Chapter 51: Thoughts Under the Night

July 27, 1998, 8:00 PM.

Twilight completely swallowed Raccoon City. The lingering heat of the day was dispersed by the evening breeze, and the streetlights cast a hazy, yellowish glow, leaving the streets half-lit and half-shadowed.

Jill held Chloe's hand as they walked along the quiet residential road toward their rented apartment. The warmth of the evening park still lingered around them. The hem of Chloe's light blue floral dress swayed gently with her steps; the awkwardness she felt when she first put it on had long since faded, replaced by the softness that belonged to a sixteen-year-old girl.

Chloe kept her head down, watching their clasped hands; the warmth from Jill's palm felt solid and comforting. She didn't dare speak too much, simply following Jill's footsteps in silence, her heart filled with careful, precious regard.

She vaguely sensed that Jill was not entirely without defenses against her, and she knew that her theft of the S01 Inhibitor and her concealment of being an Subject S01 had long since been seen through by the other woman, though it had never been pointed out.

Yet, she did not know that Chris had already told Jill everything he had dug up from the encrypted files at the research institute. This dark history, etched into the experimental files, was a past she had tried her absolute best to bury. She had never imagined that this secret had already been laid bare before Jill.

The two entered the apartment building. Most of the lights in the corridor were broken, leaving it dark and deep. The environment, which was usually so familiar, now felt inexplicably oppressive. Jill tensed instantly, subtly shielding Chloe behind her. Her right hand hung naturally at her side, her fingertips slightly tightened, ready at any moment to deal with an emergency.

As an elite member of S.T.A.R.S., her perception of danger was etched into her bones. The moment she had walked up the stairs, she had clearly caught a glimpse of a fresh, unfamiliar cigarette butt at the corner of the corridor. She was familiar with most of the residents in the entire apartment building, and absolutely no one smoked this brand of strong cigarette. People from the Umbrella Corporation had already managed to track her down near her residence.

"Jill, it's so dark here." Chloe spoke in a low voice, her fingers gently gripping the corner of Jill's shirt. Her voice carried a hint of instinctive fear—a fear that was half-real and half-fake. Eight years of imprisonment had left her with a natural fear of the dark, and she used this fragility to continue maintaining her harmless facade.

"Don't be afraid, just follow me." Jill softened her voice to soothe her, stepping even more lightly. She led Chloe quickly through the dim corridor, never mentioning the cigarette butt from beginning to end, nor revealing the fact that the Umbrella Corporation was closing in.

At this moment, Jill's heart was already in turmoil. The image of Chris in the corner of the police station earlier that day, recounting the details of Chloe's experimental files to her word by word, still lingered in her mind:

The only surviving test subject of the 70-series; no uncontrolled violent reactions during childhood; extremely calm; skilled at deception, coercion, and planning escapes; mental maturity far beyond an adult's; the virus within her could mutate at any time due to external stimuli.

Looking at the obedient, timid girl beside her, it was truly difficult to reconcile this appearance with the calm, ruthless little test subject in the files.

Yet, she trusted Chris, trusted those black-and-white experimental records, and understood even better how dangerous an Umbrella Corporation test subject could be. Heartache and vigilance tore frantically at her heart. On one side was a victim who had suffered eight years of torture and had just touched freedom; on the other was a test subject harboring unknown risks and highly skilled at deception, leaving her in a dilemma.

The short distance of a few flights of stairs felt exceptionally long. Only after opening the door to the rented apartment did Jill breathe a slight sigh of relief. After closing the door behind her, she immediately pressed the deadbolt button and then moved the heavy shoe cabinet nearby to press it firmly against the door panel, her movements crisp and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

"Lock all the windows, pull the curtains, and don't go near the windows tonight." Jill's tone carried a hint of imperceptible gravity, yet she still deliberately softened it, not wanting Chloe to sense too much tension.

Chloe nodded obediently. Following Jill's instructions, she locked the windows one by one and drew the thick fabric curtains, completely shutting out the night and the potential danger outside. The perception brought to her by her virus told her that some people were already lying in wait to monitor them; after all, Jill held evidence of the Umbrella Corporation's crimes, so being monitored in secret was to be expected.

