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Yeah—and she wasn't wrong. Monica was trying to hide something from them, especially the G-Larva she was carrying inside that suitcase.
"Boss, what should we do with this woman now?" Michaela asked. From her point of view, it would be safer to just kill her and not bother saving her at all—especially after Monica had tried to shoot Allen with her pistol earlier.
"No, no please. I'll do anything as long as you let me go, please." She said.
Allen, however, remained calm. He sat down, picked up the suitcase resting on the bed, then removed the mask covering his face and smiled at Monica. "You'll do everything, huh? Really?"
"Winter…" Monica said, clearly recognizing him.
It wasn't that surprising. Dr. William and Daniel had talked about Allen before, and Monica—being the curious type—had tried to dig up information about him. Eventually, she learned that Allen had once worked there as an assistant to Dr. Annette, Dr. William's wife—well, former wife, to be precise.
"You seem to recognize me. So tell me—are you willing to do anything to stay alive?" Allen said calmly.
"Yes, I know you," Monica replied quickly. "I heard about you from Dr. Birkin. I was one of his assistants."
"And yes, I'll do anything—please, just let me go," she continued, her voice trembling as she begged not to be shot by the woman standing behind her.
Allen said nothing. He quietly opened the case and revealed what was inside—a sample of G-Larva.
"This is absolutely disgusting," Allen muttered, staring into the container. "I really didn't expect you'd be able to sleep right next to something like this." Inside the nutrient tube, a worm-like larva lay dormant, slowly pulsing.
"Ah—please, be careful with that!" Monica cried out, sounding far more concerned about the G-Larva than her own life, even as Michaela kept a gun trained on her.
"I told you not to move," Michaela snapped, tightening her grip to keep Monica from getting up again. "Do you really want to die?"
"Ahh…. Please, stop," Monica whimpered, a single tears forming in her eyes from the pain and Michaela's rough treatment. "please I already said I'll do anything—so please…"
Seeing Monica's current condition, Allen actually paused to think for a moment.
Why does it feel like we're the villains here now?
"Alright then," Allen said calmly. "From this moment on, you belong to me, and you'll be working for me starting now. I have to admit, I like your talent. Unfortunately for you, though, you were unlucky this time—especially since you decided to carry something like this around."
He glanced at Michaela, giving her a silent signal to release her.
"What do you mean?" Monica asked, confusion clear in her voice. Any thought of protesting about being forced to work for Allen quickly faded—she knew she had no real choice left.
"Well," Allen continued, his tone casual, "Dr. William has already turned into a monster because of the G-Virus. And here you are, carrying a G-Larva everywhere you go. You know the characteristics of the G-Virus, don't you? Especially how its mutations reproduce."
Allen smiled faintly as he looked at her.
"And if it wants to reproduce, it needs a compatible host. Do you really think William would let you go once he finds out you're carrying this larva?" He paused. "In the worst-case scenario… you'd end up giving birth to a monster yourself."
At those words, Monica instinctively clutched her stomach, her face draining of color.
"And even if you somehow escape this place," Allen went on coldly, "do you really think Umbrella would let you walk away? Not when you're carrying something this valuable. Do you honestly believe you could sell it on the black market without Umbrella finding you?"
He shook his head slightly.
"I can already guess how your story would end."
Allen's words hit her like a hammer. Monica's vision blurred, her head spinning as she felt her strength drain away—on the verge of collapsing right where she stood.
Allen could tell that Monica was terrified now. She clearly realized just how bad her situation truly was.
"But don't worry about that," Allen said calmly. "As long as you work loyally for me, I'll make sure you get out of this place—and I'll protect you from Umbrella."
"R-Really? But… what about the G-Larva?" Monica asked, a faint spark of hope returning to her eyes as she glanced at the suitcase. "What are you going to do with it?"
"Well, you can keep it," Allen replied, handing the suitcase back to her. "I don't need it. What you do with it after this is up to you."
"T-Thank you," Monica said, letting out a shaky sigh of relief.
"Don't thank me just yet," Allen added. "We're not out of here yet. For now, we need to find a safe route so you can get out of this facility first."
"Umm… okay," Monica nodded, then hesitated for a moment. "By the way… should I start calling you 'Boss' from now on?"
"Sure, call me whatever you like," Allen said casually. He then opened the comm channel and contacted Yoko.
"Yoko, do you read me? Can you point us to the safest route out of here?"
"Hm, sure. Give me a moment," Yoko replied promptly.
"Boss, why don't we exit through Sector D702?" Monica suggested. "There's an underground rail line connected to that facility. We could use it to get out."
"Hm. That route's frozen solid right now," Allen replied. "Someone foolishly activated the cooling system in the control room."
"I-I see…" Monica said quietly, sounding a little embarrassed.
Of course, the 'fool' Allen was referring to was none other than Monica herself. She had activated the cooling system after seeing hordes of monsters roaming the area—her intention had been to freeze them in place so she could escape through that route.
Allen, however, had no idea who was responsible, and Monica clearly had no intention of admitting it either.
After Yoko informed them that they could escape through the route to Sector E-107—specifically by heading to the northern area connected to the sewer line—Allen stood up.
"Alright, pack your things. We're leaving this place," Allen said.
"Ah, okay," Monica replied. She quickly gathered several access cards and her suitcase, then followed behind Allen and Michaela.
As they moved through the corridors, Allen casually asked Monica, "Oh, by the way… who were you planning to sell that G-Larva to? And why would you risk your life just to get something like that? Was it really all just for money?"
