"Rebecca?!"
"What are you doing here? We lost contact with the Bravo Team!"
Seeing Rebecca, Jill was surprised. Although their relationship wasn't as close as sisters, they were the only two women in S.T.A.R.S. and were quite familiar with each other. The news had reported that all members of the Bravo Team had gone missing. So why was Rebecca here? And if Rebecca was alive, did that mean the other Bravo Team members were safe as well? Thinking this, Jill's tense mood seemed to calm down.
As for the person next to her... was he the legendary "Big Black Mouse," ahem... the shooting prodigy, Javier Lee?
Javier was very well-known in S.T.A.R.S. He had entered the team with a reputation as a shooting genius. He graduated from the police academy at 19 with excellent grades and was even placed in S.T.A.R.S. Rumor had it that his target practice scores for handguns, rifles, and even sniper rifles were almost perfect.
Because of this, many S.T.A.R.S. members were interested in him and wanted to compete with him, including the young Chris and Forest Speyer. Both of them were famous marksmen. Chris had won many shooting competitions when he joined the team, so he was very interested in Javier. Jill was also curious to see how much of a genius he really was. Unfortunately... the previous day's incident in the Arklay Mountains and the Ecliptic Express rescue mission completely changed their impression of Javier.
Because this guy... might not be a genius after all, but a coward.
After all... what kind of person goes on an investigation mission dressed like a special forces soldier, completely in a black tactical uniform like a "Big Black Mouse"? They even heard that this shameless guy borrowed an RPG rocket launcher from the armory. The S.T.A.R.S. team had no face left to see anyone.
But now, seeing Javier in person, the saying "seeing is believing" rings true. Although the rumors were a bit exaggerated, his shooting skills were indeed very strong, and he had the talent of a genius. After all, no one here could do what he just did.
"..."
"Javier Lee?"
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for saving us just now. You are indeed a very talented marksman."
Jill walked up to the heavily armored Javier and offered her hand with a grateful smile. Although he had made the S.T.A.R.S. team a laughingstock, he had truly saved them. Jill was a person who separated her public and private life, and she would show her gratitude.
While Jill was sizing up Javier, he was also sizing up the legendary "Ice Queen."
She had beautiful skin, long legs, and a perfect body. The tight white pants and high-heeled boots, and the tight gun holsters on her shapely legs, all accentuated her figure. Her bust seemed to be a D-cup. Of course, her heroic and refreshing face was the most attractive part. She was a classic "big sister" type, the dream girl of countless male police officers.
"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you," Javier said with a gentle smile. "Miss Jill Valentine, the dream girl of countless male police officers in Raccoon City, is indeed as beautiful as the rumors say. The 'Ice Queen' aura makes many people yearn for her, because a 'flower on a high mountain' can indeed create a strong desire to conquer."
He also extended his hand and shook Jill's. However... since Javier was wearing a gas mask, no one could see his expression. So his seemingly gentle words and compliments sounded a bit like a philanderer's to Jill. But since he had just saved them, Jill didn't get angry. She just frowned, thinking that this guy was probably not a good person and that she had to keep Rebecca away from him so she wouldn't be corrupted.
"Oh?"
"I didn't know I was so charming. But then again... if I'm the dream girl of countless male police officers in Raccoon City, are you one of them?" Jill replied, not minding to poke fun at him. But... she clearly underestimated Javier's shameless nature.
"No, no..."
"Miss Jill, you're looking down on me too much. I'm not like the other male police officers in Raccoon City. Instead of seeing you as a so-called 'dream girl,' I prefer to see you as a 'real-life lover.' After all, I don't have dreams, and I don't like to dream," Javier said nonchalantly. This made Jill very unhappy, and Chris and Barry also frowned. This guy seemed to be a hooligan. Even as her good friends, they never dared to tease Jill like this.
Rebecca, who was watching the show, also frowned. She used her proud martial arts move, "Tianshan Plume-Slicing Hand," and with her slender fingers, she pinched a bit of Javier's flesh through the gap in his bulletproof vest and twisted it!
"Hiss...!"
Javier gasped in pain. "True damage, indeed," he thought.
"Alright, quiet down!"
"Stop it. I don't care if you want to flirt or argue, but that can all wait until the mission is complete. Javier, Rebecca, I'm asking you now... What happened to the Bravo Team? What's going on in the Arklay Mountains? And what about the Ecliptic Express rescue mission?" Wesker, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke again, his voice cold. As a captain, he had to show his authority to make these difficult teammates obey his orders.
