(Note: From this point on, all present-day actions occur simultaneously.)
Earlier in Madrid, while Gérald had gone off for his own missions, Anthony had suggested visiting a lesser-known museum in the city. At first, the mood was light; Kevin was joking with Lisa and Sherry about their TV appearances, relaxed despite the circumstances.
However, Kevin's instincts—always on alert—began to sense that something was off. He noticed that the number of pedestrians around them was noticeably thinning, which was never a good sign. Discreetly, he readied his firearm, keeping it hidden under his jacket.
"You two, stay alert but keep walking like nothing's wrong," he whispered to the girls, trying not to raise alarm.
Suddenly, the situation escalated far more quickly than expected. Several paintings on the museum walls swung open, revealing armed men with crossbows, their sharp bolts aimed directly at the girls. Without hesitation, Kevin shot down two of them and deflected two incoming bolts, quickly pushing Sherry and Lisa into cover while eliminating another attacker.
In the chaos, Anthony took the opportunity to make his move. He drew a hypodermic pistol fitted with a syringe loaded with a powerful horse tranquilizer and fired at Kevin. The drug rapidly affected Kevin's aim as he tried to retaliate."Stay behind me!" he yelled to the girls, but his disoriented shot only grazed Anthony's shoulder before Kevin collapsed, vision blurring and eyes growing heavy.
Under Lisa and Sherry's panicked gaze from their hiding spot, Anthony approached, his expression a mix of regret and grim resolve."Sorry girls, but you have to come with me now."
Faced with the immediate threat to Kevin, and following Gérald's prior instructions not to reveal their enhanced abilities, Lisa and Sherry—though frightened—chose not to resist, hoping to protect Kevin from a more fatal outcome.
"It's going to be okay, Kevin… we'll behave," Lisa whispered, trying to comfort their protector as they were taken away, leaving Kevin unconscious, with hope that he would be spared.
Kevin's Point of View
Kevin woke up quickly, his genetically enhanced recovery—thanks to modifications made by Gérald—allowing his body to fully purge the tranquilizer. He found himself in a dark, decrepit cabin, his hands tightly bound with rope. Next to him, a sack was shifting noisily.
With enhanced strength, Kevin broke free from the ropes, his taut muscles tearing them apart like paper. He rushed to the writhing sack, quickly untying the cords that sealed it shut. Inside, he found a man bound and gagged with duct tape. In one swift motion, Kevin ripped the tape off, immediately covering the man's mouth with his hand to muffle any cries.
"Shhh, quiet," Kevin muttered firmly but softly, his eyes scanning the door to make sure they were still alone. Once the man had calmed down, Kevin carefully lifted his hand.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Kevin whispered in English, hoping the man would understand.
"My name is Luis Sera, and I was hired by those idiots to do research, but when I found out what they were really doing, I tried to escape—unsuccessfully," Luis replied quickly, his voice a mix of relief and fear.
"I'm Kevin Dooley," Kevin said with a determined look as he began searching the room. "And I can tell you, whoever's behind all this is in deep trouble for kidnapping my friend's daughters." He grabbed a knife and a sickle resting on a dusty old table, claiming them as makeshift weapons.
Sounds of combat echoed outside, and through the cracks in the cabin walls, Kevin spotted a massive leech devouring someone. His expression darkened."Looks like Gérald is here," he muttered, a mixture of relief and tension in his voice.
Luis, clearly disturbed and frightened by the sight of the monstrous creature, edged closer to Kevin."What the hell is that? That's horrifying!"
Kevin placed a reassuring hand on Luis's shoulder."Stay close to me if you want to stay alive. Those things won't attack us if they recognize me. Gérald has tactics for this. Just don't wander off—no matter what."
Gérald's Point of ViewFaced with Bitores Mendez's threatening approach, I reacted immediately, summoning Tintin, my modified Tyrant."Take him down," I ordered firmly, making sure Sherry didn't witness the impending violence. Tintin obeyed instantly, launching himself at Mendez and hurling him through the church doors, their battle continuing furiously outside.
I turned to Sherry, whose face was filled with worry."Sherry, while I go save Lisa and Kevin, I need you to wait for me in the facility," I said gently, brushing her hair to comfort her. Without waiting for her response, I transported her into my secure subspace, specifically to the area where my giant animals were stationed instead of the laboratory.
Once outside, I was met with the sight of Mendez beginning to mutate into a grotesque form, vaguely resembling a centipede."Behold the power Lord Saddler has given me!" he shouted, his many limbs writhing with disturbing agility.
Mendez seemed to be gaining the upper hand against Tintin—a shocking sight considering my Tyrant's raw power."Seriously, they didn't hold back on the difficulty," I muttered, watching with a mix of irritation and begrudging respect for Mendez's resilience.
Wasting no more time, I summoned Yawn, the giant snake."Let's see if you can digest this," I said sarcastically as Yawn coiled around Mendez's mutated form, crushing his delusions along with his grotesque body under its enormous weight.
After successfully dealing with Mendez's pulverization, I had Tintin finish him off one last time before capturing him and transporting him to the lab section of the facility."You're going to be a fascinating research subject, Mendez. Just think of all the contributions you'll make to science," I said with an ironic smile, watching Marcus and his team prepare to welcome their new specimen.
