Chapter 85: The Plot Unfolds

September 29, 1998, 02:11 AM. Raccoon City Central Subway, Line 3 Train.

The clattering of wheels over rail joints was magnified infinitely in the pitch-black tunnel, like a blunt knife hacking away at one's nerves.

Jill leaned against the cold wall of the carriage, her fingers unconsciously stroking the edges of the silver cooler in her arms.

The case still held the warmth of her body. Inside were the virus samples and evidence against Umbrella Corporation that Chloe had traded her life for, as well as all of Jill's unspoken obsessions.

Emergency lights on the tunnel walls flashed every ten meters, casting flickering shadows across her blood-stained face. The red veins in her eyes spread like a spiderweb.

Images of Brad being torn apart, the flames of Nemesis destroying the helicopter, the monster with silver-white hair and blade-claws Carlos mentioned... countless fragments surged in her mind, every breath tasting of rusty blood.

She felt as if something was following them deep in the tunnel, a cold gaze fixed on the back of her neck, impossible to shake off.

Low voices from the other end of the carriage interrupted her thoughts.

Nicholai leaned against the door, twirling a military knife in his hand, the blade glinting coldly in the dim light. He glanced at Michelle, who was checking C4 explosives, and spoke with unabashed mockery:

"You don't seriously think a desk-jockey like Bard could have survived until now, do you? Not even a rat can escape Raccoon City right now, let alone a defenseless scientist."

Michelle didn't even look up, skillfully wrapping the explosives together. "I have reliable intel. He's hiding in the S.T.A.R.S. office at the R.P.D. It's safe there for now."

"Reliable intel?" Nicholai sneered, sheathing the knife with a click.

Michelle finally stopped and looked up at him. His gaze was as sharp as tempered ice, piercing straight into Nicholai's eyes. "What's the matter? Worried about your teammate? Or something else?"

Nicholai's eyes flickered. He instinctively looked away and tugged at his collar.

Michelle didn't miss this subtle movement. His tone suddenly darkened, carrying a hint of a probe. "Mindless zombies just happened to ambush an entire squad of soldiers... The door to the extraction point just happened to be locked... Even our comms just happened to lose signal at the most critical moment."

He took a step forward, the distance between them closing instantly. The air grew thick with tension. Michelle's voice was low, each word hitting like a nail into Nicholai's heart. "Quite a coincidence, don't you think? Lieutenant Nicholai."

A deathly silence fell over the carriage, broken only by the roar of wheels against the tracks. A stiff smile tugged at the corner of Nicholai's mouth as he reached out and patted Michelle's shoulder. "Platoon Leader, you're too tense. Being paranoid at a time like this will only get your own people killed."

Just then.

"BOOM!"

A deafening roar erupted from the rear of the train. The entire subway car shook violently, sending everyone inside crashing into one another. The incandescent lights overhead shattered with a sizzle, and darkness instantly swallowed the carriage.

Screams, cries, and the screeching of twisting metal filled the air. Jill instinctively shielded the cooler in her arms, her back slamming hard against a seat. A piercing pain shot through her ribs.

She looked up by the faint light filtering in from the tunnel walls, and the sight made her blood freeze.

The carriage that had been full of survivors had been sheared clean in half.

Twisted rebar and shredded clothing hung from the jagged edges of the carriage. Black blood oozed from the cracks, dripping onto the tracks with a rhythmic tap.

A massive black figure stood at the breach, thick tentacles lashing wildly behind it.

It casually tossed the corpse of a survivor it was holding onto the ground with a dull thud. Then, it slowly raised its head, its crimson compound eyes locking onto Jill's direction.

Jill's teeth gritted together. A wave of overwhelming rage surged from her heart. She grabbed the assault rifle beside her and prepared to charge. "You son of a bitch! Why won't you just die!?"

"Jill, don't!" Michelle grabbed her arm and pulled her back, his voice heavier than ever. "They're beyond saving! Come on, this way!"

"But..."

"No buts!" Michelle roared, shoving a handgun into Jill's hand. "Survive! Get out of here! That's an order!"

Jill gritted her teeth and ran toward the front of the train. Just as she was about to burst into the next carriage, a loud clang echoed ahead.

Jill looked up sharply to see that Nicholai had already locked the iron door connecting the two carriages.

He looked at her through the small window in the door, a cold smile on his face. His voice drifted through the gap, dripping with malice. "Don't waste your breath, Ms. Valentine. It's not me it's after."

"Nicholai! What are you doing!? Nicholai!" Jill pounded frantically on the door. "You bastard! Open the door!"

Nicholai didn't answer. He simply turned and walked toward the front of the train, his silhouette vanishing into the darkness.

Just then, a blood-curdling scream erupted from behind her.

Jill spun around. Nemesis's tentacles had already coiled around Michelle's waist, hoisting him into the air.

Michelle struggled to draw his handgun, firing several shots at Nemesis's head. The bullets struck its exoskeleton, only kicking up a shower of sparks.

"Get the hell off this train!" Michelle roared, pressing the detonator in his hand with all his might.

"BOOM—!!!"

The deafening explosion instantly swept through the tunnel. Searing flames erupted from the junction, lighting up the darkness like broad daylight.

