Chapter 22: Prisoner Standoff

July 23, 1998. The torrential rain in the Arklay Mountains showed no signs of stopping. Pea-sized raindrops hammered frantically against the surface buildings of the research facility, their impact combining with the vibrations of the walls to repeatedly batter the already crumbling underground facility.

The entire research facility had long since turned into a living hell. The red warning lights had gone out, leaving only the flickering, dim glow of emergency lamps to cast mottled and eerie shadows in the corridors filled with dust and the stench of blood.

Black leech mucus and dark red blood flowed across the floor, mixed with shattered metal fragments and experimental debris. Every step made a squelching sound.

The low groans of zombies and the roars of mutated creatures had gradually subsided. The monsters infected by the T-Virus had all been devoured by swarms of leeches. The entire Arklay Research Facility had now become Dr. James Marcus's possession.

James Marcus walked slowly through the experimental corridor on the second basement floor. His tattered white researcher's coat was soaked with leech mucus, and countless black leeches were coiled around him, writhing slowly with his every step. Everywhere he passed, fine corrosive marks were left on the metal walls.

His gaze swept coldly across the abandoned laboratories on both sides, his eyes showing no emotion. Decades of resentment and obsession had turned him into this inhuman form, all for the purpose of completely destroying everything belonging to the Umbrella Corporation.

From the Training Facility to the Arklay Research Facility, his path of revenge had never faltered. Oswell E. Spencer, Wesker, and William Birkin—everyone who had betrayed him and stolen his research results would be dealt with one by one. He would bury Umbrella's dark secrets forever within these ruins.

When he reached the reinforced laboratory door at the end of the corridor, his originally steady steps suddenly stopped. The closed alloy door was already deformed. From behind it came a faint but exceptionally clear vital sign. Unlike those of the frenzied zombies and mutated creatures, this aura was steady and quiet, yet possessed a strange vitality that was completely out of place with the surrounding silence.

James Marcus raised an eyebrow slightly. With a flick of his fingers, countless leeches instantly swarmed toward the door, crawling through the cracks and corroding the metal. In moments, the heavy alloy door let out a piercing screech of twisting metal and collapsed inward with a crash.

The interior of the laboratory was a mess. Control panel buttons were shattered, screens were black, walls were peeling, and pipes were burst. Only in the very center stood an Isolation Pod completely sealed by alloy armor plates. The pod emitted a faint glow, shielding it from all the disaster and chaos outside.

James Marcus approached slowly. The leeches around him became restless; they seemed to have a strong reaction to the presence inside the Isolation Pod.

He raised his hand. Leeches spread from his fingertips, coiling around the alloy armor of the Isolation Pod, corroding and biting frantically. The solid armor plates soon cracked, slowly retracting to both sides to reveal the Reinforced Glass chamber inside.

Inside the glass pod, a young girl leaned quietly against the wall. She was Chloe, the Subject S01 who had been sealed away by Umbrella for three years.

She showed no panic. Even though the world outside had turned upside down, and even though this eerie monster covered in leeches had appeared before her, she still held her head high, calmly meeting James Marcus's gaze. There was no fear in her eyes, only composure and scrutiny.

She wore a simple white lab coat, her long hair tied loosely behind her head. Eight years of imprisonment had not extinguished the light in her eyes; instead, it had given her a level of steadiness that belied her age.

Dr. James Marcus, Chloe thought to herself. She hadn't expected to run into him. Perhaps she could incite his hatred for Umbrella to find a way out of this predicament.

James Marcus's gaze fell upon Chloe. For the first time, a spark of inquisitive interest appeared in his murky eyes. He could clearly perceive that within this girl's body flowed a perfect gene highly symbiotic with the T-Virus. She was a living specimen unlike any he had ever seen, far more valuable than the failed test subjects in the facility and far more special than those walking corpses.

"Interesting. To think such a presence was hidden in this abandoned research facility," James Marcus spoke. His voice was raspy and dry, mixed with the faint sound of writhing leeches, his tone carrying undisguised interest.

"You're not a zombie, nor a mutated creature. Are you an Umbrella test subject?"

Chloe slowly stood up straight. Her fingertips lightly touched the cold glass as she met James Marcus's gaze. Her voice was calm but clear, transmitted through the pod's intercom system to James Marcus's ears:

"I am Subject S01, Chloe. I've been imprisoned here by Umbrella for eight years. They used my genes to refine the T-Virus and develop Bio-organic Weapons."

She didn't hide anything, stating her identity bluntly. She could see that the James Marcus before her harbored a deep-seated hatred for Umbrella. This was her only chance for survival.

"The T-Virus..." James Marcus murmured. A flash of venomous spite crossed his eyes. That was supposed to be his life's work, yet it had been stolen by Oswell E. Spencer, in league with Wesker and William Birkin, eventually leading to his own tragic death. "Spencer used your genes to continue developing the T-Virus?"

"It's not just the T-Virus." Chloe seized the opportunity, pushing forward step by step, trying to find a breakthrough from James Marcus while throwing out the bargaining chips she held.

"I know more secrets. Spencer has initiated a biological project at the Ark Laboratory that is far more terrifying than the T-Virus. He has never been satisfied. He wants to perform Memory Transplants; he wants to control everything, including all your past research. He wants to become a god!"

