There was no doubt about it.
The tall young woman who had just stepped out of the residential building was one of the legendary heroines of the Resident Evil universe—the earliest female protagonist of the series.
Jill Valentine.
She turned off the lights and the TV.
With a soft thud, the door shut behind her.
The entire building sank into darkness.
Jill adjusted her boots, holstered her pistol, and walked calmly into the night.
---
Night – Black Gate Bridge
The bridge, built at enormous cost by the Umbrella Corporation, now stood as a symbol of false hope.
A seven- to eight-meter-high wall had been constructed in the middle of the bridge.
The barrier stretched symmetrically across the bridge and extended tens of meters along both sides of the river. With snipers positioned above and helicopters hovering in the distance, escape by boat was impossible.
It was containment.
Not rescue.
Director Kane stood atop the wall, wearing a Bluetooth earpiece. He looked down at the desperate civilians below with cold indifference, like a farmer observing livestock.
Suddenly—
A middle-aged man in the crowd convulsed violently and collapsed.
His daughter screamed and tried to rush to him, but Sergeant Peyton, maintaining order below, held her back.
"It's alright," Peyton said firmly, thumping his chest. "I'm here."
The man stopped shaking.
His eyes opened.
There was no black in them.
His hands shot up and grabbed Peyton's leg.
His mouth opened wide—
He bit down.
Peyton barely registered the pressure before—
A red-clad leg kicked the infected man hard in the stomach, sending him flying backward.
A broad hand clapped Peyton's shoulder.
He turned.
A red-and-black masked figure gave him a thumbs-up.
"It's alright," Deadpool said confidently. "I'm here."
Peyton blinked.
"…What?"
"Cover her eyes," Deadpool added casually.
He stepped forward and stomped down hard.
Crunch.
His boot sank into the man's skull.
Red and white splattered across the pavement.
But at the exact same moment—
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
The infected man's head exploded further under the bullet's impact.
Deadpool suddenly hissed.
"Ah!"
He looked down at his foot.
Then slowly turned toward the officer who had fired.
Even through the mask, his confusion was obvious.
"If you were going to shoot," he said calmly, "why didn't you shoot earlier?"
The officer trembled. "I—I'm sorry."
Deadpool pulled his foot free with effort.
"It's okay," he replied with forced politeness. "Just pay attention next time."
Behind him, chaos spread as word of infection rippled through the crowd.
At that moment, Jill arrived.
She quickly moved to Peyton's side.
"Peyton."
"Jill."
They were both former members of S.T.A.R.S., once serving in the same department. The reunion was brief but meaningful.
Seeing Deadpool balancing on one leg like a flamingo, Peyton moved to support him.
Whatever this masked lunatic was, he had just saved Peyton's life.
---
On the Wall
Director Kane frowned at the rising commotion.
He pressed his earpiece.
"Close the gate. Stop the evacuation."
A burly officer beside him stared in disbelief.
"Our people are still inside."
Kane didn't even look at him.
"I said, close the gate."
The massive gate began to descend.
Below, civilians stared in shock.
Then panic exploded.
They surged toward the narrowing exit.
Bang!
Kane fired a warning shot into the air.
"You have five seconds to return."
Deadpool glanced upward.
"You know," he muttered, "I could shoot him from here."
He flexed his fingers slightly.
"At this distance, I could blow his head off with my eyes closed."
Jill hesitated.
She also knew she could make that shot.
But she placed her hand firmly on Deadpool's shoulder and shook her head.
"No. If he dies, the soldiers might panic and open fire on everyone. It would be worse."
Deadpool paused.
Then nodded.
"Alright. Your big chest means you're right."
Jill froze.
"…Excuse me?"
But there was no time to argue.
"Five," the officer on the wall began counting.
"Four."
Some civilians began backing away.
Most stood frozen.
"Three."
"Go back!" Jill shouted. "They're serious!"
Her voice was swallowed by the crowd.
"Two."
"One."
"Fire!"
The soldiers pulled their triggers.
But they didn't shoot at the civilians directly.
Instead, they lowered their muzzles and fired into the empty space in front of the crowd.
The message was clear.
The gunfire shattered any remaining illusion.
People turned and ran in blind panic.
Screams filled the bridge.
In the stampede, many were trampled.
Some fell and never stood up again.
Deadpool, Jill, and Peyton didn't rush.
They understood something simple.
As long as the crowd retreated, the soldiers wouldn't escalate.
Peyton and Jill supported Deadpool, who still dramatically held his foot.
Behind them, the overly enthusiastic reporter Tali shuffled along, clutching her DV camera.
She was brave enough to stand at the front under loaded rifles.
Yet cautious enough to hide behind stronger people when things got serious.
Eventually, they cleared the bridge area.
The street beyond had not yet fallen to large-scale infection.
For now, it was safe.
But "for now" in Raccoon City meant very little.
A woman nearby sobbed in disbelief.
"How can they do this? We're citizens! We pay taxes!"
Deadpool glanced back at the sealed gate.
He tilted his head thoughtfully.
"No," he said quietly.
"You're test subjects."
The sirens wailed again in the distance.
Somewhere deeper in the city, more screams erupted.
Jill looked toward the skyline.
Her expression hardened.
This wasn't just chaos.
This was containment.
And Umbrella had just made their choice.
Deadpool adjusted his stance, testing his foot.
The wound had already healed.
He grinned beneath his mask.
"Okay," he muttered.
"Now it's getting interesting."
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