.....
"Stay alert, everyone. Some zombies are starting to move in our direction," Caroline said as she raised her weapon and opened fire on the approaching monsters.
Bang!... Bang!... Bang!...
Muzzle flashes lit up the dark streets as several infected dropped to the ground, their bodies twitching briefly before going still.
"Alright, everyone, we need to move out and finish our mission. Let those two monsters fight it out," Jertingham ordered firmly, reminding the team that their primary objective was still to restore power by activating the generator. There was no point in getting dragged into a battle far beyond their capabilities.
"Copy that."
The team immediately began repositioning.
With discipline and urgency, Echo Six regrouped, providing covering fire as they began to withdraw, leaving the clash between the two Tyrants behind them while pushing forward toward the hospital, fully aware that their time here was extremely limited. The longer they wasted it, the more dangerous the situation would become for all of them.
...
Meanwhile, Allen, along with Claire, Ada, and Svetlana, began making their way toward the underground parking area, which also happened to connect to the detention block.
Their goal was to find a vehicle first, hoping it would allow them to move through the city more safely.
The area outside the police station was already completely surrounded by zombies, making travel on foot extremely dangerous.
As they walked through the dimly lit corridors, distant groans echoed through the concrete hallways.
Passing by a row of holding cells, they suddenly noticed someone who appeared to still be trapped inside.
That person was Benjamin, a reporter Allen recognized.
"Hey, Ben. Long time no see. Didn't you leave Raccoon City a few months ago? Why are you back here now?" Allen asked, pretending not to know what had happened.
Ada glanced at Allen with a faint smile.
She wasn't sure whether to compliment his acting skills or simply stay quiet, considering that he himself was the main reason Benjamin had ended up behind those bars in the first place.
Inside the cell, Benjamin leaned casually against the wall, a cigarette hanging from his lips as he looked directly at Allen.
"Huh. So you're still alive, huh? You rich– capitalist playboy," Benjamin scoffed mockingly.
Despite being locked in a jail cell during the middle of a city-wide disaster, he looked surprisingly relaxed, casually smoking as if nothing was wrong. "How's Katherine, by the way? Does her pussy taste good?" he added with a sharp, insulting tone.
Claire frowned when she heard the crude remark from the stranger. She didn't know who this man was, but the way he insulted Allen so casually clearly irritated her.
As for Ada and Svetlana, they chose to continue searching for a vehicle while talking with Rebecca over the radio. Neither of them was particularly interested in joining Allen and Benjamin's conversation.
From the other end of the transmission, Rebecca informed the two women that a Tyrant-type biological weapon, also known as a Stalker, was currently moving toward their location. Her voice remained calm, but there was a clear sense of urgency behind it, making it obvious that this was not a threat to be taken lightly.
Ada immediately thanked Rebecca for the warning, fully aware of how crucial such information was in a situation like this.
Svetlana, however, had a very different reaction.
Rather than feeling concerned, she felt a growing excitement stirring within her—a strong desire to confront the creature personally. She was eager to test herself against it, curious to see just how far the limits of her physical strength could be pushed.
Lately, she had found it increasingly difficult to encounter an opponent capable of matching her raw power, and the approaching Tyrant felt like the perfect opportunity to finally push herself to her absolute limits.
"Tsk… tsk… look at you, still talking like that even though you're locked up right now, when I was actually planning to free you earlier," Allen replied casually. He didn't really take Benjamin's insult to heart. Allen already knew this man wouldn't survive much longer anyway, so there was no reason to dirty his own hands.
"Leave this place? Well, why would I even go out?" Benjamin scoffed as he took another sip of his alcoholic drink, enjoying it without a care in the world. "This place is much safer than whatever chaos is happening out there right now, full of cannibals and madness." He smirked and continued, "And I'm pretty sure you and your new women will die out there."
"Yeah, yeah, suit yourself then. I guess we'll just see who lives longer," Allen said calmly as he turned away.
