Chapter 123: Code Name: Veronica

Light snow had already begun to fall in Ottawa during November.

Jill and Chloe stood at the doorway of the Burton residence, dragging two black suitcases with swirling snowflakes dancing behind them.

Catherine wrapped a thick wool scarf around Chloe's neck and stuffed two hand warmers into her pockets. "Paris is cold right now too; wear more layers. Take care of yourself, and look after Jill."

"Mm." Chloe nodded and reached out to give Catherine a gentle hug. Spending over a month together had allowed her to experience motherly warmth for the first time.

Barry handed Jill an encrypted hard drive, his expression solemn. "This contains contact information for all my old connections in Europe. You can buy weapons and equipment through these people. Remember, don't trust anyone easily; Umbrella's influence has already seeped into every corner."

"I know." Jill took the hard drive and tucked it into her inner backpack pocket. "Thank you, Barry. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have made it this far."

"Don't say such silly things." Barry smiled and ruffled Chloe's brown hair.

For this trip, Chloe had specifically dyed her hair light brown and cut it short to disguise herself as an ordinary middle school student.

"You are S.T.A.R.S. family; protecting you is only right. Once you find Chris, remember to let me know you're safe."

Moira hid behind Catherine, clutching an amulet made of maple leaves. After hesitating for a long time, she ran forward and thrust the amulet into Chloe's hand. Keeping her head down, she whispered, "This... can keep you safe."

Chloe squeezed the maple leaf amulet, her heart warming. "Thank you, Moira. I'll come back."

Polly also reached out a small hand and said in a milky voice, "Goodbye, Big Sister Chloe."

"Goodbye." Chloe waved to the two little girls and turned to get into the taxi to the airport with Jill.

As the car slowly drove away, Chloe looked back and saw the Burton family still standing at the door waving, until their figures disappeared into the swirling snow and wind.

Twelve hours later, the plane landed at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Cold rain beat against the plane's portholes, and the entire city was shrouded in a grey mist.

Jill and Chloe pushed their luggage out of the airport, taking a deep breath of the damp air.

"Claire said she tracked Chris's last appearance to the 6th Arrondissement of Paris." Jill pulled out her phone, looking at the last text message Claire sent three days ago. "Since then, she hasn't contacted me again."

Chloe's eyes darkened. She knew exactly why Claire had lost contact. According to the original timeline, Claire would be captured while infiltrating Umbrella's French branch and then sent to the notorious Rockfort Island prison. Meanwhile, Chris was currently being frantically hunted by Umbrella's assassins.

"Let's find a place to stay first." Chloe pulled down her hat, covering most of her face. "Umbrella's influence in Paris is vast; we can't expose our identities."

Jill nodded and took a taxi to the city center with Chloe. They rented an apartment on an old street not far from the Umbrella France branch building; it had a clear view of the jet-black skyscraper across from them.

Meanwhile, in a dilapidated apartment in the 13th Arrondissement of Paris.

Chris leaned against the wall, gasping for air. His left arm was wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat. He had been hiding in Paris for an entire month.

Ever since leaving Raccoon City, he had come to Europe alone to track down Umbrella's headquarters. But he hadn't expected Umbrella's power to be far more massive than he imagined.

Every time he investigated deeply, he would encounter mysterious obstacles. Either key witnesses would suddenly disappear, or important documents would be destroyed. What angered him even more was that none of the dozen or so letters he wrote to Claire had been sent out.

He knew he was under all-around surveillance by Umbrella.

Chris walked to the window, carefully lifting a corner of the curtain to look outside. Everything on the street seemed normal, with no suspicious people. But his intuition told him it was no longer safe here.

He turned back into the room and began quickly packing his things. Just as he picked up his backpack to leave, the door was suddenly kicked open.

Three assassins in black trench coats rushed in, their silenced pistols firing simultaneously. Bullets struck the spot where Chris had just been standing, sending wood splinters flying.

Chris reacted extremely fast, rolling behind the sofa. He drew his pistol from his waist and fired two shots in return. One assassin fell to the ground, while the other two immediately ducked behind the door frame, covering each other as they shot at the sofa.

The sofa was soon riddled with holes, wood chips and foam flying everywhere. Chris knew he couldn't stay long; his eyes lit up when he saw the gas tank by the kitchen door.

He suddenly stood up, firing three consecutive shots at the gas tank while throwing a flashbang.

"Boom!"

The gas tank exploded violently, flames instantly engulfing the entire living room. The two assassins were thrown back by the blast wave, slamming heavily against the wall. Chris took the opportunity to rush out the door and ran down the fire escape.

Just as he reached the second floor, a dense volley of bullets swept down from above. Chris looked up to see several gunmen standing on the roof of the apartment building, the Umbrella logos on them particularly piercing in the rain.

"Damn it!" Chris cursed under his breath, quickening his pace downstairs. Bullets hit the walls beside him, leaving behind bullet holes. His left arm was grazed by debris, blood instantly staining his sleeve red.

