Dawn Breaks

Murky sunlight pierced the clouds over Raccoon City, spreading weakly across the devastated city like blood-soaked gauze.

Twisted steel skeletons pointed toward the sky, while broken billboards whimpered in the wind. Moss covered the abandoned cars along the streets, and black sewage pooled in the dents of their bodies, reflecting the crows circling overhead.

Although the Umbrella Corporation had been completely destroyed, the air still reeked of nauseating decay. Zombies dragged their mangled limbs through the streets, their hollow eyes and rotting flesh bearing witness to the terror wrought by the virus. This city was still struggling desperately at death's edge.

After taking a brief rest at the pharmaceutical company, everyone looked through the cracked windows at the devastation outside. They understood that Wanda's awakening was only the beginning. The real challenge was finding a way to completely resolve Raccoon City's infection problem.

Gwen curled up in front of a dust-covered lab bench, clutching the remaining documents recovered from the laboratory. Her brow was tightly furrowed, and her bloodshot eyes scanned the densely packed data behind her lenses.

Her fingertips unconsciously rubbed the yellowed pages as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "The records show that even after Umbrella's destruction, several virus-dispersal core devices remain beneath the city. If we destroy them and use a developed neutralizing agent, we may be able to contain the spread of the infection. But..."

She raised her head, a flicker of worry passing through her eyes as her voice trembled slightly. "The materials for the neutralizing agent are scarce. The most important active enzyme exists only in specific mutated plants, and we also need to find a suitable method of dispersal. This enzyme is extremely unstable. Both extraction and storage require a specific environment, and the slightest mistake will render it ineffective."

Natasha holstered her twin pistols and rolled her stiff shoulders, the muscles beneath her black tactical suit aching from the prolonged fighting. She walked to the window and kicked away the shattered glass blocking her path, her gaze resolute. "No matter how difficult it is, we have to try. I'll lead the team to find the virus-dispersal devices and destroy them. Ashley, stay close to me. Don't try to be brave if you run into danger. Gwen, use your equipment to scan and report the situation at all times." Her voice was steady and powerful, though it could not hide the exhaustion in her eyes.

Ada Wong gently smoothed the folds of her cheongsam, its red silk giving off a cold sheen in the dim light. A confident smile curled her lips, though a trace of concern lingered in her eyes. "Leave finding the materials to me. I know several secret warehouses where Umbrella used to store supplies. We might find what we need there. But those places have surely been ravaged by the virus as well. They'll be full of danger."

Li Stark looked at Wanda, who leaned against the wall with her eyes closed, resting. Her face was still pale. Remembering their intimate contact during her treatment earlier, the tips of his ears reddened slightly. Strength surged through him, and he clenched his fists. "Wanda and I will figure out a way to disperse the neutralizing agent over a wide area. Wanda, your magic will definitely be a huge help." Wanda nodded faintly. Scarlet magic flickered at her fingertips, and her eyes held the same determination as Li Stark's, along with a trace of unease—her magic had not fully recovered after the previous battle.

The group quickly split into teams and began moving. Natasha led Ashley and Gwen through the city, rubble crunching sharply under their feet. They moved with great care, afraid of alerting the zombies nearby. The buildings on both sides of the street stood like aging giants, their walls cracked and windows shattered. Chunks of rotting flesh occasionally fell from above. At the entrance to an underground parking garage, Gwen's scanner suddenly let out a rapid alarm. The screen displayed a large number of heat signatures.

"Careful, mutated creatures!" Natasha warned in a low voice, drawing her twin pistols in an instant. Inside the parking garage, dozens of enormous mutated dogs covered in spikes caught the scent of humans. Their crimson eyes glowed in the darkness like burning flames. They stood nearly half a person tall, their muscles knotted, foul-smelling saliva dripping continuously from their mouths. Every drop that hit the ground produced a corrosive hiss.

