Chapter 48: A New Crisis

Dark clouds still drifted across the night sky, and the helicopter's rotors kicked up a gale, slamming the icy mist hard against the cockpit glass.

The fuselage jolted slightly in the air currents. Behind them, the Arklay Mountains had long been swallowed by soaring flames. The entire Spencer Mansion and the underground research facility had been reduced to burning ruins in a violent explosion, temporarily burying the evils of the Umbrella Corporation hidden deep within the mountains beneath a sea of fire.

The cabin was deathly silent, save for the constant roar of the rotors and the heavy breathing of the survivors. Rebecca sat in the corner, carefully shielding the sleeping Chloe in her arms. The young girl was curled up, her face still pale. Her long eyelashes covered her eyelids, and her breathing was so light it was almost inaudible, as if she had exhausted all her strength in this thrilling escape.

This was the first time in her eight years of imprisonment at the research facility that she had fallen into a deep sleep without any defenses; the surrounding gunfire, explosions, and roars hadn't disturbed her in the slightest.

Jill Valentine sat opposite her, her combat uniform covered in dust and dried blood. The scratches on her arm were still throbbing with pain, but her gaze remained fixed on Chloe, her eyes full of pity.

She watched as the girl's brow furrowed slightly in her sleep, her mouth murmuring something unconsciously, her body trembling gently as if she were trapped in a terrible nightmare.

"Is she okay?" Jill whispered to Rebecca, her voice low for fear of disturbing the sleeping girl.

Rebecca shook her head gently and reached out to feel Chloe's forehead, her brow furrowing slightly. "Her temperature is a bit high. It's likely a stress response from the extreme shock combined with long-term malnutrition. It's nothing serious; she just needs a good night's sleep."

Jill nodded, feeling slightly relieved. But neither of them noticed that beneath the surface of her sleep, Chloe's body was undergoing subtle but dangerous changes.

Her fingertips curled slightly, and the edges of her originally slender nails took on a faint grayish-black hue, with signs of the cuticle hardening. On her exposed wrists, faint blue veins bulged slightly, and the blood flowed at a speed far exceeding that of a normal person. The T-Virus, which had been dormant in her body for eight years, was now taking advantage of the moment her consciousness relaxed after leaving the suppressed environment of the isolation chamber, surging frantically.

A tearing pain exploded deep in her mind. Chloe let out a painful whimper in her subconscious, and her body trembled even more violently.

The soul that had transmigrated here desperately suppressed the violent viral factors within her body. She knew better than anyone that once she completely lost control, she would become just like those monsters in the research facility. She would hurt the people who had risked everything to save her, and she would lose this hard-won freedom.

At the moment the virus was about to break through the critical point, Chloe relied on an almost obsessive will to survive to forcibly suppress the agitation.

The mutation at her fingertips slowly receded, and her body temperature gradually dropped. She remained with her eyes closed, her breathing becoming steady again, as if everything that had just happened was merely a terrible nightmare.

Jill watched her brow relax and let out a sigh of relief, whispering, "It looks like she was having a nightmare. This child has suffered too much."

No one knew that behind this 'nightmare' was a life-and-death struggle that had nearly spiraled out of control.

The helicopter flew through the night for over half an hour before finally landing slowly on the helipad atop the Raccoon City Police Department. The dark clouds gradually dispersed, and a faint sliver of white appeared on the eastern horizon. The dawn of July 25, 1998, had arrived after all.

Chloe slowly woke up during the vibration of the helicopter landing. The moment she opened her eyes, she was still a bit dazed until she clearly saw Rebecca, Jill, Chris, and Barry beside her. Only then did she fully realize—she had truly escaped; she had truly left that hell that had imprisoned her for eight years.

Chris was the first to jump off the helicopter, reaching out to help everyone down one by one. His wounds had split open during the bumpy ride, seeping blood, but he didn't care. Holding the sealed file box he had brought from the research facility, his eyes were resolute: "Let's go. We'll head back to the office, organize all the evidence, and make sure the Umbrella Corporation pays the price."

The group nodded in silence and followed him into the Raccoon City Police Department. The station was exceptionally quiet in the early hours of the morning. Only the duty officer sat at the front desk, looking at the five disheveled and blood-stained individuals with eyes full of surprise, yet no one dared to step forward and speak.

The S.T.A.R.S. team had gone into the mountains to search for the missing persons and had been out of contact for an entire night. Now that only five of them had returned, anyone with eyes could see that something terrible must have happened in the mountains.

The group walked straight into the S.T.A.R.S. exclusive office on the third floor. Chris slammed the file box onto the desk, opened the lid, and poured everything inside out in one go.

