Chapter 118: The End of the Stalker

Jill reached out and lightly touched the wall of the syringe, her shoulders, which had been tense for several days, finally relaxing slightly.

"Finally..." She let out a long breath, her voice carrying an unmistakable tremble, "We really did it."

Carlos leaned against the lab bench, pulled off his blood-stained tactical gloves, and tossed them aside. "Once we hand this over to the government, those bastards won't be able to use the virus as an excuse to blow up the whole city anymore."

Tyrone leaned against the doorway, his alert gaze scanning every corner of the laboratory. The wound on his left arm was still throbbing, but years of battlefield instinct kept him from relaxing completely. "Don't celebrate too early; Nicholai is still in this building. That madman is capable of anything."

Before the words had even faded, Chloe's pupils suddenly contracted. Almost instinctively, she lunged sideways toward Jill, simultaneously drawing a dagger from Jill's waist and swinging it fiercely toward the overhead vent.

"Watch out!"

A flash of cold light followed, and the dagger precisely severed a thick, mucus-covered tentacle reaching out from the darkness. Dark green fluid splattered onto the floor, making a sizzling corrosive sound. The Nemesis's pained roar echoed from deep within the ventilation ducts, causing the entire ceiling to vibrate violently.

"Dammit! How did it follow us here!" Carlos snapped up his assault rifle and fired short bursts at the vent.

The deafening roar of tearing metal filled the air. The Nemesis's massive body crashed through the ventilation duct, slamming heavily onto the vaccine synthesis platform amidst a shower of debris and twisted rebar.

The precision instruments were instantly crushed into a pile of scrap metal, and flying shards grazed Jill's cheek as they whistled past.

The platform's load-bearing structure groaned under the unbearable weight, and cracks spread rapidly like a spiderweb.

"The platform is collapsing! Move!" Jill grabbed Chloe's wrist and turned to sprint toward the lab's back door.

Carlos and Tyrone followed close behind. Just as the four of them burst out of the lab, an earth-shattering boom erupted behind them. The entire synthesis platform collapsed with a roar, kicking up a cloud of dust that blotted out everything. The Nemesis's roar came from within the ruins, filled with overwhelming rage.

Jill glanced back and raised her gun, blowing up a fuel tank at the end of the corridor. Raging flames instantly engulfed the entire passage, temporarily blocking the Nemesis's pursuit route.

"This way!" Chloe pointed to a nearby freight elevator that was still operational. "This is the only path to the Waste Disposal Center."

The four of them rushed into the elevator, and Jill frantically mashed the close button. Just as the elevator doors were slowly closing, a massive, burning claw slammed into the door panel, leaving three deep gouges. The elevator shook violently before beginning its slow descent.

The cabin was dead silent, save for the heavy breathing of the four. Jill leaned against the cold metal wall and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. "What exactly is that monster made of? It's died three times and still isn't dead for good."

"The ultimate product of the Nemesis Program, the Umbrella Corporation's most prized killing machine," Chloe's voice carried a hint of coldness. "There is only one directive in its programming: hunt down all S.T.A.R.S. members. As long as you're alive, it will keep pursuing until either you die or it does."

The elevator reached the bottom floor with a 'ding,' and the doors slowly opened. A hot wind smelling of rust, engine oil, and rot rushed at them.

What met their eyes was an incredibly massive Central Circular Disposal Platform. In the center of the platform was a bottomless Sulfuric Acid Storage Pit, its walls covered in dark green corrosive stains, though it was currently empty.

They were positioned at the uppermost fire escape, with narrow iron stairs spiraling down to connect the three middle platforms.

"The emergency exit is just across here." Tyrone took out a flashlight and shone it ahead. "We need to leave as soon as possible; the missiles launch in less than five hours."

At that moment, the elevator doors behind them suddenly exploded with a violent blast, flames shooting into the air as twisted metal fragments flew everywhere.

The Nemesis, engulfed in flames, stepped out of the explosive ruins. Half of its body had been charred black, revealing the writhing flesh beneath, but its crimson eyes remained fixed on Jill as it let out a low growl.

"Open fire!" Carlos shouted, pulling the trigger first.

A dense hail of bullets struck the Nemesis like rain, splashing bursts of dark green blood. But it seemed to feel no pain, continuing its heavy approach. With every step, the entire platform vibrated slightly.

Suddenly, the Nemesis raised its massive claw and slammed it down onto the fire escape beneath their feet.

*Crack—*

The rusted iron railings snapped instantly, and the entire section of the stairs collapsed. Carlos and Tyrone had no time to react, falling down with screams.

