This guy appeared and disappeared like a ghost, suddenly behind them.
He even wanted to sell weapons to the two of them.
No matter how they thought about it, it was extremely strange, so until the reason was thoroughly understood, Leon would not trust the black-clothed Merchant in front of him.
As for weapons and ammunition…
Just as Leon had threatened, this was not a game world where the Merchant could not be attacked; in the real world, this was a living person.
How could it be so simple for someone to dare to appear defenselessly in front of Leon S. Kennedy and demand money? Since ancient times, he had been the one to rob others of their money; how could others rob him?
Therefore, holding the USP9 agent handgun, Leon looked extremely menacing, which surprised Luis beside him.
He hadn't expected this handsome, thick-browed man to look so formidable when he acted tough.
But that was good; it saved Luis from having to put on an act himself.
Now, everything could be left to Leon, as he also felt that the black-clothed Merchant in front of him was unusually strange, and no one would choose to trust him until his true identity was revealed!
"…"
"Heh heh… friend, it seems you have a deep misunderstanding of me…"
Not only that, but even the black-clothed Merchant himself was stunned when he saw Leon's 180-degree change in attitude.
This was not the script he had imagined; he hadn't expected a perfectly good arms sale to turn into an armed robbery.
If this got out, the Merchant would probably die laughing at himself.
"You wouldn't dare kill me, friend,"
"Firstly, I have my own weapon supply source and can get you many other weapons.
If you kill me, you will only get a little bit.
Secondly, I also know some secret things about this village, including the Plaga parasite.
Don't you want to know?"
"Thirdly, I advise you not to entertain such dangerous thoughts.
Do you see the little gadget I'm holding in my hand?
It's beeping.
As soon as I press it, the timed explosives and all the ammunition I'm carrying will explode together.
If you two think you're speed demons and can run very fast, you can try."
The black-clothed Merchant, with bloodshot, yellowish-red eyes, quietly watched Leon and Luis, slowly revealing the small explosive remote detonator he held in his hand, speaking calmly to the two in front of him.
And after hearing what the black-clothed Merchant said, Leon and Luis were stunned.
They hadn't expected this black-clothed Merchant to play so hard.
He carried timed explosives with him.
If the two of them were truly determined to kill him, they probably wouldn't be able to escape this cave and would be directly blown to smithereens.
"Hey, my friend, don't be angry!"
"That was just a joke to lighten the mood.
We don't have the old Spanish pesetas, nor do we have the currently circulating euros.
Is US dollars okay?"
Seeing no alternative, Luis quickly spoke up to mediate the atmosphere, revealing what he thought was a gentlemanly and elegant smile, and pulled out a crumpled green bill from his vintage leather jacket—a hundred-dollar bill.
Although this guy was a fugitive, Luis had still carried a good amount of money with him when he left, probably around two or three thousand US dollars.
"Eh hehe…"
"Of course, my friend, customers with money are God.
Euros are expensive, but US dollars are also good.
I never dislike any currency, as long as it's spendable."
Seeing money, his eyes lit up.
After accepting Luis's one hundred dollar settlement fee, the black-clothed Merchant also revealed his original peculiar smile.
The tense atmosphere ended, and the black-clothed Merchant began to take advantage of the situation… no, strike while the iron was hot, and without stopping, he began to introduce his goods:
"Heh heh…"
"I recommend you first buy a map of the Wolf's Valley territory.
Although you may already be familiar with the environment here, there are many places you definitely don't know about."
"This map will allow you to pass unhindered, priced at one hundred US dollars.
An accurate map is hard to come by."
"As for weapons, I recommend a few veterans: the Colt M196 Mauser pistol, the ruger p-08 pistol, and the Browning M1910.
These are weapons I find very durable.
The M1911 Handgun needs no introduction, a veteran still in service today.
The power and accuracy of its large-caliber bullets are irresistible."
"The Mauser C96 pistol is the same; it has great power, known as the 'box cannon,' and due to its selective fire feature, it also has full-auto firing capability.
Although it was phased out during World War II, it achieved considerable fame and success in the Asian campaigns."
"As for the ruger p-08 pistol and the Browning M1910, I don't need to say much.
