Chapter 105: The Pawn Virus

The pungent smell of disinfectant mixed with the odors of rust and decay suddenly assaulted Leon's nostrils.

He opened his eyes; the emergency light overhead flickered, emitting a buzzing electrical sound. A dull pain came from his shoulder, and he instinctively reached up to touch it, feeling a neatly wrapped bandage. The fabric had already been stained a deep brown by seeping blood.

"Ada?"

Leon blurted out the name, his voice raspy from just waking up. He propped himself up from the ground and looked around; Ada was nowhere to be seen.

"Dammit!"

Leon stood up abruptly, and the wound on his shoulder flared with a sharp pain, but he didn't care.

"Ada?! Where are you?"

Leon shouted deep into the corridor, his voice echoing through the empty passage, met only by the sound of dripping water and the faint, distant roars of monsters.

He gritted his teeth and gripped the handgun at his waist. He couldn't leave her behind—absolutely not. From the moment he met that mysterious woman in the underground parking garage, fate had tied them together.

Leon advanced cautiously along the corridor, the walls lined with bullet holes and dried bloodstains. He remained alert at all times, his finger always on the trigger, but he encountered no danger along the way, as if all the monsters had been drawn elsewhere.

Unwittingly, Leon reached the waste disposal area on the outskirts of the NEST. He climbed the ladder into the control room, where the first thing he saw was a massive observation window. The glass was shattered, and outside was a bottomless disposal pool where various discarded metal parts and experimental waste were piled, emitting a nauseating stench.

Then, he saw Ada. She lay quietly on a concrete platform at the bottom of the pool, her red qipao particularly striking in the gloomy environment. Her hair was scattered across her face, and she was motionless, appearing to have lost consciousness.

"Ada!"

Leon's heart tightened instantly. He walked to the observation window and shouted forcefully, "Ada! Wake up! Can you hear me?"

There was no response.

Leon looked around anxiously for a way down. His gaze fell back on the hole in the shattered observation window. He stepped back a few paces, gauging the height.

Jumping from here was at least six or seven meters, and the bottom was full of sharp metal fragments; any mistake would result in a serious injury. But looking at the motionless figure at the bottom of the pool, he didn't hesitate for a second.

He took a deep breath, ran, and jumped. Leon used his momentum to leap down, adjusting his posture in mid-air to ensure his feet landed first.

The massive impact of landing made his knees go numb, and the wound on his shoulder reopened, blood instantly soaking the bandage. He staggered a few steps, steadied himself, and immediately ran toward Ada.

"Ada! Ada, wake up!"

Leon knelt beside her and gently patted her cheek. Ada's eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was somewhat vacant, taking a few seconds to focus on Leon's face.

"You had me worried for a second," Leon said with a sigh of relief, his voice carrying an unmistakable lingering fear.

Ada opened her mouth, about to say something, when she suddenly gasped, a look of pain appearing on her face. Leon followed her gaze, and his heart skipped a beat.

A thick, long piece of rebar had pierced through the outside of her left leg, its other end driven deep into the concrete, pinning her firmly to the platform. Dark red blood had already formed a pool beneath her.

"I can't pull it out," Ada's voice was calm, as if she wasn't the one injured, but Leon could see the cold sweat on her forehead.

Leon reached out to grab the rebar, then suddenly pulled back. Looking at Ada's pale face, he hesitated. "I'm not sure if I should... this might cause secondary damage."

"Just do it," Ada interrupted him, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "I can't walk like this."

Leon gritted his teeth and nodded. "Alright, but this might hurt a bit. Bear with me."

He gripped one end of the rebar tightly with both hands, took a deep breath, and pulled forcefully.

"Ugh—"

Ada let out a suppressed groan of pain, her nails digging deep into her palms. Leon didn't dare pause, pulling the rebar out of her leg in one go.

Blood immediately gushed out. Leon quickly took a first-aid kit from his backpack, tore open a packet of rubbing alcohol, and poured it onto a gauze pad.

