Helena was consumed by incomparable sorrow and pain.
For a fleeting moment, she just wanted to raise her handgun to her own head and depart this world alongside her sister.
After all, her sister Deborah was her only relative in this world. Now that her only family was dead, she felt there was no meaning in continuing to live.
However, when she thought about how her sister Deborah had met such a tragic end because of the bio-virus—infected after being injected by that bastard Simmons—
Helena forcefully suppressed her impulse to die. Even if she wanted to seek death, she had to kill that animal Simmons before she could go.
"Simmons..."
"I won't let you get away with this. Deborah... trust your sister, I will definitely avenge you. That animal Simmons will go to hell sooner or later. Just wait for me..."
Cradling the corpse of her sister Deborah in her arms,
Helena stopped the tears at the corners of her eyes, her gaze filled with hatred.
At this moment, Helena had only one goal in mind: revenge. She wanted to retaliate against that animal Simmons and would use any means necessary to slaughter him personally.
"Helena, please accept my condolences..."
"Also, don't do anything impulsive. I'm sure your sister Deborah wouldn't want you to throw your life away for her."
"If you want revenge and to kill Simmons, we should plan carefully and not act recklessly. After all, our current situation is dire; we are still being hunted as fugitives."
Looking at Helena as she held her sister Deborah's body on the ground, Leon slowly stepped forward to offer comfort.
At the same time, he urged Helena not to be impulsive.
He could understand Helena's urgent desire for revenge at this moment,
but the more it was like this, the less impulsive she could afford to be. If she also fell into Simmons' clutches, it would truly be a loss not worth the gain.
After speaking,
Leon turned his gaze to the surroundings of the basement. This temporary laboratory still had a lot of experimental data that hadn't been moved in time, including research materials regarding the bio-virus.
Through these things, Leon could be certain that what Helena said was true: Simmons, the high-ranking Senior Security Advisor for the US Government, was indeed secretly researching the bio-virus in private.
But certainty was one thing;
these materials didn't explicitly name Simmons as the researcher. To expose Simmons' true face, Leon would need more data.
*Beep beep beep...*
*Beep beep beep...*
"Hello, Leon? Where are you guys? Are you okay? Don't worry, I'm contacting you secretly in private. I'm at home right now, not in the federal government office. Are you two alright?"
At that moment,
the smart communication device in Leon's pocket rang. Checking it, he saw it was a call from his partner Hunnigan. Without hesitation, Leon chose to answer.
Immediately, a holographic projection of his partner Hunnigan appeared.
Hunnigan was currently sitting at the desk in her room, anxiously operating a laptop as she questioned Leon.
Earlier at the U.S. Federal Government, Simmons had personally taken charge of the Federal Secret Service and even ordered the technicians to issue wanted posters for Leon and Helena on the network.
Hunnigan had no choice at the time;
she had to pretend she didn't know Leon and Helena to avoid bringing trouble upon herself. Now that she was off work, Hunnigan finally had the time to secretly contact Leon.
After all,
as Leon's long-time partner, Hunnigan didn't believe for a second that Leon would do something as stupid as assassinating the President. He was clearly being framed.
Hunnigan knew very well that the relationship between Leon and the President was very close;
they weren't just superior and subordinate—the two shared a common goal of eradicating the bio-virus. That being the case, how could Leon be so foolish as to kill his own ally?
Therefore,
once the initial storm had passed,
Hunnigan secretly contacted Leon to ask for the specific reasons. If possible, Hunnigan also wanted to provide Leon with some help.
After all, Hunnigan was also very aware of the Resident Evil outbreak in Tall Oaks City; she was terrified that Leon might be trapped in Tall Oaks City and unable to get out.
"No problems for now,"
"We're still alive. As for Tall Oaks City, we're on the outskirts of the urban area and should be able to leave soon. However, Helena and I discovered the source of the bio-virus outbreak in a cathedral in Tall Oaks City."
"Someone is researching the bio-virus privately, and that person is most likely the Senior Security Advisor, Simmons, who put out the warrant for Helena and me."
"Hunnigan, I hope you can help investigate Simmons' whereabouts in private. Helena and I must find evidence of his bio-virus research to clear our names."
Calmly,
Leon looked at Hunnigan in the holographic projection,
recounting the whole sequence of events in detail. After all, as his partner for many years, Leon could still trust Hunnigan.
"Simmons...?"
"So it was him... No wonder he was so eager to put out a warrant to hunt you and Helena down earlier; he's likely afraid you'll expose his true face."
"But unfortunately, Leon, Simmons isn't in the U.S. right now. He took a flight to the Hong Kong region of China not long ago. He must have some additional objective."
"Do you need me to help you forge news of your deaths? Although it might be discovered, it can help hide your identities for a while so you won't be hunted by other US Government agents, or to avoid some travel restrictions. After all, if I don't forge your deaths, things might be very difficult for you."
Hearing Leon's explanation,
Hunnigan suddenly understood and murmured to herself. She had long felt that the overbearing Simmons was very suspicious, but she hadn't expected it to truly be that middle-aged man's doing.
After all, as a Senior Security Advisor,
how could his reach extend so far? The affairs of the U.S. Federal Secret Service were completely outside his jurisdiction.
