Noah watched Emma playing freely in the playground, looking as if the rest of the world had nothing to do with her. Seeing her like that allowed his own heart to relax a little.
But he couldn't stop his mind from wandering.
Was he really doing the right thing?
Choosing to leave Raccoon City and letting the protagonists fend for themselves... it weighed on him. Many of the things happening now hadn't appeared in the games. He didn't know if these events were always supposed to happen or if the timeline had shifted because of his arrival.
If he just packed up and left, what if it caused a catastrophic ripple effect in the Resident Evil story?
The deviation of characters and subplots was one thing. But what about the major milestones? What if the nuke didn't destroy Raccoon City on schedule?
That would be very bad.
Of course, if there was no nuclear strike, it was possible the media would expose the truth to the entire world, and things might actually develop in a positive direction. But then again, from that point on, Noah would be forced to live in this world as a mere ordinary person—without any "cheat" abilities or the meta-knowledge of the plot to guide him.
Noah fell into a deep internal struggle again. This time, he was actually trying to talk himself out of his earlier decision. Perhaps the reason was simply the tranquility of the moment, watching Emma and the other children playing so happily nearby.
"Testing, one, two... can everyone hear me?"
A speaker nearby crackled into life, interrupting Noah's thoughts. He glanced at the clock in the banquet venue; it was pointing exactly to 12:00 noon.
"Thank you all for coming!"
The voice coming through the PA system was identical to the one he had heard on the news that first night. It was the Mayor's daughter, Katherine.
"Today is a special day for Raccoon City. I know that the recent outbreaks of violent attacks have left many of you feeling anxious. But we invited you to this suburban banquet specifically to tell every citizen of Raccoon City that—with the help of Umbrella and the Police Department—our city has returned to its former peace and harmony. There is no longer any danger!"
As soon as Katherine spoke, she went straight to the point, clarifying the purpose of the event. However, the fact that she mentioned Umbrella before the Police Department spoke volumes about the company's influence over the city.
"As the daughter of the Mayor, I want to take the liberty of thanking the Umbrella Corporation on behalf of all our citizens. Thank you for your support in the development of Raccoon City, for your concern and help regarding the recent violent incidents, and for the incredible plans you have for our future!"
Standing at the edge of the crowd, Noah listened to the amplified voice and strained his eyes to look toward the center of the venue.
Katherine stood in the middle, with Jill still positioned right behind her.
But now, two more figures had appeared beside Katherine—men Noah recognized the second he saw them.
One was wearing pitch-black sunglasses that completely hid his eyes. His hair was slicked back with heavy gel, and he had a frame of solid, rippling muscle. Albert Wesker.
The other was a short, stout man with a protruding belly like a penguin's, wearing suspenders and sporting white hair and a beard.
There was no doubt about it: this was the twisted Police Chief, Brian Irons. At this moment, Irons was staring at Katherine with a look of infatuation—a predatory, perverted gaze that never wavered.
Snapping back to the present, Katherine continued her speech.
"To help Raccoon City build a more modern, advanced water and sewage system, Umbrella has already begun the process of updating our municipal pipelines. Through this, they will provide Raccoon City with a constant source of fresh water, help us manage our massive accumulation of domestic sewage, and provide even more high-paying, high-benefit jobs for our citizens!"
Katherine introduced Umbrella's current projects in the city with passionate enthusiasm.
Then, William Birkin, dressed in his white lab coat, stepped forward slowly and gave the crowd a wave. If he hadn't made that move, Noah might not even have noticed him standing there. He was alone; neither his wife nor his daughter were by his side.
Water system?
Hah. What a load of shit. Noah thought.
More likely, their virus experiments had leaked, and they had a massive amount of bio-organic waste they couldn't handle. They were using the "sewage project" as a front to claim more underground space in Raccoon City, building a larger testing ground and a disposal plant for failed B.O.W.s.
Who wouldn't see through Umbrella's little game?
William took the microphone from Katherine and began a speech about how Umbrella Pharmaceuticals was "serving humanity." It was just a standard corporate opening, but it won instant applause from the crowd.
Noah didn't catch a single word of what William actually said.
As long as William could still speak like a human, it meant he hadn't reached the point of being forced to inject himself with the G-Virus yet. So, for now, William wasn't an immediate threat.
And for a city destined for annihilation, these urban plans were meaningless anyway.
However, a man with skin so pale it was unnatural—his shoulder-length hair combed neatly behind his head—caught Noah's attention.
The sight made Noah's heart, which had just begun to relax, jump right into his throat.
This man, whose skin almost seemed to glow with a translucent whiteness, stood on the very edge of the crowd. He wore a leather trench coat that reached past his knees, looking completely out of place in this sweltering heat.
Because the crowd was so dense, neither William nor Wesker had noticed this man standing so far away. If they had, they would have been so terrified they'd lose the ability to speak.
This man was their former teacher and one of the three founders of Umbrella: James Marcus.
Noah's face turned grim. His mind spun frantically as he recalled the plot of Resident Evil 0, searching for every detail on Marcus.
September 19, 1977: Marcus achieved a breakthrough by combining the Progenitor Virus with leech DNA. He isolated the virus from the mutated substance and named it the "T-Virus." But the virus had flaws: the host was uncontrollable, it caused flesh to rot and brain damage, and it was far too infectious. Marcus decided to keep searching for a more perfect replacement.
As his obsession with the T-Virus grew, Marcus's personality twisted. No longer satisfied with animal testing, he turned his gaze to humans. Twenty candidates at the Training School died at his hands. This alarmed the other founder, Spencer, who sent people to watch him.
June 3, 1978: Wesker and Birkin chose to betray their mentor. Following Spencer's secret orders, they assassinated Marcus at the Training School and stole his research. Marcus's body was dumped into a reservoir and washed into the sewers. But by a stroke of luck, a sample of the Queen Leech virus from a shattered container entered his body. Over ten years, his DNA fused completely with the Queen Leech. He was resurrected by the T-Virus's powerful regenerative abilities, becoming a hybrid organism.
Having finished these thoughts, Noah felt goosebumps break out all over his body.
Was the resurrected, Leech-version of Marcus about to make his move right here at the banquet?
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