Chapter 5 – Umbrella Corporation
By the time Wu Fan drove toward the CDC, the sun was already high in the sky.
Morning light cut through a thin layer of mist, revealing a gray, square-shaped building ahead. Four stories tall, surrounded by barbed wire, with satellite dishes slowly rotating on the roof.
From a distance, it looked like a normal government research facility.
But the air told a different story.
Gunpowder.
Blood.
Death.
Fifty meters from the checkpoint, a voice suddenly exploded through a loudspeaker:
"STOP THE VEHICLE! ENGINE OFF! HANDS OUT THE WINDOW!"
Wu Fan slammed on the brakes.
Dozens of rifle barrels were already aimed at him from behind sandbag defenses.
"Maddie…" he thought for a brief moment—but there was no time for hesitation.
He raised both hands immediately.
"I'm getting out! Don't shoot!"
He stepped out of the car slowly, palms still raised.
Two soldiers approached from both sides, rifles trained on his head the entire time.
One searched him from head to toe with harsh, practiced movements.
"Clean. No bite marks," the soldier reported.
"ID," the other demanded.
Wu Fan handed over his police badge.
The soldier glanced at it. "Atlanta Police Department? How did you end up out here?"
Wu Fan exhaled slowly.
"Atlanta has fallen."
The soldier froze.
"Walkers everywhere. Millions of them. There's no stopping it."
"Walkers?"
"The dead ones. The ones that keep moving after they die."
The soldiers exchanged a glance. One of them shouted toward a tent:
"Sir! We've got a cop who escaped Atlanta!"
A moment later, the tent flap opened.
A middle-aged officer stepped out.
Major rank. Scar on his face. Eyes sharp and exhausted.
He walked straight up to Wu Fan and studied him closely.
"Answer my questions honestly," the Major said.
Wu Fan raised a hand solemnly.
"I swear on the President's—"
He paused.
"—integrity… that the President would get jumped by twenty guys if I'm lying."
Silence.
Then—
A short burst of laughter from the soldiers.
Even the Major smirked slightly before grabbing Wu Fan by the collar.
"I'm not in the mood for jokes. What's happening in Atlanta?"
Wu Fan's expression turned serious.
"It's gone. Completely gone."
He spoke clearly, carefully.
"Every street. Every block. Full of those things. Even if only a fraction of the population turned, that's still hundreds of thousands. You don't have enough firepower to hold that."
The Major stared at him for a long moment.
Then released him and walked back into the tent without a word.
Inside, something slammed against a table.
A nearby soldier leaned in.
"Don't take it personally. The CO hasn't slept all night."
"What's going on here?" Wu Fan asked.
The soldier lowered his voice.
"Over 800 of those things hit us last night. Almost broke the perimeter. We had to use tanks and RPGs to clear them out."
He pointed at a scorched field nearby.
"We're running low on ammo. Communications are down. Nobody knows if command is still operational."
Wu Fan said nothing.
A few minutes later, the Major called for him again.
"You can go in," a soldier said—but immediately added, "No weapons."
Wu Fan hesitated, then slowly removed everything.
Guns.
Ammo.
Magazines.
He placed them all on the ground.
"I don't care about any of this," he said quietly.
But his hands lingered for a moment longer than they should have.
Then he walked toward the CDC building.
The entrance doors were still open.
Unlike the show he remembered… this place wasn't sealed off yet.
Soldiers stood guard at the entrance.
Inside, movement could be seen—scientists still working.
The virus research was still active.
That meant the timeline hadn't reached its collapse point yet.
Wu Fan stepped forward.
"Halt!" a guard snapped. "No entry."
"I need to go inside."
"Civilians aren't allowed."
"I'm a police officer."
"Doesn't matter. Orders are orders. No one disturbs the researchers."
Wu Fan exhaled slowly and stepped back.
He turned toward the command tent instead.
Inside, the Major was studying a map.
Without looking up, he said:
"If this is about the CDC—don't waste your breath."
"I want in," Wu Fan said.
The Major's head snapped up.
His eyes turned cold.
"Get out before I lose my temper… or I'll personally shoot you."
Wu Fan backed away slowly.
So that was it.
No entry.
No exceptions.
He wandered aimlessly around the perimeter until he reached a parked Abrams tank.
The metal was still warm.
Dark stains of flesh and blood clung to its tracks.
Two tank crewmen sat nearby, smoking in exhaustion.
Wu Fan walked over and handed them cigarettes.
"Thanks, man," one of them said.
"You're that cop from Atlanta, right?"
"Yeah."
The bearded soldier exhaled smoke.
"So… it really was that bad?"
Wu Fan sat on the tank track.
Then he spoke.
And once he started, he didn't stop.
"I've seen entire streets collapse in minutes."
"I've seen people biting each other like animals."
"A woman tore her husband's throat open right in front of me."
"A child—maybe seven years old—was chewing on his own mother's face."
The soldiers went silent.
Even their cigarettes stopped moving.
Wu Fan continued, voice low but steady.
"I escaped by driving through a horde. I lost my car, climbed rooftops, and moved across the tops of buildings for blocks."
"One of them grabbed my ankle. I had to kick it again and again just to get free."
He looked at the ground.
"I'm still alive… somehow."
The bearded soldier shook his head.
"Damn… you're lucky to be breathing."
Wu Fan gave a bitter smile.
"Luck doesn't last long."
He leaned back against the tank.
And then—
The system appeared.
A translucent interface only he could see.
[Hive System]
Status: Inactive
Unlock Requirement: Enter CDC hidden area
System Shop: Available
Only one item was unlocked.
Umbrella Corporation Employee ID (Level 1)
Price: Free
Description:
Sign your name to become an official employee of Umbrella Corporation. Grants access to Umbrella facilities and security systems.
Whether such facilities exist in this world is unknown.
Wu Fan froze.
Umbrella Corporation.
That name hit him harder than anything else so far.
Resident Evil.
Bio-weapons.
The T-virus.
But this was The Walking Dead world.
Not that universe.
So why was this here?
He looked up at the CDC building again.
The same building.
But suddenly… it didn't feel the same.
CDC on the surface.
But what about underneath?
What if something else was buried beneath it?
Something worse?
His thoughts drifted to Dr. Jenner.
The only CDC scientist left in Season 1.
The man who knew something.
Something he whispered to Rick… something the show never revealed.
Wu Fan's hand hovered over the system prompt.
Then he tapped:
[CONFIRM]
A flash of light.
A card appeared in his hand.
White background.
Red umbrella logo.
His photo already printed on it—wearing his police uniform, expression blank.
Name: Wu Fan
Title: Atlanta Regional Director
On the back:
Rule 1: The Company is always right.
Rule 2: If the Company is wrong, refer to Rule 1.
Wu Fan stared at it for a long moment.
"…what kind of nonsense is this?"
He slipped the card into his pocket.
Then stood up.
"I'm going in again."
The soldiers looked at him like he was insane.
"You serious?" one asked.
Wu Fan didn't answer.
He walked straight toward the tent.
And this time—
He wasn't asking permission anymore.