Lisa Trevor, still bearing heavy shackles, slowly traversed the dark forests of the Arklay Mountains, making her way towards the mansion. Her figure swayed as she walked. Numerous Doberman zombie dogs barked madly at her along the path, yet none dared to approach, as if her grotesque figure was utterly terrifying.
Lisa ignored them, her swaying figure still heading toward the mansion. She had smelled the scent of the living. A new group of guests had arrived at the mansion. If they were from the Umbrella Corporation, Lisa would execute them for revenge! If they weren't, Lisa wanted to ask them for a favor, a very important one.
There was no doubt about Lisa's actions. She had never completely transformed into a mindless monster. Though she was a walking toxic stew, harboring countless bioweapons, they had failed to completely consume her. Ever since she absorbed the Nemesis-α parasite, Lisa's consciousness had been present, never truly leaving.
In the eyes of William Birkin and Wesker, her act of tearing off and pasting women's faces onto herself was a sign of madness, a loss of sanity due to mutation. But this was not the case. It was not a sign of lost sanity, but of obsession—a desperation born from her intense yearning for her mother and father, akin to a human tantrum. It was a controllable emotion. If Lisa's mother were still alive, or if Umbrella had simply allowed Lisa to see her mother every day, Lisa might not have rebelled and would have willingly served as a test subject. Thus, only uncontrollable emotions can be called a loss of sanity. Lisa's behavior was merely a form of profound discontent.
Because of this, everyone was fooled by Lisa's deformed appearance and bizarre actions. She was a monster, yes, but that did not mean she was without reason. Lisa had always been perfectly aware of what she was doing.
Into the Mine Dungeon
Meanwhile, relying on the rough floor plan of the mansion drawn by the great father, George, Javier and his team navigated through various traps and obstacles, eventually arriving at the mine tunnels in the back hills of the mansion. According to the clues, the only way to reach the mansion's underground research lab was through these mine tunnels. Since there weren't many entrances and exits like at the Executive Training Facility, Javier's group had no choice but to use the tunnels. The tunnels were very close to the mansion, only about a hundred meters away, and their sheer scale suggested many secrets were likely hidden inside.
"Cough, cough..." Rebecca and Jill immediately choked on the dust upon entering the tunnel. "How long has it been since anyone was here? All this dust! Besides researching viruses, is the Umbrella Corporation interested in mining, too? Is this stuff more valuable than their virus research?" Surrounded by cobwebs and a chilling atmosphere, Rebecca and Jill felt uncomfortable and confused. Why would a pharmaceutical company have anything to do with a coal mine?
"It's not that," Javier explained calmly to Rebecca and Jill after surveying the environment. "Although the framework of these tunnels has been reinforced, it wasn't for mining. There are holes drilled into the walls all around, likely for candles or oil lamps. This place was purely meant to hold people, or more accurately... this is a dungeon or a pen specifically for keeping experimental 'livestock.'"
Javier could easily tell this wasn't a mining operation because the tunnel structure was too neat. Normal mining tunnels are dictated by the ore vein, resulting in varying widths and numerous dead ends. However, these tunnels were perfectly straight, with regular cross-junctions, much like the rooms in the mansion. Javier concluded the tunnels were meant to house people. Imprisoning test subjects in the mansion itself would have been easily discovered, as the mansion was still occasionally open to visitors back then. The mines, however, were perfect. The hard rock walls prevented any escape, and the excellent soundproofing meant no one would hear anything. Furthermore, no normal person would be curious enough to venture into a dark, oppressive, and spooky mine tunnel.
Therefore, the mine-dungeon chosen by Umbrella was a brilliant choice for secrecy.
"Livestock?" Rebecca and Jill frowned at the word. They clearly disliked the term, but they knew it was true. To the Umbrella Corporation, test subjects were indeed treated no differently than livestock, as the virus was their sole focus.
Soon, Javier confirmed his suspicion. The four searched the tunnels, which were filled with rock-hewn rooms. Each room contained a hard, rock bed covered with a simple, worn canvas sheet. There was little furniture—a rotten table and chair—and a recessed niche in the corner for candles or oil lamps. The room doors were iron, with only a small window for food delivery. Without candles, these cells would have been in absolute darkness, incredibly oppressive. In many of these cell rooms, Javier and his team found numerous skeletal remains, with only tattered clothing clinging to the bleached bones. Based on the decomposition, they had been there for at least several years, demonstrating the cruelty of the Umbrella Corporation back then.
However, Javier's team was not without a breakthrough. They found a special rock-hewn room in the mine dungeon. Compared to the dilapidated rooms around it, this one was relatively neat and luxurious. It had an extra piece of furniture—a cabinet stained with red paint—and the rock bed had a red canopy draped over it. The table and chair were neatly arranged and dust-free, the cobwebs had been cleaned, and most importantly, several white candles were lit in the wall niche.
This meant that someone had been in this room recently! Based on the amount of melted wax, they hadn't left long ago—at most an hour or two. The fact that there was a living person in the mine dungeon shocked the S.T.A.R.S. team members. If there was still a living person in this haunted mansion, who could it be? Why hadn't they escaped, reported to the Raccoon City Police Department, or exposed the Umbrella Corporation? A thousand questions swirled in the minds of Rebecca and Jill.
Undoubtedly, the room flickering with warm candlelight in the mine dungeon posed a significant riddle to Javier and the others. They had no idea who the owner of this rock cell could be.
However, just as the puzzle seemed unsolvable, Javier began rummaging through the furniture in the room. He knew that if this rock cell was frequently visited, there must be some clues left behind.
"Clang—!"
Sure enough, after turning the room upside down, Javier found a yellowed diary in a rotten drawer. It was only two pages long and contained a photo. Javier first glanced at the photo and, upon seeing the person in it, knew the answer.
Javier knew that if there was any "living person" in the mansion other than the S.T.A.R.S. team, there was only one person it could be: Lisa. Lisa was the only remaining living thing with an intact consciousness in the mansion. She was a monster, but she could still be called human. Javier suspected that this room was where Umbrella had imprisoned Jessica and Lisa. After her mother, Jessica, died, this cell became the only place Lisa could visit to remember her, which explained her frequent visits to the rock prison—all to mourn her mother. This also explained why this cell was different from the others, even having candles lit to add a bit of warmth and preserve the memory.
The faded black-and-white photo was identical to the one Javier's team had found on the great father, George. As for the two pages of the diary:
"Ever since Lisa and I were injected with that medicine, my mind has felt uneasy and hazy. But the people in the white coats call it a nutritional supplement. I don't think they have good intentions. I don't know what will happen to Lisa, my little angel. I hope she'll be okay."
"Today, George was taken away, and there's been no news of him for days. Oh, God! I hope nothing has happened to him... The news of George's death has arrived... Umbrella is the devil through and through. I hate them! Why are they tormenting me and my child, Lisa? She is innocent!"
"They suddenly stopped giving us food. I've lasted two days. My body feels strange. I'm so hungry, so incredibly hungry. I don't know why, but I find myself unconsciously swallowing when I look at Lisa..."
"I am a negligent mother. Yesterday, I almost hurt my daughter. I can probably guess what kind of medicine they injected me and Lisa with. A scream came from the rock cell next door, followed by a faint sound of chewing. The next morning, I saw a mutilated corpse being carried out through the gap in the iron door."
"It was covered in bite marks. I don't want to become that kind of monster, one that will hurt Lisa. Perhaps... I should put an end to this myself. For Lisa, and for myself."
"Because I can clearly feel... Lisa hasn't changed strangely like me. She is still as lovely as ever. The medicine must not have had any effect on her. I hope God will continue to protect you, my child. I love you! Jessica Trevor—"
The densely written diary, which documented a mother's last moments, deeply moved Javier again. Another great mother. Lisa was truly lucky to have such parents but also terribly pitiful to have endured such immense pain at such a young age. And the Umbrella Corporation was, as always, utterly despicable, beyond any redemption.
"Hiss..." "Roar—!!!"
However, just as Javier and the others were immersed in the great love documented in the letter, two sharp, piercing roars echoed through the mine tunnels. The sudden sounds jolted Javier and the others back to reality. Their faces changed as Jill and the others quickly grabbed their weapons and ran out to check the situation.
Outside the tunnel, a tall figure was rapidly approaching. It had yellow vertical pupils, a hunched body, incredibly muscular arms, and five claws as sharp as steel blades. Its entire body was covered in dense, tough, moss-green scales, and its terrifying, jagged fangs could easily tear through any creature's flesh. From a distance, it looked like a crocodile; up close, it resembled a lizard—a bipedal, standing lizard man. It was their old enemy, the Hunter!
Javier's team had encountered Hunters at the Executive Training Facility. They were a very difficult, intelligent Bio-Organic Weapon (BOW) just below the Tyrant. Though a T-virus infected bioweapon, the Hunter was much stronger and more controllable than a zombie. It could follow orders, and its combat ability was formidable. Once it targeted prey, it would relentlessly pursue until the target was completely dead. This was the origin of the Hunter's name. It was also one of Umbrella's proudest creations, selling for a very high price due to its excellent reputation and being one of Umbrella's best-selling products.
"..." Barry looked at the aggressive Hunter, mumbling as he gripped his Colt .44 Revolver. Even with the powerful Colt, Barry wasn't confident he could easily take down the Hunter alone. Rebecca and Jill also frowned, clearly reluctant to deal with a Hunter.
However, Javier and the others failed to notice the deformed figure with shackles following closely behind the Hunter!