Chapter Twelve: Blaze! The Thunder Fox! (Part One)

“What kind of joke is this!” Ye Ling clung to Xie Liu’s back, crying out in terror as Xie Liu spiraled down from the seventh floor, carrying Ye Ling as if they were a pair of bungee jumpers. “Close your eyes,” Xie Liu instructed, wasting no words. Just as they burst from the room, the building’s power flickered back to life, Xu Xiong’s signal was intercepted, and now he, too, was on the run. With Xu Xiong’s intelligence lost, Xie Liu and his companions were in grave danger.

“Flashblade, go sabotage the building’s power system. As long as you disable the electrical grid, we can escape.” With a deft flip, Xie Liu landed in the center of the ground floor lobby.

“Beep—beep—beep—” The alarm echoed throughout the building. Xie Liu shoved Ye Ling aside. “Hide yourself.” Ye Ling obeyed without protest, ducking into a corner.

“Come out. Don’t play coy,” Xie Liu called, his eyes gleaming with blood-red light, burning like wildfire. He stood at the lobby’s center, beneath a logo identical to the Umbrella Corporation’s from Resident Evil. And he was at the very heart of it. Twin silver Desert Eagles appeared in his hands, his gaze darting, the red glow strikingly conspicuous in the shadowy hall.

A chilling rasping sound scratched through the silence; Xie Liu jerked his head upward. From all directions, countless reptilian creatures, gecko-like in form, crawled down the walls.

“This is troublesome,” Xie Liu remarked, tension etched into his features. He turned to Ye Ling. “You need to get out, fast. I’ll cover your retreat.” Ye Ling nodded, knowing now was no time for stubbornness, and fled deeper into the lobby.

Watching Ye Ling’s retreat, Xie Liu finally exhaled, looking up at the creatures above. They were unmistakably the crawlers from Resident Evil. He assessed their numbers, realizing his Desert Eagle’s bullets would never suffice, so he holstered the guns and drew the katana at his waist. “Say your last words,” he declared, pointing his blade at the monsters. With a roar, the swarm descended, engulfing Xie Liu in a blink.

...

“Intruder detected. Seal the building. Release the T-virus!” The mechanical voice echoed from the control room, and the entire building was sealed, the clang of rolling shutters reverberating.

“What’s happening!” Gong Hou scrambled to his feet, staring as layer upon layer of steel encased the building. He dashed to its base, shouting into his radio, “Where are you all?”

“I’m on basement level four, ready to cut the power,” Lin Yang replied through his watch. “I don’t know about the others. Li Shizhu seems to have made it out, Xie Liu’s signal is gone, Xu Xiong is on the fifth floor.”

“I’m fine,” Xie Liu’s voice came through, ragged with labored breaths. He trudged through a pitch-black corridor, behind him the thud of impacts. Xie Liu spat, swinging his blade backward, stabbing into the wall. “Tch, not deep enough?” He pressed his palm to the hilt and shoved hard. A scream rang from the other side, and as he withdrew the katana, a gush of purple liquid sprayed out. A massive creature convulsed, crashing through the wall.

Xie Liu’s condition was dire. He’d taken a heavy blow to the head, blood pouring uncontrollably. He closed his left eye, now blinded by blood, limping step by step. Crawlers swarmed behind him. “The Special Alliance is truly insane, unleashing things like this. If these monsters ever got out, the world would end in no time.” Xie Liu staggered onward, dizziness swirling in his mind. “Damn, did it hit my central nervous system?” He clutched his head, found a corner, and sank down, pulling out his walkie-talkie. “Arc, can you hear me?”

“What is it?” Arc asked quietly, glancing at his watch. He was in a long, dark corridor. Over the radio, he heard a gunshot, then the thud of something heavy—clearly Xie Liu had dispatched another monster. “I can’t break away right now. The first floor is crawling with these disgusting creatures; I’m worried the young lady won’t make it out. Try to get to her.”

“At present, each floor is isolated and sealed. Getting down will be difficult,” Arc said after some thought. Xie Liu was silent for a moment. “Difficult for others, not for you. I’m counting on you. Protect her.” He cut off the walkie-talkie, coughed, spat out a mouthful of clotted blood, and leaned on his katana to stand. “Looks like I was born unlucky.” The monsters caught up again. Xie Liu forced a wry smile. “Wanted to show off, but it lasted less than three seconds.”

...

Xu Xiong glanced at his watch; Xie Liu’s bio-signal was wildly oscillating—clearly he was fighting. Xu Xiong scoffed, pulled out his phone, slid out a screen thin as a cicada’s wing, and tapped rapidly. “Looks like there’s no normal way down. I’ll have to force my way.” He closed the phone, took out a pill, and swallowed it. “Let’s boost to Level 7 for now, or I won’t even scratch this floor.”

