Chapter 56: Jack's Bar

August 13, 1998. In a rented apartment in downtown Raccoon City, the morning sun filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting a slender strip of light across the floor.

Jill sat on the floor with a map of Raccoon City spread out on the wall in front of her, a thick red circle drawn around the Old City area.

For the past ten days, she had religiously done two things every day: one was to organize evidence of the collusion between Irons and Umbrella Corporation, and the other was to patrol the convenience stores and supermarkets in the Old City.

Ten days ago, she had slammed her badge onto Irons' face. From the moment she resigned from the Raccoon City Police Department, she had become a civilian. Without the convenience of her police status, she faced significant resistance in her investigation.

Fortunately, Brad, a fellow S.T.A.R.S. member, acted as her informant within the police department, and with the leads provided by Marvin, Jill was able to narrow her search down to the Old City.

Marvin said the police had received several reports from that area claiming that someone had repeatedly stolen food and medicine. Based on eyewitness accounts and surveillance footage, the police had identified the general profile of the suspect: a suspected white female, age unknown, approximately 1.6 meters tall, wearing a baseball cap and an old-style windbreaker.

The police initially concluded that it was a homeless wanderer, or an ordinary citizen forced to take desperate measures due to the bizarre disappearances and public disturbances that had been occurring in Raccoon City recently.

But Jill recognized that jacket instantly as her own and was certain that the person in the surveillance footage was Chloe. After organizing the clues she had gathered, she grabbed the jacket draped over the sofa and rushed out of the apartment.

Without her police rank, Jill had to navigate the streets of Raccoon City on foot. The once-bustling city district was now shrouded in an inescapable gloom. Pedestrians on the streets walked with hurried steps, their faces filled with anxiety and unease. From time to time, the sharp, piercing sound of sirens could be heard in the distance, fraying everyone's nerves.

Following the surveillance points provided by Marvin, she visited every convenience store and pharmacy in the Old City, repeatedly asking the clerks and passersby about the thin girl wearing a baseball cap.

Most of the clerks had a deep impression of her. After all, with theft incidents occurring frequently of late, the girl would always come and go like the wind, picking only the most practical supplies. She kept her head down the entire time to conceal her face, avoiding eye contact with anyone, and would vanish deep into the alleys within minutes. Even the surveillance cameras could only capture a blurry side profile and silhouette.

Jill followed these scattered clues, discovering discarded empty ration packaging in the corner of an alley, finding a used flashlight battery on a secluded street corner, and even locating a strand of silver-white hair, consistent with Chloe's hair color and stained with sewage, in an abandoned alleyway.

With every clue she found, Jill's anxiety deepened. She could imagine the hardship and difficulty of Chloe hiding out on her own. The girl who had escaped from the hell of the Umbrella Corporation was already full of wariness toward the world, and now, to avoid implicating her, she was struggling to survive alone in a city fraught with peril—how helpless she must feel.

As she followed the trail, she gradually noticed that Chloe's movements were always centered around the entrances to the underground pipe network in the Old City. Every location where she had appeared was not far from the municipal main sewers or the entrances and exits of the sewage treatment plant.

Combining this with the topography of Raccoon City, Jill used her pen to mark and deduce on the map, connecting all the clues until she finally locked her focus onto the underground sewage treatment facility in the Old City.

Chloe must be hiding there.

The underground pipe network was dark, damp, and rarely visited. It could both shelter her from the pursuit on the surface and provide easy access to sneak out from secluded exits to scavenge for supplies. For Chloe, who needed a hidden place to stay at the moment, it was the perfect location.

Jill gripped the map in her hand. She wanted nothing more than to rush into the underground pipe network immediately and find the girl who had been weighing so heavily on her mind. But she knew that the underground network was structurally complex; rushing in blindly would only alert the enemy and could even put herself in danger. She had to make thorough preparations.

Over the next few days, Jill prepared the necessary supplies to enter the underground sewage treatment plant, such as a flashlight, ropes, and a first-aid kit, while continuing to gather information through Marvin and Brad, all the while keeping a close watch on the increasingly bizarre atmosphere in the city.

Disturbances on the streets were becoming more frequent, and rumors about people suddenly going mad and attacking others were quietly spreading. However, no one had yet realized that a catastrophic disaster was already right around the corner.

On the evening of August 18, Jill's phone suddenly rang. The caller ID showed an unknown number. When she answered, she heard Alyssa's voice. The girl with the passionate look in her eyes calmly asked to meet her at Jack's Bar for a detailed discussion. She didn't state the specific reason, only asking her to come over.

Although Jill had her doubts, she went as promised. Jack's Bar was located in the city center and was a place frequented by many locals. It was a mixed crowd, but the atmosphere was relatively harmonious. As soon as she pushed the door open, the strong scent of alcohol rushed to meet her.

Jill frowned and walked straight into the bar. The lighting in the bar was dim, and the tables and chairs were arranged haphazardly. Guests sat together in twos and threes, drinking and chatting. She spotted Alyssa sitting in a corner immediately, and near the bar not far from Alyssa, Kevin Ryman was raising a glass with a few friends, and Mark was sitting nearby as well.

