Kevin watched Alice brood for a moment, her brows tightly furrowed, and felt immensely satisfied after secretly stabbing Spence in the back.
Once the seeds of suspicion had been planted, they would be hard to clear away. Besides, that profit-obsessed bastard's hands had never been clean to begin with.
No need to thank me. I live next door, surname Li... Kevin, who still looked like a boy, turned his head slightly, the corners of his lips lifting to reveal white teeth.
But before he could feel smug for long, Kevin recalled the "exchange of bodily fluids" requirement in that damned mission and immediately wanted to cry without tears. It seemed that if he wanted to leave Raccoon City safely, he really would have to become the guy next door.
Of course, he had no idea that because of his interference, not only had all of Spence's Mexican buyers for the T-Virus received their tickets to the afterlife.
Even that bastard's planned candlelit dinner, along with the fun of washing the sheets afterward, had been ruthlessly interrupted.
Yet neither of them noticed that within the walls of the cabin, wires connected to miniature cameras and listening devices had been deeply embedded.
The Legendary Question That Gets You Killed
Umbrella Corporation, underground Hive.
In Main Control Room No. 1, the lighting was dim. A middle-aged blond man in a white lab coat, with his hair parted seven-three, wore black headphones as he opened a computer marked with a red-and-white umbrella-like emblem resembling six flower petals.
On the screen, the live video feed showed Alice and Kevin's private conversation.
In the darkness, the man's face was narrow and sinister. The fingers of his right hand tapped rhythmically against the metal table, playing the deep opening remix of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, "Fate," through the empty room.
In his left palm, he toyed with a blue glass tube containing a double-helix structure, while an eerie curve unconsciously formed at the corner of his lips.
The Umbrella Corporation had operated in Raccoon City for years. Not only had it secretly established connections throughout every important government department, it had also long since scattered countless surveillance devices and patrol personnel throughout the crucial Acre Mountains.
It even had a dedicated synchronous satellite constantly scanning every inch of this land.
Every year, tourists who wandered into the restricted zone became experimental materials on hospital beds. The cabin built in the woods was likewise filled with eavesdropping and surveillance devices.
Unexpectedly, beyond tracking tourists' movements, it had actually pulled out a nail embedded inside Umbrella.
According to the plan, Dr. Isaacs, the Umbrella Corporation's behind-the-scenes leader and shareholder, had originally intended to upload backup T-Virus data to Umbrella's information terminal tomorrow. Afterward, he would escort the T-Virus stock solution, antidotes, and various models of bio-weapons to Hives in other regions for the next stage of experimentation.
By then, once the Umbrella Squad headed out, only clerical and research staff would remain inside the Hive. They might really have succeeded.
He just had not expected to discover two rats that had suddenly jumped out. Besides, was this not also an opportunity?
This Planet was sick. Filthy festering sores had spread across the world. It was time for a thorough transformation and cleansing!
And this would be the "flood" the Lord bestowed upon the Messiah! Under the dim light, Dr. Isaacs carefully examined the faint glow of the T-Virus reagent in his hand, the strange smile on his face slowly blooming.
"Do you need me to handle it personally, sir?" The man in a black trench coat, who had been leaning against the shadows in the corner, spoke in a low voice. His sunglasses covered most of his face, but every movement carried a soldier's crisp efficiency.
Dr. Isaacs raised the index finger of his right hand and gently waved it.
"Our product has been developed, but it has not yet been put into actual use. This is the perfect opportunity for a test. Open Chamber No. 3. Prepare to implant the central control chip. Activate it in forty-five minutes."
"It seems our security chief will soon be replaced."
The man named Wesker curled his lips with interest as he watched the fit woman on the screen, utterly unaware that danger was approaching. He was even somewhat impatient to see her torn apart and devoured.
Dr. Isaacs gently shook his head. "This time, its target is not our security chief, but this pretty little one. After all, we still need her to draw out the traitor inside the Hive."
Wesker immediately lost interest. "A meaningless slaughter. A boring game. Forget it, I still have to return and report. There's no need for me to be an audience member for this performance."
"You simply don't know how to appreciate it. This is the beauty of miracles..." Dr. Isaacs gazed obsessively at the bluish-gray giant in Cultivation Chamber No. 3, its body seemingly carved from stone.
He paid no attention to Wesker's departure.
God had created man, and when man created such magnificent creatures, man would inevitably ascend into the gods of a new age!
Great evolution was about to begin!
The deep opening notes of the Fifth Symphony—"Fate"—instantly shifted into a stirring movement.
With the music, Dr. Isaacs held his hands as if grasping an invisible baton, seeming to write a new future in the air!
Meanwhile, at the cabin in the woods.
Kevin stared at his completely healed wound, his eyes full of disbelief. If not for the faint sting of newly grown skin, he would have thought everything that had happened before was merely an absurd dream.
"The effects of this thing vary from person to person. This is the first time I've seen someone heal so quickly. It also drains a person's life potential, and it's quite expensive to make, so it can't be mass-produced. It belongs to a discontinued product line."
Alice's fingertips gently brushed across the newly grown skin on Kevin's chest, curiosity sparkling in her emerald eyes.
Lying on the hospital bed, the wounded patient felt a trace of sorrow rise under the Female Supervisor's wandering gaze over his arm muscles. Exchange of bodily fluids... exchange of bodily fluids... screw your damned exchange of bodily fluids.
With a screech of steel grinding against steel, Kevin saw that someone who had forgotten to bring a knife had punctured a military ration can with a key, then ripped away the metal lid with her bare hands.
The terrifying wrist strength she displayed so casually filled his face with despair.
The difference in combat power was way too obvious. If he had any bold ideas, he would just die faster, right?
"You lost quite a bit of blood. You'll be weak and dizzy for a while. Come, eat something first and regain your strength."
Alice picked up the heated military ration can, then turned and found the stiff-faced boy standing blankly behind her. Smiling, she handed him the metal can.
Although an environment could change a person, some boundaries absolutely could not be crossed. So what filthy thoughts were you actually having?
Kevin gave a self-mocking bitter smile, then his expression turned solemn. He nodded his thanks, took the military ration can outside, sat on the gentle slope, and stuffed himself mouthful by mouthful.
After dealing with the traces inside the cabin, Alice came to Kevin's side and slowly sat down. She found his brow tightly furrowed, as though something was troubling him.
"Is something on your mind?" After finishing her ration, the Female Supervisor threw the empty can into the car's trunk, then turned to ask the boy.
Kevin shook his head without answering. What could he say? Was he supposed to plainly tell her that he wanted intimate zero-distance contact with her, or that he wanted them to have a bed sport that went beyond friendship?
Noticing the boy's inexplicable gloom, Alice took a bottle of wine from the trunk, pulled out the cork, poured the scarlet liquid into a washed military ration can, and raised her cup toward Kevin.
"Pretty little guy, I hope that after this is over, both you and I will still be alive."
That dashing bearing, rarely seen in women, left Kevin briefly dazed. Though if she could remove that half-teasing prefix, the effect would have been even better.
The Female Supervisor tilted back her head and poured down the scarlet wine. There was none of the fussy affectation of Western wine-tasting etiquette; she somehow made red wine seem bold and hearty.
Kevin instinctively took the remaining half-bottle of wine. The moment he raised the ration can, inspiration flashed through his eyes.
Seeds... information... Its purpose should be to have Alice and me complete an information overwrite upon each other... Perhaps there was a more suitable method...
"I was thinking, if we manage to survive and bring down the Umbrella Corporation this time, could you agree to a teenage boy's fantasy?"
Kevin looked back at the Acre Mountains, where mist was gradually rising, the corners of his lips lifting as a meaningful smile appeared on his profile.
"What?" Alice did not understand.
"Give me a chance to pursue you." The smile in Kevin's eyes deepened, though a trace of nervousness and secret delight spread through his heart.
Once, in the hazy memories of another world, the valiant female warrior before him had fulfilled his longing for the opposite sex.
"You're putting me in a difficult position." Alice raised her left hand, which wore a wedding ring, and politely rejected the inexperienced boy's pursuit.
"Then how about being my girlfriend in name for one day? I promise, only in name."
Although Kevin's eyes held a trace of fascination with beauty, they were pure and untainted as he made the request earnestly.
Alice was an easygoing and slightly rebellious bad girl. After seriously considering the interesting request for a moment, she shrugged and nodded as if reluctantly.
"Then..." Kevin ran his hand along the sharp edge of the ration can. A thread of crimson blood dripped into each of the two crude containers filled with wine.
"Let us make a vow according to the ancient tradition between warriors."
A blood oath... an ancient tradition that existed only in knight novels. He really was a little guy poisoned by fantasy fiction.
Alice could not help laughing, but she did not refuse. Following the boy's example, she cut her finger as well and dripped blood into their cups.
"To the vow! To tomorrow!" Kevin stood, clinked cups with her, and wore a solemn, earnest expression.
"To staying alive!" Alice copied him with interest, seeming to have immersed herself in this role-playing game.
But as an Umbrella Corporation executive, she understood the power of the organization behind her better than members of those international secret societies did. She had also prepared herself to face the threat of death.
Because one could retreat in the face of fear, but never at the cost of abandoning one's humanity.
At that moment, a distant voice also sounded in the depths of Kevin's consciousness.
"Initial mission complete..."
"Savior data overwrite in progress..."
"Information Anchor confirmed..."
"Void particles stabilized..."
"Auxiliary combat template activated..."
Name: Kevin Li (existence state stable) (pseudo-anchor not connected, currently sealed) Rank: Fool (D) (determines growth limit; peak of the five basic attributes is 20 points, total value 100 points.) Level: LV1 0/100 (eliminate Virus Strains to receive the world's gift, namely varying amounts of evolution points. Each level gained grants 2 free attribute points.) Strength: 8 Constitution: 12 Agility: 10 Intelligence: 11 Perception: 14 Total Value: 55 Apocalypse: Unlocked, awaiting activation.
As they drank each other's blood, Kevin noticed that the sense of unreality his body had always carried had completely vanished. In the unseen darkness, it seemed that he had formed some inexplicable connection with this world.
The exchange of bodily fluids was not limited to certain physical activities. Blood seemed to be one of the possibilities as well.
Kevin calmed his thoughts, feeling slightly relieved. He no longer had to live in constant fear. Recalling the blood-and-tears history of the past half month, he nearly burst into tears.
After dealing with everything at hand tonight, he could use the cover of darkness to escape that damned place, Raccoon City.
After resting for a while longer, the boy saw the setting sun slanting westward. Thinking of little angel Angela at home, who was still waiting for him to feed her, he got up.
He left the cabin, came to the gentle slope, and bid farewell to Alice, who was keeping watch nearby.
The Female Supervisor had a favorable impression of this contact who had once helped her, so she smiled faintly and nodded politely.
But then she looked around the Acre Mountains, gradually being swallowed by darkness, and a shadow appeared in her eyes.
"Wait, take this!" Just as Kevin walked toward his Beetle, Alice stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, drew a Beretta M92 from the holster at the back of her waist, and handed it over.
A trace of hesitation appeared on Kevin's face, and he did not take the pistol.
"For self-defense. Nearly the entire Acre Mountains are within the Hive's sphere of influence. The road probably won't be safe..."
The Female Supervisor seemed particularly guarded when it came to the Acre Mountains. Tourists had been disappearing frequently lately.
Although the Umbrella Corporation controlled public opinion, and these reports had never appeared in newspapers, Alice instinctively sensed a trace of danger.
Kevin smiled bitterly. "The problem is, I don't know how to shoot..."
His expression was somewhat embarrassed. After all, gun ownership among American men was nearly forty-two percent. That did not seem very rare, did it?
But do not forget that so-called men also included the elderly and children.
Moreover, even if the remaining male population did not own guns themselves, most had received at least basic firearms training. A college student like Kevin, who had never even touched a gun, was rarer than a giant panda.
"A pacifist?" Alice smiled without quite smiling, finding the little guy's expression very amusing.
"More or less..." Remembering his previously privileged and safe living environment, Kevin nodded helplessly.
"Grip it firmly. Turn off the safety. Keep your wrist straight. Align the front sight, rear sight, and target..."
"Twelve o'clock!" At her sharp shout beside his ear, Kevin instinctively pulled the trigger.
Bang! Startled birds cried out and took flight as a yellow brass casing fell to the ground. The pistol's recoil caused his wrist to dip slightly.
The bullet that had been aimed at a fir tree twenty meters away vanished who knew where.
"Very good. Now relax your finger, regulate your breathing, steady your body, lower the muzzle slightly..."
"Again! Four o'clock, eight o'clock, nine o'clock!"
Alice seemed immersed in the pleasure of teaching. She did not notice at all that as her body twisted sharply, her curves had nearly pressed seamlessly against Kevin's back.
Of course, this brown-haired Mature Woman's figure belonged to the broad plains. Calling it a freshly produced steel plate would not have been an exaggeration.
The "student" in Alice's arms also seemed immersed in learning to shoot. He continuously made minute adjustments to his movements, and the spread of his shots grew increasingly accurate.
Before you continue