At the mention of Oswell E. Spencer, the aura around James Marcus instantly turned frigid. Leeches surged frantically, his hatred almost palpable. Seeing the timing was right, Chloe continued to speak, trying to trick James Marcus into letting her go:

"I'm just like you, a victim of Umbrella. I've been used as a Living Genetic Bank, imprisoned for eight years without seeing the light of day. We have a common enemy."

"We are on the same side. If you let me out, we can cooperate. I can help you get all of Spencer's research data, help you find his hiding place, and help you complete your revenge to completely destroy Umbrella."

Chloe's tone was sincere. Every word struck James Marcus's hatred for Umbrella and Spencer. She tried to use this shared enmity to make James Marcus lower his guard and believe her talk of cooperation.

But James Marcus only looked at her coldly, his lips slowly curling into a contemptuous smile. The smile was full of mockery, seeing through her little scheme at a glance. "Cooperation? Little girl, you just want to use my hatred to trick me into letting you out of this cage."

"You and I have never been on the same side. You are an Umbrella test subject, while I am a researcher who was betrayed and slaughtered by Umbrella. We may seem to have the same enemy, but at your core, you are still a product created by Umbrella. Why should I trust you?"

James Marcus's words were cold and blunt, instantly puncturing Chloe's plan. Her attempt at manipulation seemed fragile and ineffective before the seasoned and shrewd James Marcus.

A flash of astonishment crossed Chloe's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. Since the soft approach didn't work, she had to choose a direct confrontation, throwing out the truth that would be enough to break James Marcus's psychological defenses.

"You think I'm lying to you?" Chloe stared directly at James Marcus, her eyes firm. She spoke word by word, her voice not loud, yet it exploded in the laboratory like a thunderclap.

"You aren't Dr. James Marcus at all. You are just a collection of leeches that has inherited James Marcus's memories and consciousness."

"Years ago, you were thrown into the sewers by Spencer's men and died long ago. It was the Queen Leech that devoured your remains, inherited your memories and resentment, and came to believe it was you. You are living in your own obsession, nothing more than a phantom created by the Queen Leech, not the real James Marcus."

These words completely enraged James Marcus.

He had always firmly believed he was Dr. James Marcus, the founder of Umbrella and the creator of the T-Virus. All his revenge and actions were based on this identity. But now, this imprisoned test subject had directly torn apart his self-perception, turning his decades of obsession into a joke.

"Shut up! How dare you desecrate my existence! I am Dr. James Marcus, and no one can deny it!" James Marcus's voice became manic, his eyes filled with rage and ferocity. The leeches around him surged wildly, slamming hard against the Reinforced Glass of the Isolation Pod. Cracks instantly spread. He wanted nothing more than to break through the cage immediately and tear Chloe into a thousand pieces.

At this critical moment, James Marcus suddenly froze. His enraged expression abruptly stiffened. The leeches attached throughout the facility, and even those spreading to the mountain railway, were continuously transmitting information from the outside world to him.

On the Ecliptic Express he was controlling, two strangers had broken in. At the same time, Umbrella's USS Delta Team had already infiltrated the Arklay Mountains under Wesker's command, closing in on the facility and the train.

These two variables were far more troublesome for his plan to settle scores with Umbrella than Chloe, who was trapped in the Isolation Pod.

The rage in James Marcus's eyes quickly faded, replaced by a deep coldness. He instantly weighed the pros and cons: Chloe was firmly locked in Umbrella's highest-level Isolation Pod and couldn't escape without specific authorization. There was no need to waste time here. The intruders on the train and the encroaching Wesker were the threats that had to be dealt with now.

He slowly withdrew the surging leeches, his cold gaze locked onto Chloe inside the pod. His killing intent hadn't vanished, but he no longer had the heart for battle. "I don't have time to waste on you anymore. There's been a change of plans on the train, and Wesker's trash is getting in the way."

"This Isolation Pod is Umbrella's highest-level lockdown. You can't escape. Even if I leave you alone, you'll just rot and die here, buried along with this facility."

Chloe's eyes brightened slightly. She immediately realized that the Ecliptic Express incident had officially begun.

She looked up to meet James Marcus's gaze, showing no fear. Instead, she spoke with mockery, her tone full of certainty: "I see. You're going to that train. I suggest you don't get too ahead of yourself. That Wesker you mentioned, and William Birkin—those two 'good' students of yours—have already teamed up again and laid a trap to deal with you."

Hearing this, James Marcus didn't get angry. Instead, he let out a cold, contemptuous sneer, his eyes full of disdain and arrogance. In his eyes, Wesker and William Birkin were merely assistants. If he hadn't been kept in the dark back then, he never would have been assassinated by them.

He said no more. The leeches instantly coiled around him, turning him into a dark phantom. He turned and strode out of the laboratory, heading straight toward the Ecliptic Express.

"A bunch of clowns. They're not worthy of obstructing my revenge."

"Just stay here and watch how I destroy the train and settle scores with all my enemies."

With those words, James Marcus's figure completely vanished at the end of the dark and dilapidated corridor, leaving behind only the slimy, foul-smelling leech mucus on the floor and the underground laboratory that had returned to silence.

Inside the Isolation Pod, Chloe slowly closed her eyes. The sound of gunfire and the roars of monsters from outside became clearer. The clash between James Marcus and Wesker and the chaos on the train were about to break out in full. A slight smile played on her lips, and a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.

This chaos sweeping through Arklay was the perfect opportunity for her to break free from this eight-year cage.