Chapter 79: Tragic News! The Sacrifice of Brad

Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps came from the alley entrance.

Jill immediately raised her gun, aiming in that direction, her finger hooked on the trigger.

"Don't shoot! Jill! It's me!"

A familiar voice rang out.

Brad ran out from the shadows.

He was wearing that iconic yellow S.T.A.R.S. vest, his face pale as paper, and his forehead covered in cold sweat.

There was a long wound on his left arm that was bleeding, and he was clutching a Glock pistol tightly in his hand.

"Brad?" Jill lowered her gun, her voice still trembling slightly.

"Thank God you made it out." Brad ran to her side, supporting her arm, panting heavily.

"I heard the explosion over the phone earlier and knew something had gone wrong."

"The people Chris sent…" Jill asked, her heart sinking suddenly.

At the mention of this, Brad's face instantly turned even paler, and the hand holding the gun began to tremble.

"They're all dead." Brad's voice carried unconcealable fear.

"Four people, all dead. That monster killed them all."

"I followed the address and code you gave me and went to the parking lot on the west side of the police station this afternoon."

"They hadn't arrived long ago—four men, all wearing black tactical gear with S.T.A.R.S. armbands on their left arms."

"We had just exchanged the code and were preparing to discuss how to get you out when that monster appeared."

Brad's voice began to tremble: "He jumped down from the top of the parking lot and smashed directly onto their armored SUV. The vehicle was totaled on the spot."

"Then he started killing... It was too fast, just too fast."

"They were all seasoned veterans, but in front of that monster, they were as vulnerable as children."

"Bullets had no effect on him at all; he could blow someone's head off with a single punch..."

"I was hiding behind an abandoned car, too scared to even move."

"I saw the captain fire a rocket launcher at him, but the rocket was intercepted by his tentacles, and then he tore Raven in half..."

"I was the only one who escaped." Brad's voice was choked with sobs.

"I guess... he saw the S.T.A.R.S. armbands on their shoulders and targeted them."

Jill leaned against the wall, closing her eyes, her heart turning cold.

The extraction team Chris arranged was just gone like that.

Four seasoned veterans didn't even last an hour.

That monster's target was every member of S.T.A.R.S.

Anyone associated with S.T.A.R.S. would be ruthlessly wiped out by him.

Just then, the roar of massive helicopter rotors came from overhead.

Both of them looked up simultaneously to see a helicopter flying over them.

"It's the rescue helicopter!" Brad's eyes lit up instantly, and he waved frantically at the helicopter.

"Hey! Over here! We're over here!"

The helicopter seemed to have spotted them, circled once in the air, and then the broadcast on board crackled to life with static: "Attention survivors below! Please proceed immediately to the rooftop of the parking garage next to the bar ahead! We will conduct an airborne extraction there! Repeat! Please proceed immediately to the parking garage rooftop!"

"Great! We're saved!" Brad said excitedly, grabbing Jill and pulling her to run forward.

Just then, a low growl came from the other side.

Jill and Brad turned their heads simultaneously to see over a dozen zombies breaking through the fence, shambling toward them while emitting guttural growls from their throats.

"Damn it! They're here!" Brad cursed, raising his gun and firing a shot at the lead zombie.

The bullet struck the zombie's head, and it collapsed to the ground.

But more zombies were pouring in from all directions, thick and dense, with no end in sight.

"Run!" Jill shouted, pulling Brad and running forward.

The two ran for their lives, with the zombies in close pursuit.

Although they weren't fast, there were too many of them, emerging endlessly from every alleyway.

"There's a bar up ahead! Let's go inside and hide!" Brad yelled, pointing to a bar with a neon sign ahead.

The two rushed to the bar entrance.

Brad shoved open the heavy wooden door, pulled Jill inside, and slammed the door shut behind them.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The zombies kept slamming against the wooden door, making dull thudding sounds.

The door shook continuously under their impact and could be broken through at any moment.

