Marvel: Umbrella Corporation

As the alarm blared, soldiers panicked and grabbed their rifles, unsure where to aim.

"What's going on?"

"Are we under attack?"

"Where's the enemy? Why is there no gunfire?"

"What are those shadows?"

Moments later, the soldiers noticed a dark line forming in the direction of Ane City.

Someone fired a flare into the sky. It rose slowly, casting a dim red glow as it descended.

Under the faint red light, the soldiers finally saw what the dark line was—creatures, or rather, monsters, sprinting toward them.

These figures were clothed in tatters, covered in blood, their mouths unnaturally wide, with long, spiked tongues protruding grotesquely.

Inside the armored vehicles, the officers snapped to attention and issued immediate orders.

"Open fire!"

"Everyone, fire at will!"

*Bang! Bang!* *Rat-tat-tat-tat…*

At the sound of the commands, the soldiers finally reacted, pulling their triggers.

But to their horror, the bullets did little to slow the monsters. The soldiers saw their shots land, even piercing heads, but the creatures seemed impervious to pain, charging forward relentlessly.

Soon, the wave of monsters reached the defensive line and swarmed the soldiers.

"ROAR!!" "HuNgRY…"

"Ahhh!"

"Help!"

"Monsters! Run for your lives!"

The soldiers, unprepared to face these fearless creatures, quickly lost morale. Dropping their weapons, they turned and fled.

As previously noted, they were here for the paycheck—risking their lives wasn't part of the plan.

Just as the defensive line was on the brink of collapse, helicopters and fighter jets appeared in the sky.

The SHIELD task force had arrived.

*Whizz… Boom!*

The heavy firepower of SHIELD's forces temporarily stalled the zombies' onslaught. Then, agents began rappelling down from helicopters.

These agents were far more disciplined than the untrained local soldiers. Working in small groups, they targeted one "split-mouth" zombie at a time, using coordinated fire to incapacitate their enemies.

Whether the zombies were killed outright didn't matter—once the creatures lost mobility, the agents moved to the next target.

Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton soon joined the fray, providing long-range support.

With Natasha's deadly accuracy and Clint's unmatched precision, most zombies were taken down with a single shot. The duo's efficiency rivaled that of two or three entire squads.

Moments later, Lorna Dane descended with her team of mutants.

With a wave of her hands, Lorna lifted nearby metal debris and slammed it into the zombies, reducing them to bloody pulp.

The other mutants also showcased their abilities—fireballs, ice spikes, flying projectiles, and more. While their individual attacks weren't as devastating, they significantly slowed the zombies' charge.

Within minutes, the thousand-strong wave of "split-mouth" zombies had been eradicated.

*Huff… Huff…*

After the battle, everyone was left gasping for breath.

Once they regained composure, the team began clearing the battlefield—finishing off any zombies still moving and binding injured allies to administer the zombie antidote.

However, the antidote had been developed based on the zombies from Kyushu Island, and no one knew if it would work against these new variants.

The answer came swiftly.

Some of the wounded soldiers from the local forces were the first to mutate, their mouths splitting grotesquely as sharp spikes emerged.

Seeing this, the SHIELD agents wasted no time, pulling their triggers without hesitation.

Soon, even some injured SHIELD agents began to transform. A brutal slaughter ensued, eliminating all infected individuals.

Witnessing this, Natasha and Clint exchanged uneasy glances.

At this rate, it was clear the antidote was ineffective. This meant that any injury—whether a bite or a scratch—was a death sentence.

"Wait! Lower your weapons!"

Lorna's voice rang out from a distance.

Natasha and Clint turned to see her confronting three SHIELD agents, standing protectively in front of an injured mutant.

"He's only scratched! We're mutants—we're immune to these viruses and won't mutate."

"Miss Dane, protocol dictates that anyone injured must be restrained."

"You want to restrain my people?"

"Not exactly, but given how dangerous the situation is—"

"No! If he mutates, I'll handle it personally. You don't need to interfere."

Hearing this, the SHIELD agents hesitated. After all, Lorna had the strength to back up her words.

But Clint, with his sharp eyes, noticed that the injured mutant was already showing signs of mutation. His eyes were turning red, and his body was trembling.

In the next moment, the mutant opened his mouth wide—splitting to the ears—and lunged.

Caught in the confrontation, neither Lorna nor the other mutants noticed.

Without hesitation, Clint drew his bow and fired.

*Whoosh!*

The arrow flew across the battlefield and struck the mutant in the mouth.

"Roar!"

The mutant let out a guttural roar as his body convulsed, sending out shockwaves.

The mutant's ability—to make objects explode upon contact—remained even after mutation.

*Boom! Boom!*

Nearby areas erupted in explosions, injuring several mutants, one of whom collapsed in a pool of blood.

Reacting swiftly, Lorna raised her hand, slamming a massive chunk of metal onto the mutant, crushing him instantly.

But now she faced a bigger problem: what to do with the injured mutants.

Moments later, Natasha approached her.

"Lorna, for everyone's safety, we should restrain them. It's the only way to ensure no one else gets hurt."

This time, Lorna didn't argue.

"Restrain them," she ordered reluctantly.

Though unwilling, the injured mutants couldn't resist.

It didn't take long before they, too, began to mutate.

Seeing this, Natasha's expression grew even more grim.

"It seems that any wound—whether from a zombie or not—can lead to mutation. Could the virus be airborne?"

Looking at the battlefield strewn with human and zombie corpses, unease gripped her.

If the virus could indeed linger in the air, it meant everyone might already be infected, held at bay only by their antibodies.

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