Chapter 128: The Nemesis Program Begins
Flames shot skyward, illuminating the church once more.
The motorcycle, sacrificing itself in a blaze of glory, had killed the Licker—a heroic feat.
A wave of heat washed over them; the motorcycle's explosion was more devastating than the grenade launcher's attack. Everyone scrambled to avoid being caught in the rain of fire and debris.
The explosion scattered burning fuel like rain, which quickly ignited the church's wooden pews, followed by spreading flames.
The burning church, the shattered motorcycle, the Licker's charred remains, and Alice, guns in hand, her face cold and composed.
She stood unmoved beneath the flames, the firelight making her short blonde hair even more striking.
At that moment, she looked absolutely badass!
Even the last remaining Licker seemed stunned by the spectacle.
Suddenly, a series of gunshots rang out.
Everyone realized that in that instant, Jake had moved, taking advantage of the Licker's distraction to kill it in one coordinated strike!
He remained in his attack stance, his left boot planted on the back of the Licker's neck, his hands gripping a heavy-duty shotgun.
The devastating gunfire had obliterated the Licker's exposed brain; he exuded an aura of controlled violence, like a hunter who had taken down dangerous prey.
Their presences were equally commanding, and one would expect tension, but unexpectedly, Alice's expression softened, and she smiled slightly at Jake. "Father, you really didn't die."
"We meet again, Alice," Jake said confidently, working the shotgun's pump action. With a metallic click, a fresh shell was chambered. "You seem a little different now."
"Who the hell are you people?!"
Jill asked with obvious irritation as she walked up to Alice. This was understandable; Jill, usually the most capable and formidable woman in any situation, had been completely overshadowed by both Jake and Alice, so her displeasure made sense.
The church was no longer safe. After such an intense battle, the massive explosions and gunfire might as well have been screaming at every zombie in the area, "Fresh meat here, come and get it!"
Realizing this, Jake and Alice quickly decided to leave through the back exit with the others.
The man who had fled earlier was found at the back door, a chunk bitten from his skull; clearly, running away hadn't saved him.
Jake, holding two compact shotguns, was talking with Alice.
He quickly learned that Alice's experience was similar to what he'd expected: after being captured by Umbrella, she became a test subject, was injected with the T-virus, and gained superhuman abilities as a result—abilities that continued to grow stronger over time.
However, Matt and Kaplan were nowhere to be found.
She'd woken up to find herself in an abandoned facility.
"What are we doing here?!" Terri complained loudly. "Am I the only one who noticed this is a cemetery?"
"Alright, what's your plan?"
Alice glanced at her with barely concealed disdain. This kind of woman, who didn't understand consequences and only knew how to panic, would have a hard time surviving in this world.
"To survive," she replied calmly, turning around and continuing forward.
"We're not safe yet," Jake said quietly to Alice as he walked beside her.
"Why do you say that?" Although Alice had become calmer, more silent, and even stronger after experiencing such a drastic change, Jake's perceptive nature, as if he knew everything before it happened, remained deeply imprinted in her mind.
"The T-virus's ability to reanimate the dead,"
he glanced around and gestured. "There's no shortage of corpses here."
"You mean the things buried here will crawl out?" Terri shouted from nearby.
Her overreaction had already annoyed everyone present. Although the others didn't speak, they shared the same concern. If that were true, it would be horrifying.
"God!" Peyton suddenly cried out in pain, then leaned heavily against a tombstone. His legs, which had long been numb, suddenly throbbed with excruciating agony.
Alice instantly raised her gun and pointed it at Peyton. She knew all too well what it was like when someone turned, having experienced watching her companion become one of those things.
She wanted to end it now, before this cop lost his humanity.
"What do you think you're doing!" Jill instantly raised her pistol, the ammunition Alice had provided not making her hesitate to use it.
"He's infected, the virus is spreading," Alice kept her other hand raised toward Jill in a placating gesture. "You know what that means—he'll become one of those things."
"I'm fine," Peyton gasped for breath, the dark circles under his eyes even more pronounced, his complexion unable to hide his deteriorating condition.
"Whatever you say," Alice said, lowering her weapon and addressing Peyton directly. "I've got no beef with you, but in an hour, two hours at most, you'll die. A little while after that, you'll turn into one of them."
"You'll want to kill your friend, and congratulations... you'll probably succeed."
"Sorry, but that's just how it is."
Peyton's face showed his inner conflict. No one wants to die, but as someone with a strong moral compass, he didn't want to endanger his partner either.
Just as the tension hung in the air, Terri suddenly screamed, and a pair of decayed hands reached out from the dirt, grabbing her ankle!
"Help! Help me!"
she screamed.
One after another, pale, skeletal hands emerged from the ground.
Then, a corpse that should have been resting peacefully clawed its way out, followed by a second, a third.
Soon they formed a small horde, knocking over their own tombstones and shuffling toward Jake and the others.
Zombies formed from long-decayed corpses are inherently different from freshly turned infected; they are far more fragile.
However, they had the advantage of numbers.
Jake stepped forward, raised his boot, and stomped down hard, crushing the skull of the zombie that was about to bite Terri!
The desiccated skull crumbled easily, and no fluids splattered out, only some disgusting maggots trying to crawl onto his boot.
A slight electrical current surged through his suit, frying the parasites, which fell to the ground lifeless.
"Told you," Jake said, unleashing a series of precise strikes, dropping zombies one after another.
Alice's formidable physical abilities finally showed their full power at this moment. Without any flashy techniques, she simply used devastating punches and kicks to destroy the undead!
As Jake snapped a zombie's neck with a reverse elbow strike, he watched Alice, whose speed far surpassed normal human limits, cover thirty feet in a few fluid movements, then deliver a flying kick that decapitated one zombie before spinning back to crush another's skull!
She used her incredible speed and agility to protect the defenseless Terri!
Alice, perfectly bonded with the T-virus, was already demonstrating her formidable capabilities, her combat prowess rivaling even Jake in his enhanced suit!
After an intense battle, the group finally escaped the zombie horde and successfully fled the cemetery...
Outside Raccoon City, beyond the quarantine zone...
Rows of hemispherical temporary structures stood in neat arrangement, helicopters with constantly spinning rotors awaiting deployment, and armed personnel patrolling the perimeter, demonstrating the critical importance of this command center.
Inside a large operations tent, technicians diligently monitored data and provided reports.
"Sir, the T-virus infection has reached critical saturation levels."
The man addressed as "Sir" was Major Timothy Cain, Umbrella's field commander responsible for containing the Raccoon City outbreak.
He smiled as he approached the monitoring station, examining the graphical data. "Perfect timing. Make sure to record all combat data. Activate the Nemesis Program, immediately!"
He had waited so long, maintaining the perimeter around this city already teeming with infected creatures, all for the sake of this field test. If the experiment's results satisfied his superiors, he would reap substantial rewards!
"Disabling muscle relaxants."
"Terminating sedative supply."
"Disconnecting IV feed."
In a secret research facility deep within Raccoon City, a massive creature lying on an operating table opened its eyes!
Let's push the story forward! 🔥
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