… …
While Shen Ye was still grappling with the changed plot, Jill had already found the mechanism leading to the Underground Research Institute.
Patting Shen Ye's shoulder, Jill pulled the still-recovering Shen Ye and headed underground.
Like the surface of the mansion, the Underground Research Institute was very large, even much larger than the actual area of the mansion. Without a map, one might not be able to find their way out even after a full day.
But not long after Shen Ye and Jill entered the underground passage, they encountered a living person at a corner of the passage.
Seeing the living person, Jill felt a sense of familiarity. She quickened her pace and ran a few steps forward, only to discover that the person was none other than Deputy Captain Enrico Marini of S.T.A.R.S.
A joyous smile appeared on Jill's face, and she couldn't help but exclaim loudly, "Deputy Captain Enrico, this is great, you're still alive!"
Since entering the mansion, Jill hadn't encountered a single living member of Bravo Team. She had long given up hope for their survival, so she never expected to meet her most respected Deputy Captain Enrico in the underground passage.
"Jill…" Hearing the voice, the old police officer, who seemed injured, ignored his pain and walked a few steps towards Jill, but was quickly supported by Jill, who rushed over.
"You're injured." Jill looked at Enrico's leg, which was still bleeding.
Enrico comforted the young female police officer, "It's nothing, just a minor injury."
He then looked at Shen Ye behind Jill, initially thinking he was a member of Alpha Team. But when Shen Ye got closer, he realized it was an East Asian man.
He immediately became alert. Having more information, he knew there was an internal spy in the team, so he instinctively grew suspicious of the appearance of an outsider.
"Who is he?" Enrico whispered in Jill's ear.
Jill was about to treat his wound when she blurted out, "A friend."
"A friend…" Enrico was stunned for a moment. In his impression, Jill didn't seem to have any foreign friends, especially a male one.
However, now was not the time to think about such things. He lowered his voice even further and said, "Listen, Jill, there's an internal spy in our team. Everything we've encountered has been guided by that spy."
"A spy?" This time it was Jill's turn to be stunned. Immediately, the clever female police officer thought of Barry; his behavior was suspicious enough.
But she didn't say it, because besides not believing it, Barry had only come to the mansion later, so Enrico was probably not referring to him.
"Deputy Captain Enrico, who do you think the spy is?" Jill thought for a moment and asked.
Enrico hesitated for a while but still said, "It's…"
But he had just opened his mouth when he suddenly heard Shen Ye, who was on alert not far away, shout loudly, "Who's there?!"
Immediately following was a series of gunshots.
The piercing gunshots made Jill and Enrico simultaneously take evasive action. They both pressed against the wall, one on the left and one on the right, and Jill asked loudly, "Shen, what's wrong?"
Shen Ye maintained his standard kneeling firing posture and said without turning his head, "I just saw a figure pass by, but he's gone now."
"So you just shot?" Jill was somewhat displeased, "Maybe it's one of our people, perhaps Rebecca or Chris."
"No matter who it is, the other party has already raised their gun." Shen Ye was equally displeased, "Ms. Valentine, I've already made one mistake; I don't want to repeat it."
… …
Jill knew that her previous actions had given Shen Ye a psychological shadow, so she could only wave her hand helplessly.
Of course, the so-called not wanting to repeat the mistake was just an excuse. Shen Ye knew the figure was Wesker, which was why he fired without hesitation.
"Now, Enrico won't die."
Enrico was just a minor supporting character in the plot, his biggest role being to advance the story. With the current plot already changed, Shen Ye decided to try and save his life.
So he took the initiative to fire, driving Wesker and his group away a step ahead.
However, just as Shen Ye thought Wesker had escaped and wouldn't return, a round object suddenly flew from deep within the passage, landing right in the center of the passage.
"This is…" When Jill saw the object, her pupils suddenly constricted. It was an MK67 defensive grenade, rare in the Raccoon City Police Department.
She had no time to think and stepped forward to kick the grenade away, but Enrico reacted even faster. He directly pushed Jill aside, then lifted his leg and kicked the grenade away.
But his movements were still too slow. The grenade didn't fly far before it exploded. Although it was a defensive grenade primarily designed to kill with shrapnel, the force of the explosion still pushed him away.
"Deputy Captain Enrico."
Jill quickly got up and rushed over, turning Enrico, who was lying on the ground, over. She found him covered in blood.
But fortunately, all S.T.A.R.S. team members wore bulletproof vests before deployment, protecting their vital organs. So, although Enrico looked covered in blood, he hadn't received any fatal injuries; he was still alive.
"That's great."
Jill breathed a sigh of relief.
On the other side…
As a former professional soldier, after the grenade exploded, Shen Ye did not immediately check on Jill and Enrico's condition. Instead, he advanced with his gun towards the depths of the passage, driving away enemies while expanding their survival space.
He pushed forward for nearly a hundred meters, and only after confirming that Wesker had indeed escaped did he rush back.
Then he saw Jill kneeling beside Enrico, bandaging his wounds with bandages from the first-aid kit.
Seeing this, Shen Ye also breathed a sigh of relief. Although an accident occurred, Enrico had at least survived.
"Is it serious?" Shen Ye asked, holding his gun and facing away from Jill.
"It's fine. The shrapnel didn't sever his blood vessels; a bandage will do. But his mobility is affected," Jill said.
"That's good." Shen Ye nodded.
"Oh, by the way, did you clearly see who attacked us?" Jill asked.
"Sorry, the light in the passage wasn't very good; I didn't see clearly."
Shen Ye certainly knew who it was, but he couldn't say it directly. Besides, Enrico was still alive, so he didn't need to say anything.
Indeed, Enrico, who had recovered some strength, said, "It must be Wesker, because he is the internal spy in the team."
"You mean, the spy is our captain?" Jill was stunned at first upon hearing this, then asked in a lost voice.
Enrico nodded, "Although I can't believe it either, it's the truth…"
He paused there, his eyes involuntarily glancing at Shen Ye, who had his back to them, his heart filled with doubt.