He ignored the constant knocking on the door behind him; the sturdy door couldn't be easily broken down by a few zombies.
While it certainly wouldn't hold forever, at least for now, he didn't need to worry about it.
However, the faces of the Police around him were not good, as if the sound wasn't knocking on the door, but on their fragile souls. Zhou Yi didn't mock these people, because anyone who had just returned from a trip to Hell would be the same. He just pointed to the surrounding freezers and various shelves and said,
"If you don't want them to come in from here, you'd better block the door with these things!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several Police immediately pushed the huge freezers over, firmly bracing them against the constantly vibrating door. Then, piles of shelves were also toppled onto the freezers. With these, the door was almost impossible to push open. And after finishing all this, the Police collapsed onto the ground.
They weren't tired; they were purely scared.
But now was far from the time for them to rest. This was a large hotel, and they were currently in the hotel's back door storage room. On weekdays, many people came and went from the hotel, so naturally, the lower floors would not be too safe.
Zombies would chase living beings into every corner; it was possible that a zombie was hiding in this cursed place. Looking at the citizens, who were as startled as birds and utterly terrified, Zhou Yi said to Jill,
"I'll go upstairs and clear out those things. You organize these people. Block off the entire first floor, move the furniture from the rooms to block the stairs and passages going up. Arrange everyone to go upstairs, and don't forget to check if anyone is injured. You know what will happen, so don't do anything foolish!"
Jill nodded. As a former elite, she naturally knew what kind of consequences womanly compassion would bring at this time.
And after receiving Jill's reply, Zhou Yi, carrying the car door stained with blood and flesh, walked up the stairs. Of course, he didn't need this item, but the survivors here did. A formidable weapon often brings people confidence and courage, no matter how insignificant, it is still precious.
With no one beside him, Zhou Yi naturally cleared out the zombies quickly. Occasionally, he encountered one or two surviving individuals, and he directly showed them a way to survive. Staying with a large group of survivors seemed much safer than following him, a lone wolf. This idea was naturally accepted by these survivors, and they followed the safe passage Zhou Yi had opened to join the main group. At the same time, they brought them the latest news.
Soon, the entire hotel was thoroughly cleared. When Zhou Yi returned, Jill also led the survivors to settle into this temporary camp.
"There are a total of 270 people, over 70 of whom are Police. They are enough to maintain order here, but if they encounter those mutated monsters, the things in their hands probably won't guarantee their safety."
She directed the Police to gather the survivors while reporting the situation to Zhou Yi.
"Also, no one is injured. That's the only good news so far."
"Don't worry too much, the troops will be stationed here after tonight. These people just need to guard this place!" Zhou Yi comforted her slightly. While they were clearing and settling into the hotel, the commotion outside had already subsided.
The dense gunfire in the city had begun to gradually weaken, and sometimes even desperate screams reached their ears. Without needing to be told, they could guess that another group of unfortunate pals had been engulfed by the zombie horde. This sound made the survivors here feel a sense of shared sorrow. Many had already begun to sob uncontrollably.
"Sir, is what you said true? Will there really be troops to rescue us?" A Police Officer who had overheard Zhou Yi and Jill's conversation walked over and asked. He was the Superior of this group of Police, and also the Police Officer who had initially supported Zhou Yi.
Looking at the uneasy expression on the Officer's face, Zhou Yi smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'm in contact with special departments, and they'll be here to support us very soon. As you've seen, those monsters are actually nothing to be afraid of as long as you have enough weapons."
Hearing Zhou Yi's comfort, the Officer forced a smile. The monsters Zhou Yi said were easy to deal with had already become the most terrifying nightmare in his heart. He even doubted whether he would ever be able to sleep peacefully again. He thought for a moment and then asked his question. Compared to Jill, he trusted Zhou Yi's words more. Whether it was his demeanor or the courage he displayed, Zhou Yi seemed much more credible in the Officer's eyes.
"Was all of this really done by Umbrella? Although I heard Officer Jill's explanation, I still can't quite believe it. This city was built by them, so why would they do this?"
"Officer, this question has already been confirmed. However, it is not something you need to worry about right now. You just need to help these survivors hold on until rescue arrives. As for the rest, you can completely delve into it later!"
The Officer shook his head, self-deprecatingly.
"You're right, considering this problem at this time is truly foolish! This lady said you two are leaving here?"
"We still need to rescue as many people as possible, so I'm sorry. You'll have to rely on yourselves here. As long as you hold on until sunrise, rescue will arrive." Zhou Yi nodded. Their plan was to rescue as many people as possible. Naturally, it was impossible to stay in one place for long.
The Officer did not stop them; he had neither the thought nor the standing to do so. In the end, he merely asked Zhou Yi,
"Sir, I hope you won't forget the survivors here; their lives are now in your hands."
"Don't worry!" Zhou Yi replied solemnly. He understood what his answer meant. Without this answer, these people might not truly hold on until tomorrow.
Soon, Zhou Yi and Jill embarked on their rescue journey again. Relying on the Police, and even the seemingly abandoned U.B.C.S. forces, they quickly established one small Sanctuary after another in hotels, supermarkets, and apartments. Perhaps these people couldn't face the swarming tide of corpses on the streets, but in such confined environments, it was no problem for them to hold on for a period of time.
At each Sanctuary, Jill would explain the weaknesses of the zombies and Umbrella's conspiracy to everyone, while Zhou Yi would give them the final confidence, using the as-yet-nonexistent support to ignite their will to survive.
Supported by the will to survive, every survivor burst forth with astonishing strength.
