I rushed into the room before they had time to react. The two zombies still feeding on the remains at the table vanished instantly into my factory the moment I touched them.
But just as my hand was about to reach the woman in the white dress…
She suddenly lifted her head.
Her pale hair slowly slid away from her face, revealing a smile far too wide and bloodshot eyes that seemed almost conscious.
Then she screamed.
The sound was monstrous.
Not simply loud.
A true shockwave.
The lounge windows vibrated violently, the hanging lamps swayed dangerously, and several glasses exploded on the bar shelves with sharp cracks. The grand piano resonated on its own from the vibrations while a brutal pain shot through my body.
I immediately dropped to my knees.
Even with only the Plagas Queen inside me, I felt the parasite trembling under that abnormal frequency, as if directly assaulted by the scream. A crushing pressure pulsed all the way into my ribcage.
Beside me, Leon collapsed against an overturned table, gritting his teeth.
For him, it was worse.
"Ghh… FUCK…!"
His eight internal Plagas were literally resonating under the effect of the scream. His body convulsed violently as he struggled to keep control. Even the chef staggered backward several steps with a growl, disturbed by the sonic attack.
Thankfully…
The scream lasted only a few seconds.
But those few seconds were enough to convince me that this thing was far more dangerous than a standard infected.
The woman lunged at me the instant the attack ended, her white dress trailing behind her as she tried to bite into my throat with astonishing speed.
I stopped her easily with one hand against her neck.
Her jaws snapped shut just centimeters from my face.
I immediately noticed something disturbing.
The capture wasn't activating.
I then saw her chest expand once more.
She was preparing a second scream, and even my hand crushing her trachea didn't seem enough to stop it.
One of my dorsal vines reacted instinctively before I could even consciously think about it. It shot forward in a sharp movement and plunged into her throat, brutally blocking her airway. The scream died in a strangled sound.
Her eyes widened with rage.
I took advantage immediately.
My three other vines burst out as well, completely immobilizing her arms and legs in a tangle of living vegetation. She struggled frantically, her nails scraping across the black-and-white lounge tiles while her muscles contracted violently.
Then suddenly…
The resistance vanished.
The capture was finally validated.
Her body evaporated in an organic breath before being absorbed into the factory.
A cold System message immediately appeared before my eyes:
Special singing zombie subdued and recovered.You may now instantly capture any zombie infected by this mutated strain.
I remained crouched for a few seconds, slowly recovering while the vibrations in my body finally faded.
Leon, meanwhile, was breathing heavily as he got back to his feet.
"Fuck…" he muttered, running a hand over his face. "She made my eight Plagas vibrate so hard I thought they were going to explode…"
A shiver still ran through his body.
Even the chef seemed disturbed, remaining motionless for several seconds as if stabilizing his organism.
I slowly straightened up, observing the partially devastated lounge around us. The hanging lamps still swayed faintly after the woman's scream, and several cracks now spread across the bar windows.
"I'm going to avoid bringing her back out for now," I said calmly as I caught my breath. "If her scream disrupts allied Plagas that much, she'd mostly end up throwing our own ranks into chaos."
I then turned my gaze toward the dark hallways of the first floor, already thinking about the possibilities a mutation like that could offer.
Then I added more coldly:
"But used properly… that kind of ability could neutralize an entire squad before they even understand what's happening to them. And with a modified Plagas… it could become even worse. But we'll deal with that later."
I resumed walking without waiting for an answer.
As I moved along the lounge, I glanced over the railing of the first floor. Down below, the large banquet hall we had crossed earlier was fully visible. The long tables covered in blood and human remains gave the place the appearance of a macabre feast.
I quickly turned my attention toward the bar counter, where a small metal lockbox caught my eye.
Locked.
I sighed.
Then I opened it my way.
One of my dorsal vines forced the lock open with a sharp crack, ripping out the internal mechanism without the slightest bit of care. Inside, I recovered three metallic tokens marked with strange symbols, along with a small compact pistol.
