Chapter 34: One Dead, One Crippled

After parting ways with Barry, Jill clutched her handgun alone, walking slowly through the winding corridors of the Spencer Mansion.

The dim light from the emergency lamps flickered intermittently, stretching and shortening her shadow. The air was permeated with a persistent, lingering scent of decay and blood; every step she took was upon unknown danger.

Her narrow escape from the mural room earlier and Barry's increasingly obvious abnormal behavior deepened the doubt and unease in her heart. However, with no teammates by her side, she could only force herself to remain calm, cautiously investigating her surroundings while searching for clues to escape this mansion of death.

Winding her way through the corridors, Jill returned once more to the mansion's courtyard. In the open-air courtyard, the heavy rain continued to pour down through the gaps above, splashing onto the puddle-filled ground with a pitter-patter sound.

Overgrown weeds obscured most of the path, and the dilapidated sculptures all around looked exceptionally desolate in the rain. Occasionally, the low growls of zombies echoed from a distance in the empty courtyard, adding a touch of eeriness.

Jill did not linger long in the courtyard. She slowly climbed the stairs on one side to the second floor. The second-floor corridor was even darker than the first; the railings were rusted and mottled, and the floor was scattered with dry wood chips and shattered glass.

She slowly investigated along the corridor, pushing open the closed doors one by one. Most were unused empty rooms containing only years of dust and cobwebs, without any useful clues or encounters with hidden mutant monsters. This actually made her even more alert; behind such excessive calm, a greater crisis often lurked.

Reaching the end of the corridor, a wooden door leading to the balcony was left ajar, the sound of the wind and rain outside leaking through the gap. Jill gripped her handgun tight, gently pushed the door open, and stepped slowly onto the balcony.

The open-air balcony was not very spacious, and the railings had long since rusted. Rainwater dripped from the edges, and in a corner of the balcony lay a stiff corpse, drenched by the rain. Beside it lay a heavy weapon that was entirely black.

The moment she saw the weapon, Jill's eyes lit up. In this mansion filled with peril, the power of a handgun was no longer enough. If she could have heavy firepower, it would be much safer to deal with those zombies and mutant creatures.

She suppressed the excitement in her heart and approached cautiously. She first bent down to pick up the weapon. Upon touching it with her fingertips, she confirmed it was a Grenade Launcher. There were spare grenades in the magazine; this was undoubtedly the most precious supply at the moment.

In addition to her joy, Jill's gaze fell upon the corpse beside her. As the rain washed over it, the clothing on the body gradually became visible.

It was a familiar S.T.A.R.S. combat uniform. Although covered in stains and blood, it was still clearly recognizable.

Jill's heart sank abruptly. She crouched down to examine the corpse's face, and a chill instantly surged from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.

It was Forest Speyer.

A member of Bravo Team, that scout with a cheerful personality and precise marksmanship.

Just before this mission, the whole team had gathered at the police station. Forest was still laughing and joking with everyone, saying they should go out for a meal together after the mission ended.

But in just one short day, a once-vibrant teammate had now become a cold corpse, lying alone on the balcony of this mansion, having died tragically in this sudden disaster.

Jill slowly stood up, her eyes slightly red, her heart filled with bitterness and grief. Since entering the Arklay Mountains, Kevin and Kenneth from Bravo Team had been killed one after another, and now Forest's body had been found.

Alpha Team had also been scattered; Wesker was missing, and there was no word from Chris. The teammates who once fought side by side were either dead or missing, leaving only her and Barry to struggle in this living hell.

The heavy rain hit her cheeks with a bone-chilling cold. Jill took a deep breath and forced down the grief in her heart.

She could not indulge in emotions here. The living had to keep moving forward, find the other teammates, and uncover the truth behind this mansion to seek justice for their fallen comrades.

She gave a slight bow to Forest's body, then slung the Grenade Launcher behind her back. After composing her emotions, she turned and left the balcony, continuing her exploration into the depths of the mansion.

Returning to the first floor via the stairs, Jill originally intended to follow her previous route to re-examine the unexplored areas.

Just as she reached the main staircase, she suddenly noticed a fresh note stuck to the left wall. The handwriting was clear and had obviously been written recently.

