"Friendly"

The Pursuer.

The giant who emerged from the container was one of Umbrella's newer-generation bioweapons: the Pursuer, created by Umbrella's Sixth Research Institute as part of the Nemesis Project.

The best-known Pursuer model was the T-02 from Resident Evil 3, the one that relentlessly chased Jill and kept shouting "STARS."

This Tyrant model carried a parasite called NE-Alpha, which allowed the host Tyrant to retain some intelligence and rapidly heal ordinary injuries.

The drawback was that the parasite made its host violent and cruel. Once its injuries exceeded what it could endure, it reverted to the Tyrant's original state—

Destroying everything in sight.

In fact, the Nemesis Project had produced four prototypes in total. The T-01 had an exceptionally strong capacity for independent thought, but after it tried and failed to escape, the Sixth Research Institute eliminated it.

The Pursuer Sui Bian had brought to attack Rockfort Island was the T-02. It was also the only model to have undergone long-term training—in other words, "the most obedient one."

"Ah... Ashford!"

The Pursuer looked toward the castle, half its buildings destroyed by the AGM-65 bombing. It spread its arms and roared at the sky, then hoisted the rocket launcher onto its right shoulder and lumbered toward the castle.

The Pursuer's primary objective was to find, track down, and kill Alfred Ashford.

Its secondary objective was to assist the Hive's combat personnel in eliminating every Rockfort Island resident in sight.

Since it was called the Pursuer, Sui Bian could use it to hunt down Alfred, who was hiding somewhere. Perfect.

As the Pursuer lumbered toward the ruined castle's main entrance, the hovering CH-53 opened two cabin doors.

Marini, Chris, and Jill's Charon Task Force fast-roped down through the hatch beneath the cabin. Meanwhile, the twenty members of Epsilon...

"Thud! Thud-thud!"

...leaped straight out through the rear of the aircraft and landed firmly on the ground with the help of their Mechanical Exoskeletons, much faster than Chris and the others.

It was certainly more convenient, but it was still more dangerous than using ropes. Epsilon was doing it purely to show off.

Even if the members of the USS preferred to keep quiet, they still had to flaunt their superiority in front of the company's other units.

Chris, Carl, and the others couldn't help feeling envious. But they had joined the company too recently, and there were barely enough Mechanical Exoskeletons for the USS.

Besides, the MTF really was outclassed by the USS, especially Alpha, led by Hunk.

After landing and steadying themselves, the twenty Epsilon operatives crouched low and scanned their surroundings, making sure no fool was lying in wait to take a potshot at them.

But a quick look revealed only craters everywhere, along with bodies and wreckage that were hardly recognizable as people or vehicles.

A 30mm Gatling cannon could tear a human body to pieces with a single hit.

The light armored vehicles had met the same fate.

Area secure.

Epsilon immediately spread out and advanced toward the castle in groups of four, using the Pursuer as a mobile shield as they entered. Chris and the others followed behind.

Inside the castle, with its maze of roads and corridors, the space felt much tighter than Spencer Family Castle. The place seemed downright cramped.

That prevented Epsilon and Chris's team from making full use of their numerical advantage, while greatly increasing the risks for both Epsilon and Charon.

But they had the Pursuer—a human tank.

Inside the castle.

At the corner leading to the bunker entrance.

"Rat-a-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat!" Gunfire rang painfully loud in the enclosed space.

"Die! Die!"

"Come on, then! I dare you!"

Thirteen armed Rockfort Island guards stood before the gate to the bunker elevator, firing their AKMs in a ceaseless, frenzied barrage toward the far end of the corridor.

These guards were Alfred's trusted men. They couldn't match the USS in combat training or experience, but with the advantage of their position, they weren't like those movie henchmen who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn—or the unlucky fools who got shot while lying down.

The L-shaped corridor seemed to have let the thirteen loyal guards successfully hold back Epsilon and Charon. But when the nearly three-meter-tall Pursuer appeared in their line of sight, they were dumbstruck.

The AKM's 7.62 x 39mm rounds couldn't penetrate the Pursuer's restraint suit—the black trench coat. Even when a bullet struck its exposed skin, it only left a minor scratch.

"Ah... Ashford!!!"

But even these tiny injuries enraged the Pursuer. It spread its arms and let out a deafening roar, then charged the guards who had dared to attack it.

"Thud! Thud!" Its heavy body made everyone feel as if the ground were shaking.

"Ku! Chi!" A guard was slammed straight into the wall by the charging Pursuer. His fate...

In the simplest terms, he was turned into a pulp.

The Pursuer charged into the guards like a character in a hack-and-slash game activating a special attack.

In its fury, it swung the rocket launcher in its right hand like a club, sending four guards flying.

"Crack!" The sound of bones splintering and breaking made everyone's teeth ache.

"Splatt!" The four bodies slumped limply onto the floor.

Having discovered how satisfying it was to swing people around, the Pursuer slaughtered twelve of the guards in no time. Only one remained, his magazine long empty but his finger still pressing the trigger.

"N-no... Don't come closer! Don't come closer!"

The last surviving guard had been driven nearly mad with terror by the rampaging Pursuer.

"Whoosh!" Something cut through the air.

"Squish!" The sound of a sharp object piercing flesh.

The Pursuer flung the purple tentacle from its left hand, stabbing the poor guard straight through the abdomen.

Then it retracted the tentacle, dragging the guard along with it, and lifted him high by the head with its left hand.

"Let me go! Please, let me go! Let me... Agh!!"

His pleas ended with the Pursuer crushing his head in one hand.

"Ah... Ash... ford..."

Looking over the bodies scattered across the floor, the Pursuer spoke as if its anger had finally subsided.

Only after the Pursuer had finished off all of Alfred's men did Epsilon and the Charon Task Force emerge from around the corner and hurry to gather in front of the elevator gate.

"My God..."

Brad Vickers, the Charon Task Force member—the one in the yellow vest from the game—glanced at the Pursuer, then at the head-crushed corpse. He instinctively felt his own head with one hand and exclaimed,

"Thank God it's a friendly. Otherwise, we'd be just like them..."