"This can't be happening," Daniel thought as he heard the continuous wailing of police sirens and ambulance alarms on the streets. He realized the virus might have leaked.
Despite having anticipated this, Daniel was still stunned when it actually happened. He quickly turned back into the orphanage and retrieved the weapon he had prepared earlier.
In reality, this so-called weapon was just a fruit knife. Although firearms were relatively easy to obtain in the USA, it was clear that Daniel didn't have that capability at the moment.
The reason for carrying a knife was because the ability of the Surgical Fruit required a blade to activate, akin to a scalpel. Daniel wasn't sure if this would always be necessary, but for now, he needed a weapon to use his power.
As Daniel prepared to leave the orphanage with the knife, Sister Lina ran in through the front door, quickly locking it behind her. When she saw Daniel, she immediately called out to him.
"You can't go out now. There are many rioters outside," she said, pulling Daniel back inside without waiting for his response. Daniel could only follow her helplessly.
For the Raccoon City Police Department and Raccoon City Hospital, today was a tough day. There were many rioters and numerous injured people.
The orphanage staff soon gathered all the children in one place to prevent any mishaps. The recent incidents had made the staff and nuns extremely remorseful.
Looking at the fourteen children in the room, some of whom were only a few years old and unable to walk, Daniel couldn't help but sigh deeply. He had been avoiding thinking about this issue, feeling powerless.
Bang.
As some children cried and the adults tried to comfort them, the door suddenly burst open. Daniel looked up and was surprised to see Jill and Rebecca.
"Officer Jill?" Sister Lina was puzzled to see Jill and Rebecca fully armed.
"No time to explain. We need to leave. This city is finished." Jill's right arm was bandaged, with traces of blood seeping through.
"What happened?" Sister Lina seemed to trust Jill a lot, as she began organizing everyone to leave while asking.
"It's too complicated to explain now. We need to leave here first." Jill's expression was grave as she spoke.
Jill couldn't believe that Umbrella Corporation had gone so far as to release the virus in Raccoon City. She saw this chaos as Umbrella's doing.
After escaping from Umbrella's special forces, Jill and Rebecca planned to hide and wait for Chris to return. But before Chris could come back, the city fell into chaos.
Seeing the street turmoil, Jill's first thought was to ensure the safety of Lina and the orphanage children, so she and Rebecca came here.
"Let's go." The group quickly exited through the orphanage's back door and boarded a milk truck that Jill had prepared. After everyone was seated in the truck's cargo area, Jill and Rebecca got into the cab and drove off.
"Good luck, not Leon Kennedy driving." Squeezed into a corner of the cargo area, Daniel finally felt a bit relieved. With Jill and Rebecca, their chances of escape significantly increased.
While Daniel was somewhat worried about Sherry, he comforted himself with the thought that Leon and Claire would take care of her.
"Just glad it's not Leon driving, and Chris isn't here either." In the Resident Evil games, Leon was notorious for crashing vehicles. Anyone riding with him had to be extremely cautious. Chris, on the other hand, was known as a 'Chris-aster,' always getting his teammates into trouble, especially his male partners. The only one who had survived teaming up with Chris without issues was Leon.
"As long as we leave this death trap, I'll be free to explore the world," Daniel thought. With the power of the Surgical Fruit, he was full of hope for the future.
Bang, bang, bang.
A series of gunshots interrupted Daniel's thoughts, followed by the truck screeching to a halt. Then, the sound of loudspeakers filled the air—Raccoon City was under quarantine.
The reason given was an outbreak of an unidentified infectious disease, and no one was allowed to leave until the cause was identified. Naturally, some people didn't believe this and, given the country's liberal gun laws, started a fight.
The skirmish ended with Umbrella's heavily armed special forces prevailing. The civilians, realizing that these soldiers would actually shoot, quickly backed down.
Faced with this situation, Jill and Rebecca had no choice but to turn back. This time, they didn't return to the orphanage but wound their way to a small villa on the outskirts of the city.
"Jill, what is happening?" Sister Lina asked anxiously as soon as they stopped.
"Let's talk inside." Jill and Rebecca helped get the children into the villa.
"This is the situation. We need to hold out until the military arrives," Jill explained briefly to Lina before she and Rebecca went out to scout the area.
Their encounter at the mansion had taught them to be cautious, even if the area seemed deserted.
"Rebecca, stay here and protect them. I'll go investigate." In the villa's basement, Jill opened a hidden room and pulled out numerous weapons.
"What's this place?" Rebecca was shocked to see the arsenal.
"This is Chris's stash." Jill explained briefly.
As a member of Raccoon City's S.T.A.R.S., Chris often had a lot of downtime due to the city's relatively low crime rate. To pass the time, Chris had set up a shooting range on the outskirts where he practiced shooting for fun.
Chris loved weapons, as evidenced by Claire's combat skills and her proficiency with firearms.
"Be careful," Rebecca said, concerned, as Jill prepared to leave, fully armed.
"Don't worry. Keep an eye out here."
