....
They moved in and immediately opened fire. Bang… bang… bang!...
Shot after shot rang out as they put down the zombies swarming around the restaurant. Clair no longer looked frightened by the undead roaming around. She had started to adapt to the nightmare unfolding around her, moving with more confidence than before. Being alongside Allen gave her a strong sense of security, and that feeling helped steady her hands and her resolve.
Svetlana, watching Clair's behavior and the courage she was beginning to show, couldn't help but feel a bit impressed. The girl was clearly changing, growing stronger right in front of them.
The four of them pushed into the restaurant, where they found six survivors desperately holding back zombies with overturned chairs and furniture, their arms trembling from exhaustion and fear.
Bang!.....
Allen shot down the last remaining zombies without hesitation.
"Are you all okay?" Allen asked cautiously as he scanned their bodies. "None of you were bitten, right?"
They shook their heads quickly. "No… we weren't bitten."
"Good. That's a relief," Allen said, letting out a small breath. "Then come with us. We'll escort you to the evacuation point."
For a moment, it seemed like they had arrived in time. However, among the group was a young girl who wasn't moving at all. She stood frozen, staring at a single zombie, tears continuously streaming down her face.
Clair noticed her and gently asked the others, "What happened here?"
"We don't really know," one of the survivors replied, his voice shaking. "A few hours ago, some strange people suddenly rushed in and attacked everyone who was eating here. The zombie she's staring at… he was the first one bitten. He tried to protect her with his own body. They bit him until he died. We don't know exactly what their relationship was, but they looked like family."
From the looks of it, the man who had been bitten was most likely the girl's father, judging by the clear age difference between them.
Hearing that, Clair felt a sharp pain in her chest. She walked closer to the girl and spoke softly. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Please… just leave me here," the girl said weakly through her tears. "Let me die here. I've already lost the only family I had left."
Allen stepped forward after hearing that. He lowered his voice, trying to reach her.
"Hey… don't say that. I'm sure he wanted you to live. So don't waste his sacrifice".
The girl clearly heard Allen's words, but she no longer had the strength—or the will—to move. She understood that her father would have wanted her to live, yet her grief was far heavier than any comforting words could be. The pain of loss had completely hollowed her out.
Seeing that she wouldn't move on her own, Allen made a quick decision.
He forcefully lifted the girl onto his shoulder.
She immediately struggled against him, weak fists pounding against his back.
"Let me go... please. I want to stay here," she cried, continuing to struggle.
"Hey, stop it. Don't move around like that. You could hurt yourself," Allen said sharply.
Even so, he understood how she felt, especially considering the grief and trauma she was going through right now.
The girl continued crying, her voice breaking as she buried her face against his back.
Allen simply let her vent her emotions.
This wasn't the time for lectures or arguments.
Right now, getting her somewhere safe was far more important.
Even so, with the girl constantly struggling and trying to break free, Allen was starting to have trouble carrying her without accidentally hurting her in the process.
Watching the situation, Ada calmly reached into a small pouch on her thigh. She took out a syringe and filled it with a sedative from a small vial. Without hesitation, she stepped closer and injected it into the girl's neck. Within seconds, the girl's body went limp as she lost consciousness.
Allen glanced at Ada, clearly confused.
"Hey, since when do you carry something like that? And where did you even get it?" he asked.
Ada smiled faintly. "I picked it up from Rebecca's room. I brought it just in case. Looks like some of the things I carry actually came in handy."
Clair frowned slightly and protested, "Hey… isn't that a bit too much? At least we could've tried to talk to her, cheer her up or something."
But reality was never that simple. Expectations and ideal solutions didn't always survive situations like this—and Allen knew that all too well.
"It's fine," Allen replied calmly. "We're in a hurry, and staying here too long isn't a good idea. We don't know what kind of monsters could show up next. What matters most is that she's alive—and now we can get her somewhere safe."
He turned to the other survivors and raised his voice.
"Alright, everyone. Follow us. We'll escort you to the helicopter evacuation point."
The others nodded, fear still visible on their faces, but now mixed with relief. They quickly formed up behind Allen's group as they moved out, leaving the ruined restaurant behind and heading toward the evacuation zone.
After moving for some time, they finally reached the public parking area. Above them, a helicopter was already hovering, clearly preparing to land.
"Alright, we need to move faster," Allen said.
Without hesitation, he leapt toward the bus with ease—even while carrying someone on his back. Ada and Svetlana followed right behind him, their movements just as fluid and impressive as Allen's.
Claire watched the scene in awe. Inspired, she tried to copy Allen's jump and follow after him—but it was far from easy. She nearly lost her balance and fell.
In an instant, Allen reached out, caught her hand, and lifted her up effortlessly with just one arm.
"Thanks…" Claire said, her face turning red.
"You're welcome. Come on, let's keep moving," Allen replied with a smile.
He then grabbed a foldable ladder nearby and tossed it down toward the civilians waiting below, giving them a way to climb up onto the bus safely.
They moved toward a heavy steel door blocking their path.
"Allen, it's locked. What do we do? Should we look for another way around?" Claire asked.
"I don't think that'll be necessary," Allen replied calmly, glancing toward Svetlana. "If it's locked, we'll just force it open."
Svetlana cracked her neck slightly and stepped forward. "Alright, step back a bit."
She took one solid step, then drove her foot straight into the door.
Crash!
The steel door was ripped from its hinges and sent flying violently forward, slamming into several zombies that had been lurking on the other side. Their bodies were crushed and thrown aside as the door hit them with brutal force.