I spun it briefly between my fingers.
"An S&S M232…"
I grimaced slightly.
The caliber was weak, the capacity ridiculous, and the firepower frankly mediocre.
"What are you gonna do with that gun?" Leon asked while watching the weapon.
I barely looked up before noticing movement behind him. A female zombie was slowly crawling along the other side of the lounge railing, drawn by our voices.
"I was planning to give it to Grace…" I replied calmly, eventually storing the weapon in my inventory. "But I think I'll keep it just in case."
I crossed through the neighboring door before the zombie could even get close and instantly captured it in passing.
We entered a room even more elegant than the rest of the floor.
A golden plaque near the entrance read:
President's Office
The furniture was luxurious, almost excessive for a medical facility. Dark wooden bookshelves, thick carpets, a massive desk covered in files and abandoned papers… everything radiated money and influence.
Another zombie was inside the room.
I captured it immediately before it even had time to fully turn its head toward us.
Then I calmly began searching the office.
That was when I noticed the body of a woman slumped near the main desk. Her professional clothes were stained with blood, and a simple wooden pencil was still clutched in her dead hand.
Leon stared at her for a few seconds before muttering:
"She seriously tried to stab a zombie with a pencil…?"
He then pointed toward a heavy metallic model displayed on a shelf.
"She couldn't just throw that thing at its face instead?"
I shrugged slightly.
"If you've noticed… the zombies here are smarter than the ones you saw in Raccoon City."
I then discreetly pointed toward the chef behind him.
"And most importantly… without your enhancements, you'd probably be just as dead as she is."
Leon grimaced slightly before sighing.
"Yeah… I get it. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound insensitive."
He stepped slightly away from the chef who, true to himself, was staring at Leon a little too intensely with his empty gaze, as if taking malicious pleasure in making him uncomfortable.
I let out a soft laugh before turning my attention toward a strange cabinet placed against the back wall.
Three symbols were engraved into it.
A star.A sun.A moon.
Of course.
Another puzzle.
"Chef, can you open the cabinet."
The colossus slowly nodded. He slid his cleaver back into his greasy apron before grabbing the cabinet door with both hands.
CRAAACK.
The solid wood and metal fastenings were literally ripped from the wall with a violent noise.
Inside rested a translucent crystal with pale reflections.
A quartz.
I picked it up, turning it between my fingers before letting out a deep sigh.
"This could be useful…" I muttered.
Then I looked up at the ceiling with exhaustion.
"Seriously… these idiots really built an entire complex full of puzzles and riddles just to open every damn door."
Leon chuckled softly.
"Umbrella scientists already had that kind of obsession."
I stored the quartz away before resuming my walk.
"Yeah… and it's making me want more and more to just smash every door in my path."
I quickly searched through the president's office while Leon kept watch over the hallway. Behind a neatly organized row of files, I eventually found a small silver box decorated with elegant engravings.
I turned it over in my hands for a few seconds before noticing a discreet button hidden at the back.
"Finally, a mechanism that makes at least a little sense…"
I pressed it.
CLICK.
The lid immediately opened, revealing another carefully cut gemstone. This time, the stone reflected reddish, almost golden hues beneath the office lights.
I held it between my fingers thoughtfully.
"This one probably matches the slot on the ground-floor door," I said calmly. "Considering how obsessed this place is with ridiculous puzzles, it has to be that."
Leon let out an amused sigh.
"At least they're consistent in their insanity."
I stored the gem in my inventory before leaving the office with Leon and the chef at my side. We crossed the silent lounge again, then returned to the main hall through the first-floor mezzanine.
The massive marble hall looked even emptier from above.
The white lights still illuminated the spotless columns and luxurious carpets, but now that we knew what was lurking inside the building, the place felt more like a giant trap than a medical institute.
We carefully descended the stairs.
