A distance away, Jean, Xia, and Ivan stood and listened to the gradually decreasing gunshot sound.

“We should go. Get to the entrance via the train and break through the Umbrella forces on the ground. Take cover until the infection spreads. When that happens, it will be harvest time.” Ivan suggested, basically condemning Carl, Alice, Addison, Spence, and the entire Sanitation Team to die. That was who he was. He could send the whole world to die as long as he could live.

“Wait a second.” Jean turned back toward the direction they came from. ”You two go first. I’ll join you later.”

Ivan and Xia exchanged a confused look. Neither believed Jean was going to do something for their benefit. “Why?” Xia questioned.

“There is a possibility something is different from the original history. Maybe Umbrella responded quicker. Maybe the zombies decided to stay here. Relying on previous knowledge might be unsuccessful. How about this: You two go to Racoon City and kill every Umbrella guard on the ground and buy as much time as possible for me to lure the undead to the mansion.”

“That is very risky.” Ivan frowned. He didn’t want to take the extra risk when he could take the easy way. “We might get shot. You might get surrounded.”

“But it is a necessary risk. Jean is right. Relying on others is never a plan. We don’t know what the undead will do. As far as we know, they might overrun the mercenaries and no longer have the incentive to go to the surface. Keep in mind in the original history Alice and Addison escaped here. Maybe their scent drew the zombies to the surface. Anyways, I agree with Jean.” Xia held a different idea.

Ivan seemed to have struggled a bit but then nodded. “Fine. Let’s go.” The two departed quickly. As they left, Jean turned and walked in the opposite direction of the exit.

Carl touched his lips with the back of his hand. There was nothing. It was as if the feeling he had was just a hallucination, but he couldn’t help but think about the way those zombies looked. All the rotting flesh and peeling skin...he would rather die than be turned into one of them.

Carl knew Alice was immune, having merged with t-virus on a cellular level, but if something as resourceful as Umbrella couldn’t find a way to use her to make cures for the infection, how could he? There was a box of antidote on the train, but Carl doubted he could get there in time, if at all. In the original history, Rain didn’t, and it cost her her life. There was an antidote in the Hive, but…he couldn’t get it in time.

“Concentrate!” Beside, Shade grabbed onto Carl’s shoulder, waking him up from his brainstorm. All around the zombies have been closing the distance, and the mercenaries were firing and retreating at the same time. Already two of the soldiers have run out of rifle bullets and have switched to pistols. This was not a good sign. Shade also noticed Alice and Addison were gone as well, adding to the three voyagers that have already disappeared.

“We need to regroup! Get back to the control room!” Carl advised. This was not going to end well. They were literally trading bullets for zombies. The minute they run out of ammo would be the minute they die. Melee with zombies was never a good idea for ordinary human beings.

Shade nodded. It seemed to be the best course of action. He screamed an order, and the Sanitation Team started to fall back. Two of the mercenaries kept on lying down suppressing fire while their comrades moved a few steps back, and then it was their time to turn and run. The teammates they just covered were now returning the favor. With impervious collaboration, the Sanitation Team retreated safely into the Red Queen control room without losing a single man.

Meanwhile, Ivan and Xia were making their way toward the train they arrived on. None of the zombies could even delay them. Compared to the direness of the Sanitation Team, the two voyagers seemed to be taking a casual walk.

“What do you think about Jean?” Ivan suddenly asked as he slammed a zombie in the head with his giant weapon. Even t-virus couldn’t save the creature when its head was literally bashed in.

“What do you mean?” Xia’s pistols dropped zombies with every shot. None of the bullets missed, and no zombie needed a second bullet.

“You know what I mean. She is trying to be all tough, and she is, toward the natives, but she is showing some interest toward that newbie. Carl.” The road was clear for a few seconds, and Ivan used this chance to tap his watch and grin as he saw the number of zombies killed in his personal interface. “She gave him a grenade that saved three natives. So what? They’re going to die anyway. It’s just a waste of resources. That grenade could’ve killed at least a dozen zombies. Jean knows it as well, but she still gave Carl what he wanted. Normal voyagers are not this generous to recruits.”

“I think, whatever happens, it is going to end badly. Either Carl will distract Jean from her mission and get her killed or Jean will have to learn to control her emotions and abandon him. Affection is a luxury we can not afford.” Xia said surely. “I have learned that the hard way, which is why I’m keeping my eyes on the mission and only the mission.”

“Someone’s got a story. Mind sharing it?” Ivan whispered casually. Big mistake.

The next thing he knew, a pistol was next to his skull. Another was on his right arm that held his gun. The girl moved faster than he could possibly react. The coldness of her weapons was next to skin before he even understood what happened.

“Curiosity killed the cat. Cat had nine lives.” Xia whispered her threat quietly, but Ivan could see the fire in her eyes that told him she wasn’t joking. “Tell me: How many lives do you have?”

Ivan held his hands up, yielding. Xia took a few steps back and returned her pistols to the holsters. “We should keep moving. Whether or not Jean really went back to lure the undead here, taking down the Umbrella defenders is always good for spreading the infection.”

She moved first. Ivan touched his head where the pistol was, sighed, and followed.

Jean’s eyes were closed as she walked. A pistol in her right hand. The celestial energy spread out and scanned anything within a twenty meter radius. It didn’t take her long to hear the snarl of a beast.

Turning around, she noticed a rather ugly creature charging toward her. It was a dog. A dead dog. A moving dog. Its skin was peeled away, revealing red rotting flesh. Celestial energy swept through the creature and told Jean the dog was completely infected by t-virus.

The monster licked its teeth with its rotting tongue and launched itself at Jean. If it was slightly more intelligent it would’ve realized a normal target would’ve either turned and ran or screamed. Jean did neither. But its burnt brain wasn’t exactly clever. The leap was welcomed by a bullet to the head and an instant death.

Almost right after the gunshot, footsteps came from beside. Jean knew who they were, but she still raised her weapon at the incoming with alert. She put them down when she saw it was Addison and Alice.

“Run! They’re behind us!” A desperate look was on Alice’s face as she screamed and ran. Jean frowned before seeing the small horde of zombies behind them. Putting on a frightened look, she turned and joined the two on a run for their lives. As she moved, she made sure to return a few random bullets to cut down any zombie that was too close. If she was surrounded, the situation would be really awkward. Being surrounded by a bunch of zombies and still not have a scratch was quite far from the power she was supposed to have.

The three were incredibly lucky because they, accidental or intended, were running toward the Hive control room, which was where the Sanitation Team fell back to as well. Running through the disabled laser hallway and past the still beheaded medic, the three ran head-on into the control room.

Jean was the last person. As she entered, a hand reached out from behind and grabbed onto her shoulder. Frowning, she twisted the limb and ripped it off before slamming the gate on the broken arm of the zombie.