Multiverse , Leveling Up in the World I Created

Chapter 455: 455 Resident Evil 15

We decided there was no longer any reason to stay here, as we had dealt with the Birkin family issue and investigated everything we needed to in the sewers.

So we immediately took the cable car to the research lab.

The cable car could only be used by employees with security clearance level 1 or higher.

Fortunately, Sherry and Ada already had level 1 security clearance wristbands, so we were able to use it without any problems.

While riding the cable car, the group began reloading their weapons.

We had used up a considerable amount of ammunition in the fight against William.

Thanks to that, the backpack I was carrying had also become significantly lighter.

"Wow... to have built a facility like this deep underground..."

When the cable car arrived at the lab, a massive iron door and futuristic facilities came into view.

Moreover, all the facilities were very well-maintained, clearly showing that active research had been conducted here until very recently.

"Just seeing this, you can tell what kind of shady company Umbrella is. The virus should be here, right?"

"Probably."

"We need to destroy it for good so this never happens again."

Jill said with determination, but Ada immediately objected.

"You can’t destroy it! We need to take it as solid evidence to prove Umbrella’s crimes."

But I shook my head and spoke.

"There’s plenty of evidence in Raccoon City, and the doctor who can create the T-virus vaccine is already in contact with the government. We can’t let a new virus spread. Destroying it is the right call."

The others nodded in agreement.

But Leon also sided with Ada and objected.

"We don’t know how things will turn out yet, so I think we should secure it first and decide later. The government even sent a capable FBI agent to secure the G-virus, so they must have had other plans. Besides, if the G-virus could leak to other areas in the future, we might need it as research material to develop a vaccine."

Leon’s words gave me a headache.

’Hah... this guy Leon... if he keeps this up, he’s going to be completely wrapped around Ada’s finger. Isn’t he going a bit overboard?’

But to the group, who didn’t know Ada was actually a mercenary, Leon’s argument seemed perfectly reasonable.

I knew there was room to refute it, but I didn’t want to start an argument, so I kept my mouth shut.

We used Sherry’s security wristband to enter the lab.

The lab could be entered through a massive triple-layered iron door, probably designed to prevent virus leaks and protect against various external threats.

"It feels like being in a hospital."

Claire said as she looked around, and Marvin agreed.

"Right... it’s clearly a lab."

As they said, the lab corridors were decorated in clean, bright colors, and the faint smell of disinfectant reminded one of a hospital.

All the doors inside were automatic, and each was marked with the required security clearance, making it difficult to move freely without a security wristband.

"Since the security clearance is divided, we can only go so far, so we can’t split up like in the sewers. But it’s also risky for too many of us to move together, so I think we should use this as a base and only send a few people to search."

Leon’s suggestion was met with agreement.

So it was decided that Leon, Ada, and Marvin would go search, while I, Jill, Claire, and Sherry would wait in the security room on the left as soon as we entered the lab.

Jill, tired, began nodding off as soon as she sat down in a chair.

It was understandable—she hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep for over a day and a half since the Raccoon City outbreak, constantly fighting and running.

"She must be really tired."

"She’s been through a lot since yesterday without any sleep. That’s why."

"Then you must be tired too, oppa?"

"I can still manage. Sherry, if you’re tired, lie down on the bed and rest for a while. I’ll wake you if something happens."

"I’m tired from all the walking, but I don’t know when I’ll see my mom, so I’ll try to stay awake."

Sherry said that but fell asleep almost immediately.

After everything she’d been through in a single day at such a young age, the exhaustion must have caught up with her all at once.

I carefully laid Sherry down on the bed.

"Sleep well... Claire, if you’re tired, rest too. I’ll keep watch."

"I’m not at that point yet. Phew... making me go through all this trouble. That brother of mine, just you wait!"

"You haven’t been able to get in touch with him, huh?"

"Yeah. I came all the way here because I was worried about my only family."

"Chris is being pretty harsh. He could have at least contacted you."

"Exactly! If he had, I wouldn’t have had to go through all this trouble..."

"Still, I can understand it in a way. Umbrella is a huge corporation capable of building a lab like this. They probably have a lot of private soldiers too. Maybe he didn’t contact you on purpose, fearing you might be in danger."

Claire sighed and admitted, "That could be."

"What are you planning to do after we escape from here?"

"I don’t know... Since it’s still vacation, I came here planning to stay at my brother’s place. Maybe I should go back..."

"Instead of that, how about staying at my mansion in Chicago for a while? I have plenty of empty rooms, and Jill has been in contact with Chris, so you’ll be able to reach him soon."

"Really? Chicago isn’t that far from here. Then, I’ll take you up on that for a while."

While I was chatting with Claire, Leon’s group returned.

"We found some standard employee security wristbands. We’re going to investigate a bit more and then move on to another part of the lab."

"Do you need help?"

"No, there are some zombies here and there, but we have enough ammo, and they’re easy to take down. I don’t think we need it."

Leon said that, so I decided to let them go.

It was still the early part of the lab, and no difficult creatures had appeared yet, so I figured it wouldn’t be a problem.

Besides, Leon seemed to be subtly trying to keep me away from Ada.

’Leon... what lies ahead is hell.’

I knew Leon would suffer more if he got entangled with Ada, but if he was determined to ruin his own fate, there was nothing I could do.