Rather than forging ahead blindly, I backtracked after retrieving Yawn and handing Tintin his shotgun. We walked together, making our way back toward the village.
Point of View: Claire, Leon, and Enrico
Leon, Claire, and Enrico had quickly equipped their handguns before rushing toward the village, following Gerald's trail just a few minutes behind. As they approached discreetly, they saw Gerald disappear behind a heavy metal door that slammed shut behind him.
Without wasting time, Enrico pulled out his phone to contact Wesker. "Wesker, we've reached the village. Gerald went in ahead—hurry up. We're starting to clean out these zealots and create a diversion," he said quickly, then circled the building to the left to get a better attack angle.
Leon and Claire, using the element of surprise, infiltrated the largest house on the left. They quietly blocked the entrances without drawing attention. Once securely positioned, they opened fire on the infected villagers, immediately triggering a wave of hostile movement.
Chaos erupted as expected, but the villagers, enhanced by their infection, responded with alarming speed and coordination. Their physical strength appeared to equal—or even exceed—that of the three agents, despite Gerald's augmentations.
Enrico, concealed and keeping his distance, took advantage of the chaos. He silently picked off the most isolated villagers. However, despite his stealth, he was soon spotted. A massive man wielding a chainsaw noticed Enrico and began pursuing him with terrifying rage. The roar of the chainsaw echoed ominously through the tense village air.
Desperate, Enrico fled, narrowly dodging the chainsaw's swipes, before regrouping with Leon and Claire. The three stood back-to-back, holding the position as best they could.
"We're in a bad spot," Claire gasped, quickly reloading her weapon. "They're way tougher than expected."
Leon, scanning the approach routes, replied, "Stay sharp. Use everything you've got. We can't let them overwhelm us."
As the battle raged on, deep growls and eerie tearing sounds began to resonate outside the fortified house. Taking advantage of a brief lull in the villagers' assault, Leon, Claire, and Enrico rushed to the windows to locate the source of the terrifying noises.
To their surprise, a pack of black dogs the size of lions was savagely tearing apart scattered villagers. These creatures—called Sirius—seemed to be unexpected allies in this struggle.
"Thank goodness Gerald is always prepared," Claire murmured, a flicker of hope in her eyes. Leon, adjusting his position, resumed firing from the upper floor, carefully avoiding their canine allies.
Enrico, positioned on the ground floor, was also firing accurately, but their efforts seemed futile against the chainsaw man, who remained incredibly resilient despite taking dozens of bullets."This guy is a walking fortress!" he exclaimed, frustrated.
Watching the man slaughter seven of the dogs while tanking over thirty rounds, Enrico had an idea."Change of plan—shoot the chainsaw!" he shouted, directing his shots at the weapon.
Bullets rang out, striking the metal of the chainsaw until it finally stalled. Once disarmed, Enrico aimed at the man's right knee and fired. The bullet shattered the joint just as he put weight on it. The man collapsed with a cry of pain—right as one of the Sirius leapt on him, quickly followed by the others. Within moments, the man was torn to shreds under the dogs' coordinated assault.
Two minutes later, Wesker and his team arrived, finding the three defenders exhausted but alive. Checking the time, Enrico realized the brutal fight had lasted only fifteen minutes—but every second had been a battle for their lives.
Wesker and his team, still reeling from the recent events, listened intently as Enrico quickly summarized the situation. With a resolute nod, he swapped his weapon for a shotgun, ready to face whatever horrors might emerge up close. Leon and Claire, opting to keep their distance, equipped their sniper rifles, scanning the surroundings for any lingering threats.
Wesker, always the master of composure, approved of the proposals with a calm nod. "Alright, let's establish a defense. We'll use this village as a forward outpost," he declared, calmly assisting with gathering the bodies of the fallen attackers to avoid any unpleasant surprises later.
At that moment, a door burst open to reveal Gerald and his Tyrant, emerging from the building after what appeared to have been a victorious battle.
Point of View: Gerald
After receiving a quick briefing from Enrico and storing the bodies in the lab, I had successfully captured a few Ganados and the infamous Dr. Salvador. However, the system alerted me that without a Plagas queen, these creatures would remain undisciplined, their usefulness limited to experimentation for now.
With the situation temporarily under control, I released a thousand leeches. These creatures, programmed to divide and spread, immediately began to swarm in all directions — a strategy designed to eliminate the bulk of the remaining threats without requiring direct oversight.
"They'll take care of most of the enemies," I assured, watching the black tide of leeches disperse rapidly.
I then turned to Wesker, determined to press our advantage."I'm going to explore further. Claire, Leon — you're with me. Enrico, stay here with Wesker to organize our troops," I ordered, giving everyone clear roles for the next phase of the operation.
On my command, two battalions of Pascal clones — forty men, fully armed and combat-ready — were summoned. They materialized with military precision, immediately forming ranks and awaiting instructions from Enrico and Wesker.
"Stay alert, and secure this perimeter. You'll also need to wait for Brad and his group — Kevin might show up too," I added, giving one last approving glance to Enrico and Wesker before heading toward the unexplored areas of the village with Claire and Leon.
(Author's note: Here's a little combat preview — I based it off the hard mode from the first RE4 I tried… I survived the village, but I didn't have a single bullet left ^^)
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