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At the very bottom of the Hive, Jack rode the elevator down, standing calm and steady as it sank to the lowest level. When it stopped, he let the corners of his mouth curl up slightly and glanced around.
All around the platform, packs of zombie dogs waited, baring their jagged teeth, ready to spring the moment they got the chance.
Jack casually rolled his shoulders, clenched his fists tight, and let his black combat suit shift and extend into twin blades at his arms.
The second those blades gleamed into view, the hounds took it as a signal. With guttural snarls, they launched at him from every direction.
Jack met the charge head-on, swinging his blades in a blur. The first few zombie dogs never even reached him—they were cut down instantly.
One tried to leap past his defense, but Jack grabbed it mid-air, slammed it hard into the ground, and, before it could get back up, drove a blade straight through its skull.
It twitched, kicked once, and went still.
Another seized the chance to sink its teeth into his back, clamping down mercilessly. Jack didn't flinch. He simply reached behind him, yanked the beast off, smashed it onto the floor, and stomped down, crushing it underfoot.
More kept coming. He fired webs from his wrists, spreading out a black net that pinned several of the hounds to the ground, struggling helplessly. The rest were shredded apart by his flashing blades.
Within minutes, the floor was littered with corpses. Jack stood alone among the silence, victorious.
Without wasting a breath, he moved toward the only visible exit.
But instead of a passage, a massive underground lake stretched out in front of him, easily a few hundred meters across.
He was about to crawl along the wall to get across when the surface of the lake rippled. Segments of a pathway began rising from the water, one after another, slowly connecting toward the far side.
Jack didn't hesitate. He stepped onto the emerging road and followed it forward until he reached the other side, where a huge mechanical door loomed in front of him.
Placing both hands firmly against it, he pushed the iron gate open.
Beyond it lay a massive lounge, strangely pristine compared to the carnage outside. Jack stepped in carefully. On either side of the path stood cryogenic storage pods—open and long emptied, their occupants nowhere to be found.
"Welcome, unknown lifeform."
The voice drew his gaze to a man sitting comfortably on a sofa, wearing a faint, knowing smile. He looked to be in his forties.
Dr. Isaacs—the true mastermind behind Umbrella, the one pulling the strings behind the bioweapons and viral outbreaks.
"Looks like you know me pretty well," Jack said, taking a seat across from him with a calm smile of his own.
"Of course. Everything you've done in the Hive has been under my surveillance."
As Isaacs spoke, the giant screen behind him lit up, replaying Jack's battles and movements from earlier. His smile brimmed with self-confidence.
"You're an interesting human."
Jack watched the footage of himself, then glanced back at Isaacs with an amused expression. He wasn't disturbed by the surveillance or even by being studied—if anything, he was entertained.
"Only fools fear what they don't understand."
Isaacs smirked at that, a trace of mockery in his eyes. To him, only the ignorant feared the unknown. He believed his brilliance and control ensured his safety, even against someone like Jack.
"So then… why are you meeting me here?" Jack asked, his smile never wavering. He wanted to know Isaacs's real purpose in waiting for him.
"That's the same question I have for you," Isaacs countered smoothly. "Unknown lifeform—where did you come from? What are you? I want to know everything about you."
His curiosity was genuine, even eager. Isaacs found Jack fascinating. If possible, he'd dissect and study him piece by piece.
"Of course it's…"
Jack lowered his head slightly at those words. A faint smile tugged at his lips as his arm morphed into a gleaming blade in an instant.
"…to kill you."
With that, he slashed down.
Relying on his own sharp instincts, Isaacs quickly sensed Jack's strike and threw himself sideways.
A flash of steel cut through the air, and the sofa Isaacs had been sitting on a moment ago split neatly in half.
Without giving him a chance to breathe, Jack sprang forward, landing right in front of him. The blade in his hand came down in a flurry of attacks.
Isaacs barely managed to keep dodging, slipping past each strike thanks to his ability.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
At that moment, the side door of the hall burst open. West stormed in, rifle raised, and unleashed a hail of bullets straight at Jack.
Isaacs seized the chance and pulled himself out of Jack's attack range.
Feeling the barrage from behind, Jack stopped his assault on Isaacs and slowly turned his head toward West, who was still firing at him.
Then, without hesitation, he strode forward, letting the bullets slam harmlessly into his body.
He closed the distance in a heartbeat. Before West could react, Jack's fist drove straight into him, sending him flying.
West smashed hard against the wall, then crumpled to the floor.
"....."