"Everyone, I have an announcement. Starting today, we'll be welcoming a new member to our team—a doctor who will officially be joining us. Some of you may already know him, but allow me to introduce him once again. This is Allen Winters," Albert Wesker said, nodding toward the man standing beside him.
"Hello, it's nice to meet you all," Allen greeted the S.T.A.R.S. members with a friendly smile.
"Allen will be joining Bravo Team as a medical officer," Wesker continued, before introducing him to Enrico, the team's captain. "Well then, since training is over, you're all dismissed."
With that, Wesker left the room. As always, he kept his distance from his subordinates—getting too close would only make it harder for him if the time came to sacrifice them.
Not long after, Barry walked up to Allen with a broad grin.
"Hey Allen, so you're really part of the Tactical Rescue team now, huh?"
Allen replied warmly, "Hey Barry, how's your wife and your daughters?"
Barry's face suddenly turned pale. His expression shifted to suspicion, as if something unpleasant had crossed his mind.
"Hey… my daughter's only seven years old. Don't tell me—you're some kind of pedophile?"
Allen froze for a moment, his brows furrowing. He could feel something off in Barry's words.
"Barry… what the hell are you thinking, accusing me like that? Sure, I might be a womanizer, but that doesn't mean I'd ever be interested in children," Allen said, shaking his head in disbelief.
Even so, at the very least, if he ever wanted to approach Barry's daughter in the future, he would have to wait another eleven years.
"Alright, that's enough joking around, you two! Since we're going to be teammates from now on, I want to celebrate Allen's arrival. Drinks are on me tonight!" Enrico suddenly shouted with cheerful enthusiasm.
"Anyone who wants to join, come along!"
Allen gladly accepted. After all, it was his captain extending the invitation—and turning it down would only leave a bad impression.
Later that night at the bar, Allen arrived together with Jill and Rebecca.
As he stepped inside, his eyes quickly caught sight of Chris, who had come with a girl sporting a hairstyle strikingly similar to Jill's. It felt a little odd.
The woman Chris brought along was fairly attractive, but in Allen's eyes, she didn't hold a candle to Jill's beauty.
"Hey Chris, is she your date?" Allen asked casually.
"Ah… yeah. Let me introduce her—this is Emma Wilson," Chris replied, gesturing toward the woman as he introduced her to Allen, Jill, and Rebecca.
'Well, it seems like the Redfield bloodline won't end with Chris after all,' Allen thought to himself. After all, he honestly had no idea what Chris's relationship with Jill was actually like—especially considering how vague things seemed even up until Resident Evil 8. The romantic relationships of the main characters in this series always felt like they were deliberately kept ambiguous.
After the introductions, Allen took a seat among the Tactical Rescue members.
Before long, the drinks they had ordered arrived at the table.
With glasses raised and laughter filling the air, the party officially began.
As Allen was drinking with the rest of the S.T.A.R.S. members, a blonde waitress approached their table.
It was Cindy.
She looked like she had something important to say—after all, she knew Allen well. He was a regular at the bar.
"Oh, hi Cindy. You look troubled. Do you need something?" Allen asked.
The others at the table silently shook their heads, already thinking the same thing.
There goes another pretty girl in town, falling for Allen.
"Allen, I need your help," Cindy said, her voice filled with worry. "I know you used to live near the Arklay Mountains, and you probably know more about that place than anyone. A friend of mine recently went missing after heading up there. Could you try to find her for me? I'm really worried."
"Of course. I'll do what I can. Can you give me her name and description? I'll probably bring this up to Chief Brian later," Allen answered without hesitation.
"Thank you, Allen. You're such a good friend."
She gave him a small, grateful smile before continuing.
"Her name is Becca Woolvett. She's twenty-two years old, blonde, about five-foot-nine—176 centimeters—and she works as a park ranger."
"Alright. I'll do my best to find her, Cindy," Allen reassured her.
"Thank you, Allen," she said again, a little shy this time, before hurrying off to deliver other orders.
"Oh man, you really are a natural at charming women," Kevin teased with a grin.
"Shut up, Kevin. Hey Allen, I want to learn from you—hope you'll take me as your apprentice," Joseph chimed in.
Allen raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Oh? And what exactly do you want to learn from me?"
"I want to learn how to win over women. Could you teach me?" Joseph asked earnestly.