On the way, I took the opportunity to check on the lounge where we had left Grace, Emily, and Jeff.
The moment I opened the door, the atmosphere changed completely.
The cozy little lounge contrasted sharply with the rest of the complex.
Dim lamps cast a warm glow over the dark leather chairs, and someone had even turned on an old side lamp near the couch. The place almost looked like a temporary refuge in the middle of the nightmare.
Grace sat in one of the armchairs with an old comic book in her hands.
Emily was curled up against her beneath a blanket she had apparently found somewhere in the room, her now-normal eyes following the pages with fascination despite her recent recovery.
Jeff, meanwhile, stood silently guard near the door, motionless like a statue.
Grace immediately looked up when she saw us enter.
"You're back…"
This time, her voice carried genuine relief.
I nodded slightly.
"Everything alright here?"
Emily instantly raised her hand enthusiastically.
"Grace was reading me a story!"
She held the comic book toward me with a huge smile.
"It's an old superhero comic. The guy with the red mask is funny."
Grace let out a small nervous laugh before gently closing the magazine.
"It helps calm her down… and honestly… me too."
I then noticed her gaze lingering slightly on the dried blood covering our clothes and the fresh marks of combat.
"You ran into something else…?"
Leon rubbed the back of his neck before answering with a tired smile:
"Let's just say we found a very enthusiastic singer."
Grace frowned, not understanding.
I shook my head slightly.
"Nothing that can come here for now. The area is relatively secure as long as the lights stay on."
Emily gently tugged on Grace's sleeve.
"They're strong, huh?"
Grace hesitated for a few seconds before answering more quietly:
"…Yeah. Far too strong to be normal."
Leon chuckled softly.
"You should see Chris. That's when you'd really start worrying."
I gave Leon a deadpan look while Emily laughed softly without really understanding the reference.
Then I walked over to Jeff.
"Still nothing?"
The enhanced zombie slowly shook his head.
"We're going to keep clearing the area," I said calmly while looking Grace straight in the eyes. "And if I manage to get my hands on this Gideon… I'll make him spill everything he knows. But for now, stay safe."
Grace immediately nodded, holding Emily a little tighter while Jeff resumed his position near the door like a true silent bodyguard.
"Be careful…" she murmured anyway.
Leon gave her a slight nod before we finally left the room.
I carefully closed the door behind us and returned to the vast main hall bathed in that almost clinical white light. For a few seconds, I stood motionless in the middle of the cold marble floor before summoning several silhouettes in front of me.
The zombies I had captured reappeared one by one.
And as always…
The contrast made me smile.
All of them were clean. Stabilized. Their major wounds had disappeared, their clothes restored to an almost impeccable condition, and their mutations seemed far more controlled than at the moment of their capture.
Even the singer.
Her white dress was no longer stained with blood, and her hair had regained an almost well-kept appearance. Without her unnaturally pale eyes and slightly unsettling smile, she could have almost passed for an elegant performer invited to a luxury hotel.
I really love the factory…
I let out a faint smile before pulling out several modified Plagas embryos, quickly implanting them into each of the infected.
The reactions were immediate.
Their bodies tensed slightly as the parasites fused with organisms already altered by Gideon's virus. Through the Plagas Queen link, I could feel the new mutations developing almost in real time.
Then the information began flooding into my mind.
Unsurprisingly, the four ordinary male zombies evolved into the same type of profile as Jeff and the chef.
Massive physical enhancement.Increased muscle density.Hardened skin.
Their skin darkened slightly and became thicker, almost comparable to organic armor. Even their jaws now looked capable of crushing bone effortlessly.
"Perfect… solid melee units."
Behind me, the chef let out a low satisfied growl, as if approving the evolution himself.
My attention then shifted toward the three maids we had captured earlier.
There…
The result was far stranger.
Their veins briefly turned a dark crimson before stabilizing. The Plagas immediately transmitted a series of unexpected biological data.
