Alyssa, upon seeing the victim—who no longer even looked human—felt nauseous and almost threw up. Several S.T.A.R.S. members also had tears welling up in their eyes at the horrifying sight.
Bang!... Bang!...
Gunshots rang out from behind them.
"Hey! I need some help here! There are too many monsters closing in!" shouted Edward, who was struggling to hold back a pack of zombie dogs and several human zombies. He fired while crying, as if he had no other choice but to shoot at what used to be humans.
Albert, seeing the situation unfold, quickly ordered both Alpha and Bravo teams to open fire on the zombies that were beginning to swarm them.
"Forgive me, Allen, for yelling at you earlier," Enrico said as he arrived, taking a deep breath before shooting at the incoming zombies.
"It's fine. I understand how you feel," Allen replied with a smile, then joined the fight, firing at several zombies while keeping Alyssa safe behind him.
Svetlana, watching how Allen had just resolved their misunderstanding so naturally, couldn't help but feel impressed.
They then moved toward a large abandoned building deep within the forest. To reach it, they had to cross an old suspension bridge.
"I'll go first," said Joseph, taking the lead.
Once Joseph had crossed, roots suddenly burst out from the ground behind Alyssa, trying to ensnare her. But Allen quickly pulled her back just in time before they could grab her.
"Are you alright?" Allen asked.
"I'm fine… thank you," Alyssa replied with relief.
Seeing this, Jill immediately fired at the roots, with Svetlana providing cover fire as well.
Allen then urged Alyssa to cross the bridge with Rebecca.
"Thank you, love… now go ahead. I'll follow with Svetlana," Allen said as he switched his weapon to a grenade launcher, firing an explosive round that set the roots ablaze. A sound like a painful scream echoed as the burning plant writhed.
"Okay… be careful," Jill said before crossing herself. That left only Allen and Svetlana on the near side of the bridge.
"Allen, Svetlana, hurry up! We'll cover you from here!" Enrico shouted.
Bang!... Bang!... Bang!
Gunfire from their teammates tore through the roots that tried to lash out at Allen and Svetlana.
"Ladies first," Allen quipped.
"You still have the nerve to flirt at a time like this, Allen," Svetlana shot back with a hint of annoyance, then started across the bridge, Allen close behind.
But suddenly, a massive axe came flying, slicing through one of the bridge's support cables. The bridge shook violently, becoming dangerously unstable. Allen and Svetlana had to cling tightly to the ropes to keep their balance.
Moments later, the entire bridge snapped, sending them both swinging down toward the base of the ravine.
Thud!
"Hold on tight!" Allen shouted.
"I know!" Svetlana snapped back, gritting her teeth as she held on.
Jill and Rebecca, seeing their husband and Svetlana in danger, instinctively rushed toward the broken bridge.
"No!... Allen!!..." Jill and Rebecca cried out together.
But before they could jump in after him, the other squad members grabbed them, holding them back from making a reckless move.
"I'm fine, love," Allen said through the radio, still clinging tightly to the bridge's rope.
Jill and Rebecca felt relieved hearing his voice, knowing he was safe. But their relief didn't last long—zombie dogs and crows in the area began to circle them, forcing the team to seek shelter.
"We should head inside the building and find a safe place first," Wesker said over the radio.
"No. I won't abandon my team out here," Enrico replied firmly.
"Go on ahead. Svetlana and I found another way down here—we'll catch up with you later," Allen said. He had spotted a path behind the cliffside, though he didn't bother to mention that it involved leaping off a dangerous height.
Jill stayed quiet for a moment, then looked at Rebecca before tugging her toward the building.
"What are you doing, Jill? Stop! We can't just leave them out there!" Rebecca protested.
"Just trust Allen, Rebecca… please," Jill muttered, though deep down she hated the idea of being separated from her husband.
Reluctantly, Rebecca gave in after Allen reassured her through a private radio channel.
Meanwhile, Alyssa began to feel uneasy. The old abandoned hospital they had just entered seemed strangely familiar, as if it were awakening a buried memory.