The warm yellow lights in the room turned on, dispelling all the gloom and creating a cozy atmosphere. Jill went to the kitchen to heat two cups of milk, brought them to the coffee table in the living room, and sat down opposite Chloe. Her gaze fell on the girl, seemingly gentle but actually carrying a hint of imperceptible scrutiny, which was, however, quickly covered by heartache.

The girl before her was thin and pale, even drinking milk cautiously, with eyes that were clean and dependent. Anyone would see her as just a minor victim who had suffered immensely. But Jill knew clearly that beneath this fragile skin lay a capacity for endurance, shrewdness, and a desire to survive that far exceeded that of an ordinary person. All her obedience, timidity, and dependence might just be a facade calculated with precision, all for the sake of survival.

But Jill still couldn't bring herself to hate her. Eight years of inhuman imprisonment, being manipulated wantonly as a test subject—anyone would learn to wrap themselves in a disguise, would use every means to survive. She could not blame a child who had been driven to a desperate situation, nor could she do as Chris had warned: push her away and ignore her.

"Life at the research institute must have been very hard." Jill said softly, her tone filled with genuine heartache. This sentence was not a probe, but purely empathizing with her experience.

Chloe's hand holding the milk cup paused slightly, her fingertips turning white. Those dark, sunless days and nights—the cold isolation chambers, the pungent reagents, the endless experiments, the despair and fear—were nightmares etched into her very bones and blood.

She looked up at Jill, catching the genuine pity in the other woman's eyes. Her nose tingled, but she only nodded gently, her voice as thin as a mosquito's hum: "I got used to it."

These three short words hid eight years of torment and struggle, and also hid the sharpness she dared not reveal.

Jill's heart tightened. She reached out and gently placed her hand on the back of Chloe's hand, the warmth of her palm transferring bit by bit, her tone firm: "It's all in the past. From now on, with me here, no one will ever lock you up again, and no one will ever hurt you again."

She made this promise, knowing full well that the person beside her was an extremely uncontrollable test subject, and knowing that she herself might be putting herself in danger, yet she still chose to stand by her. She was an S.T.A.R.S. member, a police officer who protected the innocent. Chloe was first a victim, and only secondarily a test subject carrying a virus. She could not abandon her.

Chloe's eyes instantly reddened, tears swirling in them. She hurriedly lowered her head to hide her loss of composure, pressing her lips together hard to barely suppress the surging emotions, and whispered: "Thank you, Jill."

She was completely unaware that the person before her, who treated her with such gentleness, had long since fathomed all her secrets and seen through all her disguises. She only thought that Jill was protecting her out of kindness and felt heartache for her experience. This unconditional kindness left her both moved and fearful, forcing her to hide herself even more carefully, not daring to show the slightest flaw.

She knew clearly that she had to rely on the injected S01 Inhibitor to maintain stability, and now she only had one left. She didn't know what would happen if she didn't have the S01 Inhibitor. She was still keeping her nerves tense at all times, having to guard the secret of being a transmigrator, keep the past of those extreme survival days in her childhood, and also be on guard against the Umbrella Corporation's pursuit, fearing that her secrets would be exposed, and even more fearing that she would implicate Jill.

The night deepened, and the room was quiet, with only the ticking of the wall clock. Chloe leaned on the sofa, seemingly calm, but in her mind, the plot of Resident Evil kept surging. She remembered clearly that before long, the T-Virus would completely sweep through Raccoon City, and this seemingly peaceful city would turn into a living hell where zombies ran rampant and monsters ravaged.

This pain of foreseeing the future tortured her every moment. She wanted to warn Jill, wanted Jill to leave this city of death as soon as possible, but she couldn't. Once she said it, all her disguises would be dismantled; she would become a monster in everyone's eyes, lose Jill's protection, and might even be disposed of as an anomaly.

She could only press this fear and anxiety deep down in her heart and bear it alone.

Just then, the phone on the coffee table suddenly vibrated urgently, its harsh ringing breaking the peace in the room.

