Alcina and her daughters agreed to Theodore's plan to head to House Beneviento.
As they stepped off the main path, the sudden roar of rotor blades and heavy, suppressive gunfire tore through the quiet forest.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
A series of powerful shots ripped through the trees, kicking up snow and wood chips right in front of them.
"Ambush!" Theodore yelled, dragging Alcina and the sisters back behind a thick, moss-covered stone wall. Ethan instantly dropped to cover.
A massive, black military helicopter—clearly too powerful for this isolated region—hovered overhead.
Several highly trained, heavily armed soldiers in tactical gear rappelled down, bearing the insignia of the Hound Wolf Squad.
Leading them was Chris Redfield, his face set in a look of grim determination. He raised a megaphone.
"Ethan Winters! Stand down immediately! You are harboring dangerous biological entities! Release the targets and step away from the perimeter!"
Chris's voice crackled.
Ethan's face went white with confusion.
"Chris? What the hell is this? I'm trying to save my daughter!"
Theodore just grinned, a mixture of annoyance and excitement. "Ah, I knew it! The ultimate party crasher! Chris Redfield!"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, metallic Smoke Bomb.
"Heisenberg, Miranda, and now Chris and his military escort? Seriously, this world just doesn't want me to have a clean run!"
Theodore complained. He activated Wind Walk for quick evasion.
[Skill Activated: Wind Walk]
[Effect: +50% speed]
[Duration: 60 seconds]
"Alcina, you know this area. We need to lose them immediately. Ethan, use that grenade launcher on the trees behind them! Create chaos!"
Alcina and her daughters were enraged by the attack.
"Soldiers! We will tear them apart!"
Alcina roared, preparing to engage the highly trained unit.
"No! You stay focused! You're immune to bullets, but they slow you down! We don't have time for a firefight!"
Theodore ordered, his voice overriding her temper.
He threw the smoke bomb. Thick, blinding black smoke instantly engulfed the forest path.
Theodore then dashed forward, running directly at the approaching soldiers.
Chris, seeing the bizarre, hyper-fast anomaly darting through the smoke, focused his attention.
He didn't recognize the man, but the speed was unnatural and dangerous.
"Target the unidentified fast-moving male! Prioritize the anomaly! Do not let Dimitrescus escape the containment zone!"
Chris barked into his comms.
"This way, soldiers! Come and get me!"
Theodore yelled, easily drawing the enemy's attention away from the slower-moving group. He was now running a desperate new mission: a high-speed distraction.