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The brief moment of tranquility in the carriage was enveloped by a strange atmosphere.
On Leon and Ada's side, one was clumsily protective while the other leaned weakly against him; the air was thick with an ambiguous sentiment born of surviving a disaster together.
On Claire's side, however, it was a completely different scene.
She watched the two of them, her bright eyes flashing with the spark of gossip, her expression looking as if she had discovered some earth-shattering secret. She excitedly turned her head, her body involuntarily leaning toward Noah, her mouth slightly open as she prepared to offer a vivid, exclusive commentary on this dramatic scene.
However, all the words about to burst from her lips were completely blocked by a sudden action.
Noah's body suddenly leaned in close. In Claire's eyes, which widened instantly in surprise, his face grew larger and larger... "Mmph...!"
Claire's brain went "buzz," and for a moment, it was a complete blank. A rush of hot air, like ignited alcohol, surged up from her neck and instantly swept through her entire head. Her cheeks, her ears, and even her slender neck were dyed a touching shade of crimson in an instant.
This kiss, carrying the peace that follows gunpowder and the scent of blood, turned all her thoughts into a tangled mess. By the time Noah pulled away with a trace of a smile, Claire had turned entirely into a boiled shrimp. She gasped for air, her chest heaving violently as she looked at the composed man before her.
"You... you..."
She stammered for a long time without being able to say a complete sentence; finally, all her emotions turned into soft fists, falling like raindrops on Noah's chest and shoulders.
"I hate you! I hate you! Noah, you jerk! You big meanie!"
Her blows weren't heavy; they felt more like acting spoiled and venting. As she pounded on him, she glared at him reproachfully with misty eyes, mostly annoyed that this guy would do something so bold at a time like this and with others present.
Noah didn't dodge, letting her fists fall on him, a smile on his face that Claire both loved and found irritating—a mix of helplessness and indulgence. He knew his girlfriend just liked seeing him look flustered when faced with her little tantrums.
While Claire was still carrying out her "zero-lethality" protest, her gaze subconsciously flickered toward where Sherry was lying. She saw that the little girl, who had been asleep, had woken up at some point.
Sherry was lying on her side on the bench, her body still wrapped in Claire's oversized jacket, looking very weak. But those large, sapphire-clear eyes were currently staring straight at the two of them without blinking. On that small face, there was no shyness or curiosity typical of a child stumbling upon an intimate scene; instead, it was filled with a massive, heartbreaking confusion and sadness.
A crystal-clear teardrop slid silently down her pale cheek and vanished into the clothing beneath her. Then came a second drop, a third... tears fell quietly like a string of broken pearls. She didn't make a sound, just wept silently, a sight far more distressing than loud wailing.
Claire's heart felt as if it had been gripped hard by an invisible hand. She immediately stopped her play-fighting with Noah, the blush on her face vanishing instantly.
"Sherry..."
She called out softly, immediately sitting beside Sherry and carefully pulling the little girl into her arms. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Or did you have a nightmare?"
Sherry buried her head in Claire's warm embrace, her small body trembling slightly; she still didn't speak, but her suppressed, tiny sobs reached everyone's ears clearly.
Noah also put away his smile, his expression turning gentle. He walked over and knelt beside Claire, reaching out to gently stroke Sherry's beautiful short blonde hair with his broad, warm palm.
"It's okay, Sherry, we're all here." His voice was very soft, carrying a soothing power. "It's all over. You're safe now."
In Claire's arms, Sherry finally let out a weak, tearful sound. "Daddy... Mommy... They... never... never did that..."
She sobbed intermittently.
In Sherry's blurred and cold memories, her parents, William Birkin and Annette Birkin, had never shared such intimate gestures like Noah and Claire. No hugs, no kisses—they were even stingy with a single gentle touch. They were world-class scientists; in their eyes, there were only cells under a microscope, viruses in petri dishes, and research reports filled with complex formulas.
To Sherry, the word 'home' was more like a clean, tidy, but temperature-less annex to a laboratory. Her father, William, always locked himself in the underground research facility, not being seen for days or even weeks. Her mother, Annette, was the same. Communication between them was always cold commands and formulaic Q&As.
The scene just now—the natural intimacy between Noah and Claire—was so alien to Sherry, and so... painful. It opened a long-sealed box of yearning for parental affection, causing the grievances she had accumulated for years to explode.
Claire held Sherry even tighter, gently rubbing her cheek against Sherry's forehead, and comforted her softly: "Don't cry... from now on, we'll always be with you and protect you, okay?"
Noah also used his thumb to gently wipe away the tear tracks on Sherry's face, his eyes full of pity. Sherry's crying gradually quieted down, and before long, she fell into a deep sleep again in Claire's arms.
Noah checked her forehead again. Though she still had a fever, the burning heat had subsided further; her temperature was trending in a good direction.
Just then, a dull vibration came from the entire lift platform. That cold, emotionless mechanical female voice rang through the carriage:
"Arrived at Level B, 'The Hive' Main Research Area." "Elevator lock released. Please mind the gap between the platform and the train for your safety." "Welcome to Umbrella."
That final welcome sounded exceptionally ironic. On the other side, Ada slowly opened her eyes. She looked at Leon, who was guarding her.
"Leon, next... I need you to continue for me. We must find the G-Virus sample."
"Okay." Leon nodded heavily, his eyes full of reluctance.
The three of them—Noah, Claire, and Leon—stepped out of the carriage. When their feet touched the platform, the scene before them caused their pupils to contract.
The G2 Form William, who had been knocked down and left lying on the floor, was... gone.
Only a massive humanoid indentation remained on the ground, along with a patch of sizzling, dark yellow viscous liquid.
"This... how is this possible..." Leon looked at the empty space in disbelief. "What kind of monster is that?"
Leon ran back to Ada, wanting her to come along, but she refused, noting that the monster's only goal was Sherry and she would be safer staying back to recover.
"Don't worry, Leon. The faster you get the vaccine, the sooner we can leave. Go."
Leon nodded, but a terrifying question finally came out. "But... that monster... why is it looking for Sherry?"
Ada pointed toward Noah. "You can go ask that doctor. I think he knows far more than you imagine."
Leon walked out, doubt filling his mind. He looked at Noah and finally asked, "Why does that monster keep chasing her?"
Noah didn't beat around the bush. "Because that monster is Sherry's father, William Birkin. He was heavily infected by the G-Virus and is no longer human. The virus has taken over, turning him into a beast driven by instinct."
Noah continued, his voice grave. "One of the most terrifying traits of the G-Virus is reproduction. It drives the host to instinctively seek out offspring with the most compatible genes to... implant an embryo."
"Implant..."
Leon felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to his head. "My god... how do you know all this?"
"Your Raccoon City Police Chief, Brian Irons, told me," Noah said with a faint smile.
Claire took over, explaining that they found documents in Irons' office detailing his secret dealings with Umbrella. "Among them was a description regarding 'parental inheritance and embryo implantation.' It seems Irons was the accomplice who handled the trouble for their inhumane testing."
The truth was a suffocatingly dark bomb for Leon. He let out a long sigh and shook his head, unable to speak.
The three of them stood in silence for a moment, and then Noah took the first step. They crossed the empty platform and walked toward the distant gate leading into the interior of 'The Hive'.
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