Officer's pistol and lady's pistol, their compact and exquisite appearance makes them very suitable for concealment.
No one would find them even if hidden in your crotch.
Common spy weapons, their accuracy is excellent, suitable for discreet and low-key people."
After a long-winded explanation, the black-clothed Merchant placed all four handgun weapons on the ground.
These four handguns all showed obvious signs of friction and use, and even the wooden or rubber grips had developed a patina.
Undoubtedly… these were indeed retired weapons that others had used.
If it weren't for the fact that they were still well-maintained, Luis and Leon would have doubted whether these guns could still be used, fearing they might explode or backfire with the first shot.
"Hey, friend, don't look at me like that,"
"All my goods are guaranteed, honest dealings.
If there's a problem, you can come find me; I definitely won't run away.
Plus, the prices are favorable.
These handguns have all been used, and given their age, they're priced as used items, ranging from three hundred to five hundred US dollars."
"Of course, in addition to that, I also provide extra bullets for free.
These bullets are produced by regular lathes, definitely not crude, hand-rolled small workshop products; they won't explode."
"As for bullet prices, by caliber size, high-power bullets are one dollar each, and small-caliber bullets are one dollar for two.
How about it, isn't that very affordable?
If you shoot accurately, there are only a few hundred people in the entire Wolf's Valley Village, and a few hundred US dollars can settle it."
The black-clothed Merchant explained with a patient, smiling demeanor.
And facing such reasonable prices, even Luis was surprised.
Three hundred to five hundred US dollars certainly wouldn't buy a good gun in the United States; one could only buy something barely considered a gun on the black market.
But these old weapons were indeed worth about that much.
As for handgun bullets, they were equivalent to those in US weapon stores, a small profit at most.
This greatly surprised Luis… Wasn't it said that Merchants were all very unscrupulous?
After much thought, Luis and Leon both purchased their own weapons, almost spending all their savings.
Especially Leon, who even pawned the small stash of gold coins he had found in the village houses, purchasing an M1911 Handgun and several hundred rounds of ammunition.
As a modern person, and an agent of the United States Government, Leon naturally wouldn't choose the other three old relics.
The M1911 Handgun was one of the handguns still in active service, powerful, high-performing, sturdy, durable, semi-automatic, and closer to the appearance of modern handguns.
Leon naturally didn't hesitate, though the maximum price of five hundred US dollars also made him feel quite pained.
In addition, Leon also purchased a few High-explosive grenades for emergencies.
Grenades were more expensive and practical, naturally costing Leon a lot of money, as well as some dry rations, which filled their hungry stomachs.
As for Luis, he chose his beloved vintage Mauser C96 pistol.
He really liked the appearance of this vintage gun.
Although it was a weapon phased out during the World War II era, due to its selective fire mechanism, this gun also had the ability to fire fully automatically, which was very rare.
It could also hold a large number of bullets, and its power was not bad; it was also a large-caliber firearm, which made Luis very satisfied.
He felt that this gun was simply custom-made for him.
With their limited funds, Luis and Leon pooled their money to buy a Garand Rifle, one with a three-power scope.
This rifle had sufficient power and could kill enemies from a distance; it was a weapon they gritted their teeth and bought after much thought.
After spending some more money on ammunition, their personal funds were almost depleted, but seeing a rocket launcher and a gleaming machine gun still in the black-clothed Merchant's backpack, the two gnashed their teeth.
If only they had brought more money, they wouldn't be in such a predicament now.
Indeed… when traveling, a man feels more secure with more money—
After acquiring the weapons, the Merchant did not leave immediately.
Instead, he gave the two a map and issued a commission quest to Leon and Luis.
Yes… a commission, just like in a game.
The only pity was that this commission quest was not as simple as killing a few rats or finding some treasure.
"…"
"I need you to take me to the Island Institute and help me remove the Plaga parasite from my body.
After it's done, I can help arrange a speedboat to get you out of this godforsaken place."
A deep, weathered sentence instantly made Leon and Luis's expressions change drastically.
Regardless of Leon and Luis's surprise, the black-clothed Merchant slowly removed the hood of his black windbreaker under their gaze, revealing his bald head with only a few strands of hair, covered in various rashes, as if he had contracted some skin disease.
