After a few minutes of relaxing, Rian suddenly received an incoming call through his Interface-lens. But the caller wasn't Luis—it was Claire.
"Huh? Claire?" Rian muttered with a crooked smile. "So she's already using the Interface-lens I gave her, huh?"
His gaze sharpened for a moment as he stared forward, analyzing silently in his head, "Judging by the timing… this should be the scene at the WP Corporation Lab."
Rian touched the side frame of the Interface-lens and accepted the call.
"Hello? What's up, my Ideal Future Wife?" Rian greeted casually, immediately teasing her. "Miss me already? Understandable. So? Pretty cool gift from the handsome guy you know, right?"
"Who are you calling your ideal future wife? Narcissist," Claire shot back through the Interface-lens.
"The gift from you, huh? 'Cool' doesn't even begin to cover it—this thing is insane… and amazing."
But her tone quickly turned serious.
"Set that aside for now. You're done over there, right? If you are, get over here immediately—WP Cooperation Lab."
"Listen carefully. They have the G-virus. And they're already developing its vaccine… just like when they made the vaccine for the T-virus."
"I was with Frederick earlier… but then Davis called him. I think he ordered Frederick to destroy everything. After that, Frederick went straight to the server room. I'm sure he's hiding something."
"Alright," Rian replied, his voice calm but firm. "Wait for me there. And be careful, Claire."
A few seconds later, Claire's voice began to distort, as if she was talking to someone around her. Her words grew more unclear—
and then a massive explosion thundered through the connection.
Claire's scream echoed for a moment, followed by a strained curse, before the communication completely cut off.
There wasn't a hint of panic or worry on Rian's face. He simply let out a quiet sigh, then lowered his gaze to Alice sitting on his lap.
"Alice… stay here and proceed with the plan as usual," Rian said gently. "This handsome guy is going to meet Claire. And… maybe do some exp grinding by killing Curtis along the way."
Gently, Rian lifted Alice from his lap and let the tesseract float slowly in the air. Then he rose from his seat.
"Daddy, should I open a portal straight there?" Alice asked, her voice full of curiosity. "So you can get there faster."
"No need," Rian replied with a faint smile. "This handsome man can make the trip himself. I'll use a vehicle—so it looks normal."
Alice nodded, understanding the subtle meaning behind his words. "Oh? So you want to make a dramatic entrance, huh? Hah, what a narcissistic playboy."
Rian just let out a soft chuckle before turning around and walking toward the ruined lobby exit, stepping past the bullet-riddled zombie corpses and the SRT squad still standing at attention.
***
Rian's trip from Havardville Airport to the WP Corporation Lab took about twenty minutes.
Now, walking through a dark, devastated corridor—cracked walls, dangling cables sparking with electricity—Rian strolled casually as if he were in an amusement park.
"Scenes like this… classic, so on-brand," he muttered, glancing left and right as if evaluating an art exhibit. "Heh, a lab destroyed by an explosion. Standard stuff."
Suddenly, a low growl echoed from behind a research room door.
Moments later, figures began staggering out one by one—researchers who survived the blast… but not the T-Virus infection.
Their eyes were empty, bodies trembling uncontrollably, before they finally broke into a feral sprint toward Rian.
Through the lens of the Six Eyes, everything slowed. Movements, air flow, the rhythm of footsteps—everything appeared crystal clear, unfolding in details unseen by ordinary vision.
With a single motion, the Knight Killer appeared in his hand, pulled straight out of the Void Ring.
Rian raised one foot slightly.
And in the next instant, he shot forward. A burst of bright blue cleaved through the darkness, the reflected light in his eyes gleaming like a frozen lake beneath moonlight.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Knight Killer danced wildly in Rian's grip, decapitating the zombies as if their rotten flesh were nothing more than hot butter touched by a sharp knife.
Heads flew through the air, accompanied by explosive sprays of blood that burst like fountains across the dark corridor.
Within seconds, their bodies collapsed, following their rolling heads onto the dusty floor.
As silence reclaimed the hallway, Rian lowered his blade and continued onward. Calm. As if nothing had happened. He walked through the ruined passage, heading toward the place where Claire should be.