She stepped forward quickly, took down the note, and examined it carefully. It was in Barry's handwriting, which looked a bit rushed: Jill, I left First Aid Spray and handgun ammo in the storage room under the stairs. Take them when you see this and be very careful. I'm going elsewhere to investigate; we'll meet up later.

The moment she saw the note, the suspicion in Jill's heart dissipated slightly. At least Barry was still operating safely.

Following the note's directions, she found the storage room under the stairs. Inside, there were indeed First Aid Sprays and several boxes of ammunition—exactly the supplies she urgently needed.

Jill quickly replenished her equipment, properly stowed the First Aid Spray, and after checking her firearms and ammunition, set off again toward the unexplored west-side rooms on the first floor.

The way remained calm. Jill stayed alert at all times, her ears listening for subtle movements around her, and the gun in her hand was always ready to fire.

Passing through an empty corridor, a closed wooden door appeared ahead. Jill gently turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, slowly walking inside.

The light in the room was dim. A few old desks were placed there, piled with scattered documents. In the air, besides the smell of mold, there was a hint of the scent of decaying paper. In the center of the room, a familiar figure stood with his back to her in front of a desk, motionless.

It was Barry.

He seemed completely unaware of Jill's arrival. His hands were behind his back, and he was looking down at a folder on the desk. He exuded a heavy silence, as if he were contemplating something important.

Jill slowed her pace, trying to make as little noise as possible as she slowly approached Barry. She could see that the document in Barry's hand was certainly no ordinary material; otherwise, he wouldn't be so absorbed in thought. Perhaps it contained key clues about this mansion and the tragic deaths of their teammates.

She didn't speak to disturb him, wanting only to get closer to see the contents of the document.

But just as she came within two steps of Barry's back, he seemed to suddenly snap back to his senses. He spun around abruptly, his whole body tense, with a hint of undetectable panic in his eyes.

The sudden movement made Jill stop in her tracks, and due to his excessive nervousness, the folder in Barry's hand instantly slipped and fell onto the cold floor.

“Sorry! Barry, I didn't mean to startle you,” Jill quickly apologized. She hadn't expected her approach to make Barry lose his composure like this.

Barry bent down to pick up the folder and raised a hand to calm his emotions. His originally tense expression gradually relaxed, and he managed to squeeze out a calm look, shaking his head at Jill: “It's fine. I was just too focused and didn't hear you come in.”

Perhaps to hide his previous panic, Barry didn't say anything more. Instead, he handed the folder to Jill, his tone sounding as natural as possible: “You've come at the right time. I just found a document—a suicide note left by a researcher here. However, only half is left. Take a look.”

Jill took the folder and looked through it carefully. The paper had long since yellowed, and the handwriting was messy and disorganized, with every line filled with despair and fear.

The suicide note mentioned that this mansion belonged to the Umbrella Corporation and that a secret research lab was hidden underground. They had been conducting illegal biochemical virus experiments. Recently, the experiments went out of control, the virus leaked, and the researchers in the lab suffered heavy casualties. Those man-eating monsters were all products of failed virus experiments.

The suicide note stopped abruptly halfway through. Clearly, the researcher who left it had ultimately failed to escape his doom.

Closing the folder, Jill's expression became increasingly solemn. This note completely confirmed the suspicions in her heart: all the strange occurrences and all the tragic deaths of her teammates were tied to Umbrella's illegal experiments.

She looked up at Barry and asked in a low voice, “Barry, after reading this note, what do you think?”

Logically, upon learning such a shocking secret, anyone would show an expression of shock or anger. But Barry only had flickering eyes and brushed it off with a flat tone: “I don't have any special thoughts. I can only say that everything about this mansion feels wrong; it's far more dangerous than we imagined.”

His answer was too perfunctory, too calm, and completely inconsistent with his past personality.

Jill looked at his evasive gaze, remembered his repeated abnormal behavior, and couldn't help but let out a light chuckle, her tone carrying a hint of testing: “You're certainly being reserved. After such a major revelation, you only have that one sentence?”

Barry didn't respond, his expression becoming even more unnatural.

Seeing this, Jill stopped dwelling on the issue and instead pointed to the incomplete note, asking, “Only half of this document is left. Where did you find the remaining part? It might hide even more important intelligence.”

“I don't know,” Barry said almost reflexively, his tone hurried. “I only found this half; there's no sign of the rest. Alright, let's not waste time here. Let's continue investigating separately. The sooner we find an exit and our teammates, the better.”

