Chapter 59: A New Officer Arrives at the Police Station

It had been several days since Jill Valentine found Chloe in the underground pipeline network.

The sky over Raccoon City remained shrouded in a grey haze. The sweltering air was filled with a faint, pervasive scent of rot. Beside the trash cans on the street, one could occasionally spot stray cats, slow-moving and covered in sores. Most pedestrians hurried by, their faces etched with undisguised anxiety; no one had the heart to look deeper into the strange mutations quietly taking place in the city.

In the early morning, Jill Valentine avoided the patrolling officers and took a detour to Kendo's gun shop. Hidden in an alley behind the police station, this small shop served as a secret base for many police officers and firearms enthusiasts in Raccoon City. The owner, Kendo, had known Jill Valentine for years; he was loyal and absolutely trustworthy—one of their own.

Pushing open the shop door, the metal wind chime rang out crisply. The shelves were packed with various firearms, ammunition, and tactical gear, and the air was thick with the scent of machine oil and gunpowder.

Kendo was bent over, cleaning a Shotgun. Seeing Jill Valentine enter, he immediately put down his work and looked up to greet her, his tone filled with concern: "Rare visitor, Jill Valentine. It's been a while."

Jill Valentine walked to the counter, lowered her voice, and spoke concisely: "Help me prepare some things: a lightweight semi-automatic pistol, suitable for small hands, with spare magazines. Also, get me a tactical knife, a light bulletproof vest, a first-aid kit, night-vision goggles, plus some compressed rations and water purification tablets. I want the most compact and portable versions of everything."

Kendo's cleaning motion paused, and he raised an eyebrow: "So much portable gear—this isn't for you, is it? I know what you usually carry."

"Don't ask. Just get it ready for me, and I'll pay as usual." Jill Valentine didn't say more. She didn't want to expose Chloe's existence to anyone else. Every extra person who knew meant more risk of Chloe being found by the Umbrella Corporation.

Kendo knew better than to press her. He understood Jill Valentine's character; when it came to major issues, if she didn't want to talk, no one could get an answer out of her.

He skillfully retrieved the requested gear from the shelves, specifically selecting a pistol with a light feel and minimal recoil, suitable for someone with less physical strength. He carefully checked the ammunition and medical supplies, packed everything into a dark, low-profile tactical backpack, and pushed it toward Jill Valentine: "Everything is ready. These are the most practical items for underground and confined spaces, and they have good concealment, so you won't be easily spotted."

Jill Valentine paid, shouldered the backpack, and reiterated that Kendo should not mention this to anyone. She then quickly left the shop. Taking advantage of the sparse afternoon crowds, she carefully avoided street surveillance and patrolling officers, sneaking back into the hidden entrance leading to the underground pipeline network.

In the damp, cold sewers, sewage flowed sluggishly, emitting a pungent, rotting, and musty odor. The dim beam of her emergency flashlight cut a faint light through the turbid air.

Chloe had made simple concealment modifications to her base, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. Inside were her hand-drawn maps of the underground terrain and the Hive, along with a few simple daily necessities.

Jill Valentine placed the tactical backpack in front of Chloe and unzipped it, revealing the neatly arranged firearms and gear inside: "These are for you. It's not like the surface down here; there are unknown dangers everywhere. With a weapon, you'll have a better chance of protecting yourself if you run into infected or Umbrella Corporation patrols."

Looking at the brand-new pistol and professional tactical gear in the bag, a flash of emotion crossed Chloe's eyes, and a wave of warmth inevitably rose in her heart.

"I don't know how to use a gun," Chloe said softly, her tone tinged with helplessness. In her past life, she had played various types of FPS games, but she had never actually handled a real one. Facing the cold firearm, she felt a bit anxious due to her lack of practical experience.

"I'll teach you." Jill Valentine picked up the semi-automatic pistol, skillfully checked its status, removed and installed the magazine, and patiently explained the process step by step.

"First, get familiar with the structure of the firearm. The safety switch is here; you must check its status before using it. When aiming, keep your breathing steady and don't let your arm shake. Apply pressure gently when pulling the trigger—don't jerk it. When dealing with those monsters, try to aim for the head for a one-shot kill..."