Hearing Wesker's scolding and questioning, Javier finally turned his attention to the big boss. To be honest, he wanted to shoot Wesker right now and end everything, but he couldn't. Javier wasn't sure about the extent of Wesker's fusion with the Progenitor Virus. If one shot didn't kill him, Wesker would still escape, and Javier would lose his chance. On the other hand, if he did kill him, he would be attacked by the other S.T.A.R.S. members. He would at least have a gun pointed at his head. And if Javier couldn't prove that Wesker was a traitor, he would end up like Billy Coen, facing a military court and being executed. After all, killing a team captain was a crime that was more than enough for Javier to be executed several times over. So... both options were unfavorable to Javier.
"Captain Wesker, it's very likely that all the Bravo Team members, except for Rebecca and I, are missing or dead. I'm not being an alarmist; the Arklay Mountains are just too dangerous. The walkie-talkie signals are all out, and the mountain signals are being jammed."
"Also, the serial murders in the Arklay Mountains were actually the work of monsters. The Umbrella Corporation is a hypocritical international pharmaceutical company on the surface, but they're secretly developing bioweapons and viruses, using humans and animals for experiments to create many monsters. The serial murders in the Arklay Mountains are a result of Umbrella's virus leak, which caused the monsters to kill humans without restraint. The Doberman zombie dogs from before are the best example. Ordinary people have no way of dealing with these monsters."
"As for the Ecliptic Express, by the time Rebecca and I arrived, everyone on the train was already dead, so we couldn't rescue them. But because of this, we discovered Umbrella's conspiracy. The entire Arklay Mountains are full of danger, with all kinds of monsters infected with biological viruses. But Rebecca and I can't just let the Umbrella Corporation get away with this, so we decided to go deeper into the mansion."
"The huge explosion from before was a self-destruct mechanism at a research facility in the mountains. It was likely done by Umbrella to prevent their secrets from being leaked. Now there's only one mansion research facility left. I have to find evidence of Umbrella's virus research!" Javier said, taking a deep breath. His tone was extremely serious, and so was Rebecca's. It was clear that this was the truth.
The faces of the Alpha Team members, who had just learned this confidential information, changed slightly. Especially Wesker and Barry. Wesker hadn't expected Javier and Rebecca to still be alive, and he had no idea they knew such a big secret. It seemed that he had to find a way to kill these two as well.
Barry, on the other hand, was shocked. Although his wife and daughter were being held hostage by Wesker, Barry's righteous nature would not allow him to work for a devil like Umbrella. If he had known how evil Umbrella was, he would have never given in to Wesker's threats.
As for Chris and Jill, their faces were also filled with shock. They had no idea that the Umbrella Corporation they served was so sinister. Secretly researching biological viruses and experimenting on humans were things that were strictly forbidden around the world!
"I see..."
"Regardless of whether your claims about Umbrella are true, the S.T.A.R.S. team's mission is to investigate the Arklay Mountains and rescue the Bravo Team. So you don't need to explain; our Alpha Team will also go to the mansion," Wesker said coolly from behind his black sunglasses. As an Oscar-winning actor, his acting was astonishing.
"Okay!"
Javier didn't say anything else and nodded, accepting the order. And so... the two groups agreed, and they all headed toward the mansion.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
"Thump, thump, thump..."
"Thump, thump, thump..."
Soon, after a period of exploration, they found the mansion. It was similar to the executive training facility, a large building. However, the mansion was much smaller in scale. The dark red roof was its most prominent feature. The entire mansion was mottled, with cracks and moss on the walls, giving it a spooky, old-castle-like appearance. Unlike the training facility, the mansion had fewer restrictions. The only entrance on the surface was the main gate.
"Rumble—!!!"
At that moment, as if on cue, a thunderclap sounded in the dark sky, and a bolt of lightning struck, casting a frightening and eerie shadow over the mansion. It seemed as if a terrifying monster really lived inside.
Around the mansion, there should have been Doberman zombie dogs on patrol, but Javier and Rebecca had already cleared them out on the way there. So there were no Doberman zombie dogs to be found. With such a ruthless method, it was no wonder that Javier, the "Big Black Mouse," had a bounty on his head from the dog clan...
Looking at the main gate, the group exchanged glances and pushed it open. Surprisingly, the gate was not locked and opened easily. But the old gate made a screeching sound as if someone were scratching a chalkboard with a needle, giving everyone goosebumps.
"Creeeeeak...!!!"
"Clang—!"
The door opened, revealing the mansion's lobby. The familiar stone pillars, familiar statues, familiar red carpet, familiar expensive paintings, and familiar large portrait—only the portrait was of Spencer instead of Marcus. Everything was so familiar that Javier couldn't help but wonder if he had returned to the executive training facility. He was getting tired of the mansion. He wanted a new map, but thankfully, the mansion was much smaller than the executive training facility, so he should be able to clear it quickly.