He swiped his access card and opened a sealed door as he spoke.
"Of course it was," Monica answered without hesitation. "Who wouldn't be interested in money? With that kind of cash, I could finally live a comfortable life and stay out of all this mess."
It was clear she wanted to retire from her work at Umbrella and enjoy her life afterward. At thirty years old, she didn't want to end up like the other researchers—trapped forever in the same vicious cycle.
"As for the G-Larva," Monica continued, "I received an offer from a secret organization. They promised me a huge amount of money as long as I delivered this sample to them."
"A secret organization?" Allen asked. "How much were they offering you?"
At the mention of a secret organization, Allen briefly thought of one group in particular—The Connections. It wasn't fully established yet, still relatively new, but the thought lingered in his mind.
However, as they moved forward, six zombies suddenly lunged out of the darkness, charging straight at them. But of course, Allen and Bertha reacted instantly, moving with precision and snapping their necks before the creatures could even sink their teeth into them. Monica was startled and instinctively tried to run at first, but when she saw how effortlessly the two of them dealt with the zombies without even using firearms, she let out a breath of relief.
"Keep moving—and don't try anything funny if you still want to stay alive," Michaela said coldly, clearly still not trusting the woman.
Hearing that, Monica simply nodded and continued following them until they reached a door that looked damaged and wouldn't budge.
"The door's jammed, Boss. Are you sure this is the right way?" Monica asked, doubt creeping into her voice as she wondered whether they could get through.
Allen and Bertha stared at the door for a moment.
"Well, looks like we'll have to force it open together," Allen said to Michaela.
Michaela nodded. She grabbed the door along with Allen, and the two of them forced it with brute strength.
Bang!
Sure enough, the door—one that looked impossible to open—slid open under their hands.
This left Monica completely stunned by the strength they had just displayed.
"A–are you using the T-Virus?" Monica asked. She knew about it—and about Sergei, who had used a similar serum and gained strength comparable to a Tyrant. She also knew that using the T-Virus improperly caused severe side effects, damaging the brain, inducing extreme aggression, and even triggering mutation. Yet these two showed none of those characteristics.
"No," Allen replied calmly. "We're not using the T-Virus. This is a serum I developed myself. And if you're interested in it and want one, you'll have to prove your loyalty to me. Oh—and I also have another serum that can keep someone young forever," Allen added, deliberately dropping the information like bait.
When Monica heard about a serum that could preserve youth, her eyes immediately lit up. Who wouldn't want to stay young forever?
"R–really? Can I get it too, Boss? I–I'll be loyal to you, I'll do anything," Monica said quickly.
"Good," Allen replied simply.
However, Bertha was now looking at Allen differently. This was the first time she had heard about another serum that could keep someone young forever—and she wanted it as well. At the same time, her thoughts drifted to one of her superiors in the Black Rose unit, the one she meant being Karena, who now looked noticeably younger than before, like a woman in her early twenties rather than someone who had already reached the age of thirty-eight.
Yeah… maybe I'll ask him about it later, she thought, deciding it would be better to bring it up after they managed to get out of this place first or maybe when she has the opportunity to do so.
However, when Allen, Bertha, and Monica stepped into the elevator, Dr. William suddenly appeared right in front of them, trying to catch up. He slammed into the elevator, attempting to force his way inside.
Boom!… Boom!… Boom!…
"Damn it… Bertha, shoot his eye!" Allen shouted as he raised his pistol and began firing at William's mutated body, where a massive eye was glaring straight at them.
Bang!… Bang!… Bang!…
Gunshots echoed nonstop. Monica, completely terrified, could only scream from behind them, unable to do anything else.
"Ahhh…!" she cried, clutching her suitcase tightly.
The gunfire continued, and when William finally recoiled from the elevator after his weak point was repeatedly hit, Allen and Bertha forced the elevator doors to close.
At last, the elevator doors shut, and Allen and Bertha collapsed onto the floor inside.
But suddenly—
Crash!
It seemed the elevator doors were damaged and could no longer move. The elevator itself stopped completely.
They were trapped inside.
"Ahh… what do we do? It looks like we're trapped in here," Monica said in a panicked voice.
Allen, however, remained calm as he quickly thought of another way out.
"Boss, we could try breaking through the elevator ventilation and escape that way," Bertha said, glancing up at the ceiling.
"Hm, good idea. You go first," Allen replied.
He lifted Bertha up, then drove a powerful puch into the elevator's ventilation panel.
Crash!....
Bertha climbed out first and checked the surroundings. "Okay, it's clear. Everything's safe," she said.
"Alright, come on. You're next," Allen said as he picked up Monica and helped her out through the opening. After that, he jumped out himself.
They climbed a ladder mounted along the wall and eventually entered an upper dormitory area that looked surprisingly spacious and luxurious.
"Yoko, do you read me?" Allen asked.
"Yes, boss. What's going on? Is there a problem?" Yoko replied.
"You could say that. Can you mark William's current location? It looks like he's hunting us down."
"Understood. Give me a moment—I'll mark his position to make things easier for you, boss," Yoko said.
When Allen checked the map on his phone and saw that William wasn't far from their position, he decided it would be better to wait until William moved away before continuing.
"Alright, let's rest here for now and wait until that guy moves out of our range," Allen said.
Naturally, everyone agreed and stayed put, silently preparing themselves for what might come next.
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