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A year's time felt like a stolen gift.
Noah and Claire took Sherry and traveled across almost all of Europe.
They strolled along the banks of the Thames in London, tossed coins into the Trevi Fountain in Rome, watched the sunset by the Aegean Sea in Greece, and left their footprints on every golden beach.
They also stopped by to visit Etienne's family and tasted Margherita Pizza in Naples.
There were no gunshots, no roars, and no endless darkness or corridors.
There was only sunlight, sea breezes, and the warm breath of loved ones nearby.
Noah occasionally received emails from the other side of the ocean; the senders were his parents.
Attached to the emails were several photos of the two elderly people standing at their front door, their smiles simple and warm.
In the letters, they used the most sincere language to express their joy that their son had finally settled down. They were also beyond satisfied with the red-haired daughter-in-law in the photos, who smiled like sunshine.
They urged Noah to take good care of Claire and looked forward to seeing them soon, even hoping to hold a grandchild.
Whenever she read this, Claire would bury her head in Noah's arms, remaining silent for a long time.
In the New York villa, the fire in the fireplace flickered.
It was another winter, and the drawings Sherry had made already covered half a wall.
Claire sat on the soft carpet, holding a medical report in her hand, her gaze somewhat dejected.
Noah walked out of the study and immediately saw the disappointment she couldn't hide on her face.
He walked over, sat down beside her, and gently pulled her into his arms.
"The doctor... the doctor said that because of... because of the modifications from those viruses, our cell activity and metabolic rates far exceed normal people. This makes conception... very difficult." (No tragedy, rest assured.)
Claire's voice was low and trembling slightly.
She had always thought she was strong enough to face any monster or any desperate situation.
But regarding this matter, she felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.
Noah didn't speak; he just tightened his arms so she could feel his heartbeat more clearly.
He lowered his head, kissed the top of her head, and breathed in the familiar, comforting scent.
After a long time, he finally spoke softly.
"Claire."
"The doctor only said it's difficult; it doesn't mean there's no chance. And..."
"Hmm?"
"We still have Sherry."
Claire's body trembled slightly.
She looked up and saw Noah's deep eyes, filled with tenderness and acceptance.
That's right.
They still had Sherry.
That little blonde angel was the hope they had brought out of Hell, the family they had raised with love.
Claire's eyes grew hot. She nodded vigorously and buried her face deep in Noah's chest.
"Yes, we still have Sherry."
...The one-year vacation finally came to an end, and the day of parting arrived.
Noah began to prepare for his long journey.
Leon had already set out on this path a year before him.
Claire didn't ask much; she just silently helped him pack his bags, wiping every piece of tactical equipment until it was spotless.
She would stay behind to take care of Sherry and guard this home they had worked so hard to have.
"Brother Noah!"
Sherry ran downstairs holding a small cage, her little face written with reluctance to see him go.
Inside the cage, a pure white little mouse was happily nibbling on a melon seed. It was the one Noah had brought back from the Antarctic; Sherry had given it the cute name "Snowball."
"Brother Noah, are you going to fight bad guys again?" Sherry looked up, her clear blue eyes full of worry.
Noah knelt down and gently stroked her golden hair.
"Yes."
"I'll leave Snowball in your and Claire's care."
"Okay!" Sherry nodded hard and held out her little hand. "Pinky swear."
Noah extended his pinky, hooked it with her tiny finger, and sealed the promise.
"Snowball and I will wait for you to come back together." Claire stepped forward and smoothed the wrinkles on his collar one last time, her voice light but carrying all her strength.
Noah said nothing more; he simply opened his arms and pulled them both into a tight embrace.
Outside, a black private car had already been waiting for a long time.
The car door opened and then closed.
The sound of the engine starting cut through the warm air.
Sherry held Claire's hand, watching the black car drive further and further away until it disappeared at the end of the road. Her tears finally couldn't be held back anymore.
Claire pulled her into her arms and gently patted her back.
Outside the window, the New York sky was gloomy... An unmarked military transport plane broke through the clouds and landed on a secret island isolated in the Pacific Ocean.
The hatch opened.
Noah walked down the gangway, greeted by the stinging sunlight and the humid sea breeze.
Standing before him was a group of "super soldiers" like himself, secretly recruited from all over the world.
A cold, emotionless electronic voice echoed through the base via the intercom.
"Welcome to 'Hell'."
"From this day forward, you have no names, only codenames."
"Your only mission is to survive here."
...Two years later.
February 2002, South America, Amazon Basin.
(Based primarily on Darkside Chronicles. In the original, Krauser arrived first, and Leon's plane crashed, but Leon was fine and arrived by car...)
The sweltering, humid air enveloped everyone.
In the rainforest, the tall canopy blotted out the sun, leaving only mottled spots of light filtering through the gaps in the leaves, casting eerie shadows.
