Chapter 2: The Ark

The most urgent task now was to confirm an escape route; if she followed the original path, it would be a dead end.

Chloe first carefully crept to the room where the researcher had been. Pushing the door open, the two figures were still there, one slumped and one sitting. Suddenly, her eyes lit up—it was that gun from before!

She picked up the gun and found that it was indeed jammed. She laboriously cleared the bullet and checked the magazine, finding five rounds left. She carefully searched the researcher's body but found no other spare ammunition.

She held the pistol in her hand. Although the bullets wouldn't do any damage to the test subjects, it provided some psychological comfort.

She remembered that when Sherry was hiding from Chief Irons, Irons had gone to a restroom. Maybe she could hide there? But the path was blocked by clutter. Unfortunately, this wasn't a game; Chloe had hands and feet of her own.

She climbed over the debris and tried to push the door, but found it wouldn't open. Well, it seemed the restroom was out as a hiding spot, and hiding in a restroom made it easy to be cornered later anyway.

She opened the door leading to the stairs and quietly peeked her head out. After confirming there was no danger downstairs, she slowly made her way down. Seeing that the main entrance was also blocked by things, Chloe couldn't help but curse inwardly—who the hell was so inconsiderate!

Outside the main door was the courtyard. She wasn't sure if there were guards there, but she couldn't go to The Ark either. The Ark was a path to certain death, she thought with frustration.

Maybe she could move those obstacles? Just as she was about to act, the sound of breaking glass echoed from upstairs, followed by eerie footsteps, scaring her into quickly hiding under a table.

"Creak—" The door upstairs opened, followed by a moment of silence. Chloe knew something big was coming.

"Thud—" With a dull sound, one test subject fell from upstairs and landed in front of her, followed by a second. Their bodies were twisted in eerie ways, but they stood up as if nothing had happened and slowly moved away with bursts of creepy laughter.

One of them headed toward the Director's Office, and another test subject emerged from the side. With a light twist of the doorknob, the lock shattered instantly, and they entered the office one after the other.

Only when the surroundings fell silent did Chloe dare to breathe. She had almost screamed just now; even knowing what was going to happen, she was still badly shaken despite being prepared.

She crawled out from under the table and looked up at the stairs. She saw many test subjects on the second floor. If she moved the obstacles, it would make too much noise. After thinking for a moment, she decided to head for the basement.

She knew the path Sherry took in 1998, but that led to the NEST. She wasn't sure if that path existed yet. The NEST might not even be built, as it was constructed for G-Virus research, and William Birkin was currently still happily researching the T-Virus with Wesker in the basement of the Spencer Mansion. (James Marcus had already been backstabbed.)

There was only one way left: escape through The Ark.

Chloe gripped the gun in her hand. Maybe she could take a hostage, she thought. Then she shook her head with a bitter smile; she wasn't even half as tall as anyone else right now, so how could she take a hostage?

She carefully walked toward the Director's Office. Unlike in the game, there weren't two test subjects blocking the door, and no mysterious ball rolled out after she entered.

After lighting the desk lamp, she immediately saw the basement key on top. Gauging her height, she realized with annoyance that she would still have to pull out the drawers to reach it, just like in the game.

Since she didn't fall and make a huge noise after getting the key, no test subjects noticed her. She quickly unlocked the basement door, entered, and shut it tightly behind her.

After descending the ladder and turning a corner, Chloe reached the small platform.

Ignoring the toy car nearby that was flashing an eerie red light, she carefully checked and confirmed that the path to the NEST did not exist.

But she was in no hurry to go to The Ark. She first looked around for something like a long wooden stick; after all, she didn't want to follow the puzzle-solving route.

She actually found something similar that could replace a key item. At least she wouldn't have to climb through coffins later.

Continuing down, she reached the chapel. She didn't dare stay for a second and headed straight for the entrance to The Ark behind the chapel.

Watching the door with the Umbrella logo slowly open to reveal the ladder inside, Chloe couldn't help but complain, "Does Umbrella really lack this much funding? Researchers have to climb ladders to get out, and they have to do it twice?"

After her nonsense, she used the wooden stick to pull the ladder down, bit the gun in her mouth, and climbed up.

Once at the top, she closed the hatch tightly to prevent any test subjects from chasing her.

Looking around, she found she was indeed inside The Ark. She didn't go deep inside or enter the Projection Room like in the game; instead, she hid at this corner to wait for an opportunity.

After a while, two researchers, their faces covered in blood, ran out from a locked red door.

"We've lost all contact with The Orphanage. Hasn't anyone been sent there yet?"

"From the surveillance, it's mostly out-of-control test subjects over there. It's already fallen."

"Contact the Arklay side quickly and tell them to send some people to get the situation under control!"

As the two spoke, they started walking toward a nearby laboratory. Chloe thought for a moment and decided to reveal herself now.

"Who... who are you?" she asked, intentionally acting timid while quietly hiding her gun-holding hand behind her back.

"Chloe? Did you come from The Orphanage?" The two researchers exchanged a glance, and one of them approached Chloe while speaking.

She knew perfectly well that the man was hiding a Sedative in his hand. While staying on guard, she pulled out the gun and shouted, "Don't move!"

To ensure she was taken seriously, she shot the man in the back in the leg.

"Agh—!" After a scream like a slaughtered pig, the man collapsed to the ground, clutching his leg.

"Don't come any closer!" she shouted again. "Throw that Sedative in your hand over here!"

The researcher in front stood frozen in shock. He hadn't expected Chloe, who hadn't lost control yet, to be armed, let alone that she would actually shoot someone.

"You, you, you..." After a moment of stuttering, he followed her demand and threw the Sedative across the floor to Chloe.

"Tell me all the exits of The Ark and the security situation. Don't try any tricks unless you want to die!" Chloe warned, waving the firearm in her hand.

"You can't get out! The Ark has been sealed, and everyone trying to leave must undergo inspection!" The researcher didn't know how to describe the test subject before him. Her intelligence was definitely not that of an eight-year-old child. Her body must have mutated; this was a major breakthrough for the experiment! He had to keep her calm first.

"Shut up!" She raised her hand and fired another shot into the other leg of the researcher lying on the ground. "You only need to tell me the situation. Any more nonsense and the next shot goes into your head!"

"Take the cable car! You can take the cable car! There's a cable car leading outside! But you have to pass the inspection; you can't get out alone!"

"You're taking me there." Chloe kicked the Sedative on the floor toward the researcher. "Inject him with this." Chloe gestured for the researcher with glasses to drag the shot man into a corner to hide him.

The researcher picked up the Sedative, his hands shaking like a leaf as he tremblingly gave his colleague an injection. Once the drug took effect, the man's screams gradually faded into a low moan as he fell into a deep sleep.