Mark was dressed in his security uniform, his expression calm as he silently sipped the beer in his glass. Cindy, wearing a waitress uniform, moved between the bar and the guest tables with nimble movements and a gentle smile on her face.

Jill walked quickly to sit opposite Alyssa, leaning forward slightly, lowering her voice, and speaking with a hint of wariness: "Why choose this bar? It's crowded and filled with prying eyes; it doesn't feel very safe."

Alyssa picked up the lemonade in front of her and took a sip, her expression calm as she smiled at Jill: "Don't be too nervous. We aren't discussing anything important today. I heard about everything you've been through—resigning, being targeted by the police department—it must be hard on you, so I just thought I'd invite you out for a drink, a chat, and to relax."

After saying that, she lowered her voice, her tone turning a bit weary, "Besides, this place is 'dark under the lamp,' which is perfect for covering our conversation."

Alyssa pushed a stack of newspapers toward Jill. "I previously tried to publish in the Raccoon Press, but the editor-in-chief rejected it. I went to the Midwest Herald; they agreed at first, but then backed out at the last minute, pulling all the front-page articles. Umbrella Corporation paid their headquarters two million dollars in advertising fees, buying out all their space. I contacted several other media outlets in the state, and it was all the same—either they didn't dare to publish it, or they had already been bought off by Umbrella Corporation."

Jill looked at the full-page Umbrella Pharmaceuticals advertisement in the newspaper and trembled with anger. She had anticipated this result, but when the reality was truly laid out before her, she couldn't help but feel a chill. Umbrella Corporation's reach had extended this far.

"What about the FBI?" Jill asked, looking up.

"I sent all the evidence over, and they only replied with one email saying they would verify and investigate, and after that, there was no more news." Alyssa gave a bitter smile. "Umbrella Corporation has people in Washington, Jill. We can't fight them."

"Whether we can fight them or not, we have to try." Jill's eyes were firm.

Alyssa looked at the determination in her eyes and finally nodded, handing her a USB drive. "This contains everything I found: all the evidence of illegal waste discharge from the Umbrella Corporation Raccoon City pharmaceutical plant, as well as the secret agreements they signed with the city government. Maybe it will be useful."

"Thank you, Alyssa." Jill took the USB drive and tucked it away solemnly.

Just then, one of Kevin's companions caught a glimpse of Jill sitting down. After recognizing her, he immediately wore a teasing grin, reached out to pat Kevin on the shoulder, and spoke in a voice loud enough for those around them to hear: "Hey, Kevin, didn't you always brag about participating in the S.T.A.R.S. selection back in the day and nearly getting in? Now that a real S.T.A.R.S. elite is here, why aren't you saying anything?"

Everyone's gaze instantly focused on Kevin. A flash of embarrassment crossed his face, but he immediately picked up his glass, stiffened his neck, and defended himself: "If I had been successfully selected back then, I definitely wouldn't have botched the Arklay Mountains operation. Unlike now, S.T.A.R.S. messed everything up, and in the end, didn't they just get disbanded?"

Jill was already full of anxiety due to a pile of messy affairs. Hearing Kevin's indiscriminate remarks, and thinking of the corruption in the police department and the filthiness of Irons, the anger in her heart surged up instantly.

Her face turned cold, and she looked at Kevin with sharp eyes, her tone carrying undisguised anger and disdain: "You don't know anything at all, so stop making wild comments here! The Arklay incident was never the way you think it was. You just listened to the one-sided words of that scoundrel Irons and have been completely deceived by him."

"The current Raccoon City Police Department is no longer a place of justice protecting the public; it is a dog kept by Umbrella Corporation. Irons and Umbrella Corporation are colluding and have done all sorts of heinous things. What you call 'botched' is the truth that we S.T.A.R.S. members bought with our lives, a truth that has been covered up!"

Jill's voice was cold and firm, every word carrying long-suppressed anger. Kevin was left speechless, his face flushing red and then turning pale. In reality, he knew deep down that the many abnormal orders in the police department recently and Irons' dictatorial style all reeked of something wrong. He had no position to argue, so he could only lower his head, silently take a sip of his drink, and say nothing more.

Jill didn't want to stay in this foul place for another second, nor did she have the heart to chat with Alyssa anymore. She stood up, nodded at Alyssa, turned around, and left Jack's Bar.

The night deepened. The streetlights emitted a dim yellow glow, illuminating the empty streets. The air was filled with an indescribable, oppressive atmosphere that made it hard to breathe.

Jill walked briskly along the street, her steps hurried and firm. At this moment, she had only one thought in her mind: prepare all the equipment immediately and enter the underground sewage treatment plant. No matter how dangerous it was inside, she had to find Chloe and bring her out safely.

In Raccoon City under the cover of night, the undercurrents were becoming increasingly turbulent. The spread of the T-Virus had already been quietly creeping through corners unknown to anyone. In the shadows of the underground pipe network, unknown dangers were lurking, and the reunion between Jill and Chloe was about to unfold in this dark underground world.