In the quarantine zone corridor, Karina was standing in front of the observation window, watching the people coming and going outside.
Paul lay on the hospital bed; he had just changed his dressings, and the wound had already begun to heal.
"Hey, newcomer?"
A raspy, roguish voice came from nearby.
Karina turned her head and saw a middle-aged man leaning against the doorframe of the adjacent isolation room.
He had messy hair, a smile that made people uncomfortable, and his eyes roamed up and down her body.
Karina didn't speak; she just nodded and then looked away.
Merle Dixon—she learned the name later—grinned, walked over, and leaned against her doorframe.
"What, not a talker?"
He said, his voice dropping a little: "Don't be nervous. I just want to get to know some new friends. Your name is Karina? A pretty name. Is that your boyfriend lying in there?"
Karina frowned and took a step back.
"None of your business."
"Tsk, so cold."
Merle wasn't embarrassed at all; instead, he laughed even more heartily: "Let me tell you, I know this place well. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me. For example—do you know how many points those guys in black get a month? Do you know how comfortable it is to live in the Hive? Do you know how to avoid being sent out to die?"
Karina clenched her fists and didn't speak.
Inside the ward, Paul heard the conversation outside.
He struggled to sit up, but a sharp pain in his abdomen made him gasp.
"Don't move."
Karina hurried back to hold him down.
"That bastard—"
Paul gritted his teeth.
"It's fine."
Karina lowered her voice, "Ignore him."
Merle poked his head in, looked at Paul's condition, and sneered: "Yo, pretty banged up, aren't ya! Still trying to play the hero? Save it, kid."
Paul's eyes turned red.
Just then, a voice came from the other end of the corridor:
"Merle."
Merle turned his head and saw Shane standing at the end of the corridor, looking at him expressionlessly.
"Go do whatever you're supposed to do."
Shane said: "Don't be an eyesore here."
Merle's smile stiffened for a moment, then turned into a sneer.
He shrugged, pushed himself off the doorframe, and as he walked past Shane, he said in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"The assessment next week, I'll trample you under my feet. When that time comes, it's my call how I screw with you."
Shane ignored him.
Merle smacked his lips and sauntered off.
Shane walked to the door of Karina's isolation room and glanced at them: "You okay?"
Karina shook her head: "We're fine, thank you."
Shane nodded: "Don't mention it. That punk, just ignore him."
Paul watched him from the bed and asked: "Are you a newcomer too? I see you're wearing civilian clothes as well."
Shane looked down at the T-shirt he was wearing and smiled: "I suppose so! Been here for two days."
"Then you... know this place well?"
Karina asked: "What happens after the quarantine period ends?"
Shane thought for a moment and said: "Quarantine is called quarantine, but it's actually more like a vacation. You have to go back to your room to sleep at night, but you can move around freely during the day, walk around, and get familiar with the environment. Once the three-day period is up, you can officially start working."
"What do you do for work?"
Paul asked.
"Depends on your specialty."
Shane said: "Those with combat skills go to the security department; those with technical skills go to logistics or maintenance. If you can't do anything, there's miscellaneous work. Anyway, they don't keep idlers here."
He paused and added: "But they don't exploit people either. You have food, housing, and security. It's much better than outside."
Karina and Paul looked at each other and both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you."
Karina said it again.
Shane waved his hand and turned to leave.
The corridor quieted down.
Karina sat back down by Paul's bed and whispered: "It seems we really came to the right place."
Paul nodded and held her hand.
Third-floor office.
Wu Fan leaned back in his chair, flipping through the stack of new employee information forms in his hand.
Karina, female, twenty-eight years old, nurse.
Paul, male, thirty-one years old, high school teacher.
These two names... look a bit familiar.
He thought for a moment and remembered.
In The Walking Dead, there are indeed characters named Karina and Paul.
Seems like it was the spin-off, The Walking Dead prequel.
Whatever, since they're here, I'll just keep them.
He put down the information forms and rubbed his temples.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Amy walked in.
She had changed out of the sexy dress from last night and put on a professional suit again.
Her high heels tapped a crisp rhythm on the floor.
Wu Fan looked at her and raised an eyebrow: "Not resting a bit more?"
Amy's face flushed slightly, but she quickly returned to normal: "No need, resting for the morning is enough."
She walked to the desk, picked up Wu Fan's cup, poured him a cup of coffee, and placed it by his hand.
