Seeing Manuela had already escaped on the fishing boat, the remaining drug dealers hurriedly searched for usable fishing boats in Cloud Serpent Village, wanting to immediately give chase.
Unfortunately,
Just as they were about to board the fishing boats…
"Boom—!"
"Whoosh… Splat——————!"
A black arrow came tearing through the air,
Like a black lightning bolt, its sharp arrowhead instantly pierced through the plastic fuel tank of the fishing boat's engine, embedding itself firmly inside. Attached to the middle of the black arrow was a square plastic block, with a red light flickering on it.
The next second,
"Bang… Rumble—!!!"
A huge explosion erupted,
The block on the black arrow immediately exploded, flames spreading and simultaneously igniting the fishing boat's engine fuel tank. Terrifying flames suddenly expanded and swept out, and the powerful shockwave and explosion pulverized the fishing boat, scattering its wooden planks across the river surface.
Looking back,
It was Javier, sitting at the bow of the boat, slowly standing up, holding a military explosive crossbow aimed forward. His eyes were sharp, like a jungle hunter, and that fierce black arrow had just been shot from his hand.
The other drug dealers looked at the scene before them, too scared to advance, while Javier replicated his actions.
He took out three more explosive arrows, all accurately hitting near the engine positions of the fishing boats by the river, causing the explosive arrows' flames and the fuel tanks to detonate in a chain reaction, forming a rolling wall of fire that temporarily blocked the drug dealers' pursuit.
Their numbers were large,
If they really caught up on the fishing boats, on such an open river, Javier and his group would undoubtedly have no chance to fight back. Even jumping into the water to escape would be useless; who knew what ferocious beasts or monsters lurked in the river?
Moreover, there was Manuela, who was sickly and couldn't be injured, and couldn't dive. That's why Javier acted preemptively!
From this moment on,
Javier had to be very serious about protecting Manuela, the young girl infected with the T-Veronica Virus, because she was simply too fragile.
Javier even clearly remembered that Manuela had a death ending at the end of the game, simply by using the T-Veronica Virus's unique blood-based biological flame ability once.
After the brilliant golden flames annihilated the massive V-Complex, Manuela, sitting in the returning helicopter, dissipated into the world like a golden butterfly, her entire body turning into radiant specks of light.
Coming and going in a hurry,
Life was so small and fragile.
Although the concept of this ending was good,
Javier didn't like it. After all, this was reality, and he didn't want Manuela to vanish before his eyes as a golden butterfly…!
"However…"
"There aren't many explosive arrows left to use,"
Thinking of this, Javier checked his tactical backpack again. There were about forty arrows left, but only about twenty portable timed explosives that could detonate. And if a portable explosive was attached,
Then the arrow couldn't be recovered. After all, the force of the explosion was enough to destroy an arrow; one used meant one less.
It seemed that in a rainforest environment,
Ammunition reserves for weapons were indeed a problem.
"Splash, splash…"
"Buzz… Tat-tat-tat…!!!"
The fishing boat rapidly traversed the Amazon River branch, breaking through layers of waves. As Javier watched the piranhas occasionally surfacing around the boat, he couldn't help but frown. The water pollution in this area was very severe.
Although they hadn't completely mutated into the zombie piranhas (piranhas) from the dam experiment, they had undergone a slight change: their scales.
The scales of these piranhas had become thick, heavy, and blackened, and their aggressiveness was also very strong; they even jumped onto the boat to bite people. These were all signs of infection, just that the degree of infection was relatively weak.
Fortunately, the amount of T-Virus possessed by the drug lord Javier Hidalgo was not very large. If a large amount of the virus flowed into the Amazon Rainforest's rivers, it would truly cause immense environmental pollution, immediately affecting cities and even the ocean. It was estimated that the apocalypse would truly arrive prematurely then.
But now,
Due to water dilution,
The amount of virus could not reach a complete infection level in the Amazon River, so only this section of the river had undergone ecological changes, subtly showing slight mutations.
Other river branches remained normal. It could only be said to be a blessing in disguise.
However, the V-Complex that followed was unknown. That thing was a T-Veronica Virus infected entity on the same level as Alexia. Although it was somewhat inferior and couldn't compare to the truly perfectly integrated Alexia, it still possessed some abilities of the "Emperor" species, the most direct being assimilation.