"Quick! Find something to barricade the door!" Jill shouted.

The two immediately moved tables and chairs nearby, wedging them tightly behind the door.

The pounding grew louder and louder, and cracks had already appeared on the wooden door.

"It's no use! We can't hold them!" Brad looked at the crumbling door, his face pale.

"Jill, go through the back door! I'll hold them off!"

"No! We go together!" Jill said firmly.

"There's no time!" Brad shoved Jill hard.

"That monster is still chasing us! You have to get out alive! Take the evidence against the Umbrella Corporation out! Avenge Chloe! Avenge everyone who died!"

"Brad!"

"Go!" Brad yelled, using all his strength to brace against the door.

Just then, a zombie's arm reached through a crack in the door and grabbed Brad's arm.

"Ah!" Brad cried out in pain.

He looked down at his arm, which was being bitten by the zombie, his eyes instantly turning desperate.

Jill's heart sank.

She raised her gun to shoot the zombie, but was stopped by Brad.

"Don't worry about me! Go!" Brad's voice carried a sense of finality.

"Remember! Go to the parking garage rooftop! The helicopter is waiting for you there!"

He pushed her hard, sending Jill toward the back door of the bar.

"Brad!" Jill's voice was choked with tears.

Brad gave her a bitter smile, then turned around and used his last bit of strength to brace against the door.

Jill looked at his back, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

She knew this was the last time she would see Brad.

The man who had once run away alone out of fear during the Spencer Mansion incident had used his life in his final moments to buy her a chance to escape.

Jill gritted her teeth, turned, pushed open the back door, and rushed out.

Behind her came the loud crash of the wooden door being smashed open, followed by Brad's final scream.

Jill didn't look back.

She ran for her life, her tears flying in the wind.

Another teammate dead.

Right in front of her.

She ran to the side of a police officer's corpse in the back alley, picked up a G19 pistol and several magazines, and continued running toward the parking garage.

Along the way, she encountered quite a few wandering zombies, but she dispatched them all with precise headshots.

A few minutes later, she arrived at the entrance of the parking garage.

A man in blue work clothes was sitting next to a shipping container, holding a bottle of liquor and drinking continuously.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" Jill asked.

"The rescue helicopter is on the roof! Come with me!"

The man looked up, staring at her drunkenly.

"Rescue? Don't be stupid. Raccoon City is finished. No one can save us."

He pointed to the shipping container next to him.

"I'm staying right here. At least it's safe here."

After saying that, he opened the door to the shipping container, crawled inside, and locked the door from the inside.

Jill shook her head and didn't try to persuade him further.

Everyone has the right to choose their own destiny.

She turned and ran toward the interior of the parking garage.

The parking garage was pitch black, with only a few emergency lights casting a dim glow.

The air was filled with the smell of gasoline and decay.

Jill ran down the stairs and arrived at the elevator entrance on the first floor.

She pressed the elevator button.

The elevator doors opened slowly.

Two zombies lunged out of the elevator.

Jill was prepared; she dodged to the side and then raised her gun to fire continuously.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two bullets hit the zombies in the head with precision.

She kicked the zombies' bodies aside, stepped into the elevator, and pressed the button for the top floor.

The elevator rose slowly.

Jill leaned against the elevator wall, panting heavily.

Her mind was in chaos; the inexplicable monster, the annihilation of the extraction team, and Brad's sacrifice flashed through her mind scene by scene.

She gripped the cooler in her arms tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms.

She had to survive.

She had to make the Umbrella Corporation pay.

"Ding—"

The elevator doors opened.

Jill walked out of the elevator and arrived at the rooftop of the parking garage.

The evening wind howled, carrying a heavy scent of blood and gunpowder.

The helicopter was hovering over the roof, preparing to land.

"Great!" Jill ran toward the helicopter excitedly.

Just then, a deafening roar came from the distance.

Jill looked over sharply to see the massive figure of Nemesis emerging from the shadows.

