Rewind time a few minutes.
Over the ruins of that strange village that had been razed to the ground, the air was thick with the heavy scent of blood and death. A massive Licker, its body bulging with exposed muscle and its brain tissue directly exposed to the air, silently climbed to the top of a dilapidated building, following a scent.
Its long tongue probed the air, seemingly searching for something. However, it only caught the scent of the Infected flesh and blood and a residual aura that instinctively made it fearful.
Just as it was about to turn and leave.
Unbeknownst to it, a Hunter, covered in dark red, wrinkled, decaying skin and roughly the same size as the giant Licker, had silently lain in ambush behind it.
The Hunter's pitch-black, hollow eyes held no emotion, only pure killing intent. It gazed at the giant Licker as if watching a mouse that had strayed into its territory.
"Roar—!"
Without any warning, the Hunter let out a low roar. Its thick hind legs powerfully kicked off the ground, and its entire body transformed into a dark red lightning bolt, pouncing instantly!
...
Cut to the outskirts of F Base.
The sky suddenly darkened. A black figure plummeted from the clouds like a meteor.
Alex Mercer precisely controlled the airflow and gravity around his body the moment before impact. The force that should have been enough to smash through the ground was instantly dissipated. He landed silently before F Base's heavy steel gates.
He released his hold. Karen Parker, who had been cradled in his arms, landed on her feet but nearly collapsed to her knees, her legs weak.
For the Marine Corps soldiers guarding the main gate, this sight was nothing short of a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
They stared wide-eyed at the man in the black leather jacket and grey hoodie, hands in his pockets, face expressionless. That silhouette, that posture, the pale face faintly visible beneath the hood...
For every soldier who had experienced the Manhattan Incident or studied the files, this image was practically etched into their DNA, representing absolute terror and an invincible nightmare.
"Holy shit! It's Zeus!!" one Marine Corps soldier exclaimed as if he'd seen a ghost, nearly dropping his rifle in fright.
Instantly, F Base's entire defense system was fully activated.
Countless searchlights switched on simultaneously, their stark white beams instantly locking onto the man at the gate. Next came the dense sound of machinery operating. On the base walls, dozens of automated turrets swiftly swiveled their barrels, their dark muzzles fixed dead on Mercer's head. Snipers in the watchtowers held their breath, fingers on triggers, sweat trickling down their foreheads.
"Don't shoot! He's friendly! Don't shoot!"
Seeing this, Karen Parker, despite her weakened state, rushed in front of Mercer, waving her arms and shouting loudly.
But amidst the piercing alarm sirens, the shouts of soldiers, and the grinding of machinery, her feeble voice couldn't carry and was instantly drowned out.
The entire base was on high alert. All survivors were herded back into their rooms by emergency broadcasts, doors and windows shut tight, trembling. Though they didn't know what was happening, the tension and lethality permeating the air made them instinctively fearful.
"All units, attention! All units, attention! Base is entering Condition One! I repeat, base is entering Condition One! This is not a drill!"
The Black Watch Commander's roar exploded across everyone's comms channels.
"Headquarters! Laser designation complete! Target signature confirmed! This is the Zeus signal! Repeat, confirmed contact with Zeus!" a Marine Corps soldier crouched behind cover, holding a laser designator, his hands trembling.
"Damn it! He's taken one of our key personnel hostage. Dr. Parker is in his grasp."
"Everyone, stay calm! Calm! Do not make any rash moves! Do not provoke it!"
In the base's internal surveillance room, several Black Watch intelligence officers practically jumped out of their chairs in shock upon seeing the familiar figure on the screen, knocking their chairs over without even noticing.
Compared to the panic of the Marine Corps, these Black Watch veterans' eyes held more of a deep-seated hatred and fear. It was the murderous intent of seeing an old nemesis, and the feeling of powerlessness in the face of absolute strength.
"How is it here?!"
"Notify the Commander immediately! Hurry!"
...
Meanwhile, deep in the fifth-level underground biolab, Lin Xuan was still immersed in the regret of just losing Dr. McMullen.
The scene kept replaying in his mind.
To save Parker, he had no choice but to reluctantly accept the system's emergency plan.
"I'm sorry, Doctor." Lin Xuan looked at the scientist who had just shown him infinite possibilities, his voice full of apology.
McMullen seemed to have already understood everything. He showed no anger, no panic, just pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and gave a meaningful smile.
"It's alright, sir. This is what you'd call... equivalent exchange, isn't it?"
Then, his body began to turn transparent, dissolving into countless brilliant points of starlight that scattered into the air.
"We'll meet again eventually. In this mad world, science always requires a bit of patience."
These were McMullen's final words.
"Take care, Doctor." Lin Xuan waved towards the empty space, his heart a mix of complex emotions.
Just then, "Beep beep beep—!!!"
