A late-night phone call

Late-night phone call

"Let's go out the way through the mansion," Green Arrow Duck suggested to the others as they rode the elevator up from the machine room floor.

"Wouldn't it be shorter to leave through the cargo passage?" asked Ida Wong, who had studied the structure of the Hive Base.

"But I saw several Mountain Off-Road Vehicle parked in the yard outside the mansion. We can just drive those cars away later."

According to Alice, those vehicles were likely left behind by the first wave of Umbrella Security Force who brought her into the Hive Base.

Although I haven't specifically checked the car's condition, it should be able to start and drive normally without any major problems, considering it's probably only been abandoned there for less than three days.

Alice had no concept of how much time had passed because she was drugged and taken away by Umbrella when she first left the Hive Base.

While the Duck Leopard armor—Duck Type can carry people, it's pretty much at its limit with two people. It can carry three people, but the thought of that is too much for Green Arrow Duck to even imagine.

The worst-case scenario is that the three tough girls might get too close and start fighting on the duck; that would be hilarious. Ada Wong clearly doesn't get along with the other two. Even Jill Valentine and Alice aren't exactly on good terms.

Besides, if they had other destinations, they could easily go their separate ways. Green Arrow Duck really didn't want to turn the Duck Leopard armor—Duck Type into a taxi, carrying three tough girls around everywhere.

When Ada Wong heard that there was transportation available, she had no objections. Although she had ridden a Motorcycle over and parked it outside the cargo aisle, she could only pick up one more person at most. With so many people here, she would still have to find a way to get transportation later.

Jill Valentine, however, was somewhat dissatisfied that the Duck Plushie didn't possess complete evidence of the crimes committed under the Umbrella. This was precisely the main reason she had come along.

Although Stark Industries possessed all the information, the suspended police officer couldn't think of a good way to get the arms giant to hand it over.

Jill Valentine didn't even have a way to speak to Tony Stark, which was the part that bothered her the most.

So, on the way out, everyone fell into an eerie silence. Even the three fiercely competitive girls didn't continue their tit-for-tat.

They expected the awkward atmosphere to linger until they left the passage and returned to the mansion on the surface, until everyone decided to split up. However, as soon as they entered the mansion and the metal door of the passage closed, several phones rang inside.

"Is it normal for them to be calling so urgently in the middle of the night?" Jill Valentine complained. But the four of them, including Green Arrow Duck, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Everyone could tell that this was clearly not a random call, or a call looking for the original owner of the mansion; it was a call specifically for them.

"Should I answer?" Jill Valentian had barely uttered the question when Alice picked up the nearest microphone. "Hello, who is this?"

"Thank God you finally answered the phone."

"Who are you?" Alice asked seriously, switching the phone to speakerphone so everyone could hear.

I can save you all. All four of you.

Jill and Ada immediately turned to look around, confirming that there were indeed surveillance cameras operating in their room. Green Arrow Duck didn't do anything extra; he simply began hacking into the Telecommunications Switching Room through C-Sis to trace the origin of the call.

"But we need to reach an agreement first. Are you ready to negotiate?" the person on the phone said.

"I'm sorry, escaping this city isn't what we need. So, goodbye." Alice was about to hang up the phone.

"Wait, wait! What do you want? Just tell me." The voice on the other end of the phone asked urgently.

"Who are you?"

"I am Dr. Ashford. Charles Ashford, and I am the principal investigator in the Genetic Virus Research Department at Umbrella Corporation."

What do you want us to do?

"My daughter Angela is trapped in the city. She was on Umbrella Corporation's safe evacuation list, but she didn't escape with us. She's hiding at school, and I need someone to rescue her."

"Since you're with Umbrella Corporation, why don't you have them do it?"

"I made a request, humbly. But Major Cain kept brushing me off and did nothing. Angela is only twelve years old; she simply cannot leave that place on her own without help."

"This has nothing to do with us—"

"Can you testify in court?" Jill Valentian interrupted Alice's answer, asking quickly.

Seeing that there was no response on the other end of the phone, Jill Valentine stepped into the spot Alice had vacated and said to the phone, "With Umbrella Corporation making such a blunder today, you don't think they can get away with it, do you?"

"Besides, if the top management of Umbrella Corporation wants to protect themselves, they need to put forward someone of high enough status as a scapegoat. Besides you, the chief researcher, is there a more suitable candidate?"

"We can help save your daughter, but we also hope you can stand in the Witness Stand in Court and explain what you did for the Umbrella Corporation. You don't need to lie, just tell the truth."

"And by doing this, you also have the opportunity to become a witness against the Immunity Witness. Don't tell me you have any loyalty whatsoever to a company that wouldn't even do its best to protect your own daughter."

Perhaps it was Jill Valentine's last words that moved Dr. Ashford: "Yes. I can testify in court, but only if my daughter is safely back with me. Is that a condition you can accept?"

"Yes." Jill Valentine glanced at the others. "Even if the others disagree, I will rescue your daughter and deliver her to you safely."

"I will keep my promise then, officer," Dr. Charles Dr. Ashford said solemnly.

So, which school does your daughter attend?

"Her alma mater, the place she knows best, is Raccoon City Elementary School. I'll contact you from a public phone after you find her."

"Okay. Wait for my good news, Doctor." Jill Valentine hung up the phone and turned to the others. "I'm going to rescue someone. Anyone want to come with me?"

"Me," Alice answered without hesitation. Even Ada Wong took off her sunglasses and put them in the glasses pocket inside her coat. "Count me in too."

It can only be said that the terms Jill Valentine negotiated were too tempting, and the three women, who were all quite interested in bringing down Umbrella, instantly stood on the same side.

They weren't afraid at all that Dr. Ashford. Charles Ashford would break his promise. Because once they got his daughter and removed the doctor from the Umbrella's clutches, even if he didn't want to stand in the Witness Stand, the Umbrella wouldn't let him off easily.

The fact that all three women were looking at the unresponsive Duck Plushie put a lot of pressure on Green Arrow Duck. "You go your own way."

Under such gazes, it would be difficult to say, "I'll cross my own narrow bridge."

The Green Arrow Duck's electronic voice also carried a serious tone. "Okay, I can help. But this will only be a one-time thing. You all know what I'm going to do: once the Antidote is made, the whole city will be saved."

"What If...? I endlessly waste my time on trivial matters like saving one person, how many more people will die in places we can't see? I believe even your brains can grasp this kind of mathematical problem."