"Carlos! Tyrone!" Jill cried out, her body losing balance as she also plunged toward the abyss.

At this critical juncture, a hand firmly grabbed her wrist.

Chloe was hanging halfway off the edge of the platform, her silver-white hair messy in the wind. She held her breath, trying to pull Jill up. "Hold on to me! Sister Jill!"

Just then, the sound of something breaking the air suddenly came from the darkness.

A cold sedative dart accurately pierced Chloe's neck.

Chloe's body jerked violently, and her grip on Jill's hand momentarily loosened. Before she could react, a second dart, a third... a total of five sedatives struck her like throwing knives, all accurately hitting her neck and shoulders.

The potent sedatives instantly flooded her bloodstream. Chloe's vision began to blur, and her limbs became incredibly heavy. She could feel the virus inside her resisting frantically, but the power of the drugs was too great, overwhelming her consciousness like a tide.

But in the final second before completely losing consciousness, she used the last shred of her strength to pull Jill's hand onto the edge of the nearby platform.

"Chloe!" Jill screamed heart-wrenchingly.

Chloe looked at her, her lips seeming to move slightly, before her vision went black and she passed out completely, her body slumping onto the platform.

The Nemesis let out an angry roar and also fell into the empty Sulfuric Acid Storage Pit, slamming heavily onto the concrete at the bottom.

"Oho, look what I've found?"

A cold voice came from the nearby shadows. Nicholai walked out slowly, still holding a tranquilizer gun. He walked to Chloe's side, grabbed the hood of her hoodie, and lifted her up like a small chick.

"Nicholai! You bastard!" Jill gripped the edge of the platform with both hands. "Let her go!"

Nicholai crouched down, a cruel smile on his face. He raised his foot and stomped hard on the back of Jill's hand.

"Ah—!" Jill let out a cry of pain, her bones feeling as if they were being crushed.

"I've noticed you don't seem to understand what I'm saying, Miss Valentine." Nicholai's voice was as cold as a snake. "I've told you many times, I don't work for anyone; I only work for money. Human lives? Worthless in my eyes."

He shook the unconscious Chloe in his hand, his tone full of greed. "Do you know how much this little brat is worth? One hundred million dollars! Enough for me to spend the rest of my life lying on a beach enjoying myself."

"How about this, let's make a deal." Nicholai stood up, looking down at Jill. "Let go and jump down, and have a good fight with that lovely monster below. I'll record your entire battle and sell it to those researchers. Maybe... once I've made enough money, I'll consider letting this little brat go."

He didn't wait for Jill's answer, nodding to himself. "Agreed? Excellent, then it's settled."

With that, he raised his foot and kicked Jill hard in the shoulder.

Jill screamed as she fell backward, plunging toward the bottomless sulfuric acid pit.

"Jill!"

Carlos was quick, lunging forward and catching her firmly in his arms. The two of them stumbled back a few steps, slamming hard against the wall of the pit.

"Are you okay?" Carlos asked anxiously, helping her stand steady.

Jill steadied herself and looked up at Nicholai's receding figure on the platform, her eyes nearly spitting fire. She turned abruptly and slammed a fist into a nearby metal pipe with a loud bang.

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch! I'm definitely going to kill him!"

Before her words even finished, the Nemesis roared and charged toward them.

"Watch out!" Tyrone shouted, raising his Shotgun and firing a blast into the Nemesis's chest.

The massive impact knocked the Nemesis back a few steps. Jill took a deep breath, suppressing the rage in her heart, and drew the dagger at her waist. "Let's deal with this monster first, then settle the score with Nicholai!"

The three immediately stood back-to-back in a triangular formation. Carlos used his assault rifle to precisely target the Nemesis's head weaknesses, Tyrone used his Shotgun to suppress its movements at close range, and Jill used her agility to circle behind it, plunging her dagger into the gaps in its spine.

Anger transformed into boundless strength. Every one of Jill's strikes was with full force, aimed to kill. She poured all her hatred for Nicholai onto this monster that had hunted her countless times.

The Nemesis roared in pain, swinging its massive claws wildly, but it couldn't touch the three of them at all. Its regenerative abilities finally began to fail under the continuous heavy damage, and the speed at which its wounds healed grew slower and slower.

Finally, Jill lunged and leaped, straddling the Nemesis's shoulders and plunging the dagger deep into its head, right up to the hilt.

The Nemesis let out a shrill scream, its massive body crashing to the ground. It twitched a few times before becoming completely still.

The three of them panted heavily, looking at the Nemesis's corpse on the ground; for a moment, no one spoke.

"We need to get up there fast," Tyrone broke the silence first. "Nicholai won't get far with Chloe."