The white pill dispersed quickly through his body; Xu Xiong grunted, sweat pouring down his face. The pill would temporarily raise his level, but the side effects were considerable. Gritting his teeth against the headache, Xu Xiong began piling all the metal he could find into a circle. Kneeling in the center, both palms pressed to the floor, he looked up; blue lightning blazed from his eyes, spreading through his body and enveloping him.

With the surge of electricity, small metal objects in the corridor trembled, and the hallway lights flickered uncertainly. The current intensified, reaching a critical point. Xu Xiong barked, “Go!” and tapped his finger. All the lightning erupted at once. The ring of metal was struck by tens of thousands of volts, instantly melting into liquid, which shot downward at Mach 7!

Thunder shook the building; blue lightning pierced down from the fifth floor, carrying a torrent of plasma, blasting through every floor in an instant!

Xie Liu shot the crawler before him, staggering back. He’d been insisting he was fine, but knew deep down he’d likely die here today. He glanced at his Desert Eagle; fired the last round, the katana’s edge was bent. Sighing, he tossed the blade aside, watched the swarming monsters, and rubbed his forehead. “Unlucky!”

But then, a bolt of blue lightning shattered the ceiling, plasma scattering everywhere, instantly obliterating the horde before him. The whole building trembled. Xie Liu watched the blue lightning, descending like a heavenly strike, relentless and absolute, annihilating everything it touched.

Stunned, Xie Liu let a faint smile creep across his face, slumping against the wall. “Saved.”

“You all right?” Xu Xiong emerged from the electric blaze, regarding the half-dead Xie Liu. Xie Liu shook his head. “Don’t forget, I’m a Physical Mutant. My recovery rate is hundreds of times faster than yours. Nothing serious.” Xu Xiong nodded. “I’ll go find the young lady. Don’t die.”

“You too.” Xie Liu leaned against the wall, answering weakly. “Go meet Flashblade in basement four. He’ll get you out.”

“Understood.” Xie Liu nodded; Xu Xiong tossed him a few grenades, then headed into the depths of the hall. Xie Liu rested a moment, then pulled himself up. “Really, you stole the spotlight. Well, this chapter is yours, after all.” He popped a lollipop into his mouth, steadying himself against the wall as he moved downward.

...

Xu Xiong, known as Electric Fox, pressed his hand to the wall, sending currents through it, quickly locating Ye Ling. He wasted no time, charging straight ahead. Xu Xiong was taciturn, but never sloppy in action. He passed through layers of traps, dispatched two waves of crawlers, and arrived at a thoroughly destroyed iron door.

“Could the young lady have done this?” Xu Xiong tilted his head, examining the door, which was utterly wrecked. Blue electric arcs still flickered along the edges—a clear sign it had been blasted open in one blow. Only Gong Hou, that brute, could produce such force, but Ye Ling...

“After exposure to an ability user, one is affected by their field and acquires faint abilities, but she hasn’t had the Ability System implanted. The power she can manifest shouldn’t even be a thousandth of this, yet the destruction here is immense. Just what kind of monster is that young lady?” Xu Xiong muttered as he stepped through the shattered door, an arc of electricity encircling him for protection.

Crossing the ruined threshold, Xu Xiong was stunned. Before him stood enormous incubation tanks, filled with translucent green liquid. Inside were more of the crawlers he’d fought before, and other bizarre creatures. Xu Xiong frowned, blue sparks flickering at his brow.

“These monsters, huh.” Xu Xiong raised his hand, blue sparks dancing—beautiful, yet laden with destruction. With a sweep, blue electricity coalesced into a thunder lance, sweeping across the machinery. The powerful current instantly shorted all circuits, burning them out. Next came a chain of explosions. Xu Xiong strode through the inferno, the electric arc around him shielding him tightly. “The Special Alliance loves their disgusting creations. Better destroy them all.” He hurled another thunder lance, piercing the main control computer, drowning the basement in flames.

Xu Xiong’s destructive power was overwhelming. Tanks that once stretched endlessly were smashed within minutes; the incubation fluid flooded the basement, reeking with a nauseating stench. The monsters that spilled out were reduced to ashes; a few fully grown ones perished swiftly under Xu Xiong’s high-voltage assault.

Plugging his nose, Xu Xiong hurried through the basement. At its rear, another even more thoroughly destroyed iron door. He could imagine how terrified Ye Ling must have been upon entering—perhaps not realizing she was more monstrous than anything in those tanks.

Passing through the final door, Xu Xiong adjusted his glasses, a contemplative look on his face. The scene before him surpassed all expectations. What he’d assumed was a modest laboratory was, in truth, a vast underground steel city spreading out before him.

“Things are getting more interesting,” Xu Xiong murmured, shaking his head in wonder.