming this, he let out a visible sigh of relief.
If there had been any zombies—even dormant ones— they would’ve definitely been roused by the noise and started howling by now.
Now certain it was safe, Li Yiming moved with much more confidence.
Following what he remembered from the comic’s plot, he began searching for the hidden elevator entrance.
According to the storyline, the crate containing both the antivirus serum and the T-virus sample was dropped near the elevator.
He weaved and maneuvered through the rows of shelves.
Soon, he saw a section of shelving that had been knocked over!
This was clearly the work of the Tyrant.
Seeing the collapsed shelves, Li Yiming’s spirits instantly lifted!
It meant the entrance was nearby!
Li Yiming picked up his pace.
He hadn’t gone far , when he came across another SEAL Team Six corpse!
It had to be close!
Following the direction the body was facing, Li Yiming swept his flashlight forward.
Right in front of the corpse lay a lone, silver-gray high-grade briefcase!
“That’s the one!”
A rush of joy surged in Li Yiming’s chest!
However, he didn’t let that excitement cloud his judgment.
Before approaching the case, Li Yiming prudently delivered a finishing stab to the body on the floor.
Only after making sure it wouldn’t “get back up” did he jog over to the case.
The briefcase was entirely silver-gray, with a yellow-and-black biohazard symbol stamped on its surface.
It was exactly as depicted in the comic—spot on!
Overjoyed, Li Yiming picked up the case and left the storage room.
He retreated to the safer stairwell, where surprise attacks were less likely, and sat down in a well-lit spot.
Holding the flashlight in his mouth, he began inspecting the case to figure out how to open it.
It didn’t take long.
Soon, he located a button.
Click.
With a soft sound, the briefcase slowly opened—revealing two vials inside:
one red, one green!
Wasn’t this going a little too smoothly?!
Li Yiming still had two hours and thirty-eight minutes before the virus would completely overtake him!
A wave of surreal disbelief washed over him.