"You're talking about Sergei, right? He really doesn't like you." Eddie nodded, one hand on his modified gun, ready for any sudden situation.
"This mission is very sudden. I didn't even receive orders. Was it your suggestion?" Wesker frowned. He disliked when events exceeded his expectations.
"That's right, that place is indeed very suspicious. Also, if you get a chance, collect any materials from there; they'll be very helpful for research. And if you sell the combat data, remember to give me a copy," Eddie said nonchalantly.
"Why do you say that?" Wesker was surprised.
"Do you still remember the Atlantic Ocean Research Branch? What was the name of the person in charge of that branch?" Eddie tapped his head, deep in thought.
"Morpheus Duval. Is there a problem with him?" Wesker turned and asked, no longer posing with his back to Eddie.
"He was fired for selling company secrets. Even someone of his caliber couldn't resist the lure of money. Who's to say you won't? I'm not very interested in your messy affairs. In short, if things are good for you and good for me, then they're good for everyone. If you try to scheme against me, don't blame me for being impolite," Eddie stated his bottom line.
"I'm not interested in you either. Let's not block each other's paths." Wesker nodded. Conversations between smart people are always direct.
On the other side, Svetlana had already packed her things, changing from a classic urban lady's business suit to a special forces combat uniform. She also tied her hair up, looking heroic and valiant, just like Wolf Mom Lupo of Delta Team.
Alyssa, the freelance reporter, also arrived at the departure point, specifically changing into sportswear and sneakers, carrying her camera and pen.
After finishing his conversation with Wesker, Eddie returned to his dormitory and pulled out four pairs of special infrared goggles. These infrared goggles could detect any living creature with heat.
Whether it was Zombie Dogs or zombies, as long as an object moved, it would emit heat. On infrared night vision, they could be clearly seen. In the wilderness at night, using these goggles could prevent most biological weapons from ambushing them.
The deployment of the Tactical Force could not be hidden from interested parties. Both Ada and Sienna, the Echo Six Team scout reconnoitering Raccoon City, felt that something was definitely going to happen.
Chief Brian had previously suppressed the cases in the Arklay Mountains, preventing police officers from entering, especially forbidding the Tactical Force from deploying, which made people very suspicious.
Chapter 34: The Nervous Recruit Eddie!
Ada considered following them to see, but then she thought about the zombies and strange biological monsters, and how fighting at night would be extremely disadvantageous.
Dismissing the idea of following, Ada turned and walked away in her wine-red ten-centimeter high heels. She planned to buy bullets for practice at a weapon store. Before obtaining the G-Virus, she would continue to improve her combat effectiveness. If there were any problems, she could always ask Eddie.
"Caroline, let's go with them," Sienna also made a decision, simultaneously taking out her specialized sniper rifle. Her spy's sixth sense told her that something was very wrong here.
Caroline, who had Native American blood, carried a dagger with her. Her eyes were firm and bright, possessing the fierce aura of an Amazonian warrior from mythical stories. "Then let's go. These damn things are too annoying."
Caroline's fierce aura, coupled with her darker Native American complexion, gave her a unique charm. In Raccoon City, she often encountered men trying to pick her up, which she found incredibly annoying. Those weak men simply couldn't catch her eye.
This was very similar to Sienna. Sienna's standards were young, handsome, and responsible enough, and of course, power and money were indispensable.
Every woman's pursuits are different, and their criteria for choosing a partner are naturally also different. Whether it was Sienna or Caroline, both served in the Echo Six Team, and their commonality was their incredibly high standards.
At the Raccoon City S.T.A.R.S. base, Eddie distributed his infrared goggles to Svetlana, Jill, and Rebecca.
"What are these, Eddie?" Rebecca curiously examined the goggles.
Svetlana and Jill were equally curious, especially Jill. As Eddie's girlfriend who spent every day with him, she didn't even know that her boyfriend also had outstanding talent in mechanics.
"Infrared goggles. They're especially useful at night. When you wear them, you'll see red dots appear. These are all moving creatures, which means they're enemies!" Eddie explained.
Svetlana, as a special forces instructor, quickly identified a sharp problem: "What if the enemies we see are teammates or civilians?"
"Good question. The human appearance can be discerned, and infrared can clearly show basic features. This is just an initial version; I will improve it later. This is just a test, so if you encounter any problems, please give me feedback," Eddie explained.
