He looked down… only to find that his jeans on his thigh had been torn open at some point, and the skin on his thigh was even scalded due to the bullet's kinetic energy overheating.
This injury instantly made Leon, who was originally confident, lose his composure.
He looked at Havier like he was looking at a monster. What kind of marksmanship was this…? Automatic tracking like a Sidewinder missile?
He even rolled over, yet the bullet still managed to hit him. What was even more outrageous was that all five bullets he fired were intercepted. This was too ridiculous!
Bullet collision… In history, it only happened by chance once during World War II when two soldiers shot at each other with rifles. In reality, if no one intentionally caused it, two bullets simply couldn't collide.
But just now… this impossible situation actually happened five times?
As a staunch scientific materialist, Leon felt like he had encountered a ghost today. Why were there so many hidden masters in the small Raccoon City?
"Stop, stop, stop…!!!"
"Stop, I give up, I really give up. No… buddy, which special forces unit are you an ace soldier king from?"
With no weapons left in his hands, Leon knew this was a losing battle. He decisively stood up again, raised his hands high in surrender, and announced his surrender, a look of despair on his face. He didn't understand where this freak had come from.
Seeing this, Javier found it very uninteresting that Leon gave up so quickly.
He then tossed the M1911 Handgun to Leon, along with a couple of magazines, and then calmly pulled out an ID from his pocket to explain:
"Young officer, you are truly uninteresting…"
"Let's reintroduce ourselves. My name is Havier Li. As you can see, I am an Asian mixed-race, and I am also a police officer, a formal officer of the Raccoon City Police Department, responsible for the armory. Not long ago, I served as a member of S.T.A.R.S, but it has since disbanded, so in a sense… we are colleagues."
After handing the ID to Leon, Javier smiled and slowly explained. One could only say… he was truly mischievous.
On the other side, Leon carefully scanned the ID.
After confirming there were no issues, he immediately shot Javier a resentful look. Good heavens… so we were colleagues all along, and he played such a trick on him, calling him "young officer" and "respected River God."
Just thinking about what had just happened, Leon was furious, wishing he could slap Javier a few times. But knowing that his intern rookie police officer position was not as high as the other party's, Leon decisively chose to swallow his anger for the time being.
After all, Leon had heard of S.T.A.R.S.
In the summer of 1967, New York established the first Special Tactics And Rescue Service, abbreviated as S.T.A.R.S.
Its purpose was to maintain social order, combat serious organized criminal activities and terrorist attacks, and carry out emergency rescue work during sudden disasters.
Its members were mostly composed of retired military personnel and intelligence agents from both the United States Central Intelligence Agency and the FBI. Subsequently, S.T.A.R.S. was led by Marco Palmieri, the former director of the National Security and Defense Agency (NSDA), and established its headquarters in New York.
Under Marco Palmieri's leadership, the influence of the S.T.A.R.S. organization gradually expanded. The scope of its activities gradually extended to hostage negotiations and riot suppression. Subsequently, branches were established in various regions.
S.T.A.R.S. collaborated with local police, and its various branches began to exercise their functions as completely independent entities. In a sense, S.T.A.R.S. was no different from special forces, except that one was military and the other was the police's own special forces. It was also the star team and elite squad among the police.
It was an organization that many police officers aspired to join, as being a member of S.T.A.R.S. was always a notch above being an ordinary police officer.
Leon initially also wanted to join S.T.A.R.S., but the selection criteria for S.T.A.R.S. members were very high, and generally only exceptionally capable individuals could join. So, Leon planned to stay in Raccoon City for a year or two to demonstrate his excellent abilities, and then join S.T.A.R.S. or some other elite organization.
He didn't expect… to meet them so early! This was truly rare!
However, looking at Javier's face, Leon appeared helpless. As a top student from the police academy, it was his first time seeing someone stronger than himself.
Because no matter how Javier was viewed, he seemed to be only around 21 or 22 years old, not much older than Leon. And for such a person to be able to join S.T.A.R.S. first was enough to demonstrate Javier's talent.
This made Leon very envious.
But what Leon didn't know was that the main reason Javier joined S.T.A.R.S. earlier than him was that he graduated from the police academy at the age of 19, which was the most crucial factor, as generally, American police academy students could only graduate at 21 or 22 years old.
Leon was filled with resentment and envy.
Claire, on the other hand, was excited and thrilled.
Of course, this wasn't because Javier was Claire's idol, but because Javier had once been in S.T.A.R.S., and Claire's brother, Chris, was also a member of S.T.A.R.S. Therefore, Claire was convinced that Javier must know why her brother went missing!
"Wait!!!"
"You said you were in S.T.A.R.S.? Then you must know my brother, Chris. My brother was also a member of the Raccoon City S.T.A.R.S., he was in Alpha Team, but not long ago, for some unknown reason, my brother suddenly went missing. No matter how I tried to contact him, I couldn't reach him."