Zhou Yi didn't doubt whether they could hold on until then; he only worried about those in the city who hadn't yet been rescued.
Even though the two of them had tried their best, Jill was even somewhat exhausted. But compared to the vast number of citizens in this city, their efforts only saved a very small portion of lives.
Even if Zhou Yi transformed into a Dawn Knight, it wouldn't make much difference. This terrifying catastrophe was no longer something that could be solved by one person's strength. Only with the intervention of the country and the army could they truly be resolved.
Leaving the newly established Sanctuary, Zhou Yi drove, carrying the dozing Jill, towards the other end of the city. As he drove, he used the glasses on his nose to contact Coulson, who had been on standby. At the beginning of the crisis, he had taken Natasha's advice and contacted Coulson. By now, they should be almost there.
"Phil, how are your preparations coming along?"
"In another hour, our troops will reach Raccoon City. Also, I've already passed on your information. Although we currently have no way to cure this virus, we've prepared a lot of cryogenic devices. If infected individuals appear, we will house them as quickly as possible."
Zhou Yi was a bit annoyed when this topic came up. His abilities were more harmful than beneficial here; even those who hadn't yet turned into zombies would undergo massive mutations after receiving his treatment. He couldn't go around creating Supermen; that would only provide fertile ground for guys like Umbrella to thrive.
"Don't you have any other options? The injured are in the thousands, and the number is constantly increasing. You can't house that many people."
"I know, but Natasha just sent news. She found a spy who has data on this t-virus. With this data, perhaps we can quickly create an antidote!" Coulson brought good news. Hearing this, Zhou Yi slammed on the brakes.
The antidote was crucial. As long as they had the data, with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s research capabilities and his own research institute, creating an antidote would be no problem at all. And with an antidote, the lives of many people in this city could be saved. So he immediately abandoned his plan to continue building Sanctuaries and pressed on,
"Did Natasha say where that spy is?"
"She's still searching. I'll notify you immediately once there's news."
There was no use rushing this kind of thing, and Zhou Yi understood that. He trusted Coulson and Natasha's abilities, so he left this problem to them. He simply sent over a piece of information.
"Phil, these are the locations of the Sanctuaries we've established so far. There are twelve in total, with about two thousand people. You must arrange rescue personnel. The longer we delay, the more dangerous the situation becomes."
Looking at Zhou Yi's information, Coulson praised,
"pal, you've done a fantastic job. In the past, you would have been a Saint like Moses! I'm going to arrange rescue personnel right away!"
"Forget it, I think I'm more like a devil than a Saint!" Zhou Yi said with a bitter smile. He had saved many people, and he had also watched many people die. Compared to glory, the sins on him were equally heavy.
However, Coulson didn't hear what he said; the only one who could hear was Jill, who was dozing with her back to him. She heard it, but didn't know what to say. So she just closed her eyes, pretending that nothing had happened.
Her heart was in turmoil, just like this crazy city.
Zhou Yi and Jill were still working hard to save the citizens of this city, while Umbrella was brewing a new conspiracy.
Raymond sat upright in the tent, which was a temporary camp set up by Umbrella. Its purpose was for security and to monitor their weapon projects. The chaos at Umbrella had exceeded his imagination, and the damage caused by the biochemical crisis even far exceeded their expectations.
In less than a day, the troops he had sent out had suffered heavy losses, which forced him to recall most of his army. Only the U.B.C.S. remained. They were mercenaries; their Death was not regrettable. Moreover, from the very beginning, he had planned to sacrifice this mercenary unit.
Their instability was too great; Umbrella had long planned to eliminate them, and now was simply an opportune moment.
Just as Raymond was still monitoring the biochemical weapons he had released, his Deputy rushed into the tent. He reported bad news to him.
"Officer, there are many survivors appearing on the outskirts of the city. They will soon leave Raccoon City. What should we do?"
"How many people?"
"At least tens of thousands, Officer."
Tens of thousands of people escaping Raccoon City was a consequence Umbrella could not afford. They would publicize the situation in Raccoon City, and even spread the t-virus to the outside World. Once such a thing happened, neither he nor Umbrella could escape a charge of crimes against humanity. Death would already be the best outcome.
"Give the order to activate the city's defense line. Don't let a single person leave Raccoon City. At a critical moment, I authorize you to open Fire!" Raymond's words were decisive, and also terrifyingly bloody.
The Deputy understood what he meant, but he didn't have the courage to relay the order. With tens of thousands of lives before him, he truly couldn't bear the weight.
Raymond was now extremely tyrannical, and seeing his Deputy's hesitation, he directly drew his sidearm and aimed it at him.
"Remember this: if what we've done is exposed, we won't even have the right to be human. So, if you want to live, if you want to be able to live like a human, then go and give the order honestly. If you don't have the courage, why don't I just give you a quick end now!"
His words and attitude brought the Deputy to tears. Faced with himself and others, the Deputy made his choice.
Soon, an astonishing scene appeared around Raccoon City's roads, mountains, and even the wilderness. Huge steel ramparts rose piece by piece from beneath the surface, forming a massive, continuous steel wall.
This steel wall blocked the escape routes of all survivors. No one could scale a three-story high wall with their bare hands, let alone when these walls were guarded by elite Soldiers.
Umbrella had made up its mind; they wanted this city to become a dead city. And all residents were to be buried with it. Because only dead people would not leak the secrets here, and only dead people could minimize Umbrella's losses.
They had completely gone mad. Beneath their well-dressed human skin lay an inner demon that humanity could never imagine.