The vicinity was already a hellscape; one could even spot several Raging Zombies with crimson skin and sharp claws among the piles of zombies, some of which had undergone secondary mutations.
Several Lickers were crawling on buildings, following sounds to hunt. These naturally evolved Lickers had a fast metabolism, which kept them perpetually hungry, causing them to constantly seek prey.
"Attention all residents! Those hearing this broadcast, please evacuate to the temporary substation on Lantali Street. The police will be sweeping the area for rioters!" An agent was calling out with a megaphone from the street below.
However, not long after the sound began, the zombies had already started breaking through the streets and spreading outwards. Locked houses were temporarily inaccessible, but the zombies could wander aimlessly on the streets.
"No, there's no way forward. We need to find a new path, we'll have to go by ground," Kevin said, looking at the end of the road ahead. Any further and they would have to jump.
"There's a tanker truck below. Perhaps we can open the tank and create a zombie bonfire to temporarily slow their advance," Jill said, looking at the tanker truck below.
"That's the only way. This is going to be a tough fight!" Captain Enrico said, looking at the wandering zombies below.
Kevin went to the exterior metal staircase, a common type of staircase in residential buildings, built outside the house, allowing free movement up and down, and very useful for escape. "Hey, buddy, open the tanker truck. I'm Kevin, captain of the elite special forces. We need to get to Annadale Street. Open the tank, and we'll use fire to block those zombies."
The police officer below, hearing Kevin, who was of a higher rank, call out, dared not delay. He immediately jogged to the tanker truck to drain the oil, then got into his patrol car, ready to provide backup for Kevin and the others.
Chapter 191: Zombie Barbecue
The valve of the tanker truck was opened, and a large amount of dark petroleum began to spill onto the ground. A tanker truck full of petroleum, with all its oil spilling onto the street, could cover most of the street, though a good deal of it had already flowed into the sewers.
Eddie took out his Samurai Edge, aiming at the oil on the ground. A large number of zombies were already wading through the oil, completely unaware of how dangerous it was. "Goodbye, monsters!"
Bang! A bullet flew from the barrel of the Samurai Edge, carrying sparks as it shot down from the tall building, still lethal within fifty meters.
The bullet struck the ground, and the impact created a tiny spark. In an environment with a large amount of petroleum, even a small spark could cause a devastating disaster.
An entire street, nearly thirty meters long, was engulfed in flames. The zombies caught in it were instantly incinerated, turning into ashes. Some flames had already spread down the sewers, burning away some gigantic cockroaches crawling inside; even a touch of petroleum would cause them to be engulfed in flames.
"This is truly spectacular!" Jill said, looking at the flames below. From this moment, she knew Raccoon City was doomed, beyond saving. Although she didn't understand how it happened, she hadn't become one of them thanks to the vaccine.
Without the vaccine given by Eddie, even the protagonists would die. The spreading zombies wouldn't know who the protagonist was; they would bite anyone they saw, and biting was the right thing to do!
"So many have died this time. When I get back, I must research a vaccine that can cure those who have turned into zombies!" Rebecca clenched her fists, a flicker of determination in her beautiful eyes.
"It's difficult. Even if they're cured, they probably won't remember who they are. Their brains are too severely corroded; it's almost certainly hopeless. Besides, you still have to face a problem: what if those guys don't want to face the fact that they were once zombies and ate human flesh?" Eddie threw out a barrage of questions.
This disheartened Rebecca a bit. If anyone else had tried to dissuade her, she might not have listened, but with Eddie, she had to.
"Alright, don't discourage Rebecca. This kind of situation might happen again in the future, and being prepared is useful. At least we can contribute our meager efforts to these disasters in our familiar fields!" Jill glared at her husband, signaling him not to dampen Rebecca's enthusiasm.
"Haha, I was just kidding. If you have the ability, anything you do is fine, it doesn't matter," Eddie chuckled. Let alone research, by then, just taking care of children would probably already frustrate Rebecca.
"We're going to Annadale Street. Do you want to come along?" Kevin asked.
"You go ahead. We'll catch up later. Enrico, Dury, you two go with them too. There's enough room in the car. We'll find a car and meet up with you later," Eddie nodded.
"Alright, then we'll go first." Enrico didn't refuse either. It wasn't very convenient for the other party to bring several women, and Annadale Street was no fun. It was already the district with the largest concentration of zombies; they had to be blown up with explosives, otherwise such a large number of zombies would be no joke.
After Kevin and Leon and the others left, Eddie continued to observe below. He noticed many Umbrella observers recording the event, documenting how large-scale zombie outbreaks reacted, their combat capabilities, and so on.
Among them was a familiar figure, Nikolai! A mercenary who would stop at nothing for money. As a disbanded Tsarist soldier, he was unemployed and had no one to pledge allegiance to; besides money, there was no one else he could trust.
"What should we do now?" Jill didn't have a good plan and could only ask her husband.
"Go back to the apartment, back to our home. At the same time, I need to arrange for you all to leave. Before the situation gets worse, you must leave. It's too dangerous here," Eddie said.
"What about you?" Cindy's beautiful eyes were filled with worry.
