Chapter 28: Embers of the End and Parting

Supporting the still-weak Billy, Rebecca stepped further into the Research Area of the Training Facility.

The surroundings became increasingly eerie. The cold metal corridors were gradually covered by a layer of slimy, moist black substance—swarms of leeches piled on top of each other. They wriggled slowly, making hair-raising clicking sounds, while the air grew thick with a pungent, sweet, and suffocating stench.

The ground beneath their feet was slippery and difficult to traverse. The walls and ceiling were occupied by leeches, turning the once-white laboratory walls pitch black. Occasionally, a lone Leech would drip from above, landing near their feet before slowly crawling back onto the wall.

Rebecca gripped her handgun, her nerves strained to the limit. The density of leeches here far exceeded any previous area; they had clearly reached the core of the entire facility.

Passing through a half-open alloy door, the two entered a spacious circular hall. In the center was an open atrium connecting to higher floors. The surrounding area was filled with discarded experimental equipment, all tightly wrapped in leeches, completely losing their original form.

Just as they stopped to warily observe their surroundings, a deep, raspy voice filled with playful laughter suddenly drifted down from above.

"Welcome, young ones. I'm so glad you could join this party."

Rebecca and Billy looked up simultaneously toward the sound. Standing on the metal railing of the second floor was a mysterious man dressed in a white robe with long hair cascading over his shoulders.

He paced slowly and lightly along the railing, the hem of his robe swaying gently. Black leeches seemed to shimmer around him, and his eyes glinted with bone-chilling coldness and madness.

"You are my honored guests," the man stopped and leaned down to look at them, a cruel curve forming on his lips. "After all, this place will be your funeral."

"Who are you?" Billy took a step forward, shielding Rebecca behind him. He raised his gun at the mysterious figure, his gaze sharp and his voice cold.

The mysterious man didn't answer immediately. A strange ripple suddenly surged through him, and the leeches covering his body began to writhe. His face and form changed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In moments, the young man in white transformed into a sinister-looking elder. He was the founder of Umbrella Corporation's Progenitor Virus research: Dr. James Marcus.

"Dr. James Marcus?!" Billy's pupils contracted, and his grip on the gun tightened as he cried out in shock.

"No, that's impossible!" Rebecca shook her head repeatedly, her face filled with disbelief and her voice panicked. "Dr. James Marcus died a long time ago. What is going on? Who are you really?"

Seeing their shock, Dr. James Marcus let out a cold laugh filled with resentment and bitterness. He spoke slowly, revealing the truth buried for ten years: "Ten years ago, Oswell E. Spencer was jealous of my research and sent people to assassinate me."

As he spoke, a cruel memory seemed to surface before them across time and space.

In this laboratory ten years ago, there were no leeches everywhere; everything was neat and orderly. Dr. James Marcus, in a white lab coat, was focused on the Queen Leech on the operating table. He was carefully conducting a symbiosis experiment between the T-Virus and the leeches, completely immersed in his research with eyes only for the Queen Leech.

Suddenly, the laboratory door was kicked open violently. Two fully armed members of the USS Special Forces in black combat gear opened fire without a word.

Bullets pierced Dr. James Marcus's chest, and blood sprayed out instantly. With a look of shock and indignation, he stumbled and collapsed onto the cold floor. The Queen Leech on the operating table was startled and fell directly onto him, its slimy body wriggling against his wounds.

As his consciousness blurred, Dr. James Marcus struggled to look up. He saw two young men in researcher uniforms walking slowly into the lab, looking down at his dying form with cold indifference.

The young man on the left had a sharp gaze and an aura of cold ferocity; it was Albert Wesker. Holding his gun, he said tonelessly, "Die, Doctor."

The young man on the right wore glasses and had a calm face, but ambition was hidden in his eyes; it was William Birkin. His gaze swept over the research data on the table as he spoke flatly, "I will take over your research and inherit everything you have."

"Wesker... Birkin..." Dr. James Marcus used his last bit of strength to mutter their names, his eyes filled with overwhelming hatred before he lost consciousness and fell into endless darkness.

The memory faded, and Dr. James Marcus's gaze grew even more twisted. The leeches around him surged frantically, as if echoing his rage.

"However, a miracle occurred," he said slowly, a hint of eerie gratitude in his voice.

"The Queen Leech I meticulously raised... the T-Virus inside it spent years slowly repairing my body and fusing with it, granting me new life. I have returned! In a new form, I have returned!"

Dr. James Marcus threw his head back and laughed. He suddenly raised his hands to his chest and clenched them tightly, radiating a terrifying aura.

"Now, I will have my revenge on Umbrella Corporation! On Oswell E. Spencer, Wesker, Birkin, and everyone who betrayed me and took everything from me! This world shall burn to ashes in the fire of my hatred!"

The mad laughter echoed through the hall, piercing and horrific. Billy looked at Dr. James Marcus, who was consumed by hatred, and thought of the innocent skeletons used as test subjects. Rage burned in his heart.

He gripped his firearm and shouted sternly, "You've been blinded by hatred and have murdered countless innocent people. You will pay the price for everything you've done!"

