On July 24, 1998, Lincoln Grey-a smooth-talking British thief-flies into Raccoon City on a mission to steal a mysterious prototype from the pharmaceutical giant Umbrella. After a flirtatious encounter with a flight attendant midair, he lands, checks into a rundown motel, and starts scoping out the city. At a late-night diner, he crosses paths with members of the elite police unit S.T.A.R.S.-Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield-who are investigating strange incidents connected to the Spencer estate in the Arklay Mountains and Umbrella's founder. Lincoln quickly realizes there's more going on than corporate espionage. That same night, S.T.A.R.S. is called to investigate another grisly death and loses contact with their Bravo Team near the estate. They deploy by helicopter to check it out. Meanwhile, Lincoln infiltrates the Spencer estate grounds on his own. He soon discovers the horrifying truth: the area is crawling with zombies-reanimated, decaying creatures that don't go down easily. After a brutal encounter, he realizes the "prototype" he's been sent to steal is likely tied to whatever caused this outbreak. As S.T.A.R.S. lands at the estate, chaos erupts. Zombie dogs attack, explosions go off, and the team is forced into a desperate retreat inside the mansion. Jill is knocked back during the assault and nearly overwhelmed by the undead. Lincoln intervenes, saving her at the last second. The two lock eyes-recognition, tension, and unfinished business hanging between them-as the undead close in and the real nightmare begins inside the estate. In short: what starts as a high-paying theft job turns into a full-blown survival horror scenario, with Lincoln caught between corporate secrets, elite cops, and a zombie outbreak that's only just beginning.

When a lonely, inquisitive boy in 1944 recognizes a startling secret in a kitchen doorway, he begins a search that will change the world. Charles Xavier wants to know whether he is the only one. Raven is a runaway shape-shifter who only ever wanted food and safety. Lincoln Grey has survived a century of war and plague, refusing to age. And Erik Lensherr carries a fury shaped by a world that taught him to fight for survival. As Charles gathers them-outcasts, survivors, and the extraordinary-the government notices, old enemies stir, and a violent clash at sea proves that the next step in human evolution will not go quietly into the night.

Ozpin summons Lincoln Grey to his office and assigns him a secret mission: track down Raven Branwen-Yang Xiao Long's estranged mother-who saved Yang during the Mountain Glenn incident. Ozpin believes Raven holds critical information about Salem and an impending war but refuses to explain more. Though skeptical and sarcastic, Lincoln agrees, knowing he's being sent into dangerous bandit territory near Kuroyuri in Anima. He leaves uneasy but committed, already messaging Yang and preparing for a messy, high-stakes journey.

Ichigo wakes up badly injured after fighting Kenpachi to a draw and passing out from a stomach wound. Yoruichi has rescued him, forces him to rest, and then reveals a long-kept secret about her true identity, which completely throws Ichigo off. A massive burst of spiritual pressure alerts them that Byakuya is moving, so Ichigo rushes out despite his condition to protect Hanataro and Rukia-but the attempt goes poorly. Yoruichi intervenes, prevents Byakuya from finishing them, and knocks Ichigo out to carry him to safety. Afterward, Yoruichi offers Ichigo a way to get stronger in just three days and begins training him toward Bankai. The excerpt ends with Ichigo recovering in a hot spring during training, only to be startled when Yoruichi joins him, reigniting his embarrassment and tension.