"What are you trying to do? Are you crazy?" In the police chief's office, Brian shouted into the phone.
"That's not your concern. Just do what we tell you, and someone will come for you afterward. You'll be free to go anywhere with a pile of cash," the voice on the other end said.
"That amount isn't enough. Double it," Brian demanded.
"No problem," the voice agreed before hanging up.
"Idiot," the caller muttered with a smirk.
"Rebecca, can you teach me how to use a gun?" After Jill left, Rebecca stood guard at the villa's entrance. Daniel approached her after some thought.
"A gun?" Rebecca was surprised.
"I don't know what's happening, but from your expressions and actions, something serious is going on. If I learn to use a gun, I can help," Daniel said.
He was the oldest among the orphanage children, with most being under ten. The others usually left the orphanage by the age of twelve.
"Alright." After a moment of thought, Rebecca agreed and immediately began teaching Daniel how to handle a gun, starting with removing the magazine.
Daniel had never used a real gun before, only toy ones.
"I didn't expect using a gun to be so hard," Daniel remarked after Rebecca's lesson. He finally understood why shooting zombies in the head was so difficult in games and movies.
Perfect accuracy was a myth of movies; achieving it in real life required extensive practice, far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Claire's proficiency with firearms was indeed thanks to Chris's strict training.
Initially, Claire resented her brother's insistence on practicing these skills, seeing little use for them. It wasn't until she faced Raccoon City's horrors that she appreciated her brother's foresight.
For Daniel, these skills were essential. With the Surgical Fruit's ability, he quickly familiarized himself with every part of the gun. With some practice, becoming a sharpshooter was within reach.
While ordinary people struggled with a gun's recoil, Daniel had no such issue.
Daniel's rapid progress surprised Rebecca. She initially aimed to teach him basic handling, but now she could delve deeper, including S.T.A.R.S.' combat techniques and strategies.
Though Rebecca seemed gentle, she had passed S.T.A.R.S.' rigorous selection and survived the training facility and mansion horrors. Combat experience had honed her skills.
Rebecca had faced the Tyrant, giant snake, and Queen Leech, marking her as a formidable S.T.A.R.S. member.
As Daniel honed his shooting skills and learned S.T.A.R.S. tactics, Raccoon City descended into chaos, with gunfire echoing everywhere.
In the midst of this turmoil, some people even looted banks, stores, and malls, only to end up as part of the zombie horde.
"Wolfpack, in position. Commencing operation." Amid the chaos, Umbrella Corporation hadn't abandoned its pursuit of S.T.A.R.S. members. They deployed their most elite team, targeting Chris's villa first.
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Bang, bang, bang.
The continuous gunfire immediately alerted Rebecca inside the villa. She quickly instructed Sister Lina to take the others into the basement while she grabbed a weapon to confront the attackers.
When Daniel offered to help, Rebecca flatly refused, citing that he was still just a child. As for the other adults, they were already beginning to panic in the current situation.
Jill and Rebecca knew the villa could be dangerous, but there was no other safe place in Raccoon City. If it were just the two of them, escaping would have been easy. But they couldn't abandon the children.
"I wonder how Rebecca escaped Raccoon City in the original story," Daniel thought as he made his way to the innermost part of the basement, where the armory was located.
He couldn't just hide in the basement and hope for the best. If Rebecca fell, they would all be doomed.
The gunfire outside clearly indicated that whoever was there, they were not friendly.
"Chris, you really outdid yourself." Daniel muttered, looking at the well-stocked armory. The first weapon he picked up was a military serrated knife. Unfortunately, the combat vests were too large for him at his current size.
"First, a gun." With an array of weapons at his disposal, Daniel quickly strapped two leg holsters and two waist pouches onto himself. He then grabbed two automatic pistols, one of which was a Desert Eagle. Normally, a Desert Eagle was too much for an average person, but Daniel was not average.
Next, he picked up an automatic rifle, then loaded up with magazines. Unfortunately, there were no grenades available, or he would have taken a few.
After arming himself, Daniel reached for the weapon he initially wanted—a Barrett sniper rifle. This was his best chance to help Rebecca from a distance.
"Let's see if I can channel my inner sniper." Daniel thought as he carried the sniper rifle out.
When the others in the basement saw Daniel's armed appearance, they were stunned.
Sister Lina wanted to stop him, but the ongoing gunfire convinced her to let Daniel go.
"Damn, what are these things?" Outside the villa, the Wolfpack had intended to stealthily eliminate the S.T.A.R.S. members, but some zombie dogs disrupted their plans.
Even Jill hadn't anticipated encountering zombie dogs here.
Luckily, there weren't many farms around Raccoon City, so there weren't too many animals. Otherwise, the situation would have been even more problematic.
The zombie dogs, although dangerous, were no match for the heavily armed Wolfpack. However, the gunfire exposed their position.
"It's the S.T.A.R.S. girl. She has some fight in her," the Wolfpack's leader noted as they engaged Rebecca. Her file had suggested she would be an easy target, but they hadn't realized what she'd been through in the past day and night.
