As Vincent Fox flipped further through the textbook, his eyes suddenly landed on a disturbing image.
He froze.
His pupils shrank.
His entire body stiffened.
The illustration depicted a grotesque, skinless creature with bulging, red muscle fibers stretched tight across its body. It crawled on all fours, its limbs elongated and claws sharp like scythes. From its gaping mouth hung a grotesquely long tongue, dripping with saliva.
It looked like a monstrous, oversized frog.
But Vincent knew exactly what it was.
A Licker.
Straight out of Resident Evil.
"Wait… don't tell me…""Forbidden Zone No. 2… is this the Resident Evil universe?!"
His mind reeled in disbelief.
Before he could piece it all together, a short elderly man standing at the front of the lecture hall slammed his hand on the desk.
Bang!
"Alright, stop flipping through your books!" the old man barked. "Focus."
He cleared his throat and continued.
"My name is Charles Joe. Starting today, I'll be the one guiding you through the curriculum for Forbidden Zones."
Professor Joe's expression was calm, but his voice carried weight.
"Let's begin with some background on Zone No. 2."
"This world was once peaceful… until an unknown virus broke out. It infected a vast portion of the global population."
"Anyone infected loses consciousness almost instantly and becomes a mindless, flesh-hungry monster."
"Yes, I'm talking about zombies."
"You've seen them in the movies. Now you're going to meet the real thing."
"They attack anything that moves. They don't feel fear, they don't back down, and they're incredibly hard to kill."
"Cut off their limbs? Useless. Shoot their chest? Won't help. There's only one way to stop them destroy the brain."
Gasps and murmurs filled the room.
"But don't panic," Professor Joe added. "The zombies in Zone 2 are slow, unintelligent, and relatively easy to avoid."
"As long as you keep calm, avoid panicking, and don't get surrounded, they're not that dangerous."
"In fact, Zone No. 2 is the second-safest among all the Forbidden Zones right behind Zone No. 1."
"It's the ideal training ground for new recruits like you."
"But make no mistake…"
"Zombies aren't the real threat here."
Professor Joe narrowed his eyes.
"The true danger… lies in infected animals."
"Now, everyone turn to page five."
The class obeyed, flipping to the assigned page.
Vincent's eyes widened once again.
On the page was the image of a crow but not an ordinary one. Its feathers were matted with rot, half its body was decayed, and its eyes were a dead, milky white.
The sight sent a chill through the classroom.
Professor Joe continued calmly.
"These infected crows are far more dangerous than zombies."
"Many animals, after infection, retain their natural instincts. Like this crow it can still fly."
"And if you ever run into a whole flock of them?"
He paused.
"Pray you make it out alive."
The students shivered.
"Years ago, when Zone 2 first appeared, the government sent in an elite special forces unit to investigate."
"They were trained, armed, and fully equipped."
"Out of thirty-two men… only one crawled back alive."
Silence.
The entire room went cold.
Even the confident ones now wore pale expressions.
Professor Joe didn't sugarcoat anything.
He wasn't here to offer comfort only the truth.
"Now… turn to page seven."
Another unsettling image greeted them.
A mutated zombie dog, with split-open skin, savage red eyes, and blood-stained fangs.
Some of the more timid students turned their faces away.
Vincent stared at the page.
Zombie dogs… Lickers… infected crows…
Everything was pointing toward a single terrifying truth.
"This isn't just a zombie zone…""This is the actual Resident Evil world."
His hands slowly curled into fists.
Things just got real.
And Vincent Fox knew
He had to get even stronger.