And as the purple and white striped scarf was pulled off, it also revealed the Merchant's wrinkled face.
He was indeed a middle-aged man around forty, but his teeth were black, his neck was covered in hideous blood vessels, and his eyes were fierce, just like the Plaga Parasite Villagers infected with the Plaga parasite.
Undoubtedly, this Merchant was also an infected—
But why wasn't he controlled?
"There was a slight accident,"
"I was originally a mercenary on the island, hired by the so-called Illuminados leader, Sadler, to build the military base on the island and act as a guard.
But unfortunately, this was not an ordinary job."
"He implanted the Plaga parasite in everyone, but I was an exception.
I escaped, and the location where that Plaga parasite was implanted was not in the spine, but… the heart."
He lifted his heavy black windbreaker and tore off his shirt, revealing his vascular chest.
Below the Merchant's heart, there was a large bulge, and the skin was stretched very thin due to the Plaga parasite's implantation.
One could also see the appearance of that Plaga parasite; it was curled up and accumulated near the chest, about the size of a fist, still in the larval growth stage, not yet an adult.
And because the implantation location was the heart, not the spine, this caused the Plaga parasite to be unable to control the black-clothed Merchant's body at all.
After all, while skin and muscles have nerves, they cannot control the entire body in reverse; at most, they can only control the heartbeat.
Therefore, this was the real reason why the Merchant could still survive and maintain his sanity.
And because of its proximity to the heart, the Plaga parasite dared not act rashly.
Once the heart was damaged, both of them would die.
It could only slowly suck blood, moving little by little towards the spine.
So, compared to ordinary Plaga Parasite Villagers, the Merchant could survive for a longer time…
Chapter 24: Attack on Titan
Resident Evil has a very serious topic—
Namely: viruses cannot resurrect the dead; they can only prevent the host from dying…
This is an absolute theory, and the only remaining truth, meaning that viruses cannot resurrect already dead corpses.
It is not black magic.
At this moment, when the virus enters already dead cells, it cannot revive them, because, in essence, a virus is merely a non-cellular organism that must reside in living cells and engage in mindless, frantic replication and proliferation.
And when a virus leaves its host cell, it becomes a chemical substance with no life activity and unable to independently self-reproduce.
This is not just talk; it is fundamentally so.
Viruses may seem powerful, but in reality, they are just weak Plaga parasites that require cellular nutrient supply.
Without this small link of biological cells, they cannot evolve into extraordinary organisms that transcend the world.
Similarly, the Plaga parasite is also like this.
It cannot parasitize the dead.
No… that's not precise; it should be said that it doesn't like to parasitize the dead.
A dead body, the Plaga parasite can enter the body like a skin suit and 'resurrect' it.
But this 'resurrection' control time is very short, because the host is already dead, which is unavoidable.
The cells in the body will completely die within tens of minutes or a few hours due to oxygen deprivation and suffocation.
The body will uncontrollably rot and smell, and there will be no nutrient source; this is unavoidable.
At the same time, the bacteria from the rotting and smelling corpse will also infect the Plaga parasite.
Although this poses no threat to it, as a Plaga parasite, it will not stay indefinitely in a dead host's body.
It needs to ensure the host's freshness and the sensitivity of nerve control.
Only in this way… is it a suitable nest for the Plaga parasite's survival.
Therefore, this is also the true reason why the Plaga parasite, despite being in the Merchant's heart, dares not act rashly.
It could instantly tear through muscle and directly move to the spine, but it dares not do so, because once it acts rashly, the host will die.
And it cannot accept the host's death, nor can it accept the trouble of re-parasitizing other organisms, as a Plaga parasite without host protection is very fragile.
Hence, it is stuck in such a troublesome stalemate.
It can only control its body growth as much as possible, slowly bypassing other vital organs, and then drilling into the spine to control the nerves.
And undoubtedly… this process takes a very long time.
So, this is why the Merchant was infected but has not yet fully succumbed.
He has more time than others.
Plaga parasites that accelerate hatching by consuming black water can complete parasitism within a few hours, while improved Plaga parasite eggs can develop into full adults in just three days or even less.