A/N: For those who want to read ahead of the Webnovel schedule, you can read up to Chapter 108 on my Patreon.
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The Resident Evil arc is now complete on Patreon, and the MCU arc is about to begin.
****
On the ground, the group stood in the middle of the ruined road, watching the sky light up like a twisted fireworks show.
Two fireballs bloomed high above the city — the remains of Umbrella's helicopters — raining sparks and flaming debris across the skyline.
"Doesn't he know we needed a helicopter to get out of this city?" asked Alice, staring up at the burning wreckages still falling from the sky.
Jill crossed her arms, sighing. "It seems he forgot that and decided to blow them up instead."
Terri frowned. "So… how are we supposed to escape now?"
Selene's tone stayed calm, practical as always. "You're forgetting — Angela's father said there's one transport helicopter left at the base. Those two are definitely combat units. So, there should still be one chopper left at City Hall."
"Yeah, let's hope it's still there," Peyton muttered, glancing at the smoke trail above them.
Then, with a sudden THUD, Luke dropped down in front of them, the impact sending a web of cracks through the asphalt.
"Damn, that felt good," he said, straightening up and brushing the dust off his jacket.
Alice gave him a deadpan look. "It would've been good if you left one intact so we could actually escape."
Luke rubbed the back of his neck, clearly trying to play it off. "Ummmm... in war and fighting, you shouldn't mind such small things."
Jill facepalmed. "He totally forgot we needed a helicopter."
The group collectively sighed — except Angela, who just stared at him wide-eyed. To her, it looked like she had just witnessed a real-life Superman land in front of them.
***
Then, about five minutes later,
They finally came across a half-damaged SUV still intact enough to run. Jill hotwired it in seconds, the engine coughing to life with a rough vrrr-vrrrm before settling into a steady growl.
Everyone piled in — Peyton in the passenger seat, Alice and Selene in the back with Angela and Terri squeezed between them.
But when Luke walked up, he just shook his head.
"Nope. Not sitting," he said flatly. "I'll follow you on foot."
Jill blinked. "You're kidding, right? We're driving."
"I know," Luke replied with a grin. "Just drive. I'll keep up."
The others exchanged looks but didn't argue.
The SUV rolled forward.
And behind it, Luke started running.
As Luke ran alongside the speeding SUV, keeping pace without breaking a sweat, a sudden ping echoed in his head.
The familiar blue holographic window flashed before his eyes.
---
[Notice: Host's current body is reaching dangerous levels of viral activity.]
[Evolution is necessary within 1 hour, otherwise unforeseen mutations may occur.]
[Due to multiple external factors, the innate race: Human is being overwritten.]
[New evolutionary path available — Race: Wraith Born]
---
Luke's eyes narrowed as more data scrolled across the glowing interface.
[Wraith Born]
A race that exists between life and death — neither fully alive, nor completely dead.
Traits:
Telekinesis
Intermediate Regeneration
Superior Strength
Superior Mental Fortitude
Specialty: Even if your head is destroyed, your body will regenerate — for your essence lingers between both realms.
However, if the entire body is completely disintegrated, regeneration becomes impossible.
---
"Hmmm… a race between life and death — alive and dead at the same time," Luke muttered as he ran, his boots kicking up dust from the cracked road. "That… sounds kind of like a zombie."
He glanced at the glowing text again, squinting slightly. Compared to the previous evolution option, this one looked a lot better — it even came with new traits like telekinesis and superior mental strength. Not bad at all.
And the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The T-virus had twisted his body into something in-between — not fully human, but not exactly dead either.
This "Wraith Born" thing sounded like the perfect middle ground. The best part is? His body and appearance would stay the same. No rotting skin, no weird eyes, no monster limbs. He'd still look human.
[Time limit: 1 hour before forced mutation begins.]
Luke exhaled through his nose. "One hour, huh… guess I should speed up."
If he didn't get out of this cursed city within the hour, he'd risk mutating into something truly ugly — something not even Selene would recognize.
***
After twenty minutes, they finally arrived at City Hall — only to find it fortified, the whole perimeter crawling with Umbrella soldiers.
"We have forty minutes," said Luke, his tone calm but urgent. "If we can't escape within that time…"
"Are they going to drop the nuke early? There are still two hours before dawn," Alice asked, glancing at the sky.
Luke gave a wry smile — as if talking about a small inconvenience. "No… in forty minutes, I may fall into a deep sleep. And I don't know when I'll wake up."
Peyton blinked, confused. "Deep sleep? Like… dead?"
"Shut your crow mouth," Selene cut in coldly, shooting him a glare that made him instantly regret speaking.
Peyton raised his hands defensively. "Alright, alright. Just asking…"
Luke chuckled under his breath. "Not dead. More like… a reset. During that time I won't respond to anything around me. That's why we need to get the hell out of this city before it starts."
Jill frowned. "What kind of biological clock is that? What kind of human sleeps like that without noticing their surroundings?"
"It's my body's specialty," Luke said. "Forty minutes is all we have. If that time passes… don't hope I can do anything."
"Then let's go and kick the butt of Umbrella," Jill said, cocking her gun and smirking.
***
Meanwhile, inside the City Hall compound…
Cain sat inside his command tent, the screens flickering with footage of Luke's earlier destruction — the moment the helicopters exploded in mid air.
"This guy is really a human-shaped warhead… a walking weapon of mass destruction," Cain muttered.
But that also made him a nightmare to capture. They'd seen how little modern weapons did to him — bullets, rockets, even explosive shells barely slowed him down.
Cain rubbed his chin thoughtfully, eyes shifting to the digital countdown on his wrist display: 30 minutes.
Thirty minutes until the nuke launches.
There were still two hours until dawn — but with a wild card like Luke running around, Kane couldn't take chances. The risk of exposure was too high.
If the world ever learned how badly Umbrella had screwed up — how their greed and experiments had ruined an entire city and killed thousands of people — it would be the end of them.
No amount of cover-ups, money, or political influence could hide this forever. That's exactly why the nuking timetable was moved up — to erase every mistake.
If no one found their crimes, Umbrella would stay on top, still running the world from behind the curtain.
"Pity," Cain sighed, closing the tablet with a soft click. "Such a fine specimen… wasted."