When Duanmu Huai opened his eyes again, he was standing at the airport exit. Clearly, he had just gotten off the plane not long ago. At the entrance, a crowd was holding up signs in protest.
How utterly meaningless.
Glancing at the placards — "Get Off Our Land" and "Go Back to Hell" — Duanmu Huai sneered. He had never believed that such protests were of any use. Whether in ancient times or now, people always thought that taking to the streets and demonstrating would change things. Yet, in truth, their actions were meaningless, never taken seriously by those in power.
In the end, it was nothing more than an outlet for the public's anger. Once they were done shouting and tired of it, they would disperse. A few weeks later, they'd probably forget what they had even been protesting about.
If one wanted to stop all this, one had to use far more direct and decisive means. And that was exactly why Duanmu Huai had come here — according to the mission objectives, today, Senator Davis, a supporter of TriUnion Pharmaceuticals, would be arriving here. Duanmu Huai's task was simple: kill that fool in public, so that every other potential TriUnion supporter would understand that anyone who dared to meddle with the G-virus had only one ending — death.
That was far simpler, clearer, and more effective than any protest march.
Then, I'll just wait here.
With a cold snort, Duanmu Huai straightened his coat and turned toward the other side of the terminal, brushing past travelers waiting for arrivals.
"Auntie, that man is so tall!"
A little girl, holding the hand of a woman beside her, pointed curiously at Duanmu Huai.
"Yes, I see him, Rini. Alright, we still have to meet our guest."
The woman gave Duanmu Huai a quick glance, then looked away and led the girl toward the arrival gate. Soon, the doors opened, and a young woman pulling a suitcase appeared. Seeing her, both the woman and the girl waved excitedly, and the newcomer hurried over with a bright smile.
"Hey, it's been forever!"
"Yeah… Claire, long time no see."
The young woman was none other than Claire, who now greeted the woman warmly and waved to the little girl.
After escaping that nightmare city, Claire had never been able to forget what happened. Instead, she devoted herself to doing whatever she could to make sure that tragedy never happened again. She had just finished a long assignment and came here for a short rest.
After some chatting, the woman went to call a taxi, while Claire stayed in the hall with the girl, watching the protesters on the television. The girl looked at her curiously.
"Do you work at the Department of Land Rescue too?"
"That's right — just like your aunt."
Claire smiled and patted the girl's head.
"I like everyone in the Department of Land Rescue. They're all so cool! You fight bad guys, right?"
"Bad guys?"
"Yeah, like that man!"
The girl pointed at the TV, which was showing the round, smug face of Senator Davis during an interview — the same man who supported TriUnion Pharmaceuticals.
"Uh…"
Claire gave a wry smile at the sight of the broadcast, but before she could say anything, the girl spoke again.
"Oh right, I saw someone really amazing just now!"
"Really amazing?"
"Yeah! He was super tall and huge — and bald — and he looked kinda scary…"
"What?!"
At that description, Claire's eyes widened.
"Are you sure? Where did you see him?"
"Umm… I think he went that way?"
The girl pointed toward the other end of the hall. Claire immediately turned her head, but… there was no one there.
"…Haa…"
She sighed in disappointment at the empty corridor. Of course she hadn't forgotten that man — but after leaving that city, they had gone their separate ways. He had said he didn't want to be found or investigated. Considering that the giant had been wearing a prison jumpsuit at the time, Claire could understand that he might have been an escaped convict who didn't want scrutiny. So, neither she nor Sherry had ever mentioned Duanmu Huai to anyone afterward.
Later, Claire and Sherry were detained by the military for a time. After rounds of tests and interrogations, they were finally released. Since then, Sherry had lived under Claire and her brother's care.
Afterward, Claire tried to find Duanmu Huai but found no trace. She wasn't the only survivor who escaped that city — there had also been a police officer named Leon. They had entered the city together but were separated amid the chaos. For a long time, Claire wasn't even sure if Leon had survived.
They reunited later, after leaving the city under military control. Only then did Claire learn that Leon had also escaped.
Once the investigation was over, Claire returned to work, while Leon, due to his special background, was sent for special training. They kept in touch only much later.
When Leon finally contacted her, Claire asked for his help in finding Duanmu Huai — but to her surprise, Leon said he had heard of the man. It was very possible, he told her, that Duanmu Huai was connected to one of his own classified missions. In fact, Leon was looking for him too.
Although Claire doubted they were talking about the same person, the description — tall, bald, intimidating — was unmistakable…
Because the details were classified, Leon didn't tell her much, only that the man might be working for a mysterious organization.
Truthfully, Claire didn't even know why she wanted to find Duanmu Huai again. She had already thanked him back then. Still, she couldn't let go of that feeling — that nagging thought that lingered in her heart. If she didn't have the child to take care of right now, she would probably have gone looking for him herself.
After all, Duanmu Huai's appearance was hard to miss — anyone who wasn't blind would recognize him.
