....
Meanwhile, over at the Pentagon, Simmons was contacting Wilson, who was currently in Raccoon City.
"Wilson, I need you to send a small unit to search for someone named Allen Winter and bring him before me," Simmons said in a cold tone.
Wilson was slightly confused when he heard that. "Allen Winter? You mean the weapons conglomerate from the Winter company?" Wilson asked to confirm. He knew about that advanced weapons supplier—some of his troops were already using weapons from that company, which could be said to have a higher standard quality compared to regular firearms.
"Yes. I've obtained new information that this man has apparently been cooperating with Umbrella for the past few months, and he has successfully created a vaccine for the T-Virus. That's why I want you to bring him to me. Can you do it?" Simmons said. This was also because he seemed to know that Morgan had secretly sent Echo Six to search for a vaccine called Daylight, and he certainly didn't want to lose to Morgan.
"No problem, leave it to me. But what if the man refuses?" Wilson asked.
"Just kill him, if he doesn't want to cooperate," Simmons said, then ended the call.
"WTF… is this guy serious?" Wilson muttered. He was clearly hesitant about accepting an order to kill Allen. If he failed—or even if he killed him here—Winter would surely retaliate. Not to mention that Allen seemed to have the backing of Ron Davis and other Federation members, all of whom knew Allen Winter's value. There was even a CIA operative assigned to get him out of the city.
"Ah, damn it. Why did Simmons suddenly become so weird?" Wilson said. For now, though, he decided to first send his men to find out Allen Winter's current whereabouts.
...
At the university laboratory, Echo Six finally discovered Peter Jenkins' location. Unfortunately, he had already turned into a zombie inside his private room.
"Shit… looks like we're too late," Jertingham said.
However, the Black Rose team quickly handed over the data they had recovered from Peter's personal computer, along with several handwritten notes. "You can use this research data and find another scientist who might be able to continue this work and develop the vaccine you need," Vector said as he handed over several copied files and blood samples that Peter Jenkins had been studying.
"Oh… thank you," Jertingham said, relieved that they weren't leaving empty-handed.
Vector then nodded and prepared to leave. "Ma'am, in that case, I think we'll part ways here," Vector said, looking back at Sienna, as it seemed they had located several snipers not far from their current position.
"Alright then, good luck to you," Sienna replied.
Not long after, the Black Rose team departed from the area. Meanwhile, Echo Six moved on toward their next mission zone to regroup with other military units and intercept Umbrella forces at the disposal site.
...
Meanwhile, at the Clock Tower area, the atmosphere had become noticeably more relaxed. This was because the extraction helicopter would be arriving soon, largely thanks to Black Rose having taken care of almost all the snipers stationed around various city perimeters.
Carlos, Leon, and Kevin arrived with relaxed smiles, looking slightly drunk. The three of them had clearly grown close, especially after everything they had been through together.
"Hey, Allen, wanna join us?" Kevin said, offering him a can of beer.
At that moment, Allen was staying by his women, who were resting. However, when they noticed what was happening, they woke up and urged Allen to go have some fun. Seeing that, Allen simply nodded.
"Hmm, sure," he said, standing up and following the three men to join the police officers and several U.B.C.S. mercenaries.
Mikhail, noticing that Allen was about to join them, finally gestured for him to take a seat and made room for him to sit down.
They spent their time chatting, joking around, and playing a few casual rounds of poker while enjoying a rare moment of calm. It was probably thanks to the vaccine Allen had provided to the U.B.C.S. team—something that drastically reduced their burden. Unlike the original timeline, where they were forced to fight nonstop, this time things were different. Nearly seventy percent of their personnel had survived, and they had even managed to ensure that far more civilians made it out alive.
"Oh yeah, Allen," Kevin said while shuffling the cards, "last time you mentioned you were looking for Chief Brian. So… did you find him?"
"He didn't make it," Allen replied, shaking his head. "He was attacked by some kind of strange zombie. It was like… something burst out of his chest, almost as if he gave birth to another creature."
As he spoke, Allen briefly recounted what had happened at the hospital. Even remembering it made his skin crawl—it reminded him far too much of a scene from an old Alien movie, enough to send a chill down his spine.
"Oh shit, that sounds messed up," Kevin said with a half-serious, half-teasing tone. "I thought that guy would somehow survive, but I guess not. Still, I kinda feel bad for you. Seeing something like that firsthand must've been rough."
Leon, who had been listening quietly, also shuddered at the description. The image alone was enough to make him uncomfortable—though he certainly wasn't mourning Brian's death.
"Hey, hey, why are we talking about creepy stuff now?" Carlos cut in, raising his hands in protest. "I thought this was supposed to be a chill moment. I'm trying to relax here, not listen to horror stories."
Allen chuckled softly before steering the conversation in another direction.
"So, what about you guys?" he asked. "Once we're finally out of Raccoon City… what are you planning to do next?"
"After this, I'll probably retire as a mercenary," Mikhail said as he answered first. "I'm already too old for this kind of thing."
Then their attention shifted to Carlos. He shrugged slightly.
"Well, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do after this. I might keep working as a mercenary," he said. Then he looked at Allen. "By the way, Allen, are you still recruiting? I'm actually a bit interested in joining your Black Rose team."
That interest wasn't without reason. Carlos genuinely admired them. To him, Black Rose didn't feel like ordinary mercenaries—they were more like super agents. Especially after witnessing how they delivered vaccine supplies and effortlessly took down zombies that even U.B.C.S. had trouble dealing with.