Moments later, the rope Allen and Svetlana were holding finally snapped, sending them plummeting down the cliffside. Allen grabbed Svetlana tightly by the waist. From his gauntlet, sharp claws extended, digging into the cliff wall to slow their descent.
At the bottom, Allen spotted several crocodiles, grotesquely mutated by the T-Virus. He released his grip and propelled their fall directly toward one of the massive beasts.
Svetlana's eyes widened in panic.
"Are you trying to die with me?! What the hell are you doing?!"
"Just trust me!" Allen shouted back.
BOOM!
A thunderous impact shook the ground as the crocodile's body exploded into pieces, torn apart by the kinetic force stored within Allen's Vibranium Suit. They landed safely. Allen dropped to the ground with a perfect superhero landing, one knee bent, fist touching the dirt.
"Wow… I've always wanted to try the superhero landing," Allen grinned. "Finally got to do it today."
Svetlana could only roll her eyes after hearing that, since Allen's actions were insane enough already.
"Your stunt just now was reckless, Allen. I hope you don't do something like that again. What if you failed and ended up dead?"
"Ohhh, are you worried about me now? Haha." Allen only laughed.
"Okay, we'd better keep moving. It'll be dangerous if we linger here," said Svetlana.
"You're too serious. Haven't you ever tried to enjoy life?"
"There are things I have to do first, Allen. You probably wouldn't understand. Until I achieve that goal, I won't focus on anything else," Svetlana replied as she took the lead.
Allen simply followed behind her.
"Then I hope you achieve your goal soon. And if you ever need help, I might be able to lend a hand."
"Thanks… and I might think about your offer later," Svetlana said, a little surprised by his words.
After finding another route toward the abandoned hospital building, they could still hear constant gunfire echoing from inside.
"Aren't you worried about your women in there?" Svetlana asked.
"Of course I'm worried, but I have to trust their abilities. Besides, they're all wearing my nanotech suits, so I'm sure they'll be fine in there." Not to mention Jill had already used the super-soldier serum, so Allen felt a little less anxious.
Not long after they continued walking, they heard the sound of gunfire.
Bang!.. Bang!.. Bang!..
The gunshots immediately caught Allen's attention.
Gunfire was erupting from another direction. It seemed like a third party was attempting to infiltrate the hospital area from the opposite side, not far from Allen's position. They were members of Echo Six, apparently tracking S.T.A.R.S. from a distance. The team had been scattered and split apart after being chased by a horde of zombies infected with the T-virus.
Allen spotted Sienna and a Native American woman firing desperately at the monsters closing in on them.
Sienna and the others knew their gunfire would reveal their position, but they had no other choice—they were surrounded by zombie dogs and other infected creatures.
Seeing that, Allen immediately ran toward them and helped by tossing two grenades into the horde.
Boom!
The massive explosion engulfed the area in flames, shredding the zombies' bodies into pieces.
"What are you doing here, Sienna?" Allen asked, looking slightly confused.
"Ahh… hey, Allen. We meet again. How have you been?" Sienna replied awkwardly. She was clearly shocked that it was Allen who had saved them—and that she had been caught red-handed.
"Are you working for the military, Sienna?" Allen asked, as if he had just realized it.
Sienna only nodded, unsure of what she should say.
"So you approached me and asked for information about the sewer maps… all just for a mission?"
His voice carried disappointment and sadness, as if he had just realized that he had been used.
In reality, Allen was simply acting. He deliberately exaggerated his reaction because he wanted to tease her a little longer. Besides, Sienna's expression right now was honestly quite amusing to him.
That made Sienna even more speechless, knowing she'd been exposed. "Allen, it's not like that—"
"Okay, cut the small talk. You'd better get out of here. This place is too dangerous, even for an elite squad like yours."
"Allen~" Sienna seemed like she wanted to explain more.
"There's no need to explain, Sienna. And now isn't the right time for us to talk. You should head back—it's far too dangerous here," Allen said firmly.