Thick experimental records, Umbrella Corporation internal confidential documents, T-Virus sample data, and action orders found in Wesker's office—there was even a sealed military medical kit containing several unopened syringes and ampoules.

All of these were ironclad pieces of evidence they had brought back from the research facility at the risk of their lives, enough to bring down the Umbrella Corporation.

Barry looked at the documents on the table, his head hung low, letting out a heavy sigh, his heart filled with guilt for his fallen teammates. Rebecca immediately took out her notebook and began organizing the virus sample data; she was the only biologist on the team, and this data was the key to further research.

Jill went to get several cups of hot water and handed them to everyone, finally walking over to Chloe. She gently pressed a cup into her hands and comforted her softly, "Don't be afraid. It's safe here. No one will hurt you anymore."

Chloe took the cup, and as her fingertips touched the warm surface, a flicker of warmth rose in her heart. She nodded and whispered a thank you, but her gaze involuntarily fell upon the open medical kit on the desk.

Just moments ago, she had clearly seen a line of text labeled on the ampoules inside the medical kit.

S01-Specific Inhibitor.

In that instant, Chloe's heart skipped a beat, and her pupils contracted slightly.

She knew all too well what this was. This was the inhibitor William Birkin had specifically developed for her, the Subject S01, and the only thing that could stabilize the virus in her body and prevent her from losing control and going berserk.

During the two months the research facility had lost contact, she had been kept in a low-temperature isolation chamber where the virus metabolism was nearly stagnant. But once she left that isolated environment, without the suppression of the inhibitor, she was at risk of going berserk at any time.

She had originally thought that with the explosion of the research facility, all the inhibitors had been destroyed, but she hadn't expected that Chris would actually bring them out.

Chloe's heart raced, and her hand tightened slightly around the water cup. She looked up at the others. Chris and Jill were in a heated discussion about how to write the report, Barry was silently organizing documents, and Rebecca was focused on recording data. No one noticed her abnormality.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement and tension in her heart. She gently placed the cup on the table and whispered to Jill, "Sister Jill, I'm a little thirsty and want to get a cup of water. Where is the water dispenser?"

"It's at the end of the hallway just outside the office. I'll go with you," Jill said immediately, afraid something might happen to her alone.

"No, no, I can go by myself. I won't go far," Chloe hurriedly shook her head, putting on a timid appearance. "I'm just getting some water; I'll be right back."

Jill looked at her well-behaved manner and finally nodded, instructing, "Okay, then be careful. Call me immediately if anything happens."

"Mm-hmm!" Chloe nodded vigorously, turned, and quickly walked out of the office.

She didn't go to the water dispenser at the end of the hallway. Instead, she paused for a few seconds at the door, confirmed that everyone in the office was busy with their own tasks and not paying attention to her, and immediately turned back, walking quickly to the desk.

While everyone's attention was on the documents, she quickly reached out, took two inhibitors from the medical kit, and swiftly stuffed them into the sleeve of her hospital gown. The cool glass tubes against her arm instantly put her mind at ease.

Having done all this, she then walked casually to the water dispenser, filled a cup with warm water, walked slowly back to the office, and sat back down in the chair in the corner, lowering her eyelids to hide all the emotions in her eyes.

The two inhibitors in her sleeve were her foundation for survival, her only weapon against the virus in her body, and a secret she could not let anyone know.

Once they knew she was a test subject who could lose control and go berserk at any time, they would surely be afraid of her, abandon her, or even hand her over. She could not afford to lose the warmth she had finally grasped.

Just then, the office door was slammed open, and Police Chief Brian Irons walked in with his bloated frame, followed by two officers.

He glanced at the documents scattered all over the floor and then at the disheveled group. There was not a trace of concern on his face; instead, it was full of impatience and gloom.

"You're finally back." Irons' voice was raspy, carrying undisguised hostility. "The missing person cases in the Arklay Mountains—you've been investigating for so long and this is what it comes to? Twelve people in two teams, and only five of you return? I need a reasonable explanation."

Chris immediately stepped forward and handed a pile of documents to Irons, his tone firm: "Chief, this is our initial investigation report. The missing person cases in the Arklay Mountains were entirely the work of the Umbrella Corporation. They built a secret research facility in the mountains to conduct illegal virus experiments. A T-Virus leak caused biological mutations, and our teammates all died because of their conspiracy! All the evidence is right here!"

Irons took the report casually, didn't even flip through it, and threw it directly onto the table with a cold laugh: "Malicious speculation without any evidence! Umbrella is Raccoon City's largest sponsor and the pillar of this city. You actually dare to fabricate such lies to smear them? I think you all suffered too much stress in the mountains and have become mentally unstable!"