Meanwhile, up on the airport's observation deck, Duanmu Huai stood watching the protesters below.
He was waiting for the senator to appear. As soon as that fat, pig-faced fool showed up, Duanmu Huai would deliver justice from the heavens — tearing him apart before everyone's eyes. After that, he would head straight to TriUnion Pharmaceuticals to destroy every trace of the virus and its data, and to proclaim to the world the punishment handed down by the Inquisition.
…Hmm?
Just then, he noticed a commotion below. Many people were tumbling and running out of the terminal, screaming as they went.
What the hell is going on?
Frowning, Duanmu Huai was puzzled. In the mission event, nothing strange was supposed to happen at this point. He only had to wait for Senator Davis to appear, kill him, then storm TriUnion's facility under gunfire and reduce it to rubble — that should've been the end of the mission. So what was this mess about?
Before he could figure it out, a thunderous explosion erupted behind him. The entire airport trembled violently as if hit by a bomb. At the same time, a system prompt appeared before his eyes.
[Conditions met. Bonus Mission Activated — Terror at the Airport]
[Objective: Eliminate the infection source and investigate the situation.]
Infection source?
I've got a really bad feeling about this…
Descending the stairs, Duanmu Huai returned to the main terminal. The scene was utter chaos. Not far away, a crashed passenger plane lay half-buried in the building — clearly, it had lost control and slammed into the concourse, causing the disaster.
But that wasn't the important part. What mattered was that the terminal was now crawling with shambling figures — staggering, moaning, mindless — the undead.
"Right… I think I know what's going on now."
Duanmu Huai muttered under his breath. Obviously, the passengers on that flight had been infected. The plane lost control, crashed into the terminal, and caused this catastrophe.
But where did the infection on the plane come from?
That was the part he, as an Inquisitor, had to investigate.
Still… that could wait until after he cleaned up these damned zombies.
Clenching his fists, Duanmu Huai let out a roar and charged straight into the horde!
While Duanmu Huai tore through the zombies like a raging storm, Claire led several survivors into the VIP lounge at the far end of the airport. They locked the door and sat inside, panting heavily.
"Damn it… why… this can't be happening…"
Recalling the horrifying creatures she'd just seen, Claire's face was pale. It was as if her nightmares had come back to life. Could this city end up like the one where her brother once worked — a city of the dead?
No!
Claire shook her head fiercely, forcing down the rising dread. This was different — at least for now, it seemed only the airport had been attacked. The airport was far from the city center, which meant that if the area was sealed off in time, the spread of the infection could still be contained.
She rushed to the window and looked outside. Soon, she saw military vehicles arriving, surrounding the entire airport in a tight blockade. Seeing that, Claire finally exhaled in relief. For now, it seemed the outbreak wouldn't spread into the city.
Though she wanted to fight, she was unarmed and helpless. All she could do was hide and hope. She had called the authorities — but whether help would come, she didn't know.
Thud… thud… thud…
Suddenly, Claire's sharp hearing caught a heavy footstep echoing from the distance. It sounded familiar — she had heard that sound before!
Pressing her ear against the door, she listened intently. The airport was dead silent now — most people had either escaped or been killed. Only the nauseating moans of zombies echoed faintly in the halls.
But beyond that, there was another sound — heavy, steady footsteps.
Thud… thud… thud…
No way… could it be…
In an instant, Claire remembered that terrible figure in a black trench coat under the night sky. According to Leon, that creature had been a Tyrant — a bioweapon created by Umbrella. Could it be… that monster was here too?!
Impossible — Umbrella was already finished! Wait… the plane?
Her blood ran cold. She had wondered why the plane had crashed so suddenly. Could the Tyrant have been aboard — and caused all this?
"What's wrong, Claire?"
Seeing her pale face, Rini asked nervously. Claire immediately clapped a hand over the girl's mouth and shook her head.
"Don't speak. Everyone, stay quiet!"
Though they didn't understand why Claire was so tense, the others obeyed. The survivors in the room held their breath, not daring to make a sound. Soon, they too heard the heavy footsteps — coming closer, step by step.
"Wh-what… what is that…"
The senator slumped on the couch, drenched in sweat. Nearby, a flight attendant had gone pale as chalk. Any sane person could guess — during a zombie outbreak, anything still walking around outside so calmly was definitely not human.
Or at least… no longer human.
Thud… thud… thud…
The footsteps stopped right outside the door. Claire's heart almost leapt into her throat. She stared fixedly at the door, motionless. The little girl in her arms froze as well, and the other two survivors didn't dare move either. It felt as if a man-eating beast stood right outside, ready to tear them apart.
Silence.
No one knew how much time passed — maybe a second, maybe an eternity. To Claire, it felt endless.
Just as she was about to exhale—
BOOM!!
The locked door burst open as a massive, jet-black hand smashed through from the outside!
(End of chapter)