Chapter 88: The Rookie Cop and the Legendary College Girl

September 29, 1998, 03:12, Clock Tower Square

Rain lashed against Jill's tactical suit, trickling down her collar and into her neck, bringing a bone-chilling cold.

She carefully picked Chloe up in her arms; the girl's body was as light as a feather, yet felt heavy enough to make her chest tighten.

The Reaper mask on Chloe's face had completely receded under the effects of the S01 Inhibitor, revealing a pale, bloodless face.

Long strands of hair clung wetly to her cheeks, tiny droplets of rain still hung from her eyelashes, and her breathing was so faint it was almost imperceptible.

The terrifying claws and blood-red pupils from before had vanished; at this moment, she looked like an ordinary, severely injured child, leaning quietly in Jill's arms with her brow slightly furrowed, as if caught in a nightmare.

Jill's gaze fell upon the bullet holes that were still slowly seeping blood, and her heart felt as though it were being squeezed by an invisible hand.

She instinctively reached for the tactical pouch at her waist, which held the G-Virus prototype inhibitor stored in a thermal container—the only hope she had thought could save Chloe.

When her fingertips touched the cold metal casing, her movements paused.

No.

Jill bit her lower lip and withdrew her hand. The virus was still repairing Chloe's body; if she injected it now, the consequences could be catastrophic if something went wrong.

Moreover, there was no clean environment for an injection right now, and zombies or Umbrella Corporation personnel could appear at any moment.

I need to find a safe place first. It won't be too late to inject her once she's a bit more stable.

Jill took a deep breath and adjusted her hold on Chloe, letting the girl's head rest against her shoulder.

She glanced sideways at the sleeping girl in her arms, her voice as soft as a whisper: "Don't be afraid, Chloe. I'm taking you away. We're going somewhere safe."

Chloe seemed to hear her; her brow relaxed slightly, and she unconsciously nuzzled into Jill's embrace.

Jill's heart softened instantly. She pulled out the encrypted radio at her waist and pressed the talk button, her voice carrying a trace of an imperceptible tremor: "Carlos? Are you still there? Carlos, answer if you hear me!"

Only the crackle of static came from the radio; there was no response.

"Carlos? Hello? Is anyone there?" Jill tried several more times, but the static only grew louder until it became a wall of noisy interference.

She irritably clipped the radio back to her waist and cursed under her breath: "Oh, for God's sake, it has to malfunction now? Damn it!"

The only person she could contact was now out of reach. Jill looked around; Clock Tower Square was a mess, Nemesis's corpse lay on the ground nearby, and blood mixed with rain to form disgusting puddles on the pavement.

Scattered weapons and corpses were everywhere, fires blazed in the distant city, and the roars of zombies echoed one after another, sounding particularly eerie in the rainy night.

The police station.

Jill quickly made a decision. Carlos and Tyrone should still be at the R.P.D.; at least there were sturdy doors and defenses there, making it much safer than wandering outside.

Besides, Marvin was there too; maybe they could find medical supplies to treat Chloe's wounds.

Cradling Chloe, she carefully navigated around the corpses on the ground and headed toward the exit on the west side of the square. Rain soaked her hair and ran down her cheeks, mixing with her sweat.

Her ribs were still aching dully, and every step pulled at her injuries, sending waves of piercing pain through her. But she didn't dare slow down; Chloe was her only concern now.

When she reached Nemesis's corpse, Jill instinctively stopped.

This monster that had once terrified her now lay silently on the ground, its head pierced with a large hole by Chloe's claws, brain matter and blood spilling everywhere. Its limbs were twisted at bizarre angles; it looked thoroughly dead.

Jill looked at it with a complex expression. This was the thing that killed Brad, killed Michelle, destroyed the subway train, and nearly killed her. If Chloe hadn't appeared in time, she would be a pile of mangled flesh by now.

She took a deep breath, lifted her foot, and carefully stepped over Nemesis's massive claw.

Just as she had taken a few steps away...

A cold shadow suddenly loomed over her from behind.

The hair on Jill's neck stood up instantly. She whipped her head around.

Nemesis, which had been lying motionless on the ground, had stood up at some unknown moment.