"Hahaha, of course, of course. I'm sure I'll be just fine in here. And don't think Umbrella will let you go so easily, Allen. Anyone who knows their secrets will be eliminated. I'm certain that idiot Brian is already dead out there," Benjamin added mockingly.
Allen didn't bother listening any further and continued walking toward Ada and Svetlana, with Claire following closely behind him.
Benjamin's words about Umbrella had clearly stuck with her, sparking her curiosity.
'Umbrella? That giant pharmaceutical corporation? Are they really involved in all of this? If they are... then just how much does Allen actually know about them?' Claire wondered silently.
The more she thought about it, the more questions began to surface.
However, she held back her questions. For now at least, sensing that this wasn't the right moment to bring it up.
"Allen, Rebecca just informed me that Umbrella has deployed one of their Stalker units..." Ada said as she relayed the information through their short-range communication channel.
She then explained that Umbrella had apparently sent one of the units specifically to hunt them down.
"They're targeting members of S.T.A.R.S. to prevent them from escaping the city."
"Hmmm... then how are the other girls doing?" Allen asked, his tone becoming more serious. "Are they safe? Are they being chased by those Stalkers as well?"
"They're fine for now," Ada replied. "The Black Rose team has already dealt with one of the Stalkers that was pursuing them and neutralized it with ease."
However, her expression soon became more serious.
"According to Rebecca, Umbrella deployed more than one Stalker. They're currently scattered across several areas of the city, and one of them is heading our way."
Her words made it clear that the danger was far from over.
Claire, still confused by what they had been talking about, finally asked, "Hey… what are you actually talking about? And what is a Tyrant and a Stalker?"
Before anyone could properly answer her, Crash!
The wall of the cell where Benjamin was being held suddenly caved in, leaving a massive hole behind. A gigantic hand burst through the concrete and grabbed Benjamin's body in an instant.
"Ahhhh! What the hell—help me! Ahhh, no, don't—please! It hurts—ahhhh!" Benjamin screamed helplessly. He desperately tried to free himself, wildly punching the monster's arm with his fists, but it was completely useless. The difference in physical strength between them was overwhelming, and his resistance meant nothing.
Claire immediately raised her weapon and tried to aim, but all she could see was the enormous arm emerging from the shattered wall. She couldn't get a clear shot, nor did she have a clean line of fire. Before she could react any further, the Tyrant tightened its grip and crushed Benjamin's head with terrifying force. His skull burst apart like a watermelon, blood and fragments splattering as his lifeless body went limp in the monster's grasp.
Claire froze in place, shocked, terrified, and disgusted by what she had just witnessed. The brutality of his death was far beyond anything she had seen before.
"What the hell was that?" Claire muttered, her voice trembling.
This was the first time she had ever seen something this terrifying.
To be fair, Claire hadn't gotten a good look at the monster that attacked Ben earlier because the area had been so dark. But now, she was sure of one thing—it was something dangerous.
"That's the Stalker we were talking about earlier," Allen replied calmly.
"Alright, we need to get out of here now—before that thing comes after us," Allen said firmly.
Claire nodded without hesitation and they quickly moved toward the underground parking area beneath the R.P.D., knowing that staying any longer would only put them directly in the monster's path.
When they reached the parking area, the place could only be described as dark and poorly lit, with very limited lighting casting long, distorted shadows across the concrete floor. The air felt cold and tense.
While Claire followed Allen toward the exit gate, hoping to open it so they could escape the area safely.
Thud... Thud... Thud...
They suddenly heard the sound of heavy footsteps echoing through the parking structure, slow and deliberate, growing louder as whatever it was approached them.
"Sir, do you need help? Are you stuck here too?" Claire asked instinctively when she saw a figure emerging from the darkness.
The man was enormous—over seven feet tall—with pale, wrinkled skin. At first glance, he looked human, which was why Claire didn't immediately suspect anything.
However, the figure remained silent.
He didn't respond.
He simply continued walking toward them.
Then he slowly raised his hand.
The moment the Tyrant reached out to grab Claire by the neck, Allen reacted instantly.
Slash!