She took Chloe to a spacious corner of the control room, found an abandoned metal box to use as a makeshift target, and corrected her grip and aiming technique hand-in-hand. She also took the opportunity to teach her the basics of firearm maintenance and simple troubleshooting.

Chloe already possessed focus far beyond that of an ordinary person, and combined with the excellent physical coordination and reaction speed enhanced by the T-Virus, she was able to hold the gun steadily and hit the center of the metal box precisely after just an hour.

Watching Chloe's calm, steady gaze and her standard, clean handling of the gun, Jill Valentine smiled genuinely: "You learn very quickly—much better than I was when I first touched a gun."

After the practice, Jill Valentine took a small walkie-talkie from her pocket, tuned it to an exclusive encrypted frequency, and after repeatedly testing and confirming the signal, handed it to Chloe: "Keep this safe. We'll use this for direct communication. I'll be on the surface gathering intel on the Umbrella Corporation and the police station. If you encounter danger underground or if anything happens, call me immediately. No matter where I am, I'll rush over right away."

Chloe took the walkie-talkie; the cold metal casing warmed slightly in her palm, and she felt a sense of reassurance in her heart.

During this time, every day or two, Jill Valentine would risk being discovered by police officers to quietly sneak underground, bringing her food and water, helping her keep an eye on the situation on the surface, and passing on the movements of Irons and the Umbrella Corporation. This dark, damp, and dangerous underground space no longer held only endless loneliness and fear, thanks to Jill Valentine's visits.

"You need to be even more careful on the surface. Irons holds a grudge against you and has been sending people to watch your whereabouts. Umbrella Corporation agents are also investigating in the shadows. Please, don't expose yourself." Chloe looked up at Jill Valentine, her clear eyes filled with genuine concern.

"I know, I've been very cautious." Jill Valentine raised her hand and gently ruffled her silver-white hair, her gaze gentle yet firm: "You stay obediently in this base and don't go out easily. I've been slowly probing the security layout around the Hive. Once I've figured out all the security and patrol routes, we'll act together."

After giving all the instructions, Jill Valentine shouldered the empty backpack. After confirming once more that there was nothing unusual at the underground entrance, she quietly left the pipeline network and returned to the surface of Raccoon City, where undercurrents were surging and danger lurked everywhere.

Days passed in oppressive calm. The entire city seemed to be shrouded in an invisible black curtain; it appeared normal, but in reality, it was already rotting beyond repair. In the blink of an eye, it was August 28th.

On this day, the Raccoon City Police Department suddenly issued an emergency decree via broadcast and street notices, formally announcing a city-wide curfew policy: after 8:00 PM every night, all citizens were prohibited from going out. A large number of police officers were deployed to patrol the streets, and anyone found out at night would be forcibly taken back to the police station for questioning, with those deemed serious cases being detained directly.

The implementation of the curfew was like a giant boulder thrown into an already restless lake, completely detonating the panic in the hearts of the citizens. People flooded into supermarkets and convenience stores, frantically buying up food, drinking water, and daily necessities. The streets were filled with crowds and hurried, panicked footsteps.

Shops along the street closed early, and the entire city fell into an atmosphere of unease. Nobody believed the official, pale excuse of "maintaining city order." Everyone vaguely sensed that something irreversible and terrible was happening to this city.

Jill Valentine dared not linger on the streets. Taking advantage of the relatively loose police presence during the day, she quietly contacted Marvin. The two met in a secluded alley next to the police station, avoiding all passing officers. This was the secret rendezvous point they had previously agreed upon—hidden and safe.

Marvin hurried over, his expression grave. He lowered his voice and said to Jill Valentine: "The curfew has been fully implemented. The situation will only get more chaotic from here. Recently, reports of missing citizens at the police station have piled up like a mountain. There are also quite a few people coming in secretly to report seeing strange, slow-moving monsters, but Irons has suppressed all of them. He's ordered all officers not to respond to calls or investigate, just to pretend they didn't hear anything."