The chirping of insects rose and fell, mixed with the low growls of unknown beasts, filling this primitive jungle with an unsettling vitality.
Three fully armed men were moving quickly and silently through a muddy forest path.
Leading the way was an exceptionally agile man with a striking silver slicked-back hairstyle, combed meticulously.
His combat uniform was brand new and crisp, and every movement was filled with the precision and efficiency characteristic of a soldier.
Jack Krauser, belonging to the US Special Operations Command, a veteran who had survived countless missions.
Following behind him was Leon S. Kennedy.
Three years of being a government agent had completely stripped away the last trace of the greenness he had as a new Raccoon City police officer.
His gaze had become sharper, his steps steady. Beneath his blonde hair, his handsome face always wore a cynical nonchalance, but only those who knew him well knew what kind of alert nerves were hidden under that expression.
Walking at the rear was Noah.
He seemed to have changed the least, still possessing that reserved look characteristic of Asians.
But his presence was more profound than two years ago, perfectly integrating himself into the rhythm of the jungle.
He represented a newly established organization that desperately needed a victory to prove its value—BSAA.
While Leon represented the US government.
Their target was the same man.
Javier Hidalgo.
A South American drug lord and leader of the "Sacred Snake" organization.
A madman who started with drug trafficking and arms dealing and then completely vanished after making contact with the remnants of Umbrella.
Intelligence indicated that he had established his own kingdom deep in this rainforest.
"I say, Leon," Krauser suddenly stopped and looked back at Leon with a teasing smile, "your intelligence department's reports are written like science fiction novels."
"BOWs this, bio-weapons that... In my opinion, they're just some undiscovered biological organisms. Do you think if you don't describe the enemy as alien monsters, the big shots at Capitol Hill won't approve the budget?"
Leon shrugged, not directly refuting him.
"Major Krauser, I hope you can maintain that sense of humor when you see it with your own eyes."
"Oh? I'm looking forward to it." Krauser's gaze shifted to Noah. "And you, the BSAA representative. An organization that sounds like some kind of charitable foundation is also meddling in this dirty work?"
Noah looked up and watched him calmly.
"Javier has 'merchandise' in his hands that he bought from Umbrella. Our mission is to ensure that this 'merchandise' doesn't end up anywhere else."
"Merchandise?" Krauser sneered. "You call those walking corpses 'merchandise'? Interesting."
He turned around to continue leading the way, his voice coming from ahead.
"In my view, I don't care what it is; if it moves, it can die. A problem that can be solved with a bullet isn't a problem. Don't make things so complicated."
Noah and Leon glanced at each other, both seeing a hint of helplessness in the other's eyes.
Krauser was an excellent soldier, a top-tier warrior.
But his understanding was still stuck within the scope of traditional warfare.
He couldn't comprehend that what they were about to face was a pure malice and madness that transcended conventional logic.
The three continued forward, the atmosphere becoming slightly subtle because of the previous conversation.
Krauser relied on his soldier's intuition and experience to avoid snakes and traps ahead.
While Noah and Leon relied more on a completely different kind of perception.
The kind of premonition of unnatural danger honed through countless life-and-death encounters.
Passing through a thick patch of ferns, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
A murky river blocked their path, and on the opposite bank, a poor little village could be dimly seen.
A few simple wooden houses stood there crookedly, their roofs covered with thick moss. A few wisps of cooking smoke rose weakly, only to be quickly dispersed by the humid air.
The entire village was shrouded in a strange silence.
Krauser stopped and raised his hand to signal the others to stop.
He took a monocular out of his tactical vest and carefully observed the opposite bank.
"It looks normal, no sentries, no fortifications." He lowered the monocular, his B.O.W. furrowing slightly. "It's too quiet."
"Intelligence says our informant is waiting for us in this village," Leon said in a lowered voice.
"An informant who can infiltrate Javier's territory," Krauser's tone was full of suspicion, "I'm more inclined to believe it's a trap."
Noah's gaze, however, moved past the village to the silhouette of a massive dam shrouded in thick fog behind it.
"Whether it's a trap or not, we have to go across." Noah retracted his gaze.
"Only the informant knows Javier's hiding place."
Krauser snorted coldly.
"Fine, then let's go meet our 'friend'."
He looked at Leon and Noah, his eyes sharp.
"Remember, if there's any suspicious movement, fire at will. I don't care about your B.O.W. theories; in my book, any threatening target has only one end."
As he spoke, he took the lead in finding a shallow spot where the current was slower and began to wade across the river.
The murky river water washed over his combat boots, but he didn't care, taking every step with exceptional steadiness.
Leon and Noah followed closely behind, the three forming a triangular formation as they cautiously approached the village...