The three climbed back to the top platform via a nearby spare iron ladder. Jill picked up an assault rifle from the floor and checked the magazine. "Tyrone, take the vaccine to the evacuation point outside the city immediately and hand it over to the government people. That is the most important thing."

"What about you guys?" Tyrone asked.

"Carlos and I are going after Nicholai to save Chloe," Jill's tone left no room for argument.

Carlos nodded. "Don't worry, we'll bring Chloe back safely."

Tyrone looked at the two of them, knowing their minds were made up. He took the vaccine Jill handed him and nodded solemnly. "Be careful. I'll wait for you at the evacuation point until 8:00 AM tomorrow morning at the latest. If you aren't there by then, I'll have to leave on my own."

"Understood."

Tyrone turned and ran toward the emergency exit. Jill and Carlos then gave chase in the direction Nicholai had fled.

As they passed the central control room, Jill paused and glanced at the Nemesis's corpse at the bottom of the sulfuric acid pit. She hesitated for a moment before reaching out and pressing the sulfuric acid release button.

A piercing alarm sounded, and a large amount of dark green sulfuric acid gushed from the pipes, quickly filling the entire storage pit. The Nemesis's corpse rapidly dissolved in the acid, soon turning into a pile of white-smoke-emitting sludge.

"That goddamn bastard is finally dead for good this time," Jill said through gritted teeth.

The two continued deeper, passing through a long corridor and an abandoned employee breakroom. Jill found a scattered document on a table with the words "Weapon Specification Sheet" printed in large letters.

"Electromagnetic Railgun Prototype?" Carlos leaned over to take a look and said in surprise, "Umbrella actually hid something like this here?"

Attached to the document was a map, indicating that the prototype's testing platform was at the end of the corridor.

The two exchanged a look and quickened their pace.

The door to the testing platform was ajar. Jill pushed it open gently, and she and Carlos walked in one after the other. It was a massive indoor shooting range, with a giant silver-gray weapon parked on a central platform, its barrel incredibly thick.

They walked up the stairs to the second-floor Observation Room. As soon as they entered, Jill saw the familiar figure.

Nicholai was carrying the unconscious Chloe, preparing to leave through a security door on the other side.

"It's over, Nicholai!" Jill snapped her gun up to aim at him. "Give Chloe back to me, and I might give you a quick death."

Nicholai sneered and turned around. He held Chloe in front of him as a shield, a handgun pressed against her temple. "Keep dreaming. This is one hundred million dollars, my little money-tree. Do you think I'd let go so easily?"

Just as the two sides were in a tense standoff, the wall of the Observation Room suddenly erupted with a loud bang.

A massive, writhing mass of flesh slammed through the wall and reached inside.

Caught off guard, Jill was knocked back by flying debris, falling straight down from the second-floor Observation Room and landing heavily on the Electromagnetic Railgun testing platform below.

Nicholai and Carlos were also knocked aside by the shockwave. The giant mass of flesh rolled through the hole, landing in the center of the platform and beginning to mutate and expand violently.

Countless tentacles and eyes sprouted from the flesh mass, quickly transforming into a horrific monster several times larger than even the Nemesis.

"My god..." Carlos gasped.

Nicholai looked at the monster before him, but his eyes sparkled with excitement. "Have you ever seen such a miraculous creature? This is a priceless treasure!"

He glanced at his wristwatch, a look of impatience appearing on his face. "But what a pity, this city is about to be blown to bits. My life is far more precious than the life of a wretch like you. Farewell, Miss Valentine, I hope you have fun with your new toy!"

With that, he hoisted Chloe and dashed through the security door without looking back, disappearing into the darkness.

"Nicholai!" Jill struggled to climb up from the floor, wanting to give chase, but her path was blocked by the massive monster.

"Jill! Hang on! I'll save you!" Carlos leaned over the edge of the Observation Room, shouting down at her.

"Don't worry about me!" Jill shouted back up at him. "Go after Nicholai! He still has Chloe!"

"But what about you?" Carlos shouted anxiously.

"I'm fine! I can handle this monster!" Jill picked up her fallen assault rifle and aimed it at the massive creature, her gaze incredibly determined. "There's not much time! Go!"

Carlos hesitated, glancing in the direction Nicholai had disappeared and then back at Jill below. Finally, he gritted his teeth. "You have to stay alive! I'll bring Chloe back!"

With that, he turned and gave chase toward the security door.

Jill watched Carlos's back disappear at the end of the corridor, took a deep breath, and turned to face the super-massive monster. She gripped her gun and cursed at the monster:

"I'm telling you, this is really the fucking last time, you perverted stalker!"