Wu Fan picked up the cup and took a sip—the temperature was just right, and the ratio of milk to sugar was also perfect. He nodded with satisfaction.
"Oh, right..."
Amy stood by the desk and asked, seemingly casually: "What is the content of next week's assessment?"
Wu Fan looked up, his eyes looking at her in a strange way.
"Did your sister send you to ask?"
Amy's face flushed again. She bit her lip and nodded.
Wu Fan laughed.
He put down the cup, took a piece of paper from the drawer, and handed it to her: "It's not a secret. Actually, go ahead and print it out, post it on the bulletin board, and let everyone see it."
Amy took the paper and looked down at it.
[Umbrella Corporation Security Personnel Induction Assessment]
[Assessment Time: Next Monday at 8:00 AM]
[Assessment Location: Training Ground]
[Assessment Content:]
[1. 3km Run (10kg load)]
[2. Obstacle Course (2-meter wall, barbed wire, balance beam)]
[3. Shooting (Stationary target, moving target)]
[4. Combat (One-on-one sparring)]
[Note: Assessment results will determine job placement and compensation level. Please ensure all candidates are prepared.]
After reading it, Amy's expression changed.
She knew her sister Andrea had been training very hard recently, but these four items—3km weighted run, obstacle course, shooting, combat—were all tough nuts to crack.
Especially combat; Andrea had been training for less than two weeks, how could she possibly beat those veterans?
Her sister had no hope.
"What?"
Wu Fan looked at her: "Worried for your sister?"
Amy looked up and smiled forcedly: "No, I'll go print it now."
She turned to leave, but Wu Fan called her back:
"Tell your sister, don't be nervous. The assessment results only determine job placement and compensation, it's not an elimination system. Even if she performs poorly, there's still work to be done, it's just... she won't be able to be a squad leader."
Amy nodded and pushed the door open to leave.
Ten minutes later, a crowd gathered in front of the bulletin board.
The assessment notice was pinned to the wooden board by Amy with thumbtacks, clear as day in black and white.
"3km weighted run?"
A fat man wailed: "I'd die after running 300 meters!"
"Obstacle course? A two-meter wall?"
Another middle-aged man's face turned green: "With my old arms and legs..."
"Combat?"
T-Dog looked at those words and swallowed: "I just learned how to hold a gun..."
Merle stood behind the crowd, looking at the notice, a sneer appearing on the corner of his mouth.
He looked at Shane not far away, his eyes cold.
Just you wait, cop.
Merle turned and left.
Shane stood at the edge of the crowd, staring at the notice, wondering what he was thinking.
Andrea was also in the crowd.
She looked at the four assessment items and slowly clenched her hands.
Combat.
She had only been training for two weeks.
But—
She remembered the sweat shed on the training ground, the severity with which Sandra taught her those moves, and her determination every time she got back up after being thrown down.
So what if it's only two weeks?
Two weeks is enough to fight.
She turned and walked toward the training ground.
One week left.
That's enough.
A group of people also gathered in front of the bulletin board in the second-floor quarantine zone corridor.
Karina pushed Paul's wheelchair, squeezed to the back of the crowd, and stood on tiptoe to look at the notice.
"Security assessment..."
Paul read: "3km weighted run, obstacle course, shooting, combat..."
He looked down at the bandage on his abdomen and smiled bitterly: "Looks like I'm out of luck."
Karina patted his shoulder: "Wait until your wound heals, just focus on recovering first."
"What about you?"
Paul asked.
Karina was silent for a few seconds, then said: "I'm a nurse, they shouldn't make me go to the security department, right."
A fat guy nearby heard this, turned his head, and looked envious: "A nurse? You're lucky! I was a damn accountant; now, aside from doing math, I can't do anything. I'll probably just have to go to logistics and move bricks."
Another skinny guy sighed: "Don't be picky, it's good enough just to be alive."
Karina didn't speak, just pushed Paul toward the isolation room.
In the corridor, the discussions gradually faded away.
"3km..."
"Two-meter wall..."
"Combat..."
Some wailed, some were excited, some were nervous, some were expectant.
And all of this was seen by Wu Fan upstairs.
He stood by the window, looking at the crowd downstairs, gently swirling the coffee cup in his hand.
In a week, we'll know who is the wolf and who is the sheep.
He took a sip of coffee.
Tastes good.