Jill Valentine nodded, her expression darkening as well. She knew all too well that this was the precursor to the large-scale spread of the T-Virus. The Umbrella Corporation could no longer cover up the truth of the viral leak, so they could only use the police station to enforce a curfew, control the situation, buy time, and cover up their crimes.

"By the way, there's one more thing to tell you." Marvin suddenly remembered something, his tense tone relaxing slightly: "I mentioned to you before that Irons was asking for reinforcements from above, right? The federal authorities have transferred a new recruit who will officially report at the end of September. The slackers at the station are already planning to throw a simple welcome party when the newcomer arrives to liven things up."

Hearing this, Jill Valentine merely raised an eyebrow faintly, her eyes showing no ripples. Right now, her heart was filled with concern for Chloe's safety, the collection of evidence of the Umbrella Corporation's crimes, and the catastrophe about to sweep the city. She had no interest in these trivial personnel changes at the police station.

Marvin watched her lack of reaction and couldn't help but tease her softly: "Don't dismiss it so lightly. I heard this newcomer was top of their class at the police academy and is quite good-looking. Several single officers in the department are already eyeing them, waiting for the welcome party to strike up a conversation. How about it? Do you want me to keep an eye out for you and get their contact information?"

Hearing this, Jill Valentine couldn't help but chuckle and shook her head helplessly, her tone full of exhaustion and impatience: "Forget it. There's a pile of rotten business in Raccoon City right now, and any one of them is enough to keep me frazzled. I don't have the energy to cradle-rob."

Her words were direct and free-spirited, without the slightest bit of bashfulness. Since breaking with Irons and resigning from the police force, all her thoughts had been focused on exposing the truth, protecting Chloe, and escaping Raccoon City. Romance was too much of a luxury for her at this moment and completely unworthy of mention.

Marvin was amused by her words and chuckled, but he stopped teasing and instantly composed his smile, warning her with a serious expression: "You, you always put serious matters first. I won't play matchmaker anymore, but you must be extra careful. Irons has been monitoring you more and more closely recently. He holds a grudge because you blocked him from taking Chloe, and he hates that you refuse to give up investigating the Umbrella Corporation. He's been harboring malice and wants to make a move against you."

Mentioning Irons, Jill Valentine's eyes instantly turned cold, and her aura became sharp. She lowered her voice and solemnly entrusted Marvin: "That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. Help me keep an eye on Irons's movements—whether he's had any private meetings or secret contact with Umbrella Corporation personnel recently. Also, monitor any personnel changes within the police station and any deployments targeting me. If there's anything unusual, you must tell me via the encrypted channel immediately."

Irons was the puppet used by the Umbrella Corporation to control Raccoon City and the greatest obstacle to them infiltrating the Hive and exposing the truth. Only by firmly grasping his every move could they avoid surveillance and suppression and successfully advance their plan.

"Don't worry, I've got this." Marvin nodded solemnly. He knew this was of great importance, concerning not only Jill Valentine's life but also the safety of all the citizens of Raccoon City. "I will keep a quiet watch and pass the message to you, avoiding everyone. You must stay steady—Irons is a madman now, ruthless and cruel. You must not expose your whereabouts or intentions."

The two exchanged a few more quick words about the recent situation at the police station and on the surface, then quickly separated to avoid drawing suspicion by staying in one place for too long.

Jill Valentine returned to her residence along the secluded alley. Looking at the increasingly tense atmosphere on the streets and the numb yet panicked expressions of the patrolling officers, her sense of unease grew stronger. She knew that the curfew was just the beginning of the disaster. As the T-Virus continued to spread and mutate, it wouldn't be long before Raccoon City completely descended into a living hell.

She raised her hand to touch the walkie-talkie in her pocket, her fingertips pressing down slightly, silently repeating Chloe's name in her heart.

She had to speed up. Before everything spiraled completely out of control, she had to figure out all the security layouts of the Hive, obtain the S01 Inhibitor and experimental data that Chloe desperately needed, and take her away from this dying city that was on the brink of collapse.