"If you are a member of S.T.A.R.S., then you must know where my brother Chris went. Javier, do you know why my brother Chris went missing? Was he harmed… or did he encounter some problem?!"
Again, the same tactic.
Claire stepped forward and grabbed Javier's arm, shaking him frantically and urgently asking questions. This made Javier very helpless. Why did all these women beg in the exact same way? His arm was about to be dislocated!
"Stop, stop, stop… Don't shake me anymore, my arm will be gone. Your name is Claire, right?"
"First, I can tell you with absolute certainty that your brother Chris was not harmed and is not dead. This is a very definite thing, and you don't need to worry. He only chose to hide from you and leave Raccoon City alone because he was afraid of implicating you, his only family."
"As for the reason, if I have to explain it… it's very complicated. It probably started a month ago…"
Unable to resist Claire's pleading, Javier cleared his throat and slowly began to explain the reason.
At the same time, he also explained to Catherine, Leon, and Claire the true reason why the biohazard virus outbreak occurred in Raccoon City.
From the initial Zodiac Train incident, the Cadre Training Institute incident, Leech Queen Marcus, the Mansion Villa incident, Wesker's betrayal, Umbrella Corporation's crimes, and Chief Brian's greed at the Raccoon City Police Department.
Javier explained almost all the causes and effects. The current situation was caused by Umbrella Corporation's private research of biohazard viruses, which accidentally led to a leak that could not be contained.
Undoubtedly, hearing this news, Leon and Claire were also shocked, because they couldn't imagine… that Umbrella Corporation, which had such a good reputation in the media, was secretly a criminal enterprise privately researching biohazard viruses.
And Claire also understood why her brother Chris left her. It was because the reports from several S.T.A.R.S. members could not expose Umbrella's ugly truth.
They were even obstructed by the foolish Chief Brian. Chris, with his sense of justice, could not tolerate this outcome, so he decided to leave with Captain Enrique to find more evidence to expose Umbrella Corporation's conspiracy and crimes to the general public…
Chapter 11: Interests First
"Biohazard virus…?"
"I thought that stuff only existed in sci-fi movies. I didn't expect it to exist in reality. But then again… what is your purpose for being here? Are you planning to escape Raccoon City or what?"
Listening to Javier's explanation,
Leon roughly understood the cause and effect of the situation, but then turned to Javier and asked. As a top student who graduated from the police academy, Leon's ability to accept new information was very quick. After all, in Leon's opinion… the matter had already happened, whether it was true or false, his duty as a police officer was to first resolve the current crisis.
"Escaping Raccoon City is only part of it…"
"I plan to infiltrate the underground Institute in Raccoon City, retrieve some virus samples, and destroy the Institute there. The virus samples are the most direct evidence of Umbrella Corporation's crimes. In previous missions, whether it was the Cadre Training Institute or the Mansion Villa, I failed to find virus samples in time, so I cannot miss this opportunity," Javier replied truthfully to Leon's inquiry.
Leon was truly excellent; he adapted so quickly to the fact of the biohazard virus outbreak and remained calm and composed. This was what Javier found most commendable, and it was no wonder the United States Government valued Leon so much.
As he spoke, Javier slowly found a police uniform from the armory and threw it to Leon, along with a bulletproof vest, restoring his original skin. Leon was happy to accept these items, after all, who wouldn't want to wear a police uniform?
"The Raccoon City Police Department is currently paralyzed,"
"There's no way to register your identity information, so you can only wear the police uniform for now. As for the weapons in the warehouse, as you can see, there are only some old antiques and junk left from World War II. If you don't mind, you can pick some that you like. There is plenty of ammunition, though."
"Also, I'm going to infiltrate the underground Institute in Raccoon City shortly, so do you two plan to come with me? Of course… I still hope someone can help out," Javier then continued to persuade and invite the two protagonists, Leon and Claire.
Going into a dungeon… without the protagonists would definitely lead to 100% danger, after all, without the protagonist's halo, it wouldn't work.
"No problem,"
"I just happen to be planning to achieve some outstanding results to join S.T.A.R.S. Then… we might really become 'colleagues,' Javier!"
Facing Javier's dungeon invitation, the biohazard demon Leon decisively chose to accept and picked up a Garand Rifle from the corner again. As an American citizen, Leon naturally loved this famous rifle from World War II.
Although there was no scope… Leon said it didn't matter, after all, real men used iron sights on the battlefield, only sissies used scopes.
Javier: "…"
Are you talking about me?
"I have no objection—"
"But Javier, as a reward… I hope you can tell me as soon as possible if you have any news of my brother Chris. That's all, because I'm really worried that something might happen to my brother. His personality… alas, he's just too much trouble," Not only Leon, but Claire also agreed, only hoping Javier could help find her brother Chris's whereabouts.
Even though he was her older brother… Claire always felt her brother was very troublesome. He was a grown man, yet he was still so willful and would disappear.