Allen nodded when he heard that.
"Hm, you're interested in joining? Sure. Maybe I'll contact you after we're done with things here," Allen said, not refusing the idea. Carlos's abilities were, after all, quite solid—above average, in fact.
Then their attention shifted to Leon.
"Well, I don't really know either. Maybe in the future I'll try applying somewhere else as a police officer again," Leon said. He genuinely liked his job as a cop.
Allen only smiled in response. He knew things wouldn't be easy for Leon after this. In the end, Allen suspected Leon would be recruited by the government and pulled into the D.S.O. It was inevitable—Leon simply knew too much now.
After that, they looked toward Kevin.
"Hm, as for me, I might join Captain Enrico," Kevin said. "The last time he contacted me, he mentioned they were planning to form a private team to continue investigating this case."
Oh… so they're already planning to form a private unit. That could eventually become the B.S.A.A., Allen thought. But that organization will take quite some time to fully take shape—especially with all the legal hurdles they'll have to deal with first.
But not long after that, Allen's phone suddenly rang.
"Oh, wait a second," Allen said as he stepped away to answer the call, since he noticed an unfamiliar number and it piqued his curiosity.
"Hello? Who is this?" Allen asked.
"Come to the disposal area. I know you have a small team, and you can fight pretty well~"
Before the caller could finish speaking, Allen immediately cut the call.
"I was wondering who it was—turns out it was Sergei," Allen muttered as he shut off his phone and quickly blocked the number. He was in the middle of trying to relax, and now someone was suddenly giving him vague orders out of nowhere. There was no way he was going to accept something that suspicious.
Allen then returned to the group, hanging out again, continuing to play cards and drink with them.
"Who was calling?" Kevin asked.
"No one important. Just a wrong number," Allen replied.
Meanwhile, somewhere else, Sergei glared at his phone.
"Hello… can you hear me, damn it? That bastard really has some nerve," Sergei growled.
His expression twisted in anger as Allen blatantly ignored his orders and cut the call short.
"Fine…" Sergei muttered coldly. "Even if Alex is trying to protect you, don't expect to walk out of this place alive."
With that, Sergei immediately began issuing new orders to hunt Allen down.
But suddenly, an Umbrella agent hurried toward him, clearly flustered.
"Sir, the Federation forces—they've arrived, They even have Tyrant who seems to be with them, sir." the agent reported, handing him a tablet.
Sergei glanced at the screen, his grip tightening as he crushed the edge of the tablet in his hand. He let out an irritated click of his tongue as he straightened himself, preparing for combat against the incoming Federation troops.
"Tsk… you're lucky this time, Allen," Sergei said quietly.
"Keep your eyes on that Tyrant and hold your fire," Sergei ordered coldly. "Wait until they step into the trap—then we ambush them."
"Yes, sir."
Moments later, Sergei moved into position, his posture calm and calculated, ready to lead his forces as they prepared to clash head-on with the Federation units about to assault them.
And just as expected, fifteen minutes later several units of armored vehicles and tanks rolled in, accompanied by multiple helicopters flying low over the area. Under the bright daylight, their silhouettes were clearly visible, each aircraft heavily armed with rocket pods and door-mounted miniguns.
"Eagle One to command, we have visual," the Federation pilot reported over the radio. "Multiple spider-like creatures confirmed near the factory complex. Requesting permission to engage."
"Roger, Eagle One. You are cleared hot."
Within seconds, rockets screamed through the air, leaving white smoke trails against the blue sky before slamming into the factory grounds. Massive explosions erupted in rapid succession, sending fire, debris, and shockwaves outward. Almost immediately after, the miniguns opened up, their deafening roar tearing through the area as bullets shredded concrete walls and cut down the B.O.W.s swarming the facility.
The battlefield was engulfed in smoke and dust, sunlight piercing through the clouds of debris as the Federation launched its opening assault.
Even from the Clock Tower, Allen and the others could hear the distant thunder of explosions—a clear sign that the war had begun in broad daylight, with no intention of holding back.
...
"What was that?" Claire asked, her expression tightening as the distant sound of explosions reached her ears.
"Hm… that sounded like rocket fire," Svetlana replied calmly, her tone steady—clearly the voice of someone who had lived through more than a few battlefields.
"Let's check it out," Claire said without hesitation.
The others nodded in agreement and quickly moved toward the Clock Tower's upper area. When they arrived, they found Allen already there with several of the men, all of them standing near the edge and looking out into the distance.
From the height of the Clock Tower, the scene was impossible to miss. Columns of smoke were rising on the horizon, flashes of explosions lighting up the daylight sky. It looked less like a simple skirmish and more like the opening act of a full-scale military operation.
"So that's what they're dealing with now…" Claire murmured, staring at the spectacle unfolding far away.
At the same time, several military vehicles began moving toward the Clock Tower area.
The low rumble of armored engines echoed through the streets, unmistakable even from a distance. Trucks and armored personnel carriers rolled in, bearing the markings of the Federation forces. For the civilians gathered around the Clock Tower, the sight was like a breath of fresh air.
Murmurs of relief spread quickly through the crowd.
"They're here… the military's really here," someone said, their voice filled with hope.
Many of the refugees looked visibly relieved, some even smiling for the first time in hours. To them, the arrival of military units meant protection, evacuation, and an end to the nightmare that Raccoon City had become.
For now, at least, the Clock Tower felt safer than it had all day.