Allen shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Sorry, pal. That's something I can't really teach."
"Why not?" Joseph asked, confused.
"Isn't it obvious? Just look at him," Barry cut in, pointing at Allen. "The guy's too damn handsome."
Allen then showed a slight handsome smile and nodded at Barry while giving him a thumbs-up, as if saying, It's obvious, buddy. I'm too handsome.
"Damn it… that's so unfair," Joseph groaned, finally accepting reality.
Jill and Rebecca exchanged glances before looking at Allen.
They couldn't help but nod in agreement.
Out of all the men they had ever met, Allen's looks were simply on another level. Compared to him, most other guys seemed to fade into the background.
The group burst into laughter, and the party continued with even more energy than before.
....
That night, Allen, Jill, and Rebecca returned to their apartment.
As soon as they stepped inside, Allen noticed two women waiting in the living room.
"Ohh, it looks like we have guests here," Allen said casually.
The first woman was Svetlana Belikova.
The second was Alyssa Ashcroft.
Allen could understand why Svetlana might be at his apartment—after all, she was assigned as his bodyguard. But Alyssa? That was unexpected.
Yes, he did have her contact information, but he hadn't even had the chance to reach out to her yet.
"Hello, good evening, Mr. Winters. Do you remember me? I'm Alyssa Ashcroft, a news reporter from Raccoon City," Alyssa said, clearly eager to speak first.
"Of course. How could I possibly forget a beautiful woman like you so easily?" Allen replied smoothly.
His compliment immediately caused a faint blush to rise on Alyssa's cheeks.
However, this time Allen felt slightly puzzled about her sudden visit.
Does she want to interview me?
It would be troublesome if she reported about me having many lovers and wives, he thought. For a brief moment, he almost forgot about Umbrella, the T-Virus, and the G-Virus—he seemed far more concerned about maintaining his public image than anything else.
Still, his expression remained calm and charming as ever.
"Alright, may I call you Alyssa? You can also call me Allen," he said smoothly, clearly intending to keep the conversation relaxed and pleasant.
Alyssa nodded. "Yes, I guess that won't be a problem."
"So, Alyssa, what is your purpose for coming here?" Allen asked, deciding he could discuss Svetlana's bodyguard contract later.
"I want to interview you about the missing persons cases in the Arklay Mountains. I've already gathered some data on every incident from the residents of Raccoon City."
"Ohh, I thought you wanted to interview me about something else," Allen said, sounding slightly relieved.
"And what did you think I came to interview you about?" Alyssa asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"Ahhh, forget it. I was just worrying about unnecessary things. So, you want to ask me about this case," Allen replied, smoothly steering the conversation back on track.
Jill and Rebecca, who were quietly watching the reporter bravely dig into such a dangerous topic, gave Alyssa an approving thumbs-up.
"Yes. Alright… I've gathered statements from local residents—especially witnesses who claimed they saw monsters that looked like humans with horrifying appearances, and vicious dogs attacking hikers in the Arklay Mountain area," Alyssa explained, laying out several documents and photos for everyone to see.
The atmosphere in the room shifted slightly as the weight of her words settled in.
Allen was quite impressed by how much information this woman had managed to gather in such a short time—she was remarkably effective at collecting intel. Alyssa then continued explaining her findings.
"And I also heard about a man living in the Arklay Mountains who carries an axe everywhere he goes. Reports say he has been chasing people around the abandoned hospital near the mountains," she explained.
"So you're saying this man is the one responsible for the disappearances in the Arklay Mountains?" Rebecca asked, sounding a bit shocked. Jill, on the other hand, remained silent. She already knew the true culprit was Umbrella, but she couldn't tell her. She didn't want Rebecca dragged into this mess—better that only she and her husband bore that burden.
"This is still just a theory, but I want to check it out. However, I don't dare go alone, since I know the place is extremely dangerous. That's why I'm asking for your help with this matter," Alyssa continued.
Allen considered her words carefully, studying the woman before him. He realized that if he didn't help her, Alyssa would likely rush off on her own into that dangerous place.
"I understand… I'll try to consult Chief Brian about this case first. In the meantime, I hope you don't go there without protection. I don't want a determined woman like you ending up as another missing person," Allen replied.