Its head was still tilted to one side, the gaping hole still clearly visible, but its eyes had relit, glowing with a crimson light.

From its broken spine, several thick tentacles were writhing frantically, forcing its head back into place bit by bit.

"Impossible..." Jill's pupils contracted sharply, and her blood froze instantly.

Before she could react, Nemesis lunged with a massive claw and grabbed Jill by the ankle.

A cold, hard sensation registered immediately as a massive force yanked her backward violently.

"Ah!"

Jill let out a cry of pain as she lost her balance and fell heavily to the ground. Chloe rolled out of her arms, landing in a nearby puddle, still unconscious.

"Chloe!"

Jill screamed heart-wrenchingly, trying to crawl toward her, but Nemesis's claw gripped her ankle tightly, dragging her toward it inch by inch.

She whipped out the handgun at her waist and fired several shots at Nemesis's arm.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bullets hit Nemesis's arm, only splashing bits of red blood without penetrating its skin. Nemesis didn't even flinch; instead, the dragging force intensified.

Jill's back scraped against the rough ground, her tactical suit tearing and her skin being sliced open. She looked around desperately, her gaze suddenly landing on the iron shutter gate above her.

It was the rolling door for the square's exit; it had been jammed by something and was only halfway down, suspended in mid-air by a thick iron chain.

Now!

Jill suddenly shifted her aim, targeting the rusty iron chain.

Bang!

The bullet accurately struck the chain's connecting link.

The chain snapped.

The heavy iron shutter gate came crashing down with a whistling wind.

Crash!

A deafening sound of metal shearing rang out.

The iron shutter gate slammed right onto Nemesis's arm, severing the entire limb cleanly from the shoulder.

Roar—!!!

Nemesis let out a shrill, agonizing wail of pain and released its grip on Jill's ankle.

Jill took the opportunity to break free, scrambling toward Chloe's direction.

She had only run two steps when she suddenly felt the sound of something cutting through the air behind her.

Jill instinctively looked back.

She saw a thick, barbed tentacle burst forth from the wound of Nemesis's severed arm.

The tentacle was as fast as lightning, reaching her in an instant.

Jill had no time to dodge.

Puchi!

The tentacle pierced her right shoulder violently.

Intense pain instantly swept through her body; Jill felt as if her shoulder had been branded by a red-hot iron. Viral fluid was injected into her through the tentacle, and a cold numbness rapidly spread from the wound through her entire body.

Her vision began to go dark, and her body convulsed uncontrollably. The handgun slipped from her hand, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Nemesis let out a low growl, seemingly wanting to continue the attack, but its body swayed and finally, unable to hold up, it collapsed heavily to the ground, completely motionless.

Jill fell to the ground as well, her vision blurring further. She struggled to reach out for Chloe nearby, but her arm wouldn't obey her at all.

The virus raged wildly in her veins, and her body temperature was dropping fast. She felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, her whole body freezing and her teeth chattering uncontrollably.

Just then, a cold voice sounded in her ear.

"How interesting... You've really done me a huge favor, Miss Valentine."

Jill struggled to move her eyes and saw Nicholai standing before her, a smug smile on his face. He held a handgun, the muzzle pointed directly at her head.

"You..." Jill's lips trembled as she tried to say something, but she couldn't make a sound.

Nicholai crouched down and lightly kicked Jill's shoulder with the toe of his boot, his tone full of mockery: "Look at you now, what a pathetic sight. The hero of S.T.A.R.S., beaten like this by a monster."

He stood up, walked to Chloe's side, and bent over to hoist the unconscious girl onto his shoulder. Chloe's head hung limply behind his back, her silver-white hair fluttering in the wind.

"Thank you for taking care of those U.S.S. idiots for me and helping me subdue this little monster." Nicholai looked back at Jill lying on the ground, the smile on his lips turning even colder. "In return, I won't kill you. Letting you slowly turn into a zombie here should be a fitting end."

With that, he didn't give Jill another look, carrying Chloe as he turned and disappeared into the dark alleyway.

Jill lay in the cold rain, watching helplessly as Chloe was taken away.

Despair submerged her like a tide.

She had lost her again.

