Albert Wesker—Chris's ultimate nemesis. If Lost in Nightmares hasn't happened yet, Li Yexing leaking intel could shift the worldline massively. But he was out of options. He needed to talk this big shot into leaving.
Li Yexing saw Chris's conflicted expression.
"Relax, Chris. I'm just a Roples merc. Lilith and I will stay in this shithole, not bothering anyone outside," Li Yexing said. "Look the other way, and I'll give you Wesker's location and plans. Plus, you don't want to doom a kid who's just starting to see the world, right? You're not even sure what BSAA would do to her, are you?"
Chris shook his head. "Sorry, I have to take her. We can talk Wesker later."
"No choice then," Li Yexing said, a foxlike grin spreading. "Haven't noticed? The gunfire below's died down."
Chris: "?"
Next second, a figure launched into the air, landing hard beside Li Yexing, kicking up dust. From the haze, a silver-haired girl rose from one knee, gun slung on her back. Her red eyes burned into Chris.
"Shit…" Chris muttered.
…
On a Roples highway, local government soldiers stopped a heavy truck carrying a massive metal canister, like an oil tanker.
"What a hassle… Should've handled this myself. The security team's useless compared to USS," a man in a white coat and black-rimmed glasses grumbled, stepping out with a tablet.
"Who are you? What's this truck hauling at this hour?" a soldier demanded, gun raised.
"Oh, sorry, my bad," the man said humbly, smiling at the tablet. "Emergency transport. Forgot to notify. My memory's crap. Hang on, let me call my boss."
He tapped the tablet. The canister hissed, slowly opening, white gas pouring out.
"Here's the boss," the man said, grinning. Machine-gun fire roared. He spread his arms like a conductor, bullets miraculously missing him, tearing the unprepared soldiers into chunks.
Heavy footsteps followed. A two-meter-tall figure stopped beside the man. Human-like but not, it had a Tyrant's bald head, brown skin, and wore a thick black exoskeleton. Its right hand gripped a Gatling gun, a rocket launcher on its right shoulder, an ammo crate on its back. Grotesque tendrils writhed from the exoskeleton's gaps.
"Go hunt," the man said to the monster.
"T-Lilith!!"
With a terrifying roar, the monster stomped over the soldiers' corpses, marching into Roples.
…
Thanks to protagonist halo, Li Yexing overestimated Chris's combat prowess. He figured Resident Evil heroes were either zombie-punching muscle machines or solo village-wrecking CIA agents. Hell, there was even a hand-washing war god now. To him, ripping a BOW apart was standard for the series' leads.
But reality check: Lilith's mere glare made Chris's scalp tingle, like facing a predator. He sensed this seemingly harmless girl could kill him. If he moved, she'd rush him faster than he could react and slam his head into a wall.
Chris was just a (sort of) normal human.
Li Yexing was in a bind too. He couldn't let Chris walk, but killing him? Good luck. Even if he could, the fallout would be endless. Wesker took two RPGs to die—Li Yexing wasn't cocky enough to think he and Lilith could take Chris.
So, they were stuck.
"Security team handled?" Li Yexing asked.
"Mr. Norman escaped. Others are dead," Lilith replied. "The people behind were catching up, so no time to chase him."
The people? Probably the gangs. Roples' gangs were always unhinged, packing serious heat. Anyone stirring shit on their turf got turned into Swiss cheese. Even a merc like Li Yexing avoided clashing with them.
Lilith dodging the gangs' sight was perfect. Now, the only issue was this BSAA bro.
"Chris…" Li Yexing sighed. "You're making this hard. What do I do with you?"
"Thought you'd have her kill me," Chris said.
"I can't. I wanna kill you, but the world still needs you."
"Not something a merc would say…"
"Look, I'm selfish. I just want the world… normal-ish. No more Tyrants popping out of trucks," Li Yexing said, grinning. "I'm trusting you, Chris. What's your answer?"
"I won't budge easily."
"Fine. If you did, I'd be the one weirded out," Li Yexing said, waving. "I give up. Go."
"What?" Chris blinked, thinking he misheard.
"Go. You can't take her today. Call for backup. I'll take her and leave Roples," Li Yexing said, looking deflated. "You can't take her. I can't kill you. So, that's that."
Chris eyed the dejected Li Yexing, hesitating. "I still suggest joining BSAA."
"Nah, I'm too free-spirited," Li Yexing said, turning to watch the gangs clean up the street below. "I'm no different from them. Following orders, fighting an endless war against monsters? Not me. Shooting people's easier."
Chris said nothing more, turning to leave. Then, a beastly roar echoed.
"T-Lilith—!!"
"What the hell?" Chris spun back. Li Yexing, on the rooftop, stared at a massive figure approaching from the street's far end, shocked.
"This is… too much…"
The gangs noticed it too, shouting in some incomprehensible language. The monster didn't stop, trudging forward.
"T-Lilith—!!"
Another roar. The gangs fell silent, its presence overwhelming. Then, one fired.
With that shot, the gangs unleashed hell, bullets of all calibers slamming into the monster's black exoskeleton, sparks flying.
It paused, a black metal mask snapping over its face. Raising its right arm, the Gatling gun spun faster, then roared. A metal storm shredded the gangs' line. Screams filled the street as their jeeps, loaded with machine guns, exploded into fireballs, the heat hitting Li Yexing and the others. In moments, the street was silent, littered with mangled limbs and blood.
What a killing machine!
The gunfire stopped, the red-hot barrel smoking. The monster roared again, locking onto Li Yexing's position, drawing a rocket launcher with its left hand.
Li Yexing's pupils shrank.
"Run! Now!" he yelled at Chris, grabbing Lilith's hand and leaping off the building. Chris followed fast. A rocket screamed, smashing the building's wall. The explosion tore the second floor apart, debris raining down. Li Yexing shielded Lilith, pinning her beneath him. Chris dove, covering his head.
The rubble settled. Li Yexing stood, brushing off dust, and checked Lilith. "You okay?"
"No injuries," she said, shaking her head. Then she saw blood trickling down his face.
Noticing her gaze, he wiped his face, saw the blood, and felt the pain in his head. "Goddamn, nearly crushed me."
Chris crawled from the debris, battered and scraped. Hiding behind a building, he peeked out, then ducked as Gatling fire shredded his cover.
Li Yexing gritted his teeth, looking at Chris.