It could assimilate the Amazon Rainforest's ecosystem, absorbing all power to strengthen itself. If the V-Complex were to leave the Amazon Rainforest and go to human towns in Colombia, it would likely cause an even more severe disaster. At that time, it would truly be a story of Ultraman battling monsters… no, humans battling Godzilla!
Therefore,
In a sense,
Javier found it truly difficult to leave and turn a blind eye, as his moral bottom line seemingly couldn't tolerate such egregious things happening.
"We're here!"
"Look, that giant dam ahead is where my father… Javier Hidalgo's stronghold is located…"
Just as Javier's thoughts were swirling, Manuela's voice interrupted him. Snapping back to reality, Manuela was pointing her slender finger at the distant, cliff-like concrete dam and speaking.
However… bringing strangers home and trying to capture her own father, this unfilial act, made Manuela feel a hint of shame, and her voice involuntarily became slow and hesitant.
After all, even knowing her father was a genuine bad person, most people truly couldn't bring themselves to do something like filial piety to a parent they were betraying; they would feel intense guilt. Only a genius like Alexia could dispose of her own father, Alexander, without any burden…
Alexia: (? ▼ beneficial ▼ )?? ( ◣ д ◢ )?? — —!!!
Chapter Fourteen: Catching a Turtle in a Jar
"Whoa…"
"He truly is the most famous drug lord in this area, to be able to build a dam of such massive scale. This scale is comparable to the government… no, even the government would struggle, after all, this place is in the rainforest, a remote, poor area, transporting materials is very difficult."
"Hey, little girl, it seems your father is quite rich, practically a local tycoon. I just wonder how much cocaine and arms he's secretly trafficked."
Gazing at the distant, cliff-like majestic large dam, it resembled a towering mountain built of reinforced concrete. The accumulated river water upstream surged out from the opened sluice gates, like several astounding white waterfalls plummeting thousands of feet. Witnessing this scene, even Krauser couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
However,
While it was admiration,
It was more sarcasm. What the government couldn't accomplish, a small drug dealer could amass enough wealth to build such a large dam. It was clear how much drugs and weapons Javier Hidalgo, this drug lord, must have trafficked to accumulate such wealth.
Not to mention as rich as a nation,
Being a local tycoon was indeed true. In this remote, impoverished Amazon Rainforest, he was practically a local Emperor.
Upon hearing this,
The young girl Manuela lowered her head in shame, her face slightly awkward. She wanted to refute Krauser's sarcastic words, but she had no confidence, as what Krauser said was indeed true.
Her father, Javier Hidalgo, was able to build such a massive dam precisely because of the wealth accumulated from his early years of drug and arms trafficking. Even if her father initially intended it for the benefit of the Cloud Serpent Village villagers, the illegal and criminal acts of drug and arms trafficking were undeniable facts.
"Alright,"
"We're almost there, prepare yourselves. We're about to infiltrate. Such a large dam should be heavily guarded. Manuela, do you know approximately how many drug dealers are inside the dam, or if there are any secret infiltration passages?"
Noticing the atmosphere was off,
Javier immediately changed the subject, helping the kind girl Manuela out of her predicament, and faintly asked about the distant large dam. Forcibly breaking into such a massive dam would likely be impossible.
The passages inside were narrow and long, with very few entrances and exits, typical of being easy to enter but difficult to leave. Even if Javier and his group successfully broke in, the drug dealers inside would only need to guard the exits, and Javier and his group wouldn't be able to escape.
Therefore, Javier wanted to first ask Manuela if there were any other escape routes, lest they truly be caught like turtles in a jar once inside, which would be extremely awkward!
"Yes…!"
"I've lived inside since I was little, so I'm very familiar with the environment. There are a few secret passages that even my father's drug dealer subordinates don't know about. I used these secret passages when I escaped from the dam."
When this topic came up, Manuela seemed much more confident, her small face beaming with a determined and self-assured expression. Perhaps she couldn't help with combat, but when it came to guiding… no one would be more familiar with the environment there than Manuela.
After all, when she was little,
She often hid and played in the secret passages inside the dam, disappearing and causing her father and mother to worry for an entire day, sending out many people to search but finding nothing. Instead, Manuela was only discovered when she got hungry at mealtime and voluntarily came out.
"Very good,"
"Then let's begin. Manuela, you and I will lead the way in front. Rebecca, you follow behind me. Leon, Krauser, the rear guard and support are up to you."
