Chapter 102: The Tofu Survivor
The air in the sewers grew increasingly murky. In addition to the permanent stench, there was now a faint scent of blood. Chloe suddenly stopped and raised her hand, signaling Claire to be silent.
"There's something ahead," she whispered, her left eye glowing slightly red as her virus-enhanced vision pierced through the darkness.
The two of them rounded the corner cautiously, and the sight before them made Claire gasp. Two bodies clad in black tactical gear lay sprawled on the ground, their chests and throats torn open with massive gashes, and black blood soaked the floor.
Their equipment was scattered everywhere—assault rifles, communication headsets, and armbands bearing the Umbrella Corporation's umbrella logo.
"Who are these people?" Claire frowned; she had never seen this type of gear before.
"USS, the Umbrella Corporation's hounds." Chloe's voice was as cold as ice as she kicked the helmet of one of the corpses. "The fuse that lit this entire disaster."
"What do you mean?" Claire pressed.
"Their mission was to recover the G-Virus, but they botched it." Chloe recognized this as Hunk's Alpha Team. "Only one member of the team is left. The virus leaked when they failed, and the entirety of Raccoon City was buried with them."
Claire fell silent. She looked at the cold corpses on the ground, her heart filled with a mix of emotions. These people were also Umbrella's pawns, just like the dead civilians and test subjects, ultimately becoming sacrifices to the company's ambition.
Chloe said no more and turned to continue forward. She didn't notice that in the shadows of the pipes not far behind them, a person-sized white block of Tofu was standing quietly.
It wore a small blue beret on its head, its square body remaining motionless. Only its two black-bean-like eyes stared fixedly at Chloe's back. After a few seconds, it silently followed, its footsteps so light that even Chloe's viral senses didn't detect it.
After walking for about another ten minutes, light finally appeared ahead. Chloe pushed the door open and stepped inside first.
This was the waste disposal area on the periphery of NEST. The massive conveyor belts had long since stopped running, and mountains of medical waste and experimental remains emitted a pungent smell of disinfectant. The air was thick with the scent of the G-Virus, more than ten times more concentrated than in the sewers.
Chloe's brow furrowed deeply. She could clearly sense that Sherry's life signal was in the trash pile below, and it was weakening rapidly.
"Over there." She pointed to the control room on the second floor. "Let's go up and check first."
The two climbed the rusted iron ladder to the second floor. The glass of the control room was covered in cracks, and most of the consoles inside were damaged. Voices came from the nearby observation window. They looked over and saw a small figure curled up in the middle of the trash pile; it was Sherry.
She was hugging her knees, trembling all over, and speaking softly to the monitor above her.
"Sherry... I told you, I can't leave until the work is finished." Annette Birkin's voice came from the monitor, carrying a hint of exhaustion and reproach.
"You say that every time..." Sherry's voice was tearful and filled with grievance. "I'm so scared. There are monsters everywhere, and crawling bugs..."
"Why didn't you stay in the house? It was clearly safe there." Annette Birkin's tone became stern.
"I called, but no one answered, and you didn't pick up either..." Sherry's shoulders shook violently. "All the police are gone, and there are people biting others everywhere on the streets... Mom, I'm so scared..."
"Now is not the time for this!" Annette Birkin interrupted her sharply. "Stay where you are and don't move, I—"
Before she could finish, Sherry's vision suddenly went dark, and she collapsed softly onto the ground.
"Sherry!" Claire cried out, rushing to the glass. "Oh no, no... Sherry! Wait for me!"
"Move aside." Chloe pulled Claire away, clenched her fist, and smashed it hard against the reinforced glass.
"Bang!"
With a loud crash, the cracked glass shattered instantly, shards flying everywhere. Chloe grabbed Claire and leaped down from the second floor, landing steadily on the trash pile.
Claire broke free from Chloe's grasp and scrambled to Sherry's side, picking her up. Sherry's face was as pale as paper, her lips were purple, her breathing was weak, and her body was terrifyingly hot.
"Sherry, are you okay? Sherry!" Claire gently patted her cheek, her voice full of anxiety.
Sherry opened her eyes blearily and looked at Claire, coughing incessantly, unable to say a word.
"What are you doing there?" Annette Birkin's voice suddenly came from the nearby speaker, filled with panic and anger. "Who told you to touch her!"
"We're here to help!" Claire shouted up at the speaker. "She's dying! You're her mother, how could you leave her here alone!"
"It's no use..." Annette Birkin's voice suddenly became desperate and tearful. "Sherry has already been implanted with a G-Embryo... she's beyond saving."
"Are you joking!" Claire was shaking with rage. "You're her mother! How can you say something like that!"
"You researched me for years, and yet the G-Virus hasn't improved at all?" Chloe suddenly spoke, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "What a waste, considering Sherry is your own flesh and blood, yet you can't even produce a decent cure."
The speaker suddenly went silent. After a few seconds, Annette Birkin's tearful voice came again: "You don't understand... William is still alive, he's turned into a monster. If I don't stop him, the whole world will... wait! Wait a minute..."
Her voice stopped abruptly, as if she had remembered something.
"The S01 Inhibitor... yes! I still have the S01 Inhibitor! The prototype G-Virus S01 Inhibitor is in my lab!" Hope was rekindled in Annette Birkin's voice. "It's not far from here. Bring Sherry to me, I can save her!"
Claire was overjoyed and quickly held Sherry tighter. "Okay! We're coming right now!"
"Sherry... Mommy loves you, baby..." Annette Birkin's voice carried deep guilt and remorse. "Goodbye."
A burst of static came from the speaker, and then it went completely silent.
"Time is short, let's go." Chloe said, her gaze falling on Sherry's slightly bulging abdomen. There, the G-Embryo was developing rapidly, greedily devouring Sherry's life force.
Claire nodded and carefully picked up Sherry. "Sherry, don't worry, I'll find a way to help you, okay? We'll see your mom very soon."
Sherry nodded weakly, leaned into Claire's arms, and closed her eyes.
Chloe looked at Sherry's pale little face and felt a pang of pain in her heart. She remembered herself as a child, lying just as helplessly on an experimental table, letting those people in white coats draw her blood, inject her, and torture her. No one would come to save her; no one cared if she lived or died.
She took a deep breath, reached out, and gently pressed her hand against Sherry's stomach. The G-Virus inside her began to flow slowly, emitting a faint pheromone. This was an ability she had just awakened, capable of temporarily suppressing the growth of its own kind. But doing so would make the G-Virus in her own body even more unstable, potentially causing it to go berserk again at any moment.
Chloe gritted her teeth and did not withdraw her hand. She could feel the frequency of the G-Embryo's agitation in Sherry's body slowing down, and her breathing became steadier.
"Let's go." She withdrew her hand, her face expressionless, and led the way deep into the passage.
Claire held Sherry and followed quickly. She didn't see that Chloe's right eye had quietly turned blood-red.
And in the trash pile behind them, that white block of Tofu wearing a beret poked its head out from behind a pile of medical waste. It looked at Chloe's back, then at the glass shards on the ground, and followed them with a waddle.
Deep in the passage, a low roar echoed. G2 William's presence was drawing closer and closer.
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