"What did you say?!" Chris was instantly enraged and stepped forward to argue, but was pulled back by Jill.

Irons swept a cold gaze over the group, his tone carrying an unquestionable pressure: "I will not accept this report, nor will I submit it. As of today, all five of you are suspended from all S.T.A.R.S. duties. Hand over your service weapons and badges. You are forbidden from any further contact with the investigation related to the Arklay disappearances. Do I make myself clear?"

With that, he no longer looked at the angry expressions of the group, turned, and led the officers away. The office door was slammed shut, making the walls tremble slightly.

"That bastard! He must have been bought off by Umbrella!" Chris slammed his fist onto the table, his eyes nearly bursting with rage. The evidence they had risked their lives for had been dismissed so casually.

The atmosphere in the office instantly dropped to the freezing point, a sense of suppressed anger and powerlessness enveloping everyone. They had crawled out of hell thinking they could reveal the truth, only to find that just after escaping the mountains, they had fallen into another cage.

Jill looked at everything before her, then at Chloe, who was pale-faced and full of fear, and took a deep breath to suppress the anger in her heart. She reached out and took Chloe's cold hand, saying to the group:

"This isn't the place to talk. We've been through a lot all night, and everyone is exhausted. Let's go back and rest for now. We still have the evidence; we'll find a way to bring them down."

She paused and looked at Chloe, her tone gentle: "Chloe, you have nowhere to go. Come back to my apartment with me for now; it's safe there."

Chloe looked up and saw the sincere concern in Jill's eyes. Her eyes reddened slightly, and she nodded vigorously, her voice choked: "Thank you, Sister Jill."

She knew that in this city already thoroughly infiltrated by the Umbrella Corporation, Jill was her only reliance, the only light in her dark life.

Jill discussed the follow-up arrangements with the others and then left the police station with Chloe. The streets of Raccoon City were exceptionally quiet in the early morning. Morning mist enveloped the entire city, and the bakery by the road had already opened, emitting a steaming aroma. Everything seemed peaceful and beautiful.

But Chloe knew in her heart that this peace was just an illusion. The water source shattered by the Arklay explosion had already allowed the virus to flow into the city's water supply system along the streams. The countdown to the apocalypse had already quietly begun.

Jill's rental apartment was in a building near the police station. It wasn't large, but it was clean, tidy, warm, and safe. Jill found clean clothes for Chloe to change into and made her hot milk and sandwiches. Watching the girl eat in small bites, her eyes were full of pity.

That day, Jill told Chloe a lot about Raccoon City, taught her how to use the appliances and how to lock the door, and told her that if she wasn't home, she must never open the door for anyone. Chloe listened quietly, nodding from time to time, her heart filled with a sense of stability she had never felt before.

Night fell, and Jill made the bed for Chloe in the bedroom, told her to rest early, and then lay down on the sofa. (Don't ask where the sofa came from; just say Marvin restocked it.)

Chloe lay in bed, listening to the steady breathing from the sofa, but she had no desire to sleep. She quietly got up, took the two inhibitors from her sleeve, and by the moonlight outside the window, looked at the transparent liquid in the glass tubes, her hands trembling slightly.

She went into the bathroom, closed the door, took out one inhibitor, broke open the ampoule, drew the liquid into a syringe, and gritting her teeth, plunged it into the vein of her arm.

The cool liquid was slowly injected into her body. The viral factors that had been faintly restless in her body instantly became like tamed beasts, gradually calming down, and the tearing headache vanished without a trace.

She leaned against the cold wall and slowly slid down to sit on the floor. Looking at the remaining inhibitor in her hand, tears finally couldn't help but fall.

She knew the future fate of Raccoon City; she knew that in sixty days, this city would completely fall and become a living hell. She knew the ruthlessness of Umbrella, she knew Wesker was still alive, and she knew the horror of the virus.

She only had one inhibitor left; it wouldn't last long. But she didn't want to go back to that dark laboratory, she didn't want to become a monster, and she certainly didn't want to hurt the person who had risked everything to protect her.

Chloe carefully hid the last inhibitor in a crack in the bathroom floor, wiped the tears from her face, and lay back in bed.

The moonlight outside the window spilled onto the floor. The night in Raccoon City remained calm, but the undercurrents hidden beneath the surface were surging frantically. She didn't know what the future would hold; she could only hold onto her only remaining chips, guarding this hard-won warmth, and strive to survive with all her might before the apocalypse arrived.