In the helicopter, Jill's beautiful face was a bit pale, her eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and her eyes held an indescribable worry. All the signs—the serial murders, the huge explosion, the train derailment, and the disappearance of Bravo Team—indicated that this was no ordinary situation. Her sixth sense as a woman told her this mission was filled with danger.
"Chris, Barry," Jill asked, turning to her teammates. "Do you think these strange events are just ordinary murders?"
Chris and Barry had been comrades for a long time. Barry, like a father, had looked after Chris and his sister Claire since they were young, so their bond was deep. They had met Jill in S.T.A.R.S. and were all fond of her professional demeanor, her meticulous and serious attitude toward her work, and her intelligence. The three of them were a perfect team, and they always discussed their mission concerns with each other.
"I don't know..." Chris replied, frowning. "But I don't think it's that simple. I haven't been to the Arklay Mountains or the site of the explosion, but the media's description of the serial murders is very suspicious. The victims' bodies were covered in bite marks, and their skin was severely festered."
"That's not something an ordinary wild animal or cult would do. A beast couldn't bite a person's skin to that extent. It looks more like some kind of skin disease, and the bodies have a strong, foul odor. It's not a normal decaying smell. A wild animal wouldn't eat a body like that. And yesterday's huge explosion in the Arklay Mountains—a blurry video shows some kind of building being blown up."
"So... I feel like..." Chris's analysis was cut short by a cold voice.
"Quiet! During the mission, don't talk nonsense!" Wesker, sitting in the co-pilot seat, said coldly. "What the reason is, you'll find out when we get there. Be careful what you say...!" He then turned his gaze back to the window, looking at the dark Arklay Mountains with a sigh of relief. The situation was getting out of hand. That bastard Marcus was alive and taking revenge on Umbrella with the Leech Queen T-virus. He was so annoying. So many viruses had been released that the whole thing could no longer be kept a secret. It was only a matter of time before it all came out.
There was no other way. Wesker had to defect. He was a smart man and had known since birth that a wise man submits to the times. The reason he had so many identities was to make it easy to defect. Umbrella was in danger. It might look fine on the surface, but a collapse was only a matter of time. Wesker had already obtained the Progenitor Virus, so he had no more attachment to Umbrella. Defecting was a good choice.
Now... Wesker only had to lead this group of fools to the mansion. He would let these self-proclaimed elites test the Tyrant's combat data. Once he had the data, he would fake his death and take the valuable and rare combat data to another company, which would grant him a high position.
Wesker's plan was flawless, but he didn't realize that there was a variable in this mission: Rebecca and Javier, who were still wandering in the Arklay Mountains.
Meanwhile, Chris, Jill, and Barry lowered their heads and remained silent after being scolded by their captain. They were helpless and frustrated, but they couldn't express it. Wesker was their superior, and they were used to his temperament. The only thing that bothered them was that Wesker always interrupted their conversations at the most crucial moments. Wesker, on his part, would never let them finish their discussion. "Are you kidding? What kind of authority would I have as a captain if I waited for you to finish before scolding you?" he thought.
The Hunt
"Step, step, step..."
"Step, step, step..."
Deep in the Arklay Mountains forest, Javier and Rebecca were still wandering. They weren't lost; the mansion's location was very obvious. They could enter whenever they wanted. But what was keeping them was the zombie monsters in the forest. These wild animals were infected with the T-virus and had become extremely fierce. If left unchecked, they would attack anyone passing by in the Arklay Mountains, leading to more casualties.
So... to prevent this, Javier and Rebecca decided to clear out the zombie beasts on the periphery before entering the mansion. Right now... they were chasing a few dogs. Yes, you heard that right, a few dogs. The Umbrella Corporation would call them "Cerberus," but to Javier and Rebecca, "zombie dogs" was more fitting. These zombie dogs were a group of Dobermans mutated by the T-virus. Dobermans are known for their compact build, endurance, speed, and strong aggression, making them a favorite among hunters, police officers, and soldiers in the United States. However, the German Shepherd is still one of the most popular military dogs in the world.
These zombie Dobermans had become even more aggressive after being infected with the T-virus. They also acted like wolves, using their front and back sneak attacks as their most effective hunting method. Once they found a weak spot, they would rush up and bite. But since the shotgun and large-caliber Magnum in Javier's and Rebecca's hands were so powerful, these zombie dogs were a little scared and didn't dare to come out.
"..."