After confirming the existence of secret passages, Javier quickly arranged the team's formation and distribution in a few words. Although it was reasonable, Krauser, who was driving the fishing boat, was very displeased.
It was always this guy who suddenly appeared and commanded the whole situation. What was his identity? He was a soldier serving the United States Government, and an experienced veteran who had served in the Red Berets. Surely he was the most suitable person to arrange tactics!
But due to their cooperative relationship,
And because Krauser had long regarded Javier as a cannon fodder for reconnaissance, he could only tolerate Javier's assertiveness.
On the other hand, Leon was the calmest.
His deep gaze watched Javier, who was eloquently explaining various safety details to Manuela, telling her to hide behind him in case of danger. Leon's eyes couldn't help but narrow slightly.
Leon wasn't sure what Javier was up to, but he absolutely couldn't let his guard down, because Javier's objective was too obvious: Manuela!
Leon absolutely could not let Javier easily take this girl away…
Because before coming to the Amazon Rainforest for the mission, Leon had received a classified mission from high-ranking United States Government officials: there was a young girl in the Amazon Rainforest who had been injected with the T-Veronica Virus but had not mutated or died.
The United States Government officials wanted Leon to investigate that girl, and if possible, they also wanted Leon to bring the infected person back to the United States for government custody.
As for that girl,
Leon had no picture information, only one important clue: the girl infected with the T-Veronica Virus was the daughter of the target drug lord, Javier Hidalgo, and that was all—
Initially, at the water church,
Leon wasn't aware that Manuela was the daughter of the drug lord Javier Hidalgo. He only learned everything after Javier revealed her identity. And that bandaged arm might have been the infected injured area.
Therefore,
Leon kept his eyes fixed on Javier's back. He was grateful that Javier had saved his life in Raccoon City before, but now their identities and positions were different. If Javier's goal was to abduct this innocent girl Manuela for research, then Leon naturally couldn't stand by. He had to stop him!
However,
Leon seemed to have forgotten one thing: regardless of Javier or the United States Government, in essence, neither of them were good people. Javier was abducting an underage girl, and incidentally brainwashing her to strengthen his own organization and team, with very clear selfish motives.
And the United States Government was no better. Although they were an official organization, they merely used the banner and slogans of justice to do bad things. The T-Virus and a small amount of G Virus obtained in Raccoon City were also used by the United States Government for experiments.
They even blamed the Umbrella Corporation, inciting the entire American populace to denounce them, putting pressure on the Umbrella Corporation to hand over more biochemical virus research results.
Furthermore, the United States Government itself conducted human experiments; they would secretly use prisoners with no background for experiments. However, because they were the official government, they simply couldn't be morally condemned or denounced.
Just like Sherry in the original timeline,
Because she was a G Virus infected person, after being discovered by the United States Government, she was imprisoned in a Laboratory under the guise of adoption. Government researchers would still conduct experiments on Sherry, extracting various blood cells.
It took a full eleven years for Sherry to regain her freedom, and that was only through the special request of the villain Simmons, which allowed Sherry to obtain the identity of a special agent. And Simmons bailing out Sherry was only to utilize the G Virus power within her.
Therefore,
Leon sending these innocent virus-infected individuals to the government every time was not necessarily always the correct choice. Of course, this isn't to criticize Leon's actions, because his intentions were essentially good; it's just that he hadn't realized the United States Government was even more corrupt and selfish than he imagined.
In the original timeline, Manuela, who did not meet a death ending, was sent back into the hands of the United States Government by Leon. Although Manuela did not mutate afterwards and was actively treated by the United States Government, she could not escape the fate of being a guinea pig.
Later, there was no mention of Manuela's whereabouts. Who knew if this kind girl had died at the hands of the United States Government?
So, comparatively,
Javier, in contrast, seemed much more humane—!
After all,
Sherry is quite happy now, isn't she?
…
"This way, this way…!"
"This is the passage I used to escape. Originally, it was intended as an emergency backup escape route, but it was later abandoned. The construction workers sealed the opening above, but the backup emergency passage connects to the internal ventilation shaft. We can follow the ventilation shaft to enter the dam's interior."
The fishing boat docked by the river.
At this point, they were still some distance from the giant dam, but the sound of the discharging water waterfall was already deafening like muffled thunder, making their eardrums ache. Javier and the others shook their heads, feeling very uncomfortable.
Manuela, on the other hand, pulled Javier's hand, her expression slightly excited, leading the group in a small run towards a dense patch of bushes.