Surviving those horrors had transformed Rebecca. Despite facing the elite Wolfpack alone, she held her ground.
"Damn, what kind of intel is this? Are you trying to get us killed?" The Wolfpack leader yelled at his superiors, angered by the inaccurate information.
The silence from Umbrella's higher-ups indicated their shock at the current turn of events.
Watching Rebecca being pinned down by enemy fire, Daniel was glad he had decided to step in. He set up the Barrett sniper rifle and took aim.
"It's all on you now." Activating his Surgical Fruit ability, Daniel felt as if he could perfectly understand every detail of the Barrett's capabilities.
Bang.
Focusing all his attention, Daniel's first shot targeted the enemy wielding a heavy machine gun, who was giving Rebecca the most trouble.
Bang.
The moment the bullet hit the enemy's head, it exploded, sending blood and flesh flying. Daniel didn't see this, as he immediately moved after firing.
As expected, the area where he had been was soon subjected to heavy gunfire.
"Those sniper documentaries weren't a waste after all." Daniel had once watched sniper documentaries because of his interest in the Barrett sniper rifle. Though he forgot most details, he remembered the crucial advice: a sniper must move after firing.
"Damn, a sniper? Are you kidding me? How could they miss such important intel?" Losing one of their own, the remaining Wolfpack members hid cautiously, fully aware of the Barrett's power.
Being a sniper required more than just a rifle; it demanded skill and experience.
The sudden sniper fire also startled Rebecca, but it relieved the pressure on her.
"It's me," Daniel called out after the enemy's gunfire ceased.
Bang, bang, bang.
Seeing bullets hit the bulletproof vest in front of him, Daniel was startled. Despite his careful hiding, he was still exposed. If he hadn't prepared thoroughly, he might have been shot. Of course, one might say he was just overly cautious.
Even so, several bullets grazed him, causing minor injuries.
"Thermal imaging. Fall back," Rebecca shouted, explaining how the enemy had found him.
"That's advanced," Daniel realized. His inexperience in combat against trained soldiers was evident.
"The houses here are too flimsy. If it were a solid concrete structure like in China, we wouldn't be so vulnerable," Daniel thought, lamenting the wooden construction of the villa, which provided little cover against heavy fire.
"This time, it's your bad luck." Thermal imaging was indeed tough to counter, especially against top-tier mercenaries. But for Daniel, temporarily controlling his body temperature was possible, thanks to his Surgical Fruit ability.
Once he did, the remaining three Wolfpack members were astonished.
"Disappeared? How's that possible?" One of them exclaimed when Daniel's thermal signature vanished.
"Maybe he moved near a refrigerator. Keep firing."
Bang.
As the Wolfpack fired at Daniel's last known location, Daniel, having relocated, took another shot. Although this one didn't hit the head, the Barrett's power was lethal enough even through body armor.
"Dammit, Four-Eyes is down. Retreat." With two members down, the Wolfpack leader decided to pull back. They were mercenaries, not loyal soldiers, and the inaccurate intel made them suspect Umbrella intended to sacrifice them.
"Wolfpack, what are you doing? Finish them off," came an order through the radio.
"You see the situation. You need to explain why there are snipers here when you said it was just kids and a single S.T.A.R.S. member."
Daniel's first shot's success was partly luck. Thermal imaging didn't show weapons, so the Wolfpack didn't expect a child to be a sniper, leading to their current predicament.
In the original story, the Wolfpack had wreaked havoc in Raccoon City, taking out multiple Tyrants and nearly killing Leon and Claire. Now, they were crippled before achieving anything.
"Fine. You no longer need to worry about this mission. Assist the other units in eliminating the military personnel. You'll be compensated as if all four members were active."
"Understood."
"Are you alright?" After the Wolfpack retreated, Rebecca rushed to Daniel, concerned.
"Just a few scratches. How about you?"
"I'm fine."
"This place isn't safe anymore. What should we do next?" Though the enemy had withdrawn, they would undoubtedly return, possibly in greater numbers.
"Jill hasn't returned yet." Rebecca was at a loss. With the children, any escape plan was risky, and abandoning them was out of the question.
"Eliminate the soldiers and destroy the city council records. Hurry," Umbrella's higher-ups were desperate as the battle in Raccoon City intensified.
"Don't get bogged down. Head to the lab to secure William Birkin and the G-virus," came orders from the military.
"But there are many survivors here," the field commander argued.
"That's not your concern. Others will handle the survivors. Focus on your mission," the radio crackled back harshly.
"Understood."
Hearing this, Jill, who had been approaching quietly, was stunned. She had thought these soldiers were sent to help, but now she realized they were after the virus.
The military's disregard for civilian casualties shocked Jill, but it was the harsh reality.
Simultaneously, a helicopter hovered over Daniel and the others' villa, dropping a massive metal canister.
"You've got to be kidding me," Daniel muttered, dumbfounded.
Not just here, but ten such canisters were being dropped across Raccoon City, far surpassing the original six.
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