A sharp, urgent alarm suddenly blared throughout the underground base, violently pulling Lin Xuan back to reality from his reminiscence. Red alarm lights flashed frantically, painting the entire lab blood-red.
A Black Watch Soldier rushed in, sounding somewhat frantic.
"Sir! It's bad! Zeus is here! Right at the main gate! You need to evacuate via the emergency passage immediately!"
Lin Xuan was dumbfounded.
"Zeus? Why does that name sound so familiar?"
"It's Alex Mercer! The Prototype!"
Lin Xuan jolted, his mind buzzing.
Holy shit! Mercer is here?!
He instantly realized—the system said recycling McMullen was for "energy guidance"—so it had guided this big shot over!
"Quick! Ling Jianqing! Notify everyone immediately! Alex Mercer is an ally! He's friendly! Absolutely no firing!" Lin Xuan shouted while pulling out his Commander comms device, patching into all Black Watch Commander channels, "All units, listen up! Lower your weapons! Stand down from Condition One! Zeus is on our side!"
Ling Jianqing also grasped the severity of the situation. She quickly took out her comms equipment and rapidly relayed the orders.
At that moment, at the base's main gate.
The atmosphere was stretched to the breaking point, as if a pin dropping could trigger an explosion.
Just then, two dark figures leaped down from the high walls inside the base, landing with a "boom" not far from Mercer.
They were two code d Super Soldiers. They clearly hadn't received the latest orders yet, or perhaps were driven by instinct, assuming an attack posture the moment they saw Mercer.
"Release Dr. Parker! Come at me!"
The Super Soldier roared and was about to charge forward.
"Wait!"
The other Super Soldier abruptly extended a thick arm, firmly blocking him.
"Don't go! That's Zeus! Can't you feel it?"
Super Soldier No. 1 impatiently shook off Super Soldier No. 2's hand, his face full of disdain and irritation.
"So what if it's Zeus?"
Super Soldier No. 2 grew frantic, grabbing his arm tightly again, practically yelling, "Don't go! You're not as fast as him!"
These words were like a needle, sharply piercing Super Soldier No. 1's inflated pride.
He spun around abruptly, glaring with eyes as wide as bronze bells, saying in a tone of disbelief:
"What did you say?!"
"I'm not as fast as him? I can sprint a hundred meters in one second! I can throw ballistic missiles weighing over ten tons with my bare hands, each punch has tens of thousands of tons of force. Was my 'DX1120 Virus' injection for nothing?"
The surrounding soldiers watched their argument, exchanging bewildered looks.
He shoved Super Soldier No. 2 aside, pointing at his chest, eyes full of disappointment and anger:
"I'm not afraid to fight you, and you say I'm not as fast as him?! The only reason I'd ever accept second place out there is because I consider you a friend! I respect you! Since you're scared, then just huddle here and watch, you coward!"
"You're afraid! I'm not!!"
With that, Super Soldier No. 1 roared, his legs powerfully driving down, instantly shattering the concrete edge beneath his feet. His entire body shot forward like a heavy artillery shell fired from its barrel, carrying an unstoppable momentum straight towards the black figure standing with hands in pockets.
"Zeus!! Prepare to die!!"
...
Just then, Lin Xuan's urgent voice came through the base's loudspeakers: "Stand down! He's friendly! All units, stand down!"
However, momentum could no longer be stopped.
A few minutes later.
Lin Xuan, accompanied by Ling Jianqing and a squad of Black Watch Commanders, jogged all the way to the main gate.
The previously tense Marine Corps and Black Watch Soldiers, seeing the highest-ranking Commander arrive, exchanged glances but ultimately slowly lowered their weapons, opening a path.
Lin Xuan passed through the crowd. The first thing he saw was the man standing in the center of the gate, hands in pockets, looking utterly unperturbed.
In the distant ruins outside the base gate, the Super Soldier who had just charged forward lay twisted in an extremely contorted position, motionless, clearly having been instantly defeated.
And Alex Mercer—not even a wrinkle on his clothes was out of place.
Lin Xuan swallowed, composed his expression, strode forward quickly, and put on a slightly awkward but polite smile.
"My apologies, my apologies. This was all a big misunderstanding," Lin Xuan said, rubbing his hands together. "My men didn't know better. They just... reacted."
Mercer slightly turned his head. Those blue eyes beneath the hood swept over Lin Xuan once, then gave a slight nod.
"Quite a unique welcome ceremony." His voice betrayed no emotion.
Lin Xuan gave a dry chuckle, pointed towards the Super Soldier lying like a dead dog in the distance, and cautiously asked:
"That... is he alright?"
Mercer didn't even glance over, just shook his head faintly.
"He won't die. Just put him to sleep for a while."
The surrounding soldiers, hearing this, didn't relax. Instead, they grew even more tense. Kicked a Super Soldier flying with one foot, and it was just to "put him to sleep"?
Was this the power of Zeus?