"So you're using us as guinea pigs?" Rebecca teased, her beautiful eyes full of laughter.
"Rebecca!" Jill chided, not wanting her boyfriend to be stumped by a question.
"Hehe, I'm just kidding, Jill, you actually fell for it. This invention is great, at least I haven't seen anything that can be used without electricity," Rebecca laughed.
"Alright, let's get used to them. We're about to depart. Jill, be careful later," Eddie handed her a pager.
Jill nodded, put on the pager, and connected her stable Bluetooth headset. "I know, you be careful too." After speaking, she gave him the kind of blessing a beautiful woman would give a hero!
"She's very strong, stronger than you. If she goes through real combat, after a few battles, she'll become an excellent warrior," Svetlana suddenly commented. She was very accurate in her judgment of people.
"Alright, we should go assemble. The Arklay Mountains are very dangerous. The intelligence I received states there are some strange creatures there, so we'd best be fully prepared. Also, if they are not related to us, don't save anyone," Eddie suddenly said in a low voice.
"Don't save people? How can that be!" Rebecca chided, seemingly a little displeased with Eddie's approach.
Only Svetlana lowered her head thoughtfully after hearing this. This man could become her good friend Alex's boyfriend, so he certainly wouldn't be a freeloader. In the mountains outside the city, there must be some unspeakable secret hidden!
The group boarded a helicopter. The pilot was Kevin Dury, an experienced pilot with a standard flight license.
Bravo Team originally had six combat members. With Eddie, Svetlana, and the freelance reporter Alyssa, the total reached nine. Fortunately, the helicopter was large enough to fit several more people.
"Don't be nervous on your first mission. There's nothing to be afraid of. Face it with a calm mind. This time, everyone prepare your bullets. Chief Brian has instructed that if you encounter criminals and the situation becomes uncontrollable, you may use firearms," Uncle Enrico, the team leader, encouraged them on the helicopter.
Eddie listened quietly, occasionally looking out the window. The helicopter had flown out of the city, crossed the vital Doma River, and began to enter the Arklay Mountains.
Lush forests, crows cawing at night—all signs sent shivers down one's spine. What awaited the S.T.A.R.S. here: glory or hell?
Svetlana suddenly felt her hand being grabbed. She turned to see Eddie taking deep breaths, holding a standard tactical submachine gun in his hand.
She suddenly found it a little funny that this man, who always seemed to have everything under control, was actually nervous! She could even feel his trembling. "Want a piece?"
Eddie looked at the bubblegum Svetlana offered and nodded, "Thanks."
"You're welcome. This is how a normal person would react," Svetlana shook her head. This was more like a normal person.
It was precisely because Eddie knew how terrifying those biological weapons were that he felt scared. The phrase "ignorance is bliss" did not apply to him. He also hadn't received professional biological weapon training like Umbrella's special forces. Regarding those terrifying monsters infected with the T-Virus, he only knew their names; this was truly his first time encountering them in actual combat.
This was different from when he saved Ada. That time, it was just two simple Zombie Dogs, and he ran after fighting them. This time was a positional battle, and who knew how long they would have to search? Just thinking about that eerie, enclosed environment made him get goosebumps.
"We've arrived. Preparing to land. Everyone, pay attention," the pilot Kevin Dury shouted.
It only took half an hour from the city to the suburban sanatorium, and that was by helicopter. If they had walked, it would have taken at least five or six hours.
As soon as he got off the helicopter, Eddie nervously put on his infrared night vision goggles, opened the safety on his firearm, and constantly scanned his surroundings, wanting to confirm whether there were any biological monsters infected with the T-Virus nearby.
.
Chapter 35: Wesker and Eddie Acting!
"Hey, Eddie, don't be so nervous, relax a little!" Joseph, the vehicle mechanic, laughed heartily, taking the lead in exploring.
"Wait, what's this?" Joseph suddenly saw something, squatted down, and picked up a wooden stick. At the end of the stick was a severed hand, still gripping the stick tightly, as if it had experienced immense fear before death.
Everyone was startled. Such a bizarre scene made the group, who had just disembarked, feel incredibly oppressed. This mission would not be easy.
Wesker, who was behind, also frowned. Such a large-scale serum leak, unless the Arklay Mountains were completely cleared, absolutely could not be stopped from spreading.
To clear the endless Arklay Mountains would require missiles; otherwise, manual clearing would take four to five years, and that was a conservative estimate.