He had caught up after all.

"No!" Jill screamed in despair.

Nemesis slowly raised his right arm.

His arm began to deform, something surging beneath his skin, and it instantly transformed into a massive, spike-covered tentacle.

He lashed out with the tentacle, whipping it toward the helicopter.

"Splutch—"

The tentacle pierced the helicopter's rotor precisely.

The helicopter emitted a harsh screech of metal grinding, lost its balance, and spiraled toward the ground, trailing black smoke.

"Boom!"

The helicopter exploded on a nearby street, flames shooting into the sky.

Jill stared at the crashed helicopter, her eyes bloodshot.

Her last hope was shattered.

She turned her head, glaring fixedly at Nemesis, her eyes filled with anger and despair.

"You monster!"

Jill roared, raising her gun and firing wildly at Nemesis.

Bullets poured into Nemesis, sending dense sprays of blood flying.

But he seemed to feel nothing at all, walking toward Jill step by step.

Jill's ammunition quickly ran out.

She looked around and saw a muscle car parked nearby.

She didn't hesitate for a second, rushed over, opened the car door, dragged out the corpse, and sat inside.

She turned the key and started the engine.

"Vroom!"

The engine roared.

Jill shifted gears and slammed on the accelerator.

The muscle car shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, charging toward Nemesis.

Nemesis stood his ground, not dodging.

He extended his massive right hand and grabbed the front of the pickup truck.

The muscle car's tires spun frantically against the ground, emitting a piercing screech, but it couldn't move forward an inch.

Nemesis exerted force, trying to flip the muscle car over.

Jill gripped the steering wheel tightly, flooring the gas pedal.

The muscle car's engine roared in protest, then surged forward violently.

The immense impact knocked Nemesis back a few steps.

The muscle car smashed through the rooftop railing, plunging down from the building with Nemesis.

"Bang!"

The vehicle hit the ground with a heavy crash, its front end instantly mangled.

Jill was dazed by the massive impact, feeling as if every bone in her body had been rattled apart.

She struggled to crawl out of the car.

Just then, the car's fuel tank exploded.

"Boom!"

A massive fireball shot into the sky.

Jill was thrown back by the blast wave, crashing heavily to the ground.

She was covered in injuries, and her clothes were burned to tatters.

She struggled to stand up and looked toward the explosion.

Within the flames, a massive figure slowly stood up.

Nemesis.

His body was scorched black, his tactical gear completely burned away, revealing the knotted muscles underneath.

But he didn't seem to have suffered any fatal injuries and was walking toward Jill step by step.

He let out a low growl, his yellow eyes staring fixedly at Jill.

Jill leaned against the wall, watching the approaching Nemesis in despair.

She was out of ammunition and had no strength left to run.

Was she really going to die here?

Just then, a loud voice came from the side.

"Hey! Big guy! Look over here!"

Jill turned to look and saw a handsome man with a curly perm standing on a truck nearby, carrying a quadruple-barreled rocket launcher on his shoulder.

"Taste this!"

The man shouted and pulled the trigger.

A rocket, trailing a plume of smoke, flew toward Nemesis.

Nemesis lashed out with his tentacle, catching the rocket precisely, and tossed it aside casually.

"Boom!"

The rocket exploded nearby, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Interesting." The man raised an eyebrow and pulled the trigger again.

A second rocket whistled through the air.

This time, Nemesis didn't have time to dodge.

The rocket struck his chest precisely.

"Boom!"

A massive explosion rang out.

Nemesis let out a painful roar, then fell heavily to his knees, black smoke rising from his body.

The man jumped down from the truck, ran to Jill's side, and extended a hand.

"Are you alright, miss?"

Jill looked at him, feeling a bit dazed, her voice still raspy.

"Who are you, and what are you doing?"

"My name is Carlos. I'm here to help you."

The man flashed a brilliant smile and then helped Jill up by her arm.

"Come on, let's get you to a safe place."