Chapter 126: Responding to Claire

Chapter 126: Meeting Claire

The salty sea breeze, carrying the scent of gunpowder, swept across the cliffs of Rockfort Island, while the grayish-white gravel crunched sharply underfoot.

Chloe adjusted the straps of her black tactical vest and flicked off the safety on her MP5 submachine gun. Her pupils glowed with a faint red hue as her virus-enhanced perception fully activated, taking in every life signal within a five-hundred-meter radius.

Jill followed three steps behind her, clutching a modified M4A1 assault rifle. Her tactical boots stepped over scorched grass blackened by explosions, her eyes warily scanning the twisted barbed wire and collapsed guard towers surrounding them.

Wesker's bomber squadron had just ransacked this top-secret Umbrella Corporation island prison. The anti-aircraft gun positions were reduced to scorched earth, and the radar station's antennas were stuck crookedly into the ground; the entire island's defense system was completely paralyzed.

"Thirty meters to the front left, three zombies, and another one behind the ruins," Chloe's voice was calm, without a hint of emotion, as she pointed toward a barracks building that had been half-destroyed by the bombing.

Almost the moment the words left her mouth, Jill raised her rifle and aimed, locking onto the first zombie stumbling out of the ruins before pulling the trigger.

The bullet pierced the skull with precision, and the zombie fell flat. This was followed by a second and third shot; the three zombies were cleared out in an instant.

The zombie hiding behind let out a sharp hiss and lunged from behind a broken wall to attack Chloe.

Chloe's figure blurred as she drew a dagger with her right hand and slashed across the incoming attack. The sharp blade easily sliced through the muscle fibers of the creature's jaw. Before it could continue its assault, Chloe stepped forward, pressed her handgun against its forehead, and executed it.

"The bombers actually did us a huge favor," Jill said, switching her scope and looking at the smoke-billowing prison tower in the distance. "If the defense system were intact, we never would have gotten this close so smoothly."

"They were never helping us," Chloe replied, flicking the black blood off her dagger before sheathing it at her waist. "They likely had their own objectives; we just happened to get lucky." She paused, looking up at the prison across the cliff. "Besides, they bombed it too hard and shattered the laboratory. The entire island is an infection zone now."

Jill nodded without saying a word.

The two of them followed the path along the cliff and soon reached the prison's location.

Dozens of meters below the cliff, a suspension bridge connected the main part of the island to the isolated islet where the prison stood. The bridge's elevator had been completely crushed by rubble from the bombing; a mountain of twisted rebar and concrete blocks made it impassable.

"Damn it," Jill frowned, crouching down to inspect the pile of rubble. "The elevator motor is completely destroyed. We'll have to circle around to the south to see if there's another way down."

"No need."

Before Jill could react to Chloe's words, Chloe reached out and grabbed her by the waist. Jill let out a cry of surprise and instinctively wrapped her arms around Chloe's neck. A second later, the two of them leaped off the hundred-meter cliff.

The wind whistled past their ears, and Jill could clearly feel the steady strength coming from Chloe's arms. The virus had granted Chloe strength and jumping abilities far beyond those of an ordinary person; this height was nothing to her.

With a dull thud, Chloe landed steadily on the steel plating below, the bridge surface groaning under the weight. Jill released her grip on Chloe's neck, her heart racing, and gave her an annoyed swat. "Could you give me a heads-up next time? I almost dropped my gun."

Chloe arched an eyebrow, a faint smile playing on her lips. "If I told you beforehand, you wouldn't have let me jump."

Jill shook her head helplessly and looked toward the other end of the suspension bridge. Just as Chloe had said, more than half of the bridge's center had collapsed, leaving only a pedestrian walkway less than a meter wide barely connecting the two ends.

The walkway's railings had long since been blown away, and beneath their feet was the churning sea; falling in would mean certain death.

"Be careful," Jill gripped her rifle and took the lead onto the pedestrian walkway. The steel plates swayed slightly underfoot, and the sea breeze made it hard to stay steady. Chloe followed behind her, keeping a close eye on their surroundings.

The two of them carefully crossed the suspension bridge and finally reached the main gate of the prison. The heavy alloy gate was shut tight; Jill stepped forward and pushed, but it didn't budge.

"Let me," Chloe stepped forward, took a deep breath, and concentrated her strength into her right fist, slamming it into the lock of the iron gate.

With a loud clang, the alloy lock core was smashed out of shape and fell off, and the heavy iron gate swung inward with a crash.

The moment the gate opened, Jill raised her rifle and aimed inside, her finger on the trigger and every muscle tense. She expected zombies or guards to rush out, but she didn't expect to see a familiar figure standing behind the door.

"Claire?" Jill lowered her gun in surprise and hurried forward.

Claire was wearing a dust-covered red vest and holding two handguns; she was clearly startled by the sudden opening of the door. After seeing it was Jill and Chloe, a look of unbelievable joy appeared on her face, and she dropped her guns to rush forward and hug Jill tightly.

"Jill! Chloe! What are you doing here?" Claire's voice choked up, all the grievances of the past few days bursting out at this moment.

"We followed Chris's signal here," Jill patted her back, her own voice thick with emotion. "We thought he was being held here. What about you? Weren't you looking for Chris? How did you end up imprisoned on this island?"