"You're not lying to me, are you?" Alyssa asked, her tone skeptical. She had already sought help from several Raccoon City police officers, but none of them had responded. If she didn't get help soon, she was prepared to head into the area alone, no matter the risk.
Hearing this, Jill grew emotional and snapped, "Don't say things like that. My husband has never broken his word when he makes a promise."
Alyssa crossed her arms. "Really…? Well then, I guess we'll see."
With that, Alyssa left Allen's apartment. She truly wasn't the type to waste time on small talk when she wanted something.
When Alyssa had left, Allen then looked at Svetlana and told Jill and Rebecca why their instructor was here now.
"So the instructor will be your personal bodyguard for the next three months," said Rebecca, a little surprised.
After that Allen chatted briefly with Svetlana and showed her his private room because she would be staying with them for the next three months.
As for Jill, she didn't say anything and went to her room to take a bath. She wanted to soak in warm water to relax.
...
The next day, Allen decided to meet Sergei at the Umbrella building.
As he entered the room, his gaze immediately fell on the man who was casually playing with his knife, even occasionally cutting his own hand as if it meant nothing.
Allen held himself back from paying attention to it.
He really had no intention of spending too much time talking to someone like Sergei.
In his heart, a thought crossed his mind—to ask Raviel to temporarily lend him magic or a similar kind of power, and then use that power to erase or alter Sergei's memory.
But after thinking it over again, he quickly dismissed the idea.
"It wouldn't be fair if I just turned the tables with it," he thought.
"I have information from a reporter," Allen said calmly. "They said that in an old abandoned hospital in the Arklay Mountains, there's someone living there. He always carries an axe wherever he goes. I suspect he's one of the biological weapons that escaped from the T-Virus experiments—maybe even the cause of the recent missing person cases."
Sergei looked at him coldly, then drove his knife into the table hard enough to make the wood tremble.
"Then, what is it you want from me?"
Allen stood calmly in front of Sergei.
His relationship with Sergei could be described as neutral. They weren't enemies, but they certainly weren't friends either. The only reason Sergei held back from openly antagonizing him was because of Allen's closeness to Alex Wesker—and the fact that Spencer himself had already granted Allen certain permissions.
"I want to go there with the S.T.A.R.S. unit to collect samples," Allen replied plainly.
Sergei let out a mocking chuckle. "Ohh… and do you really think you can make something out of those samples? If I remember correctly, you never created anything useful in the laboratory."
Allen slowly inhaled. It seemed he had no other choice.
Without another word, he pulled out a flash drive and placed it on the table.
"This is the latest T-Virus data," he said.
Sergei narrowed his eyes. "What is this?"
"With this data, someone could create a serum capable of tripling a person's physical strength," Allen explained calmly. "But the effect only lasts temporarily—around twelve hours. After that, another injection would be required. Unfortunately, the human body cannot tolerate repeated injections. After the first use, resistance develops."
He paused briefly before continuing, deliberately emphasizing the last word.
"Not to mention the side effects… nausea, weakness, and in the worst-case scenario—impotence."
Allen slightly stressed the word impotence.
He then shook his head as if in regret, though in truth he had intentionally designed the serum to ruin its user in the long run. It was a cruel little toy of his own creation—and he had long planned to give it to Simmons, the leader of The Family, a man he had disliked for quite some time.
"Ohh… so you've been hiding this from Umbrella?" Sergei asked coldly.
Allen shrugged casually. "Hey, I didn't hide it. The side effects are just too severe. That's why I hesitated to hand it over."
Sergei remained silent, contemplating.
He knew Allen had a point. The side effects alone were enough to make anyone think twice before using it—unless they were in a life-or-death situation.
"But if you're interested in the data," Allen added smoothly, "I'm willing to sell it at the right price."
"Very well. I'll examine this data," Sergei said at last. "And don't worry. Once everything is verified, Spencer himself will compensate you appropriately."
There was no intention of returning the data once he had it, of course. If it proved useful, it would belong to his Boss.
"And regarding your request to use the S.T.A.R.S. team," Sergei continued, "I will contact Brian personally to discuss the matter."
Hearing that, Allen simply nodded and turned to leave without lingering.
He had no reason to worry about payment anyway.
After all, Alex was, at this very moment, quietly siphoning off Spencer's fortune right under his nose.