"Huff... I can't run anymore. These damned dogs are so fast, and they're still so agile even as zombies? Three or four of them run in different directions. One distracts us, and the others run for their lives. They even hide in the woods, trying to ambush us from time to time? Are these even zombie dogs anymore?" Rebecca gasped, her face flushed. She held her M1897 shotgun and spoke with a look of frustration. Her chest, though small, heaved with every labored breath.
Javier wasn't interested in her small frame. If she were a big "milk cow," it would have been a sight to behold.
"It can't be helped. It's their animal instinct," Javier said. "Even if they're infected and have become zombie dogs, their hunting methods are trained into their DNA. Let's not talk about it anymore... Let's rest for a bit. If we can't catch these few animals, we'll stop chasing them. It's getting late, and we need to enter the mansion."
He looked up at the sky. It was already night, and the dark night sky was like a skirt covering them. The Resident Evil storyline was about to begin. If they didn't go in soon, they would be in real trouble.
But just as Javier was about to spend the last few minutes chasing these zombie dogs, a bloodcurdling scream suddenly came from the dark forest in the distance:
"Ah----!!!!"
"My neck, help, damn it... damn it, that damned dog, I..."
A series of curses echoed through the quiet Arklay Mountains forest. But the angry cursing did not last long and soon fell silent, as if a reef had sunk to the bottom of the sea, with no sound left.
"Oh no!"
"Go and see! Those zombie dogs must have attacked someone else! But the media said the Arklay Mountains were very dangerous, so how could someone still be breaking in now?"
Hearing the screams, Javier and Rebecca exchanged glances. Their expressions changed, and they quickly held their weapons and jogged toward the source of the sound. This was going to be a problem. If a person was bitten by a zombie dog, they would definitely be infected with the virus. Having to kill a living person was a very difficult thing to do.
However, the scene shifted. A helicopter slowly landed in an open area of the Arklay Mountains forest. The high-speed rotor blades made the surrounding trees rustle, and the piercing noise attracted the attention of many eyes in the forest.
"..."
"Captain Wesker, I'll stay here and watch the vehicle. It's a dark forest, and it would be bad if you got lost. I'll watch the vehicle here, and if anything happens, you can call me on the walkie-talkie. I'll provide support immediately. The helicopter's lights can also serve as a guide for you!"
The helicopter had just landed, and as the other Alpha team members were preparing to get off, Brad, sitting in the pilot's seat, took off his helmet and spoke to his captain, Wesker, with a flattering look. There was a fawning and awkward look in his eyes.
Yes—Brad was a cautious and cowardly guy. The forest in the Arklay Mountains looked sinister and was clearly not a good place. The media's previous hype about a mysterious large beast, a cult gathering place, and terrorists had scared Brad. Besides, the S.T.A.R.S. team members' salary was so low. And besides piloting all kinds of vehicles, he wasn't skilled at handling cases or arresting criminals. In short... he was just a driver. He earned a few thousand dollars a month. It wasn't worth risking his life. He would rather stay where he was and guard the vehicle. He had seen enough horror movies to know that staying put was much better than running around, especially at the beginning of the plot. "Hey... if I don't move, and I don't push the plot, you can't do anything to me, right?"
That's what Brad thought. So he didn't hesitate to make his request to his captain, the Ice Man. Wesker, wearing his black sunglasses, just gave Brad a cold look and snorted before getting off the helicopter without a word. Although he didn't say it directly, he did permit Brad's request. After all, this coward was notorious in the Alpha team... no, in the entire S.T.A.R.S. team. So Wesker couldn't be bothered. And besides, he was just a useless coward. Even if he did enter the mansion, he probably wouldn't last a single round. Not to mention testing the Tyrant's combat data, he probably couldn't even defeat a zombie. So Wesker couldn't be bothered with this guy. Chris and Jill were much more suitable test subjects for the Tyrant.
"..."
Of course, it wasn't just Wesker. Chris and Jill also looked helpless at Brad, who had no bottom line. This guy really had no spine. They had never seen a S.T.A.R.S. member so cowardly. He was almost as bad as the legendary Javier from the Bravo team. They heard that when that guy went on a mission the day before, he was scared to death. While other members were lightly equipped, he was fully armed to the teeth, as if he was going to war in the Middle East. He even brought an RPG rocket launcher, a true Middle Eastern "bandit."
Looking at it now... if Brad and the legendary Javier were to meet, they would probably be so excited they'd become sworn brothers, as if great minds think alike.