The severed carriage disintegrated in the blast. The massive shockwave threw Jill backward with violent force.

The cooler flew from her arms, hitting the tunnel wall with a thud, while she herself slammed onto the cold tracks along with the derailed train.

Her consciousness faded rapidly into the dark. The last things she saw were flaming debris dancing through the air and the distorted silhouette of Nemesis amidst the sea of fire.

September 29, 1998, 02:34 AM. Raccoon City Police Department, West Gate.

Cold rain pelted Carlos's face, mixing with sweat as it ran down his jawline.

"It's been a while. The subway should have left the city by now, right?" he said, a hint of worry in his voice.

Tyrone leaned against a nearby utility pole, checking his assault rifle. He raised an eyebrow and gave a playful smirk. "What, thinking about that beautiful S.T.A.R.S. member?"

Carlos's face flushed slightly, and he waved his hand dismissively. "No, don't say that. She's different from most people."

"Oh? How so?" Tyrone pressed, intrigued. "Is her aim better than yours, or is she more stubborn?"

Carlos didn't answer. He simply turned and pushed open the rusty iron gate on the west side of the station. The gate let out a piercing screech that sounded particularly eerie in the silent, rainy night.

"Alright, lover boy, keep your head in the game." Tyrone stopped smiling and led the way inside, gun raised. "This is a police station, not a dating spot."

Carlos followed behind him. His eyes swept over the courtyard, and his pace faltered.

In the open space on the west side, dozens of mounds of earth were neatly arranged. A crude wooden marker was stuck in front of each mound, with names written in permanent marker.

The rain had soaked the markers, blurring the ink, but some names were still recognizable. These were the final resting places Marvin had prepared for the fallen officers.

"Are you sure this is a police station?" Carlos's voice dropped. "To me, it looks more like a cemetery."

Tyrone also stopped, looking silently at the mounds before turning toward the steps below. "Stop being sentimental. We have a mission. Let's head around the backyard to the main building and avoid the crowds of corpses out front."

Just as they stepped down, a gunshot rang out from the direction of the gate, followed by a man's strained voice.

"Brad, stop!"

Tyrone and Carlos exchanged a look. They immediately raised their guns and rushed toward the sound. Tyrone kicked open a nearby courtyard gate that had been boarded shut.

In the courtyard, a middle-aged man in a police uniform was holding a gun on a zombie wearing a yellow S.T.A.R.S. tactical vest. The man's face was filled with pain and conflict. It was Marvin.

And the zombie was Brad, who had just died at the bar. Half of his face had rotted away, and his uniform was shredded. He was shuffling toward Marvin, a low growl echoing in his throat.

"Please, man, I don't want to do this to you." Marvin's voice trembled, his muzzle wavering. "We were comrades."

Brad didn't stop, continuing his slow crawl forward. Marvin gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger, aiming for the zombie's leg.

"BANG!"

The bullet pierced Brad's thigh. He stumbled and fell to his knees. But the virus had completely consumed his mind. He paused for only a second before looking up again and reaching out with a rotted hand toward Marvin.

Marvin closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and raised his gun again.

"I'm sorry..."

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Brad's mouth opened, and a slurred sound escaped.

"Sor... ry..."

Marvin's eyes snapped open, his whole body freezing.

That split second of hesitation was all the opening Brad needed. He lunged forward and bit into Marvin's abdomen, tearing away a chunk of flesh.

"Ah!" Marvin let out a cry of agony. He kicked Brad away with all his strength and turned to run toward the police station lobby.

He stumbled into the lobby, slamming the heavy oak door shut and locking it behind him. He leaned against the door and slowly slid to the floor. Blood gushed from his abdomen, quickly staining the ground beneath him red.

By the time Tyrone and Carlos rushed over, all they saw was the closed door and the blood on the ground. Brad had already dragged his injured leg and vanished into the darkness of the courtyard.

"Forget him. Let's get inside." Tyrone slammed his shoulder against the door several times. The heavy oak door screeched and soon gave way.

The two of them entered the lobby cautiously, guns raised. It was empty. Only scattered shell casings and dried blood remained, evidence of a fierce battle that had just taken place.

"Where did that cop go?" Carlos asked, looking around in confusion.

"I don't know, and I don't care." Tyrone walked over to the reception desk and looked at the surveillance computer, which was still on. "We have work to do. If our intel is still good, Bard should be in the S.T.A.R.S. office. Let's find him and take him into custody."

"Custody?" Carlos blinked. "I thought this was a rescue mission."

Tyrone ignored him, waving him over to the surveillance screen. "Carlos, come look at this. I found the location of the S.T.A.R.S. office."

"Remember, Bard knows Umbrella Corporation's dirty secrets. He knows we'll try to contain him, so this search-and-rescue mission is actually a search-and-apprehend mission."

Carlos's expression darkened. After a few seconds of silence, he nodded. "Alright, I got it."

"I'll open the door for you." Tyrone tapped a few keys on the computer, and the metal shutter on the west side of the lobby slowly rose.

Carlos nodded and said to Tyrone, "Right. You stay here and investigate what happened to the station. Let me know if anything comes up."

Tyrone patted him on the shoulder. "Stay safe."

"Yeah." Carlos nodded, raising his gun as he headed toward the west corridor. "You too, brother."