As Carlos approached with the group, two figures in the subway tunnel immediately stood up and raised their rifles in a smooth, professional motion. Prone to split-second reactions, their movements were clean and clearly well-trained as the blinding glare of their weapon lights shone directly at the newcomers.
"Hey, Bob, Mission, it's me!" Carlos squinted, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the intense light.
Hearing Carlos's voice, the two men visibly relaxed, slowly lowering their weapons as they stepped forward.
"Carlos? You're back already? Are these people you rescued?"
"Not exactly. Actually, I should thank this brother here for showing mercy, otherwise we would've been finished out there," Carlos said with a shrug, brushing the incident aside.
Seeing the confusion on their faces, Carlos didn't elaborate further.
"I'm taking these folks to see the old man. What's the situation here...?"
One of the men shook his head helplessly, his tone agitated. "God knows what's going on. The old man ordered us to evacuