Location: Rooftop of a building in the Raccoon District, south of City Hall.
Time: 03:37, New York time.
"Isaacs?" Shivering in the cold wind on the rooftop, Yin Kuang spoke into the phone, his whole body trembling. He moistened his cracked lips and said, "If you're there, please tell me exactly where those mercenaries are." As he spoke, Yin Kuang looked at the grenades bound together in his hands!
Ten high-explosive grenades bundled together—the blast they'd produce would be enormous! Yin Kuang couldn't help wondering: if he threw the bundle at Matt the Tracker's feet, would it blow him to pieces, or even kill him outright?
Of course, Yin Kuang was only daydreaming. If he really wanted to deal with Matt, just getting the bundle of grenades near him would be almost impossible!
So, even though Yin Kuang's subconscious was full of wild ideas about taking on Matt the Tracker, he was absolutely unwilling to face him. Absolutely!
But Yin Kuang never dreamed that his bold, even reckless, actions had already changed the course of the story... and the future of the entire Resident Evil world. Whether as punishment or reward, the all-powerful Headmaster had pushed him, a Rookie Student who'd only been required to "survive for five hours," toward an unknowable future...
Dr. Isaacs, who was supposed to be the main villain in Resident Evil: Extinction, had appeared in Resident Evil: Apocalypse with a sly, foxlike smile. He had already begun to gradually take control of the story's direction...
On the other end of the phone, Isaacs wore a foxlike smile. The computer screen's flickering light cast his pale face in alternating shadow and brightness. "My dear Chinese boy, I'm with you. And I just thought of a very good way to help you kill those mercenaries with ease."
"I want to know exactly where the mercenaries are." Yin Kuang still wanted to handle things himself. He absolutely didn't want to place his life entirely in someone else's hands.
"Unfortunately, they're right below the building you're in. If you make even the slightest move, I imagine they'll spot you immediately, given their training. And then you'll be greeted by a hail of bullets."
"You... Didn't you say you'd help me?" Yin Kuang felt a surge of anger. "Why are you only telling me now that they've already arrived?"
"Calm down, Chinese boy," Isaacs said. "Agitation will rob you of your composure and cloud your eyes, so you can't see the way forward. Now, I'll teach you what to do. Don't worry. If you follow my instructions, you'll definitely kill them all."
Yin Kuang took a deep breath and nodded. "So, what should I do now?"
"Now, take the stairs on the opposite side of the building down. Then you'll see a low, three-story building not far away. It stands out, because there aren't many buildings like that in Raccoon City, with all its skyscrapers," Isaacs said. "Then get inside as fast as you can. But first, you have to reveal your position on purpose. To be honest, those mercenaries don't entirely trust their former supervisor. So you'll have to use yourself as bait."
Yin Kuang clenched his teeth and made his way to the other side of the rooftop, hurrying down the metal fire escape as quietly as possible. But when he heard Isaacs say he'd have to use himself as bait, he couldn't help stopping. "Use myself as bait? Are you sure you're not joking?"
"You have a choice. Either do as I say or wait for death," Isaacs said. "But if you choose death, I hope you'll tell me where that little dog is hiding first. A miracle created by the Creator God shouldn't be wasted like that. It would be a disgrace."
"...All right," Yin Kuang said. "I can see the building. What next? What should I do?"
"Don't rush. They won't find you for a while. I've lured them farther away," Isaacs said. "Perhaps I should tell you a little about Raccoon City's history..."
"I'm not interested at all."
"But it concerns your life. Chinese boy, you should learn to be more patient."
"I bet the less patient I am, the happier you'll be. Hmph! You'd better not take me for a fool, either!" Yin Kuang thought with a cold laugh. "I'm listening."
So Isaacs said, "Do you know why the Umbrella Corporation chose this place for a branch? It wasn't because it was secluded. It was because of the energy resources!"
"Energy resources?"
"That's right! There's a huge natural gas deposit beneath Raccoon City! Its reserves are astonishing. To put it bluntly, the natural gas stored here would be enough to supply the residents of an entire American state for half a century! You can imagine how valuable it is. At first, the United States, heavily reliant on oil for energy, was hit hard by the Middle Eastern oil-producing countries. The losses were incalculable. The Umbrella Corporation also suffered greatly from that oil price hike. And right then, the company discovered a huge natural gas deposit here... You can imagine how the Raccoon City branch was established. Umbrella was instrumental in transforming it from a small town into the city of more than a hundred thousand people it is today."
To be honest, Isaacs had said a lot, but with Yin Kuang's level of English, he'd only understood the gist. "And now you've destroyed it!"
"No, no! It wasn't us. It was human greed!" Isaacs said. "You should know the black-market price of the T-Virus. Plenty of people have their eyes on it! You're one of them, aren't you? If someone hadn't stolen the T-Virus and caused a leak, none of this would have happened."
"Doctor, this isn't the time to discuss human nature."
"I'm only giving you a friendly warning, Chinese boy. The T-Virus is far more terrible than you can imagine. I hope you'll use it carefully, unless you want to destroy all of humanity. Anyway, back to the point... As I said, Raccoon City grew because of its natural gas reserves. The entire city has an extensive natural gas pipeline system. And that three-story building is a warehouse belonging to one of the Umbrella Corporation's natural gas companies. It stores a huge amount of natural gas. So..."
"I get it. You want me to lure them there, then blow them up?"
"Exactly!"
"Doctor, do you think I'm an idiot? If I blow them up, what happens to me?"
"Heh, perhaps you've forgotten that everything in Raccoon City is under the Umbrella Corporation's control. For some reason, a self-destruct system was installed there. All you have to do is lure them inside, activate the self-destruct sequence, then escape through the secret passage. Problem solved!"
"...A self-destruct system? You people at the Umbrella Corporation are all insane! You set up a natural gas warehouse in the middle of a busy district, then install a self-destruct sequence? What are you trying to do?!"
"If you want to know, I'd be happy to explain it all to you at length..." Isaacs sneered.
"No need!" Yin Kuang said. "Tell me, where are the mercenaries now?"
"Right on your left..."
In a dim alley, two people, one tall and one short, stared at each other, four eyes locked together. Neither moved. The atmosphere was strange.
The next moment...
"Boss, he's here!" Mori suddenly shouted, then raised his gun and opened fire!
"Shit!! I'm going to kill you, Isaacs!!" Yin Kuang shouted and took off running. The moment he sprinted away, a burst of bullets tore into the spot where he'd been standing, peppering the ground with craters and flinging dirt everywhere.
Luckily, a corner blocked the hail of bullets for him. Otherwise, Yin Kuang would already have been riddled with holes.
Nicholas, White Mouse, and Fox charged out of the darkness, their stern faces full of murderous fury!
"Where is he?" White Mouse cursed. "I'm going to blow them all to hell!"
"Boss, there's only one person," Mori said. "I'm worried it's a trap!"
"Chase him! He's the only one here!" Nicholas ordered. He didn't explain further, just took off after Yin Kuang. According to the information Nicholas had gotten from the Umbrella Corporation supervisor, Yin Kuang was alone here. As for the others, no one knew where they'd gone. But Nicholas planned to deal with the man in front of him first, then go after the rest!
With that, Nicholas was the first to dart around the corner.
Rat-a-tat-tat!!
Gunshots rang out.
"Get him! Don't let him escape!" White Mouse cursed and chased after him.
"Fox, something feels wrong to me..."
"There's nothing to worry about," Fox said. "Trust the boss. He won't be wrong. Come on, don't waste time."
And what about Yin Kuang?
He had just burst out of the alley and was running for his life. He hadn't made it ten meters before a bullet struck a car beside him, sending sparks flying. Forced to dive behind a car, he crawled underneath it, then kept running!
Clang, clang, clang!!
Amid the wild gunfire, Yin Kuang would have been shot dead long ago if he hadn't used the abandoned cars along the road for cover, constantly changing direction as he ran.
"Run! Run! Faster!!"
That same suffocating chill as before! Yin Kuang felt as if he'd plunged into an ice cellar. His whole body was freezing, not a trace of warmth left... Especially his back, which felt as if countless icy needles were stabbing into it. It seemed that in the next moment, a storm of bullets would strike him in the back and end his life!
Yin Kuang bit through his lower lip, filling his mouth with the thick taste of blood to spur himself on. He sped up and ran for his life!!
"Damn it! Damn it all!! Damn university, damn Headmaster, damn everything!!"
The more Yin Kuang thought about it, the more he felt a surge of anger welling up from deep inside. But he forcefully suppressed it, because he knew that if he activated the passive skill "Raging Beast," his agility would decrease. If his speed dropped, he would die!
I absolutely won't die! Even if I'm doomed to be bitten to death, I'll struggle to the very end!!
Behind Yin Kuang, the four mercenaries were furious but still composed, maintaining their formation as they pursued him. Nicholas and Fox provided covering fire, while White Mouse and Mori fired and kept watch for ambushes from the other "Chinese agents."
Boom!
A grenade landed not far in front of Nicholas and exploded. The powerful shock wave forced all four of them to take cover.
"Damn it! He's got grenades!" White Mouse spat viciously. "He dares to play with explosives in front of me! I've decided: when I catch him, I'll turn him into a human bomb! I bet that'll be a blast."
After throwing a grenade, Yin Kuang didn't even look back. He kept running!
Run! Run for your life!!
That was the only thing he had to do now.
Even though he'd already been shot in the shoulder...
Gritting his teeth, eyes wide, fists clenched, he sprinted toward the three-story building, which was getting closer and closer!
As long as he made it there...
Before you continue