"Pay the price? Then let's see who dies first!" Dr. James Marcus's eyes sharpened, and his aura shifted instantly.

In the next second, a horrific transformation occurred. Countless black leeches swarmed out of his mouth, nose, and ears. His body expanded and twisted under the mass of leeches, shredding his white robe. His elderly human form vanished completely, replaced by a massive, hideous giant Leech Man!

Its body was composed of countless aggregated leeches, with more wriggling and crawling over its surface, emitting a strong stench. Massive tentacles flailed with destructive force as it lunged at the two!

"Watch out!" Billy shouted, pulling Rebecca Chambers to dodge quickly.

The giant Leech Man's tentacles slammed into the ground, cracking the concrete and sending debris flying. Not daring to be careless, the two immediately split up, firing as they retreated.

Billy fired continuously at the Leech Man's torso. Every bullet that hit scattered large numbers of leeches, splashing black slime everywhere.

Rebecca Chambers used her agility to circle to the side, looking for openings. She used her combat knife to sever the incoming Leech tentacles while warning Billy to evade attacks.

The giant Leech Man's defense was incredibly high. The scattered leeches quickly re-aggregated, and its assault grew more violent, destroying all the experimental equipment in the hall and leaving debris everywhere.

The two cooperated seamlessly, providing cover for each other as they maneuvered around the Leech Man in the cramped hall. Their stamina drained rapidly, and they suffered several scratches from the leeches, each bringing a sharp sting of pain.

Gritting their teeth, they concentrated their fire on the Queen Leech's core—the most densely aggregated center of its torso.

After a thrilling and arduous battle, the Queen Leech's body began to disintegrate. The speed of its aggregation slowed down until, under their combined assault, the massive form finally collapsed. Leeches scattered across the floor, gradually losing their vitality, and the core Mother Leech slumped to the ground, motionless.

After confirming the Queen Leech was completely incapacitated, the two slumped against the wall, gasping for breath. They were covered in grime and black slime, exhausted to the limit.

Rebecca Chambers forced herself up and searched through the remains of the Queen Leech. She soon felt a cold metal key engraved with an elevator icon.

"It's an Elevator Key!" Rebecca Chambers said, holding it up for Billy.

Supporting each other, they followed the floor markings to find the corresponding private elevator and used the key to open the closed doors.

The interior of the elevator was spacious, and emergency supplies were even placed in the corners—spare magazines, medical bandages, a large-caliber revolver, and several bottles of drinking water. They were clearly emergency supplies left behind by Umbrella Corporation researchers.

They immediately sat down to rest. Rebecca Chambers treated their wounds simply with bandages, while Billy Coen sorted their weapons and equipment. He prepared the large-caliber revolver and replenished the ammunition. After that, their strength recovered slightly.

Subsequently, Billy Coen pressed the button for the elevator to go up. The lift started slowly, climbing toward the surface. The sound of mechanical operation echoed in the elevator shaft, bringing a long-awaited hope of escaping the abyss.

But this hope lasted only for a moment.

The smoothly moving lift suddenly jolted violently and began to shake, as if struck hard by something. Their balance faltered, and they nearly fell. They immediately leaned over to look down into the elevator shaft, their pupils shrinking instantly.

The Queen Leech, which had supposedly been defeated, was not completely dead! It had completed its final mutation within the elevator shaft. Its body had become incredibly massive, nearly filling the entire shaft. The giant form, aggregated from countless Leeches, emitted an aura even more terrifying than before as it rapidly climbed up the shaft!

Just as the two were in shock, the facility's broadcast suddenly rang out. A piercing alarm accompanied by a cold electronic voice echoed through every corner.

"Warning! The Self-destruct system has been activated. All personnel evacuate immediately! Repeat, the Self-destruct system has been activated. The entire Training Facility will be detonated in ten minutes!"

"Who activated the Self-destruct system?!" Rebecca Chambers panicked instantly, her voice filled with urgency. Once the facility exploded, even if they defeated the Queen Leech, they would be buried under the ruins.

Billy Coen rushed to the elevator controls and pounded on the operation panel, growling anxiously, "Come on! Can't this piece of junk go any faster!"

Just as he finished speaking, the giant Queen Leech had already reached the bottom of the elevator. Its massive body thrust upward with brute force, violently shoving the lift all the way up from below.

The metal rails screeched with a piercing sound until, with a loud "clank," the elevator jammed hard against the platform at the very top of the shaft. The elevator doors flew open, and it was completely stuck.

The giant Queen Leech had already climbed onto the top platform.

Its massive body blocked all paths of retreat. A foul, stench-filled wind blew toward them as tentacles composed of countless Leeches swept across with a roar.

The two were forced into a corner of the platform, with nowhere left to run.

A fight to the death was inevitable.

In the chaos, Rebecca Chambers was struck by a tentacle and stumbled into the nearby skylight control panel. She accidentally pried open the skylight's circuitry, and a small gap opened in the skylight.

Blinding sunlight poured in through the gap and shone onto the Leeches. The previously rampaging Leeches instantly let out agonizing screams, quickly shriveling and melting as they scrambled to avoid the sunlight.