But now that she knew the ins and outs of the matter,
Hunnigan understood the reason for Simmons' urgency: he was afraid that Leon and Helena, the two witnesses, were still alive.
"Forge news of our deaths...?"
"Thank you, Hunnigan. Helena and I will head to Hong Kong, China, regardless of what Simmons is doing there."
"There is definitely a conspiracy. In the meantime, if there's anything important, let's contact each other via text messages. I'm afraid a holographic projection might leave evidence that could be traced back to you; it wouldn't be good if I dragged you down."
Finally,
Leon expressed his gratitude for Hunnigan's assistance and, after a few more instructions, ended the communication. The news Hunnigan brought was very timely.
Combined with the forged news of their deaths,
he and Helena could quickly escape the U.S. Federal Government's pursuit.
They could easily board a passenger plane to Hong Kong, China. Once they left the U.S., they would be much safer in another country, at least avoiding the pursuit of certain agents.
...
U.S. BSAA Headquarters—
In front of the bathroom mirror, Chris looked at his weathered face, his thoughts drifting slightly. He hadn't realized he wasn't young anymore; this might be the last time he would carry out such a major mission.
After all, three years had already passed since Albert Wesker's death. How much longer would his career last after this mission? Three years, five years, eight years?
Chris didn't know himself,
but no matter what, he would continue to fight tenaciously against the bio-virus until it was completely eradicated.
"It's time to set out..."
"Finn, I will avenge you guys...!"
Taking out a razor to shave his beard clean, Chris washed his face. Seeing his slightly refreshed self in the mirror, he muttered softly to himself.
According to the intelligence provided by BSAA Headquarters, they had discovered traces of Ada Wong in Lanxiang City, Hong Kong, China.
Coupled with Javier's previous proactive tip about a bio-virus outbreak in Lanxiang City, Chris intended to lead the team personally to investigate. Not only to avenge his fallen brothers but also to prevent this bio-virus outbreak.
*Clang!*
Opening the bathroom door,
Chris saw the BSAA Squad waiting outside in full readiness. It was still a team of seven or eight people, similar in size to the squad during the operation in the Edonia Republic.
But the only thing different this time was,
Chris was not as afraid, and the faces of these squad members showed a look of determination to face death.
This time... they were carrying out the mission with the resolve to die; even if they were wiped out like last time, they would have no complaints.
Of course,
among these squad members standing tall and proud,
there was one exception...
That was Jake, who was sitting on a row of chairs with his legs crossed. He had followed Chris back to the U.S. to collect his payment, after all—a payment of 300,000 U.S. dollars had been deposited into his account.
This put Jake in a very good mood. Especially for this mission to Lanxiang City, Hong Kong, China, Jake had joined again as a Mercenary and received an additional 100,000 U.S. dollars in payment.
At this moment, Jake
was sitting on the chair with his legs crossed, counting his cash. Looking at the franklins one by one, Jake couldn't help but marvel that working for the Americans really paid well.
When he was a Mercenary in the Edonia Republic, he only made about 40,000 to 50,000 U.S. dollars per job at most, due to the exchange rate difference.
But the Americans just threw 100,000 U.S. dollars at him, which made Jake very satisfied.
He had even decided whether he should just stay and risk his life for the BSAA; since he was risking his life anyway and the pay here was so high, it was hard for Jake to refuse.
"Good morning, Captain Chris."
Having received his payment,
Jake joked with Chris without any restraint. Since he had become a Mercenary for the BSAA,
it was only natural to fulfill his role as a teammate. Calling Chris, the squad leader, 'Captain' didn't seem to be a problem.
However,
if Wesker, who was in the afterlife,
knew that his son was actually working with his arch-enemy Chris, who knows if he would be so angry he'd jump out of the sea? It was simply too melodramatic.
But to be honest,
Jake's impression of this middle-aged man, Chris, was actually quite good. Although he had been an alcoholic for a while,
Jake could see that
Chris's guilt over the total annihilation of the BSAA Squad Members was too deep. Other than that, Chris was an extremely responsible man who cared for his subordinates and protected every member like family.
Based on this alone,
Jake felt that Chris was at least much stronger than his cheap old dad who abandoned his wife and child. After all, in all his years growing up, he hadn't seen his biological father Wesker even once.
It was truly tragic.
When people called him a bastard, they weren't exactly wrong; after all, not seeing his father once since childhood was indeed a bit hard to justify.
Of course,
if Jake suddenly found out that Chris was the one who actually killed his father Wesker—his true father-killing enemy—
one wondered how Jake would react. Should he hate Chris, or should he thank Chris?
"Get ready, it's time to move out."
"Also, this mission is not simple and is still full of danger. I hope you all stay alert. I don't want a repeat of what happened in the Edonia Republic."
"By the way, Jake, thank you for knocking some sense into me. Also... seriously consider what I said before. Joining the BSAA is much better than being a Mercenary out there."
"You and Piers are both young men I think very highly of. If you can join the BSAA, then I can rest easy about the future."
Looking at the squad members standing straight and waiting for orders, Chris didn't hesitate and immediately announced the start of the mission.
They needed to take a transport plane to Hong Kong, China.
As for the issue of border interception, they didn't need to worry. The BSAA is an international organization; as long as they provide advance notice, they won't be intercepted while crossing borders.