The Current Situation in Raccoon City

Duncan and his team did not spend the whole time walking aimlessly. There were many vehicles along the roads in the city, and in a city that had lost all order, they naturally would not bother to follow any rules.

With a smash of a rifle butt to break the car window and some hot-wiring, an old model vehicle was successfully started, and they began their journey.

Kendo Gun Shop was located in the southeast corner of the city, a location that was either quite fortunate or unfortunate.

The steel walls surrounding Raccoon City had already been raised. Now, the only way to leave the city, aside from the sky, was the Meimen Bridge on the east side of the city.

Not long after the T-virus outbreak, news and broadcasts within the city spread the word throughout the entire area. More and more people became aware of what was happening around them. Although a large portion of people remained in the safety of their homes, afraid to step outside, many others were desperate to flee the city.

The Meimen Bridge had long been controlled by the security department of the Umbrella Corporation. At this moment, they were conducting virus screenings; only those who were not infected were allowed to pass.

The chaos caused by the panic was lethal and terrifying. The area beneath the high walls was already packed with noisy crowds, with vehicles parked haphazardly, devoid of any organization or order.

People were pressed against one another, shoulder to shoulder. Those carrying the virus and those who were not were all mixed together, making the speed of the crossing crawl to a halt.

Some police officers from the Raccoon City Police Department were still trying in vain to maintain order, but they could only bob up and down within the tide of people, their faces showing signs of distress.

Kendo Gun Shop was situated at an intersection leading to the Meimen Bridge. Police and volunteers had used cars, shipping containers, and other debris to block the intersection, creating a wasteland-style barricade.

Thirteen or fourteen people, holding semi-automatic rifles pulled from the nearby Kendo Gun Shop, waited behind the cover. Whenever they saw a zombie approaching, they would open fire to take it down.

The virus outbreak in Raccoon City was still in its early stages, so not many people had been infected yet. Furthermore, the clumsy zombies moved extremely slowly and were hardly a threat in the face of firearms.

In reality, the situation from the movies where people were chased by zombies would certainly not happen, unless one encountered genetically modified biochemical monsters.

It was currently daytime, and as everyone knew, the daytime environment was not suitable for monsters to be active. To be precise, when the Umbrella Corporation created the Licker, they incorporated the genes of nocturnal animals, which made the Licker dislike the daylight. They only hunted vigorously at night or in dim environments.

When Duncan and his group drove to the intersection where Kendo Gun Shop was located, they happened to run into these police officers and citizens blocking the road.

Facing people who were not monsters, those guarding the defensive line did not show much vigilance or hostility. After all, in such an environment, there was really no need to be hostile toward each other; it wasn't the late-stage apocalypse where people killed each other for a bite of food.

However, once they saw Duncan and his group stepping out of the vehicle, the police and citizens guarding the intersection could not help but raise their guard.

Anyone would be intimidated to see a mysterious unit wearing tactical gear and gas masks, fearing they were there to hide the truth in the simplest way possible.

Duncan scanned the vigilant crowd and truly spotted that familiar face. He immediately grinned, raised his hand, and greeted the owner of the gun shop, "Mr. Kendo, long time no see. I wonder if the goods I ordered have arrived?"

Although his voice sounded muffled through the filter of the gas mask, Mr. Kendo recognized that memorable tone immediately.

A month ago, this customer had come to his small shop to order a large batch of firearms and weapons. However, after waiting for a month with no news, he had nearly gone bankrupt. After the agreed-upon date passed, he would call Duncan every day, hoping that Duncan would hurry up and settle the final payment!

But he waited and waited, never seeing a sign of Duncan, only to be met with the outbreak of the Raccoon City crisis instead.

The firearms piled up in the warehouse had actually come in handy now. The amount of equipment, enough for twenty people to fight two small-scale battles, was quite significant. After all, modern warfare was all about logistics, and Duncan suffered from a fear of insufficient firepower, so he had ordered a massive amount of ammunition.

Mr. Kendo had already distributed the weapons to the fleeing citizens, and now that he bumped into Duncan, he almost burst into tears.

I just resigned myself to bad luck and gave the guns away, and now you show up? Are you playing with me?

"Uh, haha! Mr. Duncan, it really has been a long time!" Kendo's voice had a hint of gritted teeth. He also signaled to the people around him that it was fine, as these were people he knew.

Duncan led his bodyguards over the barricade made of debris and gave Mr. Kendo a big bear hug, in an exceptionally good mood. "Haha, it really has been a long time! Come, let's have a hug!"

Seeing Mr. Kendo was like seeing his own down-and-out self, and thinking about how he had descended like a god to destroy the conspiracy of Dr. Isaac, it was equivalent to a comeback when down on his luck, winning the lottery in despair, or having a romantic encounter when frustrated—a double pleasure for both body and soul.

Although the plan to take over the Umbrella Corporation had not yet been fully realized, this did not prevent Duncan from being happy for a while. If he couldn't get the company, getting the data stored by the Red Queen would also be acceptable. That way, he would have enough capital to rebuild a super-company in the Marvel universe.

"Oh~ shit, if you aren't staring at my ass, you'd better settle the final payment. That batch of guns sat in my hands for a month, and I almost went bankrupt!"

Mr. Kendo couldn't quite handle Duncan's excessive enthusiasm; he felt his backside tighten, and goosebumps rose all over his body.

A police officer nearby walked up, looked Duncan up and down, and asked in a very bureaucratic tone, "Sir, which department are you with?"

Duncan looked at the haggard-looking officer and said, "I'm not with any department. I'm just a rich man, and they are my bodyguards."

"Oh." Hearing that Duncan was not from any relevant department, the officer lost interest, and his gaze became less than friendly.

The surrounding police officers also dispersed upon hearing this, clearly not fond of Duncan's status as a capitalist.

Duncan smiled, not minding it, and began to chat with Mr. Kendo.

"The final payment is no problem. I'll pay you once I finish dealing with the matters at hand."

Mr. Kendo rolled his eyes dramatically. "The guns you wanted were all distributed to the citizens. Those monsters that popped up from nowhere killed many people; without weapons, they didn't even have the courage to leave their homes. Shit, Mr. Duncan, do you know what's going on?"

Duncan was dressed quite professionally, and his tactical gear made him look like someone who knew the truth, so he wanted to understand from Duncan what was going on with the monsters in the city.

The surrounding police officers also cast questioning glances; clearly, these officers were also unaware of the virus outbreak.

Duncan pondered for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of speaking up, and finally chose to speak. "I do know what's going on."

"What? You know what's going on?" After Duncan said he knew about the matter, a police officer who had been listening intently became agitated and rushed toward Duncan, wanting to know the details.

His actions triggered the vigilance of James and the others, and the sound of guns being raised echoed continuously, making the atmosphere tense for a moment.

Seven or eight others wearing police uniforms saw this and raised their guns as well.

It was the same old story: if this were in Zhonghua Jia, someone just running over excitedly might just be a fan chasing a celebrity or someone rushing to a store sale.

But in this land of the free, any slight movement could trigger a stress response from the police, and they were ready to empty their magazines at any moment!