Javier looked at the resentful Claire and couldn't help but sigh, "This girl is quite a pity."
In fact, at first impression, Javier still felt Leon and Claire were a good match. Gentle, strong, cheerful, and righteous, with good looks. They were definitely athletic and sunny women, and both had very similar personalities.
Unfortunately, Wang Auntie appeared halfway, completely enchanting Leon and instantly turning the male protagonist's harem script into a solo act. Hmm… yes, it was a solo act, the kind with just one person. Who knew that after so many years of biohazard, Leon and Wang Auntie still hadn't officially announced their relationship? Their dates were always secretly clandestine, truly heartless.
Now, both of them were almost 40 years old and still hadn't officially announced it. In a few more years, when Biohazard 10 comes out, they probably won't be called Wang Auntie and Uncle Li anymore, but Grandma Wang and Grandpa Li. They're truly growing old together!
But there was no other way. Who knew that the naive and ignorant Leon would encounter the incredibly tempting Wang Auntie right from the start? That deep kiss was branded in his heart. After all, which man hasn't been infatuated with the understanding older sister next door when he was young? This was much better than childhood sweethearts, wasn't it?
Ahem… Actually, Claire wasn't without a chance, she just didn't seize it. Wang Auntie was just a fleeting glimpse at first. Claire could have spent more time with Leon initially. The main reason was Claire's straightforward personality; she was very righteous and didn't understand complexity, which would eventually lead to disagreements between them on some matters.
For example, after the Raccoon City incident, Leon was chosen by the United States Government to become a secret agent.
Claire, who had narrowly escaped death, wanted to use the evidence to directly report Umbrella Corporation, like her brother Chris, and also wanted Leon's help. But Leon, after entering the United States Government, quickly learned some classified information and understood that Umbrella Corporation could not be overthrown so easily.
On the contrary, actions like Claire's would easily draw the attention of Umbrella Corporation and lead to retaliation. Therefore, Leon later refused Claire's request and instead advised Claire not to act impulsively.
The straightforward Claire subconsciously believed that Leon, after becoming a secret agent for the United States Government, had also been assimilated by the corrupt utilitarianism within, and thought she had misjudged him. So, she angrily chose to temporarily part ways with Leon… It was truly a pity; both of them were too straightforward and didn't know how to explain themselves.
Afterward, although they remained good friends, the romantic feelings they once had were extinguished.
Later, when Claire went to the Antarctica Research Institute to look for her brother Chris, she met Steve, a young man worthy of her trust. The moment this young man saw Claire, he fell in love with the heroic Claire, but unfortunately, meeting a member of the "Chris" family meant enduring a passive curse.
The young man, Steve, was directly infected with the virus and turned into a monster. The monstrous Steve did not want to harm Claire and, in desperation, chose to end his own life. Claire was single again… It can only be said to be very absurd!
…
"No problem, if I have any news of your brother Chris, I will inform you in time. Pick some self-defense equipment first. There are more monsters below, and it will be difficult to protect yourself without weapons," Javier agreed without hesitation to Claire's request for compensation.
Although he didn't know where Chris was now, Chris would appear in the famous anti-biohazard organization BSAA not long after, and it wouldn't be too late to contact him then. Anyway, Chris wouldn't die, so it didn't matter how late he contacted him…
"Wait, Javier, did you just say Umbrella Corporation's virus Institute is built underground in Raccoon City?"
"Aren't the underground and sewers of Raccoon City under government control? Umbrella Corporation built an Institute underground; why wouldn't the government know? Or do they have some means of deception?" Leon, with several magazines tucked into his body, slowly stood up, holding his Garand Rifle and trying out its feel, then suddenly looked up and asked curiously.
After all, in Leon's view, how could Umbrella Corporation build an underground Institute right under the government's nose? That kind of thing was too absurd!
"You're right, rookie,"
"But Leon, you forgot one thing. The means by which Umbrella Corporation could build an Institute underground in Raccoon City and pull off such a deception is money! Money! Understand? Money can solve everything… no, ninety-nine percent of things. If not, then it's not enough money."
"The United States is ultimately a corporate nation; everything is driven by profit. Raccoon City was long controlled by Umbrella Corporation, and besides, Raccoon City became the large city it is today thanks to Umbrella Corporation's investment. Facing their former major benefactor, I think as long as Umbrella Corporation provides enough money, getting the Mayor to agree to build an institute underground shouldn't be too big of a problem!"
Shaking his head, Javier calmly explained the political issues of Raccoon City, while also looking at the Mayor's daughter, Catherine. After all, given the American system, it was indeed straightforward to infiltrate.
States and states were isolated from each other, like the enfeoffment system plus abdication system of the Zhou Dynasty emperors, each wanting to do better than the other. Votes were swayed by high-ranking officials inciting discord and bribery. Umbrella Corporation scattered money to build an institute under Raccoon City.
Then they claimed it was for researching medicine. Who would refuse? Who would be willing to go against money, right—!
"…"