Claire let go of Jill, her face showing a mix of anger and helplessness. "I went to Umbrella's research facility in France, but it turned out to be a trap. They knew I was coming and were waiting for me to walk right into it. After they caught me, I was transferred to the prison on this island."

She paused and looked at the dilapidated surroundings. "Do you know what happened here? An earthquake suddenly hit the island, and the prison guards either ran away or turned into zombies. Someone let me out, and now I'm trying to find a way to leave."

"There was a bomber squadron," Chloe said calmly, leaning against the doorframe. "They're clearing out all of Umbrella's strongholds. The bombing shattered the laboratory, causing the virus to leak across the entire island."

Claire realized what had happened and then frowned. "Then what about Chris? Have you found him?"

Jill shook her head. "No. We thought the one captured here was Chris, but he might never have been here at all."

The three of them were silent for a moment, the atmosphere heavy. Chloe was the first to break the silence. "Let's get out of here first. There's a mansion up there; we didn't go in earlier, so we can check it for any useful clues."

Jill nodded, took an assault rifle and several magazines from her backpack, and handed them to Claire. "Take these; you'll need them on the way."

Claire took the gun and expertly checked it. "Thanks."

The three of them returned the way they came across the bridge, carefully crossed the pedestrian walkway, and then climbed up the man-made ladder on the side of the cliff.

A typical Western-style mansion sat on the level ground not far from the cliff. Its white exterior was blackened by smoke, its windows were shattered, and the lawn in the courtyard was overgrown with weeds. A few zombies wandered by the mansion's entrance, and two Zombie Dogs lay on the steps.

"I'll handle this," Chloe drew the dagger from her waist and crept up silently.

Her movements were like a ghost's as she drove the dagger into a zombie's skull without making a sound. The two Zombie Dogs sensed movement and started to stand up, but Chloe flicked her wrist, and her thrown dagger pierced one through the eye.

By the time Jill and Claire caught up, the mutated creatures at the entrance had been cleared away. The three of them pushed open the mansion's doors and stepped inside.

The interior of the mansion was extremely luxurious. To the right of the entrance was a spiral staircase leading to the second floor. On the wall of the staircase landing hung a massive portrait of a middle-aged man in a suit, his sinister gaze directed straight at the front door.

Directly across from them on the first floor was a reception desk with a glowing computer on it.

"The door leading inside is locked," Jill pushed against the wooden door behind the reception desk. The lock clicked but didn't budge. "It requires employee ID card authorization."

"I'll go look on the second floor," Claire said, heading toward the stairs.

"No need."

Chloe walked to the wooden door, raised her right foot, and kicked hard at the lock. With a loud bang, the entire wooden door was sent flying, crashing heavily onto the hallway floor and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Claire was stunned for a moment, then spread her hands and looked at Jill. Jill rubbed her forehead helplessly and sighed, "She's always like this."

The three of them walked through the corridor and entered a spacious private collection room. In the center of the room sat a black leather sofa facing a projector.

The surrounding walls were lined with glass display cases filled with various models of weapons and equipment, ranging from handguns and rifles to fighter jets and aircraft carriers, all exquisitely crafted. In the cabinets behind the projector, rows of war movie film reels were neatly arranged.

"This guy must be a warmonger," Claire said, walking to a display case and looking at the tank models inside.

Chloe didn't speak; her gaze fell on an ant-shaped jewel ornament in the corner of the wall.

The ornament was embedded in the wooden wall, its golden ant body shimmering with an eerie luster. She stepped forward and pressed the button beneath the ant.

With a soft click, the projector automatically started, and a beam of light hit the white screen opposite.

The image was blurry, looking like it had been recorded with a handheld camera, and the lens shook violently.

Two identical blonde twins appeared on the screen. They looked to be only eight or nine years old and were very attractive, yet they exuded a coldness that didn't match their age.

The boy held a dragonfly in his hand, expressionlessly pulling off its wings one by one. The girl sat beside him, watching with great interest.

The scene shifted as the boy walked to a large Ant Formicarium and tossed in the wingless dragonfly, which was struggling on the ground. The girl leaned in, pressing against the glass with her brother, watching excitedly as the ants inside swarmed over and slowly devoured the dragonfly.

The final shot was of the siblings smiling at each other. There was no childhood innocence in their eyes, only cold malice and satisfaction.

The projector turned off automatically, and the room fell into a dead silence.

Jill frowned, her expression grave. "Who are those two children? What does the recording mean?"

"I don't know," Claire shivered. "It feels weird and a bit creepy."

Just then, the display case containing the tank models slowly moved aside, revealing a secret room behind it. The three of them exchanged glances, raised their guns, and stepped inside.

The secret room was small, with only a narrow corridor. At the end of the corridor hung a metal emblem on the wall, inlaid with two Golden Handguns that sparkled under the light.

"Nothing useful here," Jill said, scanning the room. "Let's go. We need to get off this island first."

The three of them turned and walked out of the secret room, returning to the hall. Just as they were about to leave, they suddenly heard a cry for help coming from a room inside.

The three of them stopped immediately and looked at each other.

"It sounds like Steve," Claire's expression changed, her voice urgent.

"Who's Steve?" Jill asked, tightening her grip on her rifle.

"A kid I met in the prison earlier," Claire explained. "I met him there, but we got separated. It sounds like he's in danger."

Jill didn't hesitate for a second and immediately said, "Let's go take a look."