Claire froze for a moment, eyes wide in shock. She stared at the twisted door and the unmoving zombies behind it, then slowly looked back at Svetlana.
"…Wow," she muttered.
Svetlana's raw strength left a deep impression on her—forcing open a reinforced steel door like that was something far beyond what Claire thought was humanly possible.
Claire grew increasingly suspicious of Allen, sensing that he might be hiding something from her. From the way he acted and the things he seemed to already know, it felt like there was more going on beneath the surface—something he wasn't ready to tell her yet.
They soon made their way into the parking structure.
"Well, we should use the elevator while it's still working," Allen said, glancing around cautiously. "The stairwell looks blocked off."
At that moment, an old man who looked like a homeless drifter suddenly ran toward a nearby container as soon as he noticed them.
"Sir, don't be afraid. We're not zombies," Claire called out quickly. "If you want, you can come with us. We can take you somewhere safe by helicopter."
"No! Get away from me!" the old man shouted hysterically. "I don't need your help! You people killed my daughter! Get away—don't come near me!"
With shaking hands, he slammed the container door shut and locked it tightly from the inside.
Claire didn't give up right away. She rushed over and started pounding on the container. "Sir, please! It's dangerous here. You shouldn't—"
Before she could finish, Allen gently grabbed her shoulder.
"Claire… let's go," he said quietly but firmly. "We can't save everyone—especially those who don't want to be saved."
Reluctantly, Claire allowed herself to be guided toward the elevator. Even though Allen spoke calmly, there was a trace of sadness behind his words. Seeing so many people lose hope—and even their sanity—because of the outbreak weighed heavily on him.
Ada noticed it immediately. She stepped closer and softly took Allen's free hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"This isn't your fault, Allen," she whispered.
Claire overheard that and looked at Allen again. In that moment, she realized she wasn't the only one carrying a burden—Allen was too, hiding it behind a calm and steady front.
And when the elevator reached the top floor, there were already several police officers stationed there, busy coordinating the evacuation. Among them was Leon.
"Allen!" Leon shouted as he spotted him. He saw that Allen was with several civilians he had escorted, with Ada and Svetlana standing beside him, and a young girl being carried in his arms.
"Thank goodness. Are you all okay?" Leon asked.
"We're fine," Allen replied with a small smile. "Honestly, Leon, I thought you had already left the city. Oh, could you help take this girl and these civilians so they can board the helicopter?"
"Of course, here, let me carry the girl," Leon said as he carefully checked the condition of the sleeping child. "Everyone, get on the helicopter!" he shouted to the other civilians.
Hearing that, they hurried forward as another helicopter landed nearby.
"Thank you, sir," one of the civilians said.
Leon then began placing the young girl into the helicopter. However, from another building, a missile suddenly launched toward the aircraft.
"Damn it, an RPG!" the pilot shouted in panic.
Allen, seeing this, immediately fired his pistol with perfect accuracy. Boom! The missile exploded in midair—fortunately, Allen was just in time.
Allen then looked toward the building across from them. Anger rose within him as he realized that the person who fired the missile was clearly an Umbrella operative. They really had the nerve to try to kill the people he had worked so hard to save.
He quickly switched his weapon to a grenade launcher.
Pook!Boom! The windows of the building across the way exploded.
This was Allen's first time killing an actual human being, yet he did not seem too burdened by it.
The pilot, seeing that everyone was safe, felt a wave of relief.
"Thank you, sir! If it weren't for you, we would've been done for!" he shouted, making hand signals as the helicopter's rotor blades began to spin faster.
Allen simply raised his thumb and nodded back, signaling, "No problem. You're welcome."
Leon also let out a relieved breath, grateful that the civilians had made it out safely. However, the situation now felt far more dangerous, as it was clear that someone was actively targeting the rescue helicopters.
"Allen… was the one who fired that rocket just now from Umbrella?" Leon asked seriously.
"Yes, that's what it looked like," Allen replied with a firm nod. "It seems they don't want people escaping the city alive."
Leon nodded grimly after hearing that. "Alright then, I need to go. I have to warn the others so they'll be more cautious and keep an eye on the surrounding buildings."
"Okay. Be careful," Allen said as he watched Leon leave the area, entrusting the rest of the security to the other police officers on duty.
Allen then turned his gaze toward Claire.
"Claire, you should go with them. I don't want you getting involved in even more danger," he said calmly.
However, Claire shook her head firmly.
"No, Allen. I'm going with you. I'm not leaving unless I see you leave with me," she replied stubbornly, her tone unwavering.
"Hah… fine then," Allen said with a small sigh, finally giving in.
Not long after that, the rescue helicopter lifted into the air and slowly departed from the area, disappearing into the dark sky above the city.
Meanwhile, they headed back down to continue their journey. In the middle of it, Ada received a phone call. The call was from Rachel, who informed her about Dr. William's latest location, indicating that he had started moving again.
Ada smiled faintly. "Thanks, Rachel."
She then turned her gaze toward Allen. "Honey, I'm going to step away for a bit. I'll be back later," Ada said before leaning in and kissing Allen on the lips.
"Where are you going?" Allen asked.
"Well, I'm going to retrieve data from Dr. William. Don't worry, I can take care of myself," Ada replied calmly.
"Alright, then. Be careful, and don't get hurt," Allen said seriously.
"Hehe, of course," Ada replied with a light smile.
After that, she activated her nano-suit armor, which quickly expanded and covered her entire body, fully enclosing her in protective gear. With everything secured, Ada fired her grappling hook pistol and swiftly disappeared from the area, vanishing into the darkness in the blink of an eye.