He drove his knife into the creature's hand, forcing it to pull back, before quickly pulling Claire away.
"Allen, what are you doing?" Claire asked in confusion.
"Claire, that thing is a monster. It's called a Tyrant, and it's not human," Allen said seriously.
"How do you know it's not human, Allen?"
Instead of answering, Allen raised his pistol.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He emptied the entire magazine into the creature.
The Tyrant calmly raised an arm, blocking the bullets with its hand and protecting its head.
The shots barely seemed to affect it.
"See?" Allen said. "It's resistant to bullets. That alone proves it's not human. And how I know all this can wait. It'll be difficult to explain right now."
The Tyrant lowered its arm and continued staring at them as the echoes of gunfire slowly faded through the dark parking garage.
Claire nodded and immediately joined Allen, firing her pistol at the Tyrant as it began to advance toward them. The creature suddenly lunged forward, and one of its wild movements nearly struck Claire. Before it could reach her, an armored SWAT vehicle suddenly slammed into the Tyrant from the side. The impact sent the massive creature crashing into the wall. The vehicle didn't stop there—it rammed the Tyrant again, pinning it as the wall partially collapsed onto its body, crushing it beneath concrete and debris. The front of the armored vehicle was badly damaged in the process.
The one behind the wheel was Svetlana.
Moments later, a second vehicle pulled up beside them.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Get in," Ada said calmly.
Svetlana stepped out of the damaged vehicle, her expression oddly disappointed rather than satisfied. She had expected this Tyrant to be stronger than the ones she had encountered before. Seeing how even Clair had managed to pressure it left her unimpressed.
However, the Tyrant suddenly began to move again, slowly pushing the wrecked vehicle aside as it tried to stand.
Without hesitation, Svetlana pressed the detonator.
Boom!
The vehicle exploded, engulfing the Tyrant in flames and shrapnel, ending it instantly.
"So boring," Svetlana muttered as she climbed into the other car.
"Show-off," Ada commented dryly.
Svetlana ignored her. She didn't really care—she had wanted to show off a little, especially in front of Clair, who looked like she might soon become part of the family. And judging by Clair's wide eyes and stunned expression, it worked.
Claire was clearly amazed by what she had just witnessed.
"Wow, Svetlana… that was seriously amazing," Clair said, openly praising her.
Svetlana simply gave a small smile. "Well, you don't need to praise me like that. You were impressive too, managing to hold your ground against that thing."
After opening the gate, Allen got into the vehicle. "Alright, let's get out of here."
Ada nodded, stepped on the gas, and the car sped away, leaving the underground parking area behind. However, after several blocks, they were forced to stop. The road ahead was completely blocked by abandoned vehicles piled up in chaos, making it impossible to pass.
"Well, looks like we'll have to continue on foot from here," Ada said calmly.
They got out of the car and began moving carefully through the area.
....
Not long after, Claire noticed a group of zombies crowding around what appeared to be a restaurant building.
"Allen, it looks like there are people trapped inside that restaurant. We need to help them," Claire said urgently.
Allen looked toward the restaurant and quickly assessed the situation. "Alright. If that's the case, wait here for a moment. Me, Ada, and Svetlana will clear the area so they can escape to a safer place."
Claire hesitated for a second, then spoke up. "Allen, can I help too? I can fight, you know."
Allen turned to her, seeing the determination in her eyes. After a brief pause, he nodded. "Alright, but you'll need a proper weapon."
He handed her one of his spare weapons—a MP7, along with extra ammunition—while he kept his pistol for himself.
With that settled, they quickly formed a plan to rescue the trapped civilians. Just then, the sound of a helicopter echoed overhead.
"All civilians, please proceed to the rooftop of the parking structure. A helicopter will extract you from there," a voice announced over a loudspeaker.
"Hmmm… looks like we can guide the civilians to the parking building not far from here," Ada said, recalling a structure located to the east.
"Well then, sounds good. Let's move—now," Allen said firmly.
Without wasting any more time, they began advancing toward the restaurant. fully aware If they don't act now, the people in the restaurant may not be saved later.