Limited blood manipulation.
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
Their organisms appeared capable of influencing their own blood after sustaining injuries. Not yet something clearly offensive… but the possibilities were numerous.
Accelerated coagulation.Pressurized projection.Possible corrosive properties after full mutation.
"Interesting… very interesting."
I'd test the limits later.
Then came the singer.
Her body trembled slightly as her mutated vocal cords evolved even further under the influence of the Plagas. The parasite immediately relayed several changes.
Massive reinforcement of the vocal cords.Enhanced vibrational capacity.Extended sound range.Increased biological tolerance to destructive frequencies.
Even while standing still, I could almost feel faint vibrations rippling through the air around her, subtle enough to be mistaken for imagination yet constant enough to make the hairs on my neck rise. The glasses scattered across the nearby bar counter trembled ever so slightly whenever she inhaled.
"You…" I muttered while observing her carefully, "you're going to become a serious problem for my enemies."
The singer slowly tilted her head toward me, a calm smile spreading across her now almost human-looking face. It made the scene even more unsettling. She no longer resembled a mindless infected creature. She looked composed. Aware. Elegant, even.
Then came the president zombie.
That one was probably the most spectacular transformation of them all.
His body arched violently backward as several organic sacs bulged beneath his skin before stabilizing. Veins lit up beneath his flesh like glowing cracks in molten stone, and intense heat immediately radiated from his body.
The Plagas quickly relayed the data:
Active pyrotechnic mutation.Internal production of flammable compounds.Controlled self-combustion capability.Estimated maximum temperature: 1300 degrees Celsius.
I watched with fascination as his arms gradually reddened under the heat. The air around him already shimmered faintly, distorted by the temperature. Thin wisps of smoke curled from beneath his sleeves, and the marble floor beneath his feet began to darken slightly from the rising heat.
"Holy shit…"
Even Leon instinctively stepped back.
"That thing's going to burn the whole building down eventually."
I let out a quiet laugh.
"Probably. But in close combat… he could turn an entire hallway into a crematorium."
Eventually, I stored all of the newly enhanced zombies back into the factory, with the exception of the four men who had developed the most stable physical mutations. They remained in the main hall, motionless yet attentive, like silent guards stationed before an abandoned palace.
The chef naturally positioned himself near the central staircase, his enormous cleaver resting against his shoulder while his massive silhouette practically dominated the building's entrance. Beside him, Jeff calmly monitored the access points leading to the office where Grace and Emily were hiding. The two other enhanced zombies took position near the side corridors, their empty gazes fixed on the shadowed sections of the complex.
With more Plagas… I gain eyes everywhere, I thought with satisfaction.
Through the parasitic link, I could feel their perceptions flowing back to me. Every strange noise. Every vibration within the building. Every suspicious movement. It could all now be transmitted to me almost instantly.
It was reassuring.
Especially in a place like this.
I cast one last glance toward the lounge door where Grace was still quietly reading to Emily before turning away.
"If anything approaches, notify me immediately," I ordered the enhanced guards.
The four zombies slowly nodded in unison.
Even after all these years and all these mutations… seeing infected creatures respond so cleanly to commands still felt slightly disturbing.
"Well then…" Leon muttered while spinning his metal rod between his fingers. "Back into the nest of problems?"
I let out a quiet laugh.
"Obviously. We still haven't found Gideon… or a way out of this damned complex." I paused briefly before correcting myself with a faint smirk. "Actually, scratch that. With the chef and the others, we could leave whenever we want. Breaking those bars would be child's play."
With that, I turned and headed back into the corridor of the West Wing, the sterile white lights stretching endlessly ahead of us while the shadows between them somehow felt even darker than before.
Somewhere deeper inside the complex… something moved.
And this time, I intended to be ready for it.
(Author's note: That's it for this week. I'm adding a bit more detail because, unlike RE0 or RE1, I feel like RE9 lacks diversity in its creatures.)