Chapter 60: Pursuer: Where's My Gun?

Umbrella Corporation.

The top glass of the grand lobby was shattered, leaving shards scattered all across the floor. Two large metal crates sat right in the center.

The helicopter in the sky vanished into the night sky at an incredible speed; the crew members had no desire to waste a single second and jeopardize their chances of escape.

Thud... Thud...

A muffled sound of footsteps echoed from the depths, and a bulky figure clad in a trench coat and leather armor stepped out. It possessed an ugliness-swollen head, proud protruding buckteeth, stitched-together grey skin, and thick tubes plugged directly into its body.

This was Matt, who had escaped the Hive with Alice in the first chapter—a reliable and good man.

Unfortunately, before the two could even make it out of the mansion, they were captured by Umbrella personnel and used as incoming test subjects, injected with the T-virus.

Alice had fused perfectly with the virus, gradually acquiring more and more superpowers as she grew, the most prominent of which was telekinesis.

Matt, however, was unfortunate; he was modified into a weapon for Umbrella. Yet, one could hardly call it misfortune, considering Alice was merely an anomaly, while he was the norm.

Today, Matt was a core component of the Nemesis Program and a whetstone to temper Alice. He had transformed into an upgraded version of the Tyrant—the Nemesis.

The Tyrant was one of Umbrella's proudest masterpieces, possessing peerless comprehensive attributes, with strength and defensive capabilities that ranked exceptionally high among countless mutated entities.

It could easily trample Lickers, crushing their heads with a single bare hand without the slightest difficulty.

In the plot of the second movie, Alice could only manage a narrow victory relying on pure combat prowess, without truly harming it; it was only at the crucial moment that Matt's memories reawakened, causing him to turn directly on Umbrella and kill its members.

Of course, the praise above was limited strictly to the Resident Evil world.

At this moment, the Nemesis lumbered over to the large crates. It indeed possessed a degree of intelligence, but it was entirely controlled by the operations team stationed outside the Raccoon City walls, operating much like a heavily over-engineered remote-controlled robot.

It opened the crates, only to find them completely empty.

The massive figure froze on the spot, standing dull and motionless for a full dozen seconds. Its simple-minded face was filled with utter bewilderment, revealing its large buckteeth, as if it were asking—where is my gun?

Meanwhile, inside a tent at Umbrella's temporary forward base outside the city.

The computer monitors were broadcasting live footage, and the two empty crates were a blatant slap in the face.

Absolute silence!

Accompanied by a touch of awkwardness.

The operations commander's face twitched violently as he exchanged glances with the others. "What is going on? What is going on?!"

"Where are the guns? Where did the guns go?!"

No one answered.

The commander hurriedly contacted the transport helicopter, unleashing a furious torrent of curses.

The crew of the returning helicopter were dumbfounded. They had checked the crates before departure; everything that was supposed to be there was present. Who on earth was so malicious? Could someone have been camping out down below?

If someone else had truly intervened, their speed was simply too terrifying! Moreover, those weapons were not something ordinary people could casually lift. Everyone's minds were completely boggled as to what had actually happened.

Shortly after, the helicopter received orders from the commander to immediately return to the corporate building and retrieve the weapons.

The crew members offered bitter, helpless smiles, daring not to resist in the slightest. They knew all too well the corporation's methods, and even more so, the tragic fates reserved for those who disobeyed.

While the pay and benefits were generous, they licked the blade's edge every single day under the frantic exploitation of upper management. Worst of all, they were frequently used as lab rats in experiments among their own people, risking their lives at any careless moment.

Once you enter Umbrella, your life is an abyss; from that day on, freedom is merely a midnight whisper.

Meanwhile, Carlos, the abandoned Umbrella UBCS member, arrived at the Umbrella building with his remaining teammates. They had also witnessed the airdrop of the supply crates, assuming they were provisions dropped by the corporation for them.

"Don't move!" Carlos grabbed his teammate, pointing toward the Nemesis.