A moment later, a small smile appeared on his face.
"Claire!" called Rian.
From a distance, Claire came into view — but something was off.
Her movements weren't normal. She struggled to stand and walk, her body swaying slightly with each step.
In her left hand, Claire held a wooden stick as a makeshift cane, while her right hand still gripped a pistol, ready if needed.
Aside from her slightly disheveled appearance, one more thing stood out: she was wearing the Interface-lens Rian had given her earlier.
Perhaps she was relying on that device to navigate her way toward him.
The moment she saw Rian, Claire smiled.
She stepped forward slowly, limping, but determined.
"Thank goodness you came, Rian," Claire said, her eyes holding a deeper meaning.
Amid the ruins and devastation, the two of them walked closer to each other — step by step — like two poles finally drawn together again in the middle of a storm.
Once they stood face-to-face, Rian looked at her for a moment before gently placing his hands on both of her shoulders.
His touch was gentle but full of intent, as if making sure Claire was truly there — whole, alive, and standing before him.
Before Claire could say anything, Rian wore his usual annoying smile and said,
"Ideal future wife, are you alright?"
Claire let out a breath, then gave a small laugh — a bit awkward, a bit tired. "Who are you calling your 'ideal future wife,' you narcissist?"
But that smile slowly faded. Claire lowered her gaze for a moment, took a long breath, then looked up at Rian with serious eyes.
"Rian, listen. I saw Curtis before the explosion… and it's better if I send the information directly to you," Claire said, her tone serious but steady.
With a brief mental command, Claire instructed Sister, the special AI of her Interface-lens, to transmit the data she had gathered.
Even though Sister could technically communicate with Alice — thanks to cross-lens network linking — both AIs were separate, independent entities.
A few seconds later, through his own Interface-lens, Rian received the transferred data.
Rian's eyes looked straight ahead as the data on Curtis, WP Corporation, Davis, and Frederick flowed into the Interface-lens over his face.
He nodded slowly, as if carefully digesting every detail.
In truth… Rian already knew most of this. There were only small differences from the original timeline he remembered — minor variations, not enough to change the core path of this story.
But as always, Rian played his role perfectly.
"Rian… you take care of Curtis. Meanwhile, I'll go after Frederick," Claire said in a serious tone. "I'm sure he hasn't gotten far."
"I've already called in support to block his escape route," she added. "That man… behind that innocent face, he's rotten to the core. I'll make sure he pays."
Rian looked at her for a moment, then smiled — warm, but still carrying his signature teasing edge.
"Alright. This handsome man won't get in your way. But be careful — your leg is still injured."
"I know, Rian," Claire replied, slightly annoyed. That tone of concern reminded her too much of Chris, and she was not in the mood for that. "Just go already."
Rian let out a small laugh. "Yeah, yeah… ideal future wife, don't start nagging."
"Stop calling me that," Claire grumbled, trying — and failing — to hide her smile.
Without another word, the two parted ways, each heading toward their respective missions.
Rian, just as he had planned from the beginning, would kill Curtis to grind experience points. Even if Claire hadn't asked, he would've done it anyway.
Meanwhile Claire, limping but filled with determination, went after Frederick, who was attempting to escape through the shadows of the collapsing facility.
Rian walked calmly through the dark, ruined corridor, the aftermath of the explosion still lingering in the smell of gunpowder and faint traces of blood.
Through his Six Eyes, Rian detected an unfamiliar heat signature ahead — Curtis, not far now.
Along the way, zombies emerged from behind debris and shadows. But to Rian, they weren't threats.
In an instant, every creature that crossed his path fell, eliminated with silent, efficient movements.
Feeling the distance between him and his target shrink, Rian slowed and touched the frame of his Interface-lens.
"Alice, I'm almost there. You remember the plan, right?"
Alice's cheerful voice rang through the interface, "Alice remembers! Minimize any evidence of your powers by hacking every camera in that area, right?"
Rian smirked. "Exactly, smart girl. Already done?"
"Done. Five steps before you said that," Alice replied with a bright, playful tone.
Rian let out a small laugh, closed the call, and resumed walking — now with a faint smile on his face.