Jill instantly snapped back to reality, walked quickly to the table, and looked at the caller ID with a slight frown. She immediately answered the phone, while subconsciously turning her back to Chloe and lowering her voice to converse, completely cutting off the content of the conversation.

Chloe sat on the sofa. Jill thought she couldn't hear, but she didn't know that the virus had already given her perception beyond that of an ordinary person. She listened to the conversation, her heart growing heavier, yet she obediently did not look up, just silently cradling the now-cool milk, staying quietly in place.

On the other end of the line, Chris's tone was grave and urgent: "Jill, let me emphasize this to you again: Chloe's danger must not be ignored. I'm leaving for Europe in a few days. Have you thought it over?"

"I know, I have it under control." Jill lowered her voice, her fingertips turning white from gripping the phone. "Chloe… I trust her. I will keep an eye on the virus spread in the city at all times."

"Don't be fooled by her appearance. She is better at hiding things than you think. Do not let your guard down!" Chris urged repeatedly, his tone full of worry.

"I understand. I will guard this place, and I will keep things under control."

After the two finished their brief exchange, Jill hung up the phone quickly. When she turned around, the gravity and vigilance on her face had been completely put away, and she had returned to her usual gentleness. She walked over to Chloe and gently ruffled her hair: "It's nothing, just some trivial matters at the team. It's getting late, go lie down and rest on the bed. I'll be working at the desk. If you need anything, call me anytime."

Chloe looked up at her, nodded obediently, and without asking any further questions, got up and walked toward the bathroom. She had heard all the conversation and knew that she was a trouble in Chris's eyes, but she didn't show it. She just obeyed obediently, without revealing the slightest abnormality, still maintaining that harmless and timid appearance.

Walking into the bathroom, Chloe gently closed the door, shutting out the light from the living room. She didn't take a shower immediately, but leaned against the door panel and took a deep breath. The guilt in her heart grew stronger and stronger. She knew that although Jill chose to trust her, she was indeed a burden, and a bomb that could explode at any moment.

She walked to the mirror and reached up to touch her wrist. The light blue veins beneath her skin were pulsing steadily; the S01 Inhibitor's efficacy was still stably suppressing the virus in her body, without the slightest agitation. But she didn't know how many days the S01 Inhibitor's effect could last.

In the living room, Jill sat at the desk, silent. She placed her service pistol within reach, leaned back slightly against the chair, and closed her eyes slightly, yet she always maintained a high level of vigilance, her hearing constantly monitoring the movements outside the room. The tug-of-war in her heart never ceased.

She knew all of Chloe's secrets and dangers and understood what keeping her by her side meant. But looking at the girl curled up in the bedroom, full of dependence on her, she ultimately could not bring herself to be cruel.

While being vigilant against the potential risks Chloe might pose, she was also determined to protect her, all while having to guard against the Umbrella Corporation's scouting outside. She was physically and mentally exhausted.

Occasional slight footsteps came from the corridor. On the street downstairs, black sedans drove by silently, their headlights casting fleeting light and shadows on the floor through the gaps in the curtains.

Chris was about to go to Europe, Barry was far away in Canada, and Rebecca had returned to the state university. The S.T.A.R.S. team had fallen apart. She was alone, having to fight against the police department infiltrated by the Umbrella Corporation, guard against the security forces that might come knocking at any time, and also balance her relationship with Chloe between protection and vigilance.

The night deepened, the entire apartment building fell into a deep sleep, and Raccoon City was also immersed in a false peace.

On the bed, Chloe ultimately found it hard to fall asleep. She kept her eyes open, staring at the pitch-black ceiling, the tragic scenes after the apocalypse descended flashing through her mind over and over again, as did all the encounters Jill had in the plot.

She quietly clenched her fists, a flicker of determination flashing in her eyes that was completely different from her fragile appearance; she just wanted to hold onto this hard-won warmth.

And Jill, at the desk, remained clear-headed, her gaze firm.

She knew that secrets and risks were hidden beside her, knew that the road ahead was fraught with crises, yet she still chose to stand firm. No matter how long the night, no matter how close the danger, she would stay here, guarding the girl in the room, guarding this hard-won moment of peace.