"I can do it myself." Ada reached out to take the gauze.

"Just... relax, okay?" Leon gently pressed her hand down, his tone gentle yet firm. "Trust me."

Ada looked into his earnest eyes, remained silent for a few seconds, and finally let go. Leon cautiously cleaned the blood around the wound with the sterile gauze, his movements as gentle as possible.

Ada bit her lip and didn't make another sound, though her body occasionally trembled uncontrollably.

After finishing the bandaging, Leon stuffed the remaining gauze back into the kit and looked up to ask, "So, what do we do now?"

"You should leave here immediately," Ada said without hesitation. "While you still can."

"I can't just leave you behind, especially since you're injured," Leon frowned.

"You don't understand the situation," Ada shook her head, her gaze becoming serious. "Things are much worse than I thought."

Leon looked at her and suddenly smiled. "Getting rid of me won't be that easy... You protected me, and now it's my turn to protect you."

Ada was stunned for a moment by the bright smile on his face, then sighed helplessly. "I never realized you were so stubborn about keeping score."

Leon reached out and pulled Ada up. He wanted to drape her arm over his shoulder to help her walk, but Ada slapped his hand away.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Rookie," Ada glared at him. Though her face was still pale, there was a hint of a smile in her eyes. "I haven't reached the point where I need to be carried."

Leon held up his hands innocently. "Alright, I was just trying to help."

Ada didn't say anything more and limped toward the exit. Leon followed closely behind her, keeping a constant watch on their surroundings, ready to react to any sudden situation.

"You want to help, right?" After a few steps, Ada suddenly spoke. "Then we must go to the NEST."

"The NEST?" Leon asked, puzzled.

"The Umbrella Corporation's core laboratory is right beneath us," Ada explained. "The original sample of the G-Virus is there. Are you coming?"

Leon looked at her back and gave a determined smile. "Of course."

The two passed through a long tunnel and arrived at a cable car station. At the end of the platform was a bottomless abyss, with the cable car tracks extending down the cliff face and disappearing into the darkness. But the tracks were empty; the cable car had clearly already been taken.

"Dammit," Leon cursed under his breath.

Ada, however, appeared very calm. She pulled a black identification wristband from her pocket, walked to the console, and tapped the wristband against the reader. The reader emitted a soft beep, and the screen lit up with a green light.

"I got it from a researcher," Ada explained while operating the console. "It should be able to dispatch a backup cable car."

Just then, a deafening roar echoed from deep within the tunnel. The ground began to shake violently, and debris fell from the ceiling.

Leon immediately raised his Shotgun and looked warily toward the tunnel entrance. "What is that?"

Ada's expression instantly turned solemn.

A massive figure suddenly smashed through the tunnel wall and jumped out. It was William Birkin, who had already mutated into his g2 form.

"My god," Leon couldn't help but gasp.

Without a second's hesitation, he shielded Ada behind him and pulled the trigger on William. The roar of the Shotgun echoed through the empty station as the pellets hit William's body, splashing green blood.

Enraged, William let out a furious roar and lunged at Leon.

Leon grabbed Ada and turned to run, and the two dashed onto a nearby platform piled with shipping containers. William followed closely, a swipe of his massive claws slicing a nearby iron barrel in two.

"Go over there!" Leon shouted to Ada. "I'll draw his attention!"

Ada nodded and immediately ran toward the crane control console at the other end of the platform.

Leon turned and continued firing at William. He darted between the containers, using the terrain to evade William's attacks. William was fast and possessed incredible strength, each claw swipe leaving deep gashes in the metal containers.

Leon reloaded as he ran. He knew ordinary bullets did limited damage to William; he had to find a weakness. He noticed a massive eyeball on William's right shoulder—that had to be the core of the G-Virus.

Leon seized an opportunity, spun around, and fired two consecutive shots at William's shoulder.

"Roar—!"