Trying to stop him probably wouldn’t help much anyway, so I let it be.

After Leon’s group left, Claire and I took out some chocolate bars from the backpack and ate them.

Then, a woman suddenly came looking for us.

"Who’s there?"

The woman was a middle-aged blonde with blue eyes, wearing a white lab coat and a name tag with the Umbrella logo on her left chest—she looked like a researcher working here.

"Oh... so I wasn’t mistaken. Sherry is here too... I almost killed my own daughter with my own hands."

The woman ignored us completely and walked straight to the bed where Sherry was sleeping, gently stroking her head as she spoke.

"You’re Annette Birkin, Sherry’s mother. And the one who created the G-virus. You also tried to kill us."

When I revealed her identity, Claire was startled and quickly aimed her gun at Annette.

Annette looked at us and said, "If I had known Sherry was with you, I wouldn’t have done that. More importantly, why are you here?"

"We’re with S.T.A.R.S. and the FBI. The T-virus Umbrella created has already turned Raccoon City into chaos. If the G-virus spreads too, it’ll be uncontrollable. That’s why we came here to destroy the virus."

"Then what about Sherry..."

"We found her hiding in the police station and brought her along."

"I see... but it’s too late. The G-virus has already spread because of my husband. And Umbrella probably knows about this too. They’ll try to destroy this city to cover up the fact that they developed the virus."

Claire was shocked by this and said, "They’re going to destroy Raccoon City... the government won’t just stand by."

Annette laughed bitterly at Claire’s words.

"You really don’t know anything. Umbrella doesn’t care about that. They have plenty of agents planted throughout the government, so in the end, things will go their way."

Having worked at Umbrella for a long time with William, Annette clearly understood what kind of organization it was.

"But there must be another way..."

"There is no other way. Raccoon City is already finished."

Annette quickly scribbled something on a piece of paper on the desk, then took a security wristband from her pocket and handed it to me along with the paper.

"It’s my husband’s security wristband, but he won’t need it anymore... Take this and get Sherry out of here. There’s an elevator in the center of the lab that goes down. Take it to the underground train and escape."

Claire asked, "What about you? Aren’t you coming with us?"

"I’m staying here to stop my husband from spreading the G-virus any further."

It seemed Annette planned to set off the lab’s self-destruct system along with her husband before the virus could spread further.

"Take care of Sherry. Help her live a good life. And don’t trust the Asian woman. She’s a mercenary who’s trying to steal the G-virus and sell it for a high price."

Claire was shocked once again.

"What?! Ada isn’t with the FBI?"

"That’s right. She’s quick and clean, so we’ve hired her before. That’s how I know. Anyway, there’s no time to explain further. Get out of here now."

With those final words, Annette stroked Sherry’s head one last time and left without looking back.

I unfolded the note Annette had handed me.

It contained information about a secret bank account that William and Annette had set up.

Given her final plea to take care of Sherry, she probably meant for the money to be used to support her.

"What do we do now?"

"What else? We’ll tell the others about Ada’s identity when they get back, and then we escape."

We first woke Jill, who was so deeply asleep she could have been carried off without knowing.

"Jill, Jill, wake up!"

"Hon, the kids are enough... Huh! It was a dream..."

Jill must have been having a strange dream, because she woke up talking nonsense.

I gave Jill some water to help her wake up and briefed her on the situation.

"I knew it! That catlike thief, there was something about her I didn’t like from the start."

"Catlike thief?"

"Ahem... nothing."

We decided to wait for the others.

But Sherry was sleeping so soundly that we couldn’t wake her.

After a long wait, Leon’s group returned, all looking worn out.

"We had a tough time with some plant zombies. But we managed to get a higher-level security wristband. Now we can access all areas, so finding the virus should be easier."

"No, that won’t be necessary. We met Annette. She’s planning to self-destruct this place. She entrusted Sherry to us."

"Wha, what? Is that true?"

"Yeah, and there’s something else that might shock you. Ada isn’t with the FBI. She’s a mercenary trying to steal the virus and sell it."

As soon as I finished speaking, Jill and Claire raised their guns at Ada, while Leon and Marvin looked shocked.

"W, wait! Are you just going to believe everything that woman Annette said?"

Judging by how Leon was still defending her, he still hadn’t come to his senses.

"It’s certain. Annette even risked her own life to ask us to protect Sherry. She had no reason to lie in a situation like that."

"There must be some misunderstanding..."

Leon tried to calm the situation, but Ada herself confessed.

"Phew... I guess this is where our partnership ends. It’s been a while since I’ve had such pleasant company, but I have my own business to attend to."

"Ada..."

Leon struggled to accept reality.

Ada pulled Leon close, kissed him on the cheek, and said, "Thanks for your help, Leon."

As she tried to leave, Leon grabbed her and asked, "Ada, were you just using us?"

"I wouldn’t say using. We’ve come this far helping each other toward our own goals, haven’t we?"

It was true—unlike the original, they hadn’t been used; they had genuinely helped each other along the way.

"As proof, you won’t shoot me. And I have no intention of shooting any of you either. So let’s just go our separate ways."

With that, Ada broke free from Leon’s grip and walked away.

Leon ran his hand down his face and muttered, "Hah... how did it end up like this..."