"What the hell is that thing?" his teammate rasped, tightening his grip on his rifle.

Realization dawned on Carlos. "Those supplies were never meant for us. This big guy must also be a biological weapon deployed by the corporation. But judging by the current situation, someone else got to the contents of those crates first."

"You mean we've been abandoned?! They even deployed a terrifying monster like this—what kind of damn game are they playing now?!" The teammate breathed heavily, cursing loudly.

Carlos took a deep breath. "Don't panic. The corporation might send someone to investigate. We'll wait for an opportunity."

Rat-tat-tat!

A helicopter flew into view, and Carlos and his teammate instantly lit up with hope. Resentment toward the corporation was one thing, but if a genuine chance to escape presented itself, they certainly wouldn't give it up.

Whoosh—

Bang—

A faint, white, slender blur darted through the air from an unknown location at extreme speed, striking the helicopter's rotor blades.

And then, dozens of eyes simply watched as the helicopter plummeted and crashed.

Carlos hurriedly scanned his surroundings, but failed to detect any trace of a person.

Back at the temporary base, the commander was hopping mad with rage. "Who is working against us?!"

"Could it be Alice?" someone asked doubtfully.

The commander shook his head. "Don't we know her coordinates? She only just came out of the church and is still at a cemetery. Did she fly here?!"

The man lowered his head; he had indeed uttered a foolish remark.

...

Meanwhile, Alice and her group walking down the street came to a sudden halt because a public telephone booth nearby began to ring.

In their current situation, who on earth would happen to call in right at this moment?

With a mixture of shock and suspicion, Alice picked up the receiver.

"I thought you wouldn't pick up," said Dr. Charles on the other end, desperate to save his daughter.

His daughter had also been picked up by the corporation that morning, but their vehicle had been in a car accident midway, and she had escaped alone into a school.

The commander had no intention of sending anyone to rescue her, leaving Charles to figure out a way on his own. He used surveillance systems to contact surviving strong individuals still in the city, offering them a chance of escape.

Just like that, Alice and her group received an escape mission and rushed toward the school without a moment's rest.

However, every move Charles made was under the watchful eyes of the commander.

"Did you really think I wouldn't know what you were doing?"

Charles was placed under arrest.

The commander decided to play along, sending Alice and her group a set of coordinates while laying traps in advance, waiting for them to walk right into the snare.

At the Umbrella building.

No weapons meant no weapons; the Nemesis had no other choice.

Carlos and the others had also received Charles's call earlier and were now hurrying toward the school.

The main protagonist team had finally gathered and was preparing to push the enemy high ground.

...

What none of them knew was that the zombies in Raccoon City had undergone a cataclysmic transformation.

Wave after wave of frantically sprinting hordes of corpses were guided into various underground shelters. Atop the highest church spire, a single figure crouched, fluttering wildly in the gale-force winds.

Roke understood priorities well, so he didn't rush in to fight the Nemesis; he would simply head straight to the Umbrella Corporation afterward.

Inside his spatial storage lay a rocket launcher and a heavy rotary machine gun.

The weapons provided to the Nemesis had been specially reinforced; a single barrage of gunfire would completely overwhelm lower-tier entities like Snake Dogs.

"Roar..."

Five black-red zombie dogs snarled below, scrambling upward on all fours.

Their rotting bodies emitted waves of a foul stench, pus oozing from massive, torn wounds. Their pointed heads split down the middle, revealing sharp bone and wicked teeth.

"Oh?"

Roke hummed playfully.

Thud!

Tail appendages bloomed, baring their fangs.

Glaring at the even more ferocious jaw-maws, the zombie dogs froze, emitted puppy-like whimpers, and turned tail, eager to bolt.

A streak of scarlet drifted outward, and the five little doggies instantly dropped obediently to Roke's feet.

Skinless muscles sprouted along their limbs, their spines expanded, and sharp barbed bone spikes pierced outward.