William let out a painful roar, his body staggering. But he quickly recovered and lunged at Leon even more frantically.

Just then, Ada's voice came: "Leon! Get out of the way!"

Leon immediately rolled to the side. A massive boom followed as a giant shipping container fell from above, slamming hard into William. The immense force sent William flying off the edge of the platform, plummeting into the endless darkness below.

Leon breathed a sigh of relief and slumped onto the ground, gasping for air. He looked at Ada and gave a grateful smile. "Thanks."

Ada leaned against the control console, breathing slightly hard, a trace of a smile appearing on her face. "We're even."

Just then, the whistle of a cable car came from the distance. A cable car slowly pulled into the station and stopped before them. The door opened with a hiss of air.

Ada was the first to step into the cable car, and Leon followed. As the doors slowly closed, Ada turned to look at Leon, her expression becoming serious. "There might be no coming back this time, Leon. Are you sure you want to go?"

Leon didn't say a word; he simply reached out and firmly pressed the start button.

The cable car started slowly, traveling along the tracks toward the depths of the NEST. It was pitch black outside the windows, with only the occasional flash of emergency lights illuminating the moss on the rock walls.

Leon leaned against the car wall, looking at the darkness outside, and said softly, "Do you know what I was just thinking? I can't wait to see the FBI raid the Umbrella Corporation's headquarters and bring those bastards to justice. They've killed so many people; they have to pay."

Ada was silent for a few seconds before saying, "I agree... but I have to make it clear, you don't have enough clearance. This is a federal case. Once I have the G-Virus, I will continue to act alone."

Leon's face darkened instantly. He turned to look at Ada, his voice filled with unmistakable disappointment and anger. "So in the end, I'm just your tool?"

"Leon..." Ada's voice softened.

Leon walked up to her angrily, looking directly into her eyes. "Then do you trust me?"

Ada looked into his angry eyes and sighed softly. "To be honest, if I didn't trust you, you'd probably be dead by now. Listen, Leon, the Umbrella Corporation's power is much greater than you imagine. If the G-Virus falls into their hands, there will be more tragedies like Raccoon City. If you can get your hands on the G-Virus, I promise, nothing like this will ever happen again."

Leon's emotions calmed down slightly. He sat down beside Ada, his head lowered, his voice low. "Ada, you just said yourself, this is a federal case..."

"Leon, look at me!" Ada interrupted him, reaching out to cup his face so he would look at her. "In my current state, I'll only be a hindrance. You are my last hope to complete this mission."

Leon looked into Ada's eyes, seeing a sincerity and tenderness he had never seen before. His heart couldn't help but race, and his face felt slightly warm. He looked down sheepishly. "I can't just leave you here. What if you're attacked, or if you need help..."

Before he could finish, Ada suddenly leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth.

Leon was instantly stunned, his mind going blank. He could feel Ada's soft lips and the faint scent of her perfume. He responded clumsily, reaching out to gently hold her waist.

The kiss was brief, yet it felt as if a century had passed.

Ada gently pushed him away, resting her hand on his chest, her gaze so tender it could melt. "I'll be fine, don't worry about me. I have to resolve this, and... I want to see you again."

Leon opened his mouth, wanting to say more. Just then, the intercom in the car crackled to life, a cold electronic voice echoing in the small space: "Approaching the NEST. Please prepare to disembark."

Ada tidied her hair and said to Leon, "Go. We don't have much time left."

Leon looked at her with a complex gaze. He no longer hesitated, nodded, and turned toward the door.

"Leon!"

Just as he was about to step out the door, Ada suddenly called out to him.

Leon looked back.

Ada looked at him, a bright smile appearing on her face. "I'm counting on you."

Leon smiled too and nodded firmly. "I know."

The door slowly opened, and a chilly wind blew in. Leon gripped his Shotgun, took a deep breath, and stepped into the darkness of the NEST. The cable car door slowly closed behind him, sealing Ada's figure inside.