After saying that, without waiting for Jill's response, Barry walked quickly toward the door. His pace was hurried, as if he were deliberately avoiding something. He soon vanished from Jill's sight, leaving her standing alone in the messy room, clutching the incomplete note, as the doubts in her heart completely erupted.

Barry's abnormality was becoming more and more obvious. He was deliberately brushing off questions and was anxious to flee. The panic and evasion in his eyes all indicated that he must be hiding a secret, perhaps even deliberately concealing something.

But Jill couldn't understand why the always reliable Barry was hiding something, or what could have caused him to become like this.

She suppressed her full heart of doubt and put away the researcher's note. This incomplete document was key evidence to expose Umbrella's conspiracy.

Then, Jill gripped the weapon in her hand and didn't linger. She turned and set off toward the second floor again. She had to find more clues as quickly as possible, figure out Barry's abnormality, and find a way to escape.

Deep in the east-side area of the second floor, the atmosphere was more oppressive than elsewhere. The scent of blood in the air grew thicker, and mottled bloodstains could even be seen on the corridor floor.

Jill moved forward cautiously step by step, being exceptionally alert every time she pushed open a door. When she pushed open the door to a bedroom, the scene before her made her heart tighten instantly.

On the floor of the room, a figure leaned weakly against a corner, covered in wounds. His combat uniform was soaked with blood, his face was as pale as paper, and his breathing was faint. It was Richard Aiken, who also belonged to Bravo Team.

“Richard!” Jill cried out in surprise. She immediately rushed forward and crouched down to check his injuries, her tone full of worry. “How are you? How did you get hurt so badly?”

Hearing Jill's voice, Richard opened his eyes with difficulty. After seeing who it was, his dry lips moved slightly, and his voice was extremely weak, carrying undeniable pain: “Jill... it's you... there... is danger everywhere...”

His breathing was hurried and weak, his consciousness was already somewhat blurred, and his body trembled slightly out of control.

“Don't talk, let me treat your wounds.” Jill quickly took out the First Aid Spray, wanting to alleviate his pain, but was gently pulled back by Richard.

“It's no use...” Richard shook his head, his eyes full of pain. “It was... it was a giant venomous snake. I was bitten by it, and the venom has already spread...”

A giant venomous snake!

Jill's heart sank. She hadn't expected that in this mansion, besides zombies, there would be such terrifying mutant creatures.

“Hold on. I know there must be Snake Venom Serum in the mansion. I'll go find it right now. You must wait for me to come back!” Jill tightly gripped Richard's hand and spoke in a firm tone. She couldn't lose another teammate.

Richard nodded with difficulty and, using his last ounce of strength, repeatedly cautioned: “Be careful... be careful of those monsters...”

Before he could finish his sentence, he fell completely into a semi-conscious state, with only faint breathing remaining.

Jill didn't dare delay. She gently propped Richard up in a relatively comfortable corner so he was stable, then left some spare ammunition and turned to rush out of the room to search for the serum in the mansion.

She ran through the infirmary and storage rooms on the second floor, then doubled back to various rooms on the first floor. Along the way, she encountered two wandering zombies, which she dealt with cleanly and efficiently, not daring to waste a single second.

Finally, in a storage room on the west side of the first floor, Jill found a medical kit containing the Snake Venom Serum. She took the serum and immediately rushed back to the room where Richard was without stopping, injecting the serum into him right away.

A moment later, Richard's breathing gradually stabilized, his consciousness cleared a bit, and his complexion improved slightly.

He looked at Jill, his eyes full of gratitude. He slowly pulled a One-way Radio from his pocket and handed it to Jill: “This... take this radio. You might be able to receive messages from our teammates...”

Jill took the radio and clutched it tightly in her hand, her heart deeply moved.

“Recover well here, don't move around. I'm going out to investigate. Once I find an exit and rescue, I'll come back for you immediately,” Jill instructed softly. After confirming that Richard was no longer in immediate life-threatening danger, she finally stood up with relief.

She took one last look at the weak Richard, gripped the weapon in her hand, and turned to walk out of the room, stepping once more into the darkness of the mansion.

At the moment, the safety of her teammates, Barry's secret, Umbrella's conspiracy, and the way out—all the mysteries were waiting for her to solve, and she had to continue moving forward with difficulty amidst this lethal danger.