"That? Something I definitely don't want to deal with. If even a dozen of these creatures gather in this city, things will be pretty bleak for you and me. And don't look at me like that—we're in the same boat anyway, so I don't see the point in sugarcoating the facts. True, if there really are a dozen of them here… how can I put it? They don't seem to be like ordinary zombies in terms of their parameters, so it's quite possible this is your Umbrella having fun. And in that case, you're definitely written off, regardless of whether your squad completed the last mission(I won't even mention the current one) or not."
I shrugged, standing calmly beside the girl, who was bent over and catching her breath. Well, sometimes it's profitable to be a corpse.
"Phew. Okay, let's drop it. What's done is done, and I'm already playing on the other side—albeit with good prospects in the finale. Better tell me this: could you defeat her? Samples of this creature could give me a lot."
Who could doubt that the scientist would immediately get down to business?
"If you want, you can walk back to the 'interesting specimens' yourself. I highly doubt I could beat her—at least not while covering you. And leaving you alone… well, you understand. There are only a handful of safe places left in the city, and leaving you on a roof—what happens if the zombies come pouring out of the building below? That's exactly what I mean. And going down inside isn't a good idea either; there's not enough room to maneuver."
I said all this in as soft and calm a voice as possible. Still, I definitely liked this soft manner of speaking.
"Okay. Then let's get back to where we left off. I think this roof will do. I'll analyze the samples I collected in my 'pocket lab,' and I'll take a little blood from you as well," Yamata said, unhooking a black rectangle from her back that I had initially mistaken for part of her gear.
Hmm. It really was a lab—mostly computerized, but still. In some ways, this world was definitely ahead of mine. Or maybe I'd just never heard of such things.
While the girl rattled test tubes and devices, I tried to recall where I might have seen the creature we'd encountered, but nothing came to mind. Then Yamata took a sample from me.
And then I leaned over her shoulder with interest… and immediately put on a thoughtful expression, because I didn't understand a damn thing she was looking at. I'd have to wait for an explanation in normal language.
But as Yamata read the data, her eyes widened in surprise—then narrowed, strangely and menacingly.
"So," I asked when she stepped away from the field lab, "what did you find out about me and the nasty thing living inside me?"
"It's definitely nasty. You know, your infection level is even higher than a Licker's. No, I admit I might have overheated the samples a little, but still. Actually, this is roughly what the structure of the G-virus looks like. Fortunately, I had some time to dig into it at the base before we escaped. It's a pity this information definitely wouldn't satisfy the corporation—otherwise I would've contacted them long ago, waved goodbye to the rest of Wolfpack, and avoided getting dragged into this shit."
Removing her transparent mask, Yamata spoke wearily, massaging her temples.
"Hm. So now you're going to try to pay homage to Umbrella with my samples?" I smirked—but just in case, I tensed my legs, and I'm still only a couple of steps away.
But the girl noticed this too. Her free hand rested lightly on her gun, as if hinting.
No, baby. I'm faster. Now, after meeting that strange creature, I'm sure of it.
"Relax—and don't do anything stupid. Those are just your hasty conclusions. Not only is this information insufficient for my purposes, but your virus… how can I put this more clearly? It's wrong. Clumsy."
As soon as she noticed that I'd relaxed—well, as a corpse it's easier than easy to portray, why strain the girl?—she returned to her interrupted task, rubbing her temples again.
"Maybe you could explain that not only clearly, but in detail?" I said calmly. And I doubted my vocal cords were even capable of producing a scream, so swearing was definitely out of the question.
"In detail? Fine. Here are the details."
"If in its original form, the G-virus causes constant mutation and adapts perfectly to its host, continuously developing it in response to external, say, threats. In other words, those who fall more often will become sturdy. Other parameters also increase as the virus develops, though not as dramatically. That's the simplified version."
"In your case, this process is almost constant—every second. Normally, in someone infected with the standard strain, this manifests as a transformation broken down into several stages, each with a specific bias. But with you, when you break a leg, it heals and becomes stronger—yet that strength doesn't come from nowhere. It needs building material."
"And, for example, when your left leg becomes stronger, your right arm may lose some of its strength in exchange. Or when your body strengthens overall, you lose something else, while the normal version of the virus accumulates everything little by little, but evenly—and until now, a drop in parameters seemed impossible to me."
"And with you, it doesn't happen in stages. It happens constantly."
"In other words, if we compare your data at the very moment of creation—sorry, but there's no better way to put it—and your current data, we're looking at a completely different creature."
(End of Chapter)
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