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Check out battery on for 5 advance chapters.
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On the viaduct, several figures were walking, their footsteps echoing faintly against the concrete. Among them was Jack, calm as always, his eyes carrying a strange glint, as if he knew more than the others. The air was heavy, and silence hung thick until Jill Valentine broke it, her sharp eyes glaring at one of the security cameras fixed high on the bridge.
She spoke with clear discontent, her voice edged with irritation.
"If there's no way out of here, yet someone is still watching us through these cameras… doesn't it feel like we've been thrown into the twisted game of some pervert?"
Jack gave a slow, almost playful smile.
"Exactly. We've been placed inside a game." His voice was casual, but his words carried weight. "The 'Nemesis Program' has already started. The main roles in this game are Alice… and Nemesis himself."
Alice narrowed her eyes and turned toward him.
"Then who are the players?" she asked, her tone cold, but curiosity lingered behind her words.
Jack's smile deepened, as if he enjoyed her question.
"There are many players. For example, the people of Umbrella Corporation. They're definitely enjoying this little show." He paused, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret only he knew. "But the biggest player of all… is my father."
Alice's lips curved into a faint smile.
"That makes sense. Jack, it's like when you go hunting. For you, hunting itself is just a game."
Jack chuckled softly, his expression almost mockingly humble.
"Sharp as always, Alice. You've seen right through me. Perhaps I'm just too… pure."
Jill snorted at his words, sarcasm dripping from her tongue.
"Pure? Maybe pure shamelessness. You've got the thickest skin I've ever seen."
Before Alice could respond, her expression suddenly shifted. Her gaze dropped to the shadows beneath the viaduct, her instincts screaming.
"Wait. Down there… is something moving?"
Jill quickly scanned in all directions, her pistol already in hand.
"Where? I don't see anything."
"I don't see a damn thing either," Peyton muttered, frustrated.
But Alice didn't relax. Her eyes stayed locked on the darkness below. She could feel it — the creeping sense of crisis clawing at her chest. "Even if you can't see it… it's there. Something dangerous."
A flash of malice flickered in Jack's eyes for the briefest of moments, so subtle no one caught it.
And then, the ground trembled.
Nemesis had arrived.
"Goddamn it, I've had enough of this!" Peyton roared. His hand shot to his pistol. He stormed forward and fired recklessly into the shadows.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Bullets rained down, sparks bursting as they struck metal. Peyton's body convulsed violently under a sudden hail of return fire. His chest was torn open, blood spraying. With a strangled cry, he collapsed onto the concrete.
"Peyton!" Jill screamed, immediately opening fire toward the source.
From below the bridge, the enemy revealed itself. Everyone saw it clearly now — a massive humanoid monster, clad in black combat armor, grotesque flesh stitched beneath. In its massive hands, it carried a Gatling gun, spinning and roaring, unleashing a storm of bullets that shredded the air.
"Nemesis…" Alice whispered, her eyes narrowing. Then, louder, she shouted, "Run! Everyone, move!"
Jack didn't hesitate. He grabbed Teri by the hand.
"Come on, we need to go!"
Alice's expression hardened. She didn't retreat. Instead, she leapt directly off the viaduct, her body soaring through the air before landing steadily on the ground below. The fall would have killed an ordinary person, but she landed unharmed — a reminder of her inhuman strength.
Jack and the others bolted down the viaduct, desperately searching for an escape. They spotted a small truck parked nearby. Jill rushed toward it, yanking out two wires beneath the steering wheel. Her hands trembled as she rubbed them together, trying to spark the engine to life. Her face was grim, her grief for Peyton barely contained.
Jack walked up beside her, his voice low but firm.
"Jill, about Peyton… I'm truly sorry." His tone was strangely sincere. "He might not have liked me much, but his bravery was real. I admired it. Still, death is final. We can't bring him back. We have to keep moving forward, no matter how much it hurts."
Jill's shoulders loosened slightly, and she gave him a brief nod.
"Thanks. I know. Maybe you're not as insufferable as I thought."
Jack's smile returned, though faint.
"No one wants to die. But it's impossible for everyone to survive. Some must sacrifice. And if it came down to it, I'd rather die before you." His words carried a strange weight, though they sounded almost unbelievable.
"Don't say that!" Teri cut in quickly. "We're not going to die."
Jill frowned. "Why would you choose to die before us, Jack?"
Jack exhaled softly, his gaze turning serious.
"So you wouldn't have to face the pain of my death. Better I go first than leave that wound with you."
For a moment, Jill's body trembled, her emotions warring within her.
"…We've only just met. Why would you say something like that?"
"Time has nothing to do with it." Jack's eyes lingered on hers. "Don't you think so?"
Jill turned her head away sharply.
"I don't know. Stop talking nonsense with me."
Just then—
Sparks!
The wires crackled, and the truck engine roared to life. Jill let out a sigh of relief.
"We've got it running. Everyone in!"
But before she could slide fully into the driver's seat, a grotesque figure lunged through the window. A zombie — rotten flesh, dead eyes, and gnashing teeth.
Jill froze when she recognized the face.
"…Peyton?"
Her heart dropped. Peyton had turned.
With a guttural roar, the zombie lunged at her. Jill kicked hard, shoving him back, but he clawed forward again. Trembling, she raised her pistol, aiming it straight at his head.
"Peyton… forgive me."
A sudden gunshot rang out. Jack had pulled the trigger first, his bullet piercing Peyton's skull cleanly. The zombie crumpled lifelessly to the ground.
Jill stared, sadness flashing across her eyes. Then she closed the door, her voice low.
"…Thank you."
Jack holstered his gun and spoke softly.
"This way, at least, he's free. Sometimes mercy is the only gift we can give."
Jill said nothing more. She started the engine, her eyes fixed on the road as the truck sped forward into the night.
In the back, Teri's voice trembled.
"Jack… what about us? Will we… become like him?" Her eyes were wide with fear. "I don't want to turn into a monster…"
Jack placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Don't think about it. As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you."
Teri nodded quickly, clinging to his words like a lifeline. Deep down, she even thought: meeting Jack might be the only lucky thing in this nightmare.
But Jill, listening from the front, frowned.
"You're full of big words, Jack. I'll believe it when you prove it."
Jack arched an eyebrow, his smirk returning.
"Don't worry, Jill. You'll understand eventually. On the battlefield… or elsewhere." His voice dropped lower, with a tone that made Jill flush with annoyance.
"Parking ahead," Teri suddenly called.
The truck screeched to a halt. From the shadows, a figure emerged — a black man in a tattered coat and hat, running toward them. His voice was desperate, almost pleading.
"Wait! Don't leave me! You remember me, don't you? I'm still alive — I'm not one of them! Please, let me in!"