Rebecca Chambers' eyes lit up as she immediately realized the monster's weakness. She shouted to Billy Coen, "Billy, it's afraid of sunlight! We have to open the skylight completely!"

"Understood! You open the skylight; I'll draw its attention!" Billy Coen agreed without hesitation. He picked up his rifle and fired frantically at the Queen Leech, intentionally moving to the other side to draw all the monster's attacks toward himself, buying time for Rebecca Chambers.

Rebecca Chambers ran to the control panel and anxiously bypassed the circuits. Under Billy Coen's desperate cover, Rebecca Chambers finally opened the skylight completely. Brilliant sunlight flooded into the elevator shaft without obstruction, illuminating the entire dark space.

The giant Queen Leech, hit by the sunlight, let out a heart-wrenching roar of pain. Its massive body began to twitch violently and melt. It struggled frantically, trying to crawl back into the shadows of the elevator shaft to escape the burning sunlight.

Taking advantage of its weakened state, Rebecca Chambers immediately picked up the spare large-caliber revolver nearby. There was only one bullet left. She threw it to Billy Coen without hesitation: "Billy, catch it!"

Billy Coen caught the pistol precisely and quickly chambered a round. He sidestepped the Queen Leech's dying counterattack and aimed at the core of the Leech mother body, which was exposed and being burned by the sunlight. He shouted at the monster, "Hey, monster! Taste this!"

"Bang—!"

A deafening gunshot rang out, and the final large-caliber bullet accurately hit the core. The giant Queen Leech's body completely disintegrated. Countless Leeches melted and dissipated in the sunlight. The massive form could no longer hold itself together and shattered into countless fragments, falling straight to the bottom of the deep elevator shaft.

At the same time, the facility's self-destruct countdown entered its final seconds. The entire building shook violently, the ceiling continued to collapse, and rubble fell everywhere.

"Let's go!" Billy Coen shouted. He grabbed Rebecca Chambers and climbed out of the platform through the open skylight, racing toward the facility's exit with reckless abandon.

They ran through the collapsing corridors, dodging falling boulders. Using every last ounce of their strength, they finally burst out of the Training Facility and reached a safe area on a distant hilltop.

The moment they stopped, an earth-shattering roar came from behind them.

Flames soared into the sky, and thick smoke billowed. The Training Facility and Research Institute, which carried the countless sins of the Umbrella Corporation, collapsed in the violent explosion, turning into ruins. All biological weapons, experimental data, and sinful secrets were turned to ash in the explosion, dissipating into the air.

The two stood on the hilltop, gasping for breath, watching the fire and smoke gradually subside in the distance. Their nerves, which had been tense for several days, finally relaxed completely.

The warm sunlight fell upon them, dispelling the cold and exhaustion brought by the underground facility, as if washing away all the gloom.

Billy Coen slowly raised his right hand and looked at the remaining handcuff on his wrist. He pulled the key from his waist, unlocked the handcuff, and then threw the cold metal hard into the distance, watching it disappear into the grass.

Freed from the shackles of a prisoner, he felt a weight lift from his body. No longer able to hold himself up, he slumped onto the grass of the hilltop and let out a long sigh of relief.

Rebecca Chambers stood nearby, her gaze fixed on the distance. The sunlight illuminated a vintage Spencer Mansion nestled among the distant mountain forests. The mansion stood in the mountains, exuding a hint of eerie silence. Recalling her parting with Captain Enrico, she whispered, "That must be the old Spencer Mansion Enrico mentioned."

She crouched down and gently patted Billy Coen's shoulder. Billy Coen slowly stood up, and the two stood face to face. The air held a sense of impending departure.

"It seems it's time to say goodbye." Rebecca Chambers looked at Billy Coen, her tone serious. "Officially speaking, Second Lieutenant Billy Coen has perished in the Arklay Mountains biological incident."

Hearing this, Billy Coen gave a smile that was half-joking and half-relieved. "Yeah. Now I'm just a zombie no one knows—a free zombie."

With that, Billy Coen turned, preparing to leave in the opposite direction of the Spencer Mansion.

"Billy!" Rebecca Chambers suddenly called out to him.

Billy Coen stopped and looked back. He saw Rebecca Chambers standing tall, solemnly giving him a standard S.T.A.R.S. military salute, her eyes full of respect and gratitude.

During this hellish journey, it was their mutual support that allowed them to survive. This bond had long since transcended the initial barriers between them.

Billy Coen felt a warmth in his heart and slowly raised his hand, returning a standard military salute.

After the salute, Rebecca Chambers said no more and turned toward the distant old Spencer Mansion. She was going to find her lost teammates, uncover more of Umbrella Corporation's conspiracies, and fulfill her duties as a member of S.T.A.R.S.

Watching Rebecca Chambers' receding back, Billy Coen stood in place and whispered softly, his voice full of sincerity: "Thank you, Rebecca."

Then, he turned and walked in the other direction, heading toward his own brand-new life of freedom.

Under the sunlight, their figures grew more distant, heading in different directions toward their respective paths. They left behind only a field of ruins and the hidden dangers of the Arklay Mountains, quietly waiting for a new story to unfold.