"Of course I'll leave too, but after you. I'll cover your retreat. I'll never leave before my women," Eddie's eyes were incredibly firm. This was his bottom line as a man; how could he let women create an escape opportunity for him?
"Why don't we leave together? It's really dangerous here. Are you worried about Umbrella's pursuit?" Jill asked.
"No, I just have some things to deal with, to give my enemies a big gift," Eddie shook his head.
"Alright, then you need to be careful. Shall we go home now?" Jill felt a little sorry for her man. He carried too many responsibilities and endured too much. At his age, he shouldn't have such great pressure, and he was also the father of the child in her belly.
"Hmm, but before that, we need to go to Annadale Street to help those agents. Only when the whole world recognizes the dangers of biological weapons will they unite to resist them, and that path is still very long. Let's go, ladies, we'll find a car, and then I'll show you an old driver's skills," Eddie teased.
The four slowly descended from the rooftop via the stairs. Meanwhile, in a high-level Umbrella meeting, they were still discussing how to deal with this biohazard incident, which had undoubtedly spiraled out of control. The root cause was Marcus's attack on the Mansion and the Executive Training Center.
"Raccoon City is beyond saving; it must be purged!" Daniel declared at the meeting. If Alex hadn't been uninterested in such meetings, it wouldn't have been his turn. Spencer, too, remained behind the scenes, not participating in this meeting.
"This will damage the company's reputation!" an affiliated member of Tricell shouted. Despite knowing these things, he couldn't get the research data to his superiors, which was undoubtedly a failure.
"The federal military has already started to act. They've sent people to take over the company's assets. Can you tolerate that? Haha, everyone here wants to make money, and now the only way is to eliminate any evidence detrimental to the company, then turn Raccoon City into an experimental site," Daniel said, full of vigor.
"Are you truly a madman? If discovered, the company will be implicated, and we will be implicated too!" an old board member said. He only wanted to make money, not get involved in other fancy things.
Chapter 192: Excella's Urgent Plea for Help
"Madman? I'm afraid everyone present is also a madman. Only by becoming a madman can one become a high-ranking director of Umbrella. This Raccoon City incident is an opportunity. I have already contacted many buyers, all regional warlords with endless oil and money. As long as we obtain relevant data from Raccoon City and improve upon it, we can quickly rise again!" Daniel's eyes glowed with fanaticism.
These words indeed swayed the other directors; it would be foolish not to make money!
"Alright, then let's quickly approve the biological weapon testing plan. We don't have much time. If the federal government deems it uncontrollable, they might take extreme measures!" said the Tricell spy.
Spencer, in Raccoon City, sat in his wheelchair. He could clearly see the fires in the north; this was the beginning of Raccoon City's doomsday!
"Master, the board has approved the weapon testing plan," Patrick, the butler, said respectfully. He had no scientific research ability, but his loyalty was paramount, and he managed the house impeccably.
"Hmm, have Sergei execute the testing plan. I will evacuate Raccoon City with him at the last moment. Tell him to work hard; I trust him very much," Spencer mused for a moment, even uttering the word "trust."
After William and Wesker defected, Spencer reflected on many aspects of himself. Although it was manipulation, how to make subordinates wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to him was a question that needed consideration.
"Yes, Master, I will explain the situation to Colonel Sergei. Do you have any other instructions?" Patrick maintained a respectful demeanor, like an English gentleman.
"How is Alex's research progressing? I heard she went to the Antarctic Research Facility? Wasn't that abandoned?" Spencer asked, puzzled.
"Miss Alex said the Veronica Virus was very helpful for her research. She decided to go personally and is currently engaged in research. To ensure infallibility, she needs to conduct continuous tests on your clones. It is said it will be completed in just a few months; science leaves no room for carelessness," the butler delivered good news.
"Very good. Pass the word down, I want seafood today. Open a bottle of red wine to celebrate. That's all for now, you may go," Spencer instructed.
"As you wish, Master." Patrick slowly retreated a meter, then turned and left, his etiquette impeccable.
"Immortality! Hmph, Wesker, did you think I couldn't manage without you? Unfortunately, your talent in scientific research is inferior to Alex's, which is a pity. Fortunately, I still have Alex; How childish is truly obedient and well-behaved. I will eventually become the god of this world, ruling over a new humanity!" Spencer sneered.
At the Umbrella research branch in San Francisco, improvements to technology were constantly being researched. Today, the branch staff had just completed the final genetic modification work. The 'Nemesis' project had succeeded, and it was time to test its effectiveness.
Although this Tyrant, named Nemesis, was very expensive to produce, it still received strong support from Sergei. This plan was very beneficial for him to collect further data to improve the Talos Project.
Nemesis was placed in a cryogenic container, and workers carefully pushed the box onto a helicopter, escorted by Umbrella special forces. The destination was Raccoon City, where the crisis had already begun, to execute orders and test its effectiveness.
As Nemesis was loaded onto the plane, six other large canisters were also transported to the rooftop. These canisters were enormous, seemingly containing something unspeakable.
"The cargo has been loaded. It can be transported now," the branch manager said to the special forces captain responsible for the transport.