"Vincent…"
Autumn Summers stared blankly at Vincent, eyes wide with disbelief.
Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that within just ten minutes of meeting, this man would willingly risk his life to secure a slim chance of her survival.
Could it be... he's always liked me, secretly admiring me from afar at school?
Autumn couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.
Facing such imminent danger, yet she still had time for fanciful thoughts women truly were mysterious creatures!
At that exact moment.
The Licker opposite them lost its patience completely and lunged forward to attack.
Whoosh!
Its speed was terrifyingly fast, merely a red blur in Autumn's eyes. Before she could even react, the Licker was already right in front of her.
Thankfully.
Beside her was a man who had kept his strength deeply hidden!
Indeed, the Licker was incredibly fast but in Vincent's eyes, it was nothing special.
Currently, his Agility stat was close to 300, making his speed and reflexes terrifyingly formidable.
He could even dodge bullets, so the Licker's attack seemed almost sluggish to him.
If Vincent wanted, he had countless ways to swiftly counterattack and end the Licker's life right then and there.
But Vincent chose not to do so immediately.
Instead, he swiftly pulled Autumn who was still frozen in shock into his arms, dashed to the doorway, and shoved her outside.
"Run!"
With a loud shout, Vincent slammed the door shut behind her, locking himself and the Licker inside the store.
...
Only at this moment did Autumn finally regain her senses.
Hearing the sounds of fierce struggle within the store, she bit her lip and decisively turned to flee.
She knew Vincent had created this precious escape opportunity by risking his own life.
If she wasted it, it would be an insult to his sacrifice!
Autumn ran away without looking back, tears shimmering in her beautiful eyes.
She never expected.
That there would truly be a man willing to give his life for her without a moment's hesitation!
No woman could remain indifferent to such heartfelt sacrifice.
Vincent's courageous figure was now deeply imprinted into her heart.
...
Inside the shooting club.
Seeing Autumn run off, Vincent immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, I managed to get rid of that silly girl.
Turning around calmly, he faced the Licker once more.
He had deliberately avoided striking back earlier, merely creating noise to fool Autumn. If he had wanted to, this creature would've been dead long ago.
"I was just messing around before. Now it's your time to die," Vincent said casually as he drew his blade.
"Roar!"
The Licker charged again, lunging aggressively at him.
This time, Vincent didn't dodge. Instead, he stepped forward to meet the attack, swinging his long blade decisively.
Slash!
A sharp blade flashed through the air.
Vincent stood steady and calm.
Behind him, the Licker crashed heavily to the floor, split cleanly in half, utterly dead.
Instant kill!
Considering Vincent's current strength, anything less would have been abnormal.
After dispatching the Licker, Vincent didn't linger, swiftly leaving the store.
To avoid encountering Autumn again, he deliberately went in the opposite direction.
If Autumn knew how far Vincent had gone to avoid her, who knows how she'd feel?
...
Half an hour later.
Vincent had left the city behind, venturing into the desolate countryside.
Along the way, he encountered several mindless zombies, all easily dispatched.
By now, Vincent fully understood his current strength.
In Zone 2, as long as he wasn't reckless, nothing posed a threat to him.
Checking his map once more, Vincent headed in the direction of Raccoon City.
Since no functional cars were available, he had no choice but to proceed on foot.
After roughly an hour.
Two buses suddenly appeared in the distance, driving towards him.
Vincent paused, swiftly taking cover behind nearby rocks to remain unseen.
As the buses drew closer, Vincent observed they had undergone extensive modifications.
Thick metal plates covered the vehicles, the windows replaced with tightly bolted wire mesh. Their fronts were fitted with iron spikes stained with dried blood. Even the tires had protective coverings.
These buses looked monstrous if driven in the regular world, they'd certainly be impounded.
But in an apocalypse, no one cared about regulations.
Such reinforced buses were ideal for escaping zombie hordes, allowing survivors to forcefully plow through any obstacles in their path.
Vincent's sharp eyes could clearly discern the occupants within the buses were survivors.
Thinking for a moment, he stepped directly into the road, signaling the buses to stop.
He intended to hitch a ride to Raccoon City with these survivors.
Screech!
Brakes squealed as both buses came to a stop.
The door opened.
A muscular, Caucasian man stepped out first. He carried himself with a distinctly military bearing and held an M416 assault rifle.
Vincent's eyes narrowed slightly, finding the man oddly familiar.
Then, from the bus emerged another figure a blonde woman with clear blue eyes.
She possessed striking beauty, with sharp and determined features, radiating an intense and commanding presence.
The moment Vincent laid eyes on this woman, he immediately recognized her.
She was none other than the heroine of the Resident Evil series:
Alice!