After some time, when Four Eyes and I were already on watch, the two of us vigilantly scanning the surroundings, Ada began to show signs of life. She suddenly sat up and started feeling herself over.
Once again, I'm convinced that the most stable Turned come from people of a certain inner steel—and this "Miss Secret Agent" clearly possessed it. Hm. Now re-recruited on top of that. Unlike the same Kate, there wasn't even a hint of sluggishness here. After confirming that her wounds had fully closed, the girl sprang lightly to her feet, complained about her clothes—torn by glass shards and the bullet that had pierced her side—and then began examining herself much more carefully.
"How fortunate that I was never really tan—if anything, the opposite—and a bit of pallor doesn't stand out. But the reduced sensitivity is clearly not the best aspect of this form. The iris issue can be solved with contacts… the neat little fangs—I'll just try to smile less. How good it feels to be alive again!"
Ada quickly assessed her condition, studying certain details in the nearby car—dented, but still with intact windows and even a side mirror.
At that moment, I was in mourning. Thanks to the stabilized HiF-virus and the life-sustaining G-virus, Ada had barely changed. In fact, she'd undergone even fewer alterations than Four Eyes. And the Progenitor had reliably shielded her from all kinds of radar—one shouldn't forget that this particular virus originated on its own. And in symbiosis with the other two, its carrier doesn't register as infected. I'd already tested that with a device from the Beta squad. And me, with the exact same set of viruses, ended up looking like this "handsome devil." Where's the justice?
"And now we should take a little walk to the ruins of that private Umbrella clinic for high-ranking clients." Ada smiled at her own thoughts.
"Why?" Yamata asked at once, while I modestly kept silent, simply not having had time to remove the mental block from myself.
"Officially, as I said, it's a private Umbrella clinic for the rich. Unofficially, in the basements—more precisely, the underground levels of the building—there's a laboratory. A small one. Two levels. They breed various types of Hunters there. The same Hunter Betas roaming the lower floors of the clinic came from that very lab. There are also more interesting specimens as well—for example, the Hunter Gamma. Are you sure you don't need their data?" Ada arched a brow in surprise, making her attitude perfectly clear in case we refused and admitted we didn't need those samples.
But judging by the way Four Eyes's eyes lit up, we did need them. Very much so. How inconvenient it is to have a scientist as a partner!
"Even if you say you don't need them, I do. Or rather—the corporation I work for does. So consider it a mutually beneficial service." Miss Wong smiled. Heh. Who's using whom here? Still, a partnership suits me just fine. And then imprinting will take its course, even if Ada hides behind her job to the very end. I don't mind carrying out a couple of assignments for the 3rd Organization, posing as a simple mercenary and receiving appropriate compensation.
"All right. If it's for improving our relations, why not? Especially since we don't particularly need the data—but the specimens are another matter." I sent the thought telepathically, gesturing to Four Eyes that for now it would really be better to take only the samples; she could analyze everything later in a calm environment. She's a smart girl—she should understand why. She's just a scientist too, and naturally wants to possess the available data as well.
"Excellent. Then you can clear the descent. Not a woman's job—especially when there's such a strong man nearby." Uh-huh. I might've believed that if I didn't look like a monster from someone's worst nightmares. So less sultriness in the voice, manipulator. And again I signaled to Four Eyes—since I don't control my telepathy well enough to speak only to her—to take Ada out of her sights. What's gotten into my partner?
When we reached what had once been the elevator shaft, I cleared the platform and found the reinforced barrier at that spot, protecting the underground levels from whatever was happening above. Right—that's where Carlos supposedly brewed the antidote for Jill, who'd been infected with the T-virus (or one of its variants) after her showdown with Nemesis.
I wedged my claws into the barely visible gap between the steel partitions and forced them apart, then dropped down. No telling what might be waiting for us below, and I'm the toughest one here.
What awaited us was an L-shaped corridor with steel walls—and two Hunters. They looked like the ordinary kind, but on the tops of their heads and shoulders—roughly speaking, across the upper half of their hunched, Quasimodo-like bodies—were grotesque growths resembling tumors.
If I remember correctly, these were the Hunter Betas—poisonous, but more vulnerable because of their own growths, which contained the toxin and had replaced the protective scales on their upper bodies. The problem was striking them with my hands… what if I absorbed the poison?
"Yamata, lend me the rifle for a moment!" I projected telepathically, leaping onto the wall midway between the exit and the floor, equidistant from both creatures.
"Catch."
My order was tossed down to me, and I caught it at once, unloading a burst into the Hunter directly beneath me. Yes, the toxic sacs made them more vulnerable—but their durability was still impressive. I emptied the entire magazine on the two creatures.
(End of Chapter)
🙌Bonus chapter for 100 power stones!
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