He rushed out of the apartment building and dived into a nearby alley. The alley was piled with trash, emitting a pungent stench. After several twists and turns, Chris finally shook off his pursuers and ducked into the sewers.

Cold sewage rose above his ankles. Chris leaned against the wall and slumped to the ground in exhaustion. He looked at his bleeding arm, his eyes filled with anger and helplessness.

In the top-floor office of Umbrella's French branch.

Christina watched the red dot disappear from the surveillance screen, a cold smile curling at the corners of her mouth.

"Have all security personnel mobilize immediately to seal off the entire 13th Arrondissement. I want him alive or dead," she said into the intercom. "Also, release news that a headquarters inspection team will be visiting the company in three days to observe new experiments."

"Understood, Ms. Duval."

Christina walked to the massive floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the city of Paris in the rain with cold eyes. What she wanted wasn't to kill Chris, but to use him as bait to lure out all the anti-Umbrella forces hidden in Europe.

Three days later, the 6th Arrondissement of Paris.

Claire Redfield, carrying a backpack, hid in a cafe across from the Umbrella headquarters building, holding a secretly taken photograph.

She had received an anonymous email three days ago saying that Chris would infiltrate Umbrella headquarters tonight and asking her to meet him.

Although she felt something was off, she was too worried about her brother's safety and came to the address in the email anyway.

Night gradually fell, and the rain grew heavier. Claire glanced at her watch; it was exactly 8:00 PM. She took a deep breath, stood up, put on her hat, and walked toward the Umbrella headquarters building.

She circled to the back of the building, found a vent without surveillance, unscrewed the screws with a screwdriver, and crawled inside. The ventilation duct was dark and narrow, so Claire could only crawl forward. She followed the route mentioned in the email toward the server room.

Just as she was about to reach the server room, all the lights in the ventilation duct suddenly turned on. A piercing alarm instantly echoed throughout the entire building.

"Not good!" Claire's heart jumped, knowing she had been lured into a trap. She immediately turned to go back the way she came, only to find the vent behind her had been sealed with a steel plate.

Countless flashlight beams shone from all directions, surrounding her. Dozens of fully armed security personnel held their guns, aimed at her.

"Don't move! Drop your weapon!"

Claire slowly raised her hands and crawled out of the ventilation duct. She looked at the expressionless security personnel around her, her heart filled with despair.

In the interrogation room.

Christina sat across from Claire, holding a file.

"Claire Redfield, a junior in the Mechanical Engineering department at Midwest State University. Sister of Chris Redfield." Isabel flipped through the file, her tone flat. "What were you trying to do by infiltrating our company?"

"I'm looking for my brother." Claire looked up, her gaze stubborn. "What have you done to him?"

Isabel smiled. "Chris Redfield? We're looking for him too. But it seems he doesn't care about you as much as you think. He knew this was a trap, yet he still let you come."

"You're lying!" Claire suddenly stood up, only to be pressed back into her chair by the security guards next to her.

Isabel closed the file and stood up. "It seems you know nothing. But it doesn't matter; you're still useful."

She turned to the security personnel and said, "Take her away and send her to Rockfort Island prison in three days. I believe Chris will definitely go to save his dear sister."

Claire was hauled out by two security guards; she struggled desperately, but to no avail.

Two days later, Jill and Chloe sat in their apartment watching the news on TV. The news said that Umbrella Corporation had been attacked by unknown elements last night, and one criminal was captured on the spot.

"Is it Chris?" Jill asked with a frown.

Chloe shook her head, her expression grave. "I don't know, but if it's him, he's likely been taken to Rockfort Island prison by now."

Jill suddenly turned her head to look at Chloe. "How do you know?"

"When I was at the Arklay Research Facility, I heard of this prison. It's Umbrella's largest private prison, located on a remote island in the North Atlantic. All those who oppose Umbrella are held there, along with failed experimental subjects. No one who goes in ever comes out alive." Chloe avoided Jill's gaze, picking up a newspaper from the table as cover.

Jill walked to the window, looking at the black skyscraper opposite them, her fists clenched tightly.

"We have to go save him." She turned around, looking at Chloe with a determined gaze. "No matter how dangerous Rockfort Island is, we cannot leave Chris behind."

Chloe nodded; she had known this day would come. Rockfort Island not only held Claire but would also lead her to the Antarctic Base. And she had to go there to find a way to completely eliminate the hidden danger of the virus in her body.

"I've already found the route to Rockfort Island." Chloe pulled out a map and spread it on the table. "Umbrella has a supply ship departing from Marseille every week for Rockfort Island. We can sneak into the prison by hiding on the supply ship."

Jill looked at the isolated island marked on the map, her eyes showing no hint of fear.

"Good," she said. "We leave for Marseille tomorrow."

The rain outside was still falling, the cold water tapping against the glass with a pitter-patter sound.

The night in Paris was as deep as ink, while far away in the North Atlantic, the isolated island named Rockfort was like a crouching giant beast, waiting for its prey to arrive.