"Party Girl, let's go back," Caroline finally pulled Sienna away, but before leaving, she said, "Thank you for your help. I'll make sure to repay this debt."
After that, they left in their vehicle. Inside, Caroline noticed Sienna looking a little down and tried to cheer her up.
Meanwhile, after Sienna left, Svetlana couldn't resist teasing Allen.
"You really are good at playing with people's feelings, Allen."
"Why are you suddenly interested in my love life? Don't tell me you're jealous," Allen teased back.
"You're too full of yourself, Allen. Sorry, but I'd never fall for my own client." Svetlana tried to brush it off, hiding the fact that she was actually starting to like Allen a little—and that she felt a twinge of jealousy.
Not long after watching Sienna leave with her teammate, Allen continued walking toward the long-abandoned hospital.
Elsewhere, Ada Wong was dashing through the forest in high heels, chased by several zombie dogs, clearly annoyed.
"They just don't stop," she muttered, already regretting her decision to tail the Tactical Rescue unit. What she had thought would be a simple reconnaissance mission had turned into something closer to a suicide mission.
As she ran, she spotted two familiar figures ahead.
"Hey, handsome! I need some help here!" Ada shouted while running toward Allen.
Ada? What the hell is she doing here? Allen thought.
But when he noticed that Ada seemed to be injured, he simply shook his head.
"Why are the women around here so stubborn and unwilling to give up?" he muttered.
He raised his weapon and fired at the zombie dogs lunging toward Ada.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With the threat cleared, Ada finally slowed to a stop as Allen and Svetlana approached her.
"Thanks for the help, handsome," Ada said, somehow still finding the time to flirt despite the situation.
"Mind explaining why you're here, Ada?" Allen asked.
Before she could answer, a Hunter zombie—like a giant reptilian beast—suddenly leapt at her from behind. Allen rushed forward, pulling Ada to safety, and in one swift motion ignited his Lightsaber.
Swiz… swuz… swih…
The Hunter was sliced cleanly into pieces, green blood splattering everywhere.
Both Ada and Svetlana were left in awe of Allen's reflexes.
Ada, realizing how lucky she was to be saved by him again, could only say, "Thank you. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead."
"No problem," Allen replied, before noticing several scratches on Ada's body. "Are you hurt?" he asked, quickly checking her condition.
"It's just a scratch, nothing to worry about," Ada answered.
"No, you're not fine. You've been infected with the T-Virus," Allen said seriously.
Ada froze, realizing just how bad her situation really was, and looked at him. "Can you help me?"
"Don't worry. You'll be fine," Allen reassured her as he opened the medical kit in his bag. Inside was a vial of antivirus, which he immediately injected into her.
"You're lucky you ran into me here—I just happen to have the antivirus with me."
Even though Allen knew this antivirus wouldn't completely remove all the T-Virus from the human body's system, at least it could stop Ada from mutating into a zombie.
"You have what?.. You never told me you had something so valuable," Ada said, surprised.
"Well, you never asked," Allen replied with a smile, gently wrapping the scratches on her arm.
"Well, I guess you're right. So, care to tell me how you got your hands on the antivirus? And what about the G-Virus?" Ada asked.
"It's a long story, and this isn't the place for it. You should head back—this area is far too dangerous for you," Allen replied.
"I know it's dangerous, but going back is impossible with all the monsters roaming this mountain. Besides, I got lost here—I never intended to end up in this area," Ada said, her words carrying a hint of playful mischief. Clearly, she wasn't planning to leave empty-handed that easily.
"So… does that mean you're going to follow me now?" Allen asked.
"Do I really have any other choice? And I hope a handsome man like you wouldn't abandon a helpless woman out here all alone," she answered with a teasing smile.
Allen just shook his head. It seemed he didn't have much choice either—leaving her behind would be just as dangerous.
"Alright then. Stick close and don't get separated."
Ada's lips curled into a sweet smile as she replied, "Thanks again."
"Yeah, don't mention it. Let's move."