Before her consciousness faded into total darkness, the last things Jill saw were the soaring flames in the distance and the cold rain falling from the sky.

September 29, 1998, 14:07, Chicago, Illinois

Sunlight streamed through the coffee shop window, spilling onto Leon S. Kennedy's face.

He sat in a window seat with a cup of cold coffee in front of him. In his hand was his phone, the screen displaying the phone number for the Raccoon City Police Department.

He had called no less than twenty times, but no one ever answered.

Leon frowned and set the phone on the table. He was officially supposed to report to the Raccoon City Police Department on October 1st, but since last night, he hadn't been able to reach anyone at the station.

The television was broadcasting news about Raccoon City, the female anchor's voice carrying a hint of forced calmness:

"According to the latest reports, an unexplained radioactive material leak has occurred in the outskirts of Raccoon City.

To ensure citizen safety, the federal government has ordered a total lockdown of Raccoon City, prohibiting all personnel and vehicles from entering or exiting.

Relevant departments have dispatched professionals to the scene; the cause of the accident is under further investigation. We ask citizens not to panic and to follow government instructions."

A radioactive leak?

A strong sense of unease rose in Leon's heart.

Back at the police academy, he had heard some rumors about Raccoon City. It was said that the Umbrella Corporation there had been conducting secret experiments, and in recent months, the number of missing person cases around Raccoon City had been increasing.

All these things added together gave him an ominous premonition.

It's definitely not a radioactive leak.

Leon picked up his phone and dialed the Raccoon City Police Department again.

Still no answer.

He stood up abruptly, placed a few bills on the table, and walked out of the coffee shop.

The sunlight was blinding, and people were coming and going on the street in a peaceful scene. But Leon's heart felt heavy.

Something has definitely happened in Raccoon City. Something big.

Those officers need help. The citizens there need help too.

As a police officer, he couldn't just sit by and do nothing.

Leon walked to his used Jeep and pulled the door open to get in. He started the car, glanced at the direction of Raccoon City on the map, and his gaze became determined.

Even though it wasn't his reporting date yet, they needed him more now.

He stepped on the gas, the car let out a roar, and it sped onto the highway toward Raccoon City.

September 29, 1998, 14:22, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Claire Redfield stuffed the last piece of clothing into her backpack and zipped it up.

"Claire, are you really going?" Her best friend Amy stood at the door, her face full of worry. "The news said Raccoon City is locked down; it's very dangerous. Besides, Chris is a cop, he'll be fine."

"He'll be fine?" Claire turned around, her eyes full of anxiety. "I haven't been able to reach him since Raccoon City was locked down. The phone won't go through, and he's not answering emails. No matter how busy he was before, he'd always get back to me."

She walked to the desk and picked up a photo frame; inside was a picture of her and Chris. In the photo, Chris was wearing his S.T.A.R.S. uniform, smiling brightly.

"Umbrella's power in Raccoon City is absolute; we both know that," Claire's voice dropped. "Chris has been investigating them; I'm afraid something's happened to him."

"But what can you do if you go?" Amy grabbed her arm. "You're just a college student, unarmed. It's so dangerous there now; you'll only be adding to the trouble."

Claire gently pulled her arm from Amy's hand, took a small silver revolver from a drawer, checked the cylinder, and tucked it into the side pocket of her backpack.

"I'm bringing this." She looked at Amy with a determined gaze. "I have to go. I need to see for myself that he's okay to be at peace. If something really has happened to him, I'm bringing him back."

Seeing the resolution in her eyes, Amy knew further persuasion was useless. She sighed, pulled a wallet from her pocket, and pressed it into Claire's hand: "There's some cash in here, and my credit card. Be careful on the road, and call me anytime if something happens."

"Thank you, Amy." Claire gave her a hug. "Once I find Chris, we'll be back."

She shouldered her backpack and walked out the door.

In the yard, her Harley motorcycle sat quietly. Claire straddled the bike, put on her helmet, and started the engine.

The motorcycle let out a low roar, kicking up a cloud of dust as it sped onto the highway.

The wind whistled past her ears, blowing her long hair back. Claire looked at the road stretching ahead, her eyes filled with resolve.

Wait for me, brother.

I'm coming.