Natasha fired first. The bullets struck the mutated dogs' bodies but only threw up sparks, enraging the monsters instead. They let out deafening roars and pounced like arrows released from a bow. Ashley's face turned pale with fright. She gripped her gun tightly with both hands, yet could not bring herself to pull the trigger. "Don't be afraid! Aim for their eyes!" Natasha shouted as she fired. Encouraged by her, Ashley gritted her teeth, squeezed her eyes shut, and pulled the trigger. The bullet whizzed past one mutated dog's ear. Gwen rapidly analyzed the situation from the side and finally discovered that the skin on their abdomens was relatively thin. "Aim for their bellies! That's their weak point!" The three worked together flawlessly, searching for openings amid the hail of bullets. Natasha rolled low across the ground and fired both pistols in rapid succession, her bullets precisely piercing the mutated dogs' abdomens. Ashley gradually calmed down and killed two in quick succession. Gwen used a homemade electromagnetic pulse device to disrupt the remaining dogs' movements. After a fierce battle, the mutated dogs lay sprawled in pools of blood. They had successfully destroyed one virus-dispersal device.

Elsewhere, Ada Wong entered the city's intricate underground maze of ruins alone. The damp passageways were filled with the stench of decay, and pipes hanging overhead occasionally dripped dark green slime that gathered into winding streams across the floor. The hem of her red cheongsam was stained with mud, and every step made a heavy dragging sound. At some point, the floor beneath her feet became soft. The moment Ada Wong stepped forward, the ground let out a sharp crack. Her pupils contracted, and relying on years of battle instincts, she sprang backward. Almost at the same instant, the spot where she had been standing collapsed into a deep pit filled with spikes. The spikes gleamed with an eerie blue light, clearly made poisonous by viral corruption. The pit was also piled with stark white bones. No one knew how many lives had perished there.

After regaining her balance, Ada Wong became even more cautious. She moved slowly along the wall, her sharp eyes missing no detail. As she passed through a narrow corridor, strange markings formed on the wall by the viral corruption caught her attention. The markings twisted into eerie spirals, as though they were some evil symbol. Based on her past experience, she realized they might be a danger marker. She drew the dagger she carried and stabbed toward the markings from a distance. Sure enough, countless tiny steel needles shot from both sides of the wall, weaving a net of death across the corridor. They moved incredibly fast, their piercing whistles slicing through the air. Ada Wong flipped and rolled into a recess beside her. One needle grazed her cheek, leaving a bloody cut on her skin.

Continuing onward, Ada Wong reached a waterlogged section of the passage. The standing water was dark brown and gave off a pungent, fishy stench. Shadows swam faintly beneath its surface. She picked up a piece of rubble and tossed it into the water. In an instant, dozens of eel-like mutated creatures burst from the surface. Their bodies were covered in suckers, and corrosive fluid dripped from their sharp teeth. Without Umbrella's control, these creatures had become even more violent. They twisted through the air, letting out bloodcurdling shrieks. Ada Wong quickly drew her pistol and fired, but the creatures were extremely agile, and most of her bullets missed. She retreated while searching for an opportunity. Suddenly, she spotted a row of rusted pipes along the wall. Making a swift decision, she kicked off the wall, leaped upward, and grabbed the pipes to climb. The mutated creatures frantically slammed into the pipes below, producing teeth-grinding scraping sounds. The pipes swayed violently under the impacts, as if they might collapse at any moment. One mutated creature leaped from the water, opening its bloody jaws to bite her ankle. Ada Wong twisted aside, pulled out a grenade, and threw it into the water. Boom! Water sprayed everywhere, and the creatures' severed limbs floated to the surface.

After finally shaking off the mutated creatures, Ada Wong found the entrance to the secret warehouse. The warehouse door had been corroded for so long by the virus and corrosive liquids that it was covered in rust and on the verge of collapse. The metal plate on the door was too blurred to read clearly, though she could barely make out "B-09." As she approached, the door creaked under its own weight, as if warning her of the dangers inside. The warehouse was a complete mess. Shelves had collapsed, and supplies were scattered everywhere. Dense fungal threads hung from the ceiling, giving off a ghostly green glow. The floor was covered in a layer of sticky black substance, making every step feel like walking through a swamp. Relying on her memory, Ada Wong searched through the ruins, pushing aside tangled fungal threads and kicking away debris in her way. Just as she was about to find the refrigerated cabinet containing the neutralizing agent materials, the ground suddenly began to shake, and dust and fragments rained down. A gigantic mutated spider descended through a hole in the ceiling. It was as large as a sedan, its eight eyes glowing with eerie red light. Its mandibles opened and closed continuously, spraying corrosive spider silk. Wherever the silk landed, the ground was instantly melted into deep pits.

Ada Wong swiftly drew her pistol and fired. The bullets struck the spider's hard shell, leaving only pale marks. She dodged its attacks while searching for its weakness. The spider moved incredibly fast, its eight long legs skittering across the ground with rapid tapping sounds. Ada Wong rolled aside to evade the spider silk. Then she noticed that the soft armor on the spider's abdomen rose and fell slightly under the red glow. Seizing the moment, she accurately threw a grenade into the spider's open mandibles. Boom! The spider was blown into pieces. Green blood sprayed like a fountain, splattering the warehouse walls and floor, while a nauseating stench filled the air.

Looking at the refrigerated cabinet containing the neutralizing agent materials, Ada Wong let out a long breath, but she did not dare relax in the slightest. She put on protective gloves and carefully opened the cabinet. Inside, test tubes containing active enzymes were arranged neatly. After confirming that the materials were undamaged, she quickly placed them in a specially designed container and wrapped it in insulating material. With the materials in hand, she hurried back the way she had come, thinking of her companions waiting for her and the Raccoon City crisis that still urgently needed to be resolved.

Li Stark and Wanda went to the city's tallest communications tower. The surface of the tower was covered with vine-like mutated plants, their branches constantly writhing as though alive. Inside, the wiring had become as tangled as a spiderweb due to the virus and years of neglect. The various devices were on the verge of failure, while disorderly code flashed across the displays. Li Stark crouched down, opened his toolbox, took out various instruments, and began sorting through the wiring again. Sweat covered his forehead, and his eyes were focused yet weary. "Wanda, the circuits here have been too badly corroded by the virus. I need time to repair them." Wanda nodded and gathered scarlet magic with trembling hands, forming a protective barrier around them. "Focus on the repairs. I'll protect you."

As time passed, Wanda's magic gradually drained away. Her face grew paler and paler, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. Outside the tower, mutated creatures sensed the presence of humans and began repeatedly ramming the structure. A huge mutated bird clawed at the windows, and the glass let out cracking sounds as though it could no longer bear the strain. Li Stark sped up his movements, his fingers rapidly soldering the circuit board. "Almost done! Hold on a little longer!" At last, through their combined efforts, the communications tower's transmitter was ready.

Gwen quickly began preparing the neutralizing agent materials, her hands moving between the various instruments as her eyes remained focused and tense. In the laboratory, equipment such as distillers and centrifuges ran at high speed, producing a steady hum. After several hours of work, she finally produced enough neutralizing agent. She poured it into the transmitter, and Li Stark took a deep breath before pressing the activation button. Wanda forced herself to remain standing, using her magic to guide the neutralizing agent as it atomized and spread. Scarlet magic and white neutralizing mist intertwined like brilliant ribbons, drifting toward every corner of Raccoon City.

As the neutralizing agent spread, the zombies became restless. Their bodies gradually stopped mutating, their rotting wounds began to heal, and their movements slowed. Some zombies let out agonized howls before slowly collapsing to the ground. In the end, through everyone's combined efforts, Raccoon City's infection problem was brought under control. The zombies throughout the city gradually fell, and the crisis slowly subsided.

When the first ray of true sunlight shone over Raccoon City, everyone stood amid the ruins and looked at the city as it gradually returned to peace, their hearts full of emotion. Their clothes were tattered and their bodies covered in wounds, yet hope shone in their eyes.