"We can't get back?"
Hearing Chief Raymond's words, Lear couldn't help but frown, his tone tinged with a mix of confusion and gravity. "Chief, what exactly do you mean by that?"
"Lear, listen to me." Raymond's voice came through the communicator, carrying an unmistakable sense of anxiety and concern. "Martial law began on the twenty-fourth, and as of yesterday, the military has officially established a total blockade of Raccoon City. As soon as we arrived at the Jail yesterday, we ran into the National Guard and the U.S. Army. They had originally planned to enter the city for a large-scale rescue operation; we just happened to arrive slightly ahead of them."
He paused, his voice dropping even lower: "Representing their commanding officer, they told me the military plans to gradually eliminate the Infected while slowly advancing toward the City Center. But I don't have much faith in that plan."
Raymond took a deep breath and continued:
"As of now, they have prohibited anyone else from entering Raccoon City. You are essentially quarantined in that death zone. The military isn't going to go out of its way to rescue you, and the support you'll receive if you stay any longer will be extremely limited. Everyone else and I are currently under quarantine ourselves. The only reason I'm able to make this call to you is that the officer in charge of the National Guard is an old friend of mine. He told me that when the army officially moved into the city districts last night, things went smoothly at first—but the closer they got to the City Center, the more catastrophic the casualties became."
"I'm not just worried about standard casualties, but when I think of that guy in the trench coat from yesterday... After I shared that intel with him, he told me frankly that if the casualties continue to mount, the search and rescue mission will likely be terminated prematurely. At that point, this city will be completely sealed off. No one else will ever come in."
Raymond's voice sounded strained and dry as he emphasized every word:
"Lear, Marvin, you're running out of time. Get out as fast as you can. I've lost enough brothers already; I just want you two to make it back alive."
Lear fell into silence. He knew it wouldn't just be a lockdown; it would be a nuclear strike to ensure all the evidence of the city's crimes vanished forever.
He turned his head to look at Marvin beside him; his partner's expression was equally grim.
"Understood, Chief," Lear said slowly. "We'll arrange an evacuation as quickly as possible."
"But Chief," Marvin interjected suddenly, his voice thick with reluctance, "what about the others? There are still so many civilians in the city, they're still alive... they're still waiting for us to save them."
"I know, Marvin, I know," Raymond's voice betrayed his helplessness. "But this is the reality. If even the military can barely move an inch, you staying there won't change anything. Listen to me, son—I am ordering you to get out alive. Think of your wife and daughter; they're waiting for you to come home."
Marvin's lips twitched, his protest eventually collapsing into a heavy sigh.
"...Understood, Chief."
"Listen, I'll clear it with the leader of the rescue team going in. If you can't make it out of Raccoon City via the bridge, stay as close to the military clean-up unit as possible. I'll make arrangements to get you out."
At this point, Raymond's tone shifted from his previous helplessness, radiating a newfound, steady confidence.
He then lowered his voice, emphasizing every word:
"Listen to me, boys. If you run into a massive swarm of Infected, or something else... I am giving you permission to abandon those civilians and prioritize your own safety."
The call ended.
Marvin let out a heavy breath, his expression grim.
"I'll go tell everyone to get ready."
He picked up his walkie-talkie and began issuing orders, but after several attempts, Jill's team still hadn't responded.
"Dammit, the signal's out again," Marvin cursed under his breath before turning to Lear. "Lear, do me a favor. Head out and find Jill's group. Tell them to prepare for immediate evacuation."
Lear nodded, turned, and walked out of the police station main gate, heading toward the Apartment area.
Along the way, Lear spotted a large number of zombie corpses. Most had been taken down with precise headshots; a few others had been knocked down and then executed with follow-up shots, their deaths clean and efficient. There were even several zombies whose heads had been completely pulped into a bloody mess.
That has to be Jill's handiwork, Lear concluded silently.
When he reached the intersection where the fierce battle with the Tyrant had taken place the night before, his pupils suddenly constricted.
The vehicles that had been slammed aside were now violently shoved even further away. Car frames warped by the fire looked as though they had been crushed by something's bare hands. The narrow gap between the fuel tanker and the wall was empty; not a single trace remained.
"Unexpected, yet entirely predictable," Lear muttered to himself with a wry smile.
The Tyrant hadn't died after all. It had escaped. Let's just hope it doesn't come looking for us.
He shook his head slightly, pushing the thought aside, and headed straight for the apartment building where Jill lived. He climbed the fire escape with practiced ease, reaching Jill's floor.
The moment he stepped into the hallway, he was met by a corridor full of zombie corpses strewn everywhere, the stench of blood hitting him full force.
"Jill! David! Where are you?"
Lear didn't have the patience to search room by room. He drew his gun and shouted at the top of his lungs.
After calling out several times, he stepped forward, crushing the heads of two zombies that were crawling toward him with their lower bodies ripped open. Just then, Jill's voice drifted down from the roof.
"Lear? We're on the roof. Come on up."
Lear immediately headed to the rooftop.
Jill was leaning against the railing while David and a few others were comforting three or four survivors they had apparently just rescued from the building.
"Yo~ our Sleeping Beauty is finally awake?"
Jill teased him with a grin as soon as she saw him. David and the others joined in with good-natured laughter.
"Yeah, but I'm still waiting for my prince to wake me with a kiss. A princess will do, though. Jill, you want to give it a shot?" Lear walked over to her, playing along with the joke.
Jill responded with a mischievous, wicked smile. Suddenly, she jabbed an elbow into Lear's chest and yelled toward David, "Hey, David! Our Sleeping Beauty needs a prince's kiss to wake up. You want in?"
David joined in on the fun. "Sure, coming right now!" He made a move as if to stand up.
"Wait, wait, wait! I was kidding, just kidding!"
Looking at David's bear-like physique, Lear broke into a cold sweat instantly.
"Alright, jokes aside. Lear, what are you doing here? We're heading back anyway."
"Jill, something's wrong." Lear's smile vanished, his tone turning solemn. "Chief Raymond just called. We have to evacuate early. We can't worry about anyone else anymore—the military is sealing off Raccoon City, and the Chief and his men can't get back in. We have no more backup."
Hearing this, Jill's gaze instantly sharpened.
"What about the others? Have they been notified?"
She didn't ask a single redundant question, immediately standing up to pack her weapons and gear.
"Marvin is already having everyone pack their bags. We leave the moment you two get back."
Jill immediately turned and shouted to David:
"Change of plans! David, get them back to the Police Station!"
With that, she took the lead toward the stairwell, asking in a low voice as she walked:
"Marvin... he's taking it hard, isn't he? He's a good cop."
"He is. But Chief Raymond gave a direct order. We can't afford to lose any more people."
Jill nodded.
Behind them, David and a few survivors followed at a quick pace.
The group hurried back toward the Police Station in silence.
Just after they left, a tall, burly figure slowly appeared on the roof of a distant building.
Bald, with hideous surgical stitches across its face and teeth savagely exposed, its lone remaining eye scanned the surroundings as if searching for something.
(Translated by yourtl.app)