This World Is Seriously Ill

While Kevin had nothing to do and quietly admired the view outside the window, Jill, her arm still wrapped in bandages, sat by his bedside. She took an apple from the fruit basket and carefully peeled it for the commander.

Kevin nodded his consent without thinking. The Police Woman by his bed looked especially happy, a pleased smile spreading across her lips.

"For replenishing blood, I recommend eating more cherries and strawberries. Bananas can calm the nerves..."

Ada, lying in the adjacent bed with an IV drip hanging above her, put down her fashion magazine and offered her fellow patient a considerate smile.

Hearing this, Jill's hand trembled, and she sliced half the apple flesh, peel and all, straight into the trash can.

As for the fruit platter she had already prepared, the Police Woman did not even know whether she should hand it over...

"Raccoon City apples have always been sweet and crisp. I've always wanted to try one. Besides, I heard that eating them with other fruits can balance out their trace fruit acids and make them taste even better..."

Noticing the sparks gradually flying between the agent and the Police Woman, Kevin was uncharacteristically quick-witted. He immediately picked up the fruit platter, ready to taste it.

To avoid offending either side, the commander even grabbed a few cherries and strawberries to decorate it.

"Fruit? Calming the nerves and replenishing blood? Give me some. I feel like I woke up with a headache and a dry mouth, and my whole body feels like it's falling apart..."

Just as the atmosphere among the three began to ease slightly, Kevin's roommate on his right suddenly extended a fair arm and snatched away the "loving fruit platter" the commander had put together, savoring it carefully.

The hospital room immediately fell silent. Alice, who had just awakened from her coma, held the fruit platter and stopped eating, looking somewhat confused.

"What's wrong? Do you want some too? Let's eat together?"

Although she had learned some of what was happening outside, her brain had been running under such an enormous load that she naturally could not have known every detail of what had happened the night before.

Sensing danger, Kevin's mind raced. Then he flashed all three women a broad smile. After all, he could not afford to offend any of them.

"Eat together, eat together..."

"Girls should eat more fruit. It's good for beauty and complexion..."

"Jill spends long periods working outdoors, so she can't avoid the wind and sun. I suggest she eat more blueberries and lemons..."

"Ada, you seem to stay up late often. I recommend grapefruit, cherries, and red dates..."

"As for Alice, oranges are excellent for cutting through grease and relieving richness..."

Women's devotion to beauty was etched deep into their genes. Under Kevin's painstaking recommendations of beauty-enhancing remedies, the previously tense atmosphere gradually dissolved.

Ada, who was passionate about fashion, even recommended several perfumes and accessories best suited to Jill's and Alice's constitutions.

Come to think of it, one was a police officer in a remote city, while the other was a senior security executive at a pharmaceutical company.

The places Jill and Alice lived and the jobs they held had basically kept these two naturally beautiful women at a certain distance from the word "fashion."

In contrast, Miss Ada, a business spy skilled at disguises and constantly changing identities, needed to attend high-end events such as cocktail parties.

Naturally, she knew all about the latest brands and fashionable combinations.

Whether intentionally or not, the three women quickly grew closer, even forgetting the original protagonist in the corner.

Kevin was happy to have some peace and quiet, and continued leafing through a military magazine.

Before long, however, several familiar figures arrived in the ward one after another.

The most eye-catching among them was undoubtedly Leon, supported on either side by the female soldier Rain and Claire, the girl searching for her family.

The moment Leon and the commander met each other's eyes, a feeling of shared misery welled up between them.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Crisp applause interrupted the women's enthusiastic discussion of cosmetics and drew the men's attention.

Kevin cleared his throat and began asking everyone about their plans going forward.

The group had gathered here as soon as they heard he had awakened. It was not only out of respect for him as their commander; More Importantly, they likely wanted to hear his advice.

"We secured the right to leave Umbrella Corporation safely in exchange for releasing the Wolf Pack Squad members. Of course, the severance pay and compensation have already been deposited."

The Black commander James spread his hands and explained the situation of the three Umbrella Squad Survivors to Kevin.

"So, what are you planning to do...?"

Kevin pointed at the three men, whose expressions were somewhat eager, wanting to get to the bottom of it.

"We'll work for you!"

After receiving nods of agreement from the other two squad members, James gave the decision the three had discussed the night before.

Huh? Kevin, who had never considered this possibility, looked somewhat surprised.

Yet when he looked around, he found that the others seemed to have expected it all along and were not surprised in the slightest.

"Barry, Jill, Leon, what about you?"

The commander continued probing. The members of the Raccoon City Police Department exchanged glances, clearly having reached a consensus.

"Don't I still owe you a life? I'll pay that back first..."

Jill's answer was decisive.

"I'm taking my family to immigrate to Britain. Umbrella Corporation's reach is too extensive here—it isn't safe. I happen to need a new job too. You'll take me in, right?"

Barry held the hand of his daughter, who had come to visit him, his smile gentle like that of a loving father.

"Claire wants to go to Britain to look for her brother Chris, and she hopes I'll go with her..."

"And Rain's injuries Also Needs someone to look after her along the way..."

Leon had inadvertently learned Teacher Kevin's true essence of being a fence-sitter, always leaning whichever way suited him. His watertight words offended no one.

"We'll definitely be returning to Britain to report on our work. And my sister Lisa graduated from medical school. I'd like her to join your team and handle battlefield medical care..."

The Matt siblings' answer was naturally beyond question.

After passing over Ada, Kevin's gaze settled on Alice.

This female Tyrannosaurus with off-the-charts combat power admired the fruit pit she had gnawed clean as she replied absentmindedly.

"Oh, didn't you say you wanted to be my boyfriend? You decide how to arrange it..."

In an instant, cold sweat covered Kevin's forehead. It was as if he could feel the almost tangible killing intent around him, wave after wave washing over him.

PS: Thanks to reader @{"reader_id":"145472","reader_name":"Baker Street Requiem"} for the tip.

Also, to reiterate the protagonist's character: he was merely someone willing to think, capable of using his informational advantage to formulate wildly imaginative plans. But he was not a god who accounted for every possibility. He could make mistakes when faced with unexpected situations.

The Countess of the Crawford Family

"Well, looks like it's pretty lively in here?"

Just as Kevin's heart had gone cold, the stiff greeting from the doorway felt as though it had pulled him from hell into heaven.

"Teacher Kevin!"

Immediately afterward, little angel Angela rushed through the door and into Kevin's arms, acting intimately.

As her actual father, Dr. Charles's face darkened like the bottom of a pot.

The little cabbage he had raised had not yet been rooted by a pig, but Angela's attitude toward this brat had clearly gone beyond that of a normal student and teacher.

A mentor really was closer than family!

Seeing that Dr. Charles had come to visit, the commander was so touched that he nearly wept.

"Everyone, we'll discuss the specific schedule for returning to Britain later..."

Kevin first gave everyone his assurance, then affectionately pushed his mentor's wheelchair toward the garden for a walk.

A benevolent teacher and filial student—role models for all mankind! Everyone's mouths twitched.

Of course, the scheming bastard who had kidnapped his mentor's daughter and dragged Dr. Charles into this mess a few days earlier was definitely not their commander.

Kevin and the grim-faced Dr. Charles stopped beside a bench in the garden.

Meanwhile, little angel Angela carried her three hamster cages and took the little creatures out for some fresh air.

"If I said that everything I did was without malicious intent, would you believe me?"

Kevin slipped his hands into his pockets, looked up at the deep blue sky, curled his lips, and spoke softly.

"Hmph! Mayor Warren and I have already talked. I know everything you did! There's no need for you to claim credit!"

Those so-called smear tactics and threats had merely been expedient measures to facilitate matters. Dr. Charles would not hold them against him.

But ever since he had noticed that this rebellious disciple seemed to have improper intentions toward his daughter Angela, Dr. Charles had remained constantly on guard.

"I'll arrange for you to take refuge in Britain as soon as possible, and apply to the BSAA for protection for all of you..."

"Right now, Umbrella and the U.S. government are both busy taking over Raccoon City's bioweapon legacy. They have no time to spare for anything else. Besides, Mayor Warren should do me this favor."

Dr. Charles's expression eased slightly. At the very least, this rebellious disciple truly was considering their safety.

Even so, it could not conceal the contempt in the doctor's eyes.

"I need you to apply to the BSAA higher-ups for asylum?"

"You needn't trouble yourself over it. I happen to have some acquaintance with your biggest backer."

"As long as I'm willing to throw away this old face of mine, he'll show me some consideration..."

Kevin looked rather surprised. He had not expected Dr. Charles to have ties to the BSAA's largest shareholder.

"May I ask the name of that old friend of yours?"

A trace of reminiscence showed on Dr. Charles's face. His expression was somewhat complicated, as though he was not particularly willing to face that Old Friend.

"Richard Crawford. He calls himself an archaeologist, but he's actually a seasoned tomb raider..."

"Everywhere he goes collapses. There are more than a dozen ancient ruins that old bastard has destroyed..."

"Pfft!" Kevin sprayed out the half cup of hot water he had just drunk, his expression bizarre and horrified.

"Wouldn't he happen to have a daughter named... Lara?"

Dr. Charles's face filled with vigilance. He then looked back at his daughter, who was playing with the little hamsters, and a gentle smile Appeared on his face.

"That's Right. She just turned twenty-one. She's the eleventh-generation Countess of the Crawford family—high-born, gentle, courteous, and very beautiful..."

"If you're interested, I can introduce the two of you..."

As long as you stay away from my daughter, go ruin that old bastard's whole family for all I care.

Kevin rolled his eyes inwardly, deeply suspicious of his mentor's kindness.

Would you really be that kind? That Countess probably had nothing to do with words like gentle and courteous, did she?

Arrogant, fierce, and unruly were the kinds of descriptions people used for that madwoman. And compared to Leon, the "teammate killer" aura surrounding her was no less impressive.

The master and disciple, each harboring their own schemes, wisely skipped the subject to preserve the surface harmony between them.

"There's some good news. In the Level 5 laboratory, I specifically evaluated the T-Virus's current infectivity..."

"Based on samples taken from the air, water sources, plants, and animals around Raccoon City, I discovered that all of them contained a substance capable of breaking down the T-Virus..."

"And through the water cycle and atmospheric circulation, this substance is continuously spreading to every region of the world."

Kevin immediately grasped the point and fell into thought.

"You mean this world has already developed resistance to the T-Virus..."

"Even if the T-Virus spreads again, it won't cause a worldwide disaster?"

Dr. Charles nodded slightly, deeply regretful over the death of his colleague, Dr. Isaacs.

"More than that, the T-Virus has already spread across the globe and will soon cause flu-like symptoms worldwide..."

"But because that concentrated antidote exists, the T-Virus's special substance will actually be beneficial for most people."

After a moment's thought, Kevin understood the deeper meaning behind his mentor's words.

"Evolution! They're about to undergo a biological evolution!"

Dr. Charles, however, looked deeply troubled and held little optimism for the future.

"Sometimes, evolution isn't necessarily a good thing. Gradual natural selection is the model that brought us to where we are today."

"I truly don't know whether this thing is a gospel bestowed upon humanity by God, or Pandora's box holding calamity within..."

Everything was still unknown. Kevin did not speculate further and prepared to leave after their conversation.

But before he left, the commander handed Dr. Charles a hard drive he had received from Jill.

"Science itself has no distinction between good and evil, but the human heart does. I hope Dr. Isaacs's research can help you stand again, Mentor..."