Thud… thud… thud…
The Tyrant strode forward like a walking tank, charging straight at Duanmu Huai. But Duanmu Huai didn't back down. He clenched his fists and ran right toward it. The nearly two-meter-tall Tyrant looked like a child in front of him. As soon as Duanmu Huai reached it, he threw a punch straight into its chest.
Boom!!!
In the next instant, the Tyrant was sent flying through the air, spinning several times before slamming hard into the ground. But almost immediately, it stood up again. It looked down at Duanmu Huai, then glanced at the deep dent in its chest. If I hadn't been careful not to ruin the coat, that punch would've gone straight through its heart.
"Rrghhh… rrhhhhh!!"
The Tyrant growled in rage, its heavy coat suddenly splitting apart as its body began to swell. Muscles bulged like balloons filling with air, and the discarded coat slid off its body and onto the floor.
Oh? How thoughtful.
Seeing this, Duanmu Huai grinned. I was wondering how to get that coat off it in one piece… didn't expect it to just take it off for me.
Well then… I won't be polite about it!
"ROOOAAARR!!"
The unleashed Tyrant roared and charged at him again. This time, Duanmu Huai didn't even move. He stood still, watching coldly as the Tyrant swung its massive fist at him. Then, in one sharp motion, Duanmu Huai raised his left hand and caught the Tyrant's wrist mid-swing — twisting hard.
Crack!!
The Tyrant's enhanced, muscular arm snapped like dry wood. It howled in fury, but before it could react, Duanmu Huai's other hand shot forward, grabbing its head in his massive palm.
Squelch!!!
The Tyrant's skull burst like a watermelon, its huge body collapsing instantly with a heavy thud.
"All done."
Dusting off his hands, Duanmu Huai looked down at the corpse and snorted. In his eyes, the Tyrant wasn't even a real threat. If he hadn't been worried about getting blood all over his new clothes, he would've smashed it into pulp right away. But now… hehehe… time to claim that coat.
He quickly found the discarded black overcoat, and to his satisfaction, it was quite roomy — probably designed to accommodate the Tyrant's shifting body size. It fit Duanmu Huai well enough, though the hem only reached his waist rather than his ankles.
Still, it was better than nothing.
"What do you think?"
He turned to check his reflection in a store window, nodding in satisfaction before glancing at Claire and Sherry. Both of them looked at each other uneasily.
"Honestly… you look even scarier than that monster just now."
"Mm…"
"…Let's just go."
Sometimes, people really shouldn't be so honest.
After that, the group didn't encounter any more serious obstacles. Maybe the Tyrant had already wiped out the nearby zombies. Soon they arrived at an underground waste-processing facility. According to Sherry, there was a passage here that led straight to her mother's Umbrella laboratory.
As they made their way through the dimly lit corridors, the lights suddenly flickered on, illuminating their silhouettes.
Then, a woman's voice echoed from a nearby speaker.
"Who are you people? What are you doing here… Sherry?"
All three of them froze and looked toward the sound. In the corner, a camera and speaker sat mounted on the wall, and the voice was coming through the intercom.
"Mom? Mom!!"
Sherry's face lit up in excitement.
"I've been looking for you!"
"Sherry, what are you doing here? And what is that monster beside you…?"
"You're the monster! I'm human!"
Duanmu Huai promptly raised a middle finger toward the camera. Claire hurriedly stepped forward to explain.
"We're with Sherry — we came to help her find you. Are you her mother?"
"Yes…"
The woman hesitated for a moment, then continued.
"Sherry, I told you — I can't leave until my work is finished."
"You always say that!"
Hearing her mother's tone, Sherry grew emotional, glaring at the camera. The woman's voice turned sharp with agitation.
"Why aren't you at home? It's the only safe place!"
"But… but I was scared…"
Sherry lowered her head as she spoke.
"There were monsters everywhere, and…"
Before she could finish, her mother cut her off.
"You should have called the police! We taught you that!"
"I did, but no one came! And you wouldn't answer your phone, so…"
"Sherry, I don't have time for this right now!"
"Hey, old lady!"
Duanmu Huai couldn't take it anymore. He stepped forward beside Sherry, glaring at the camera.
"Do you even know what's happening out there? The whole city's crawling with monsters! The police station's gone! Your daughter risked her life to find you, and this is how you treat her?"
"Listen, I don't have time for your nonsense!"
The woman's tone grew sharper.
"My daughter doesn't need you interfering! I know what I'm doing!"
"I'm making it my business! Look at yourself — what kind of mother acts like this? Your daughter braved a damn zombie apocalypse to reach you, and this is what she gets? You 'know what you're doing'? You know shit! You're just letting your kid wander around waiting to die!"
"…"
But there was no response this time — whether she was too angry or had simply walked away, no one knew.
"What a piece of work."
Duanmu Huai snorted and turned back toward the others. Sherry stood with her head bowed, silent, while Claire knelt beside her, speaking softly.
"Don't be sad, Sherry. I'm sure your mom's just… worried about you."
Boom!!
Suddenly, the entire room shook violently. They looked up as part of the ceiling collapsed, and a massive claw burst through the debris. A hulking, twisted creature dropped down in front of them.
"Oh, my God…"
Claire stared in horror, while Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow. It was the same mutated creature he had defeated earlier. Only now, it had evolved even further. The right arm he had ripped off had grown back — now studded with sharp spikes. Its body had become even larger — though still smaller than Duanmu Huai's.
"I'll handle this. You two, find somewhere safe."
He rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck as he stared at the beast.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"Of course. Things like this don't stand a chance against me."
"Then… I'll leave it to you."
Though Claire was worried, she trusted him. After all, Duanmu Huai had already killed a Tyrant. His strength was undeniable. She quickly grabbed Sherry's hand and ran toward the doors at the far end of the chamber.
"ROOOAAARRR!!"
Seeing them flee, the monster roared and lunged after them — but Duanmu Huai stepped into its path again.
"Hey. Ready to die?"
The creature's only response was another furious scream as it swung its claws.
Meanwhile, in a nearby control room, a woman in a white lab coat stared at the monitor in shock.
"This… this can't be…"
The woman was none other than Sherry's mother, Annette — and she knew exactly what that monster was. It was her husband, Sherry's father, William.
William had developed the G-Virus. When Umbrella tried to seize it, they shot him. Refusing to die, he injected himself with his own creation — and became that hideous monster.
As a scientist, Annette knew how terrifying G-mutants were. But what she was seeing on the monitor now left her speechless.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
On the screen, she saw her mutated husband roaring as he slashed at the towering man before him. From her knowledge, that man shouldn't have been able to withstand even a single blow. No matter how muscular he was, the G-mutant could tear him apart with one swipe.
But what happened next defied all logic.
When the monster attacked, Duanmu Huai didn't even dodge. He stepped forward, grabbed its wrist — and with a thunderous roar, lifted the entire creature off the ground and hurled it across the room!
Boom!!
The mutant slammed into the wall with bone-shaking force, the impact making Annette's screen tremble. Before it could rise, Duanmu Huai leapt into the air, stomping down with his heel — shattering its clawed hand — then followed up with a barrage of brutal punches.
"…"
Am I dreaming?
Annette stared at the monitor, dumbfounded. Is this a joke? A G-mutant… getting beaten into a corner, covering its head and whimpering?
Are you serious right now?
For a few moments, she couldn't even process what she was seeing. Then instinct kicked in — she grabbed the microphone and shouted.
"Hit its head! Destroy the head! That's the only way to kill it completely!"
Whether he actually heard her or not, Duanmu Huai clenched his fist, raised it high, and brought it crashing down onto the creature's grotesque head.
Squelch!!
The human-sized skull burst like a walnut, blood and viscous fluid splattering everywhere. The mutant's massive body twitched violently, then went limp, collapsing to the ground.
"…Phew."
Seeing this, Annette exhaled deeply and sank weakly into her chair, staring at the corpse with a complicated expression. It might have been a monster now — but it had once been her husband. She shook her head, pushing the thought away, and switched on the microphone again.
"You… did well. Come, take the cable car to the research facility. We'll talk in person."
After that, she guided the three of them to the tram that would take them to Umbrella's lab. Then she sighed, turning back toward her office to continue her work.
But she never noticed that, behind her, the corpse Duanmu Huai had just destroyed began to twitch again on the monitor. The shattered head bubbled, and beside it, another one suddenly burst forth. The creature let out a wet, gurgling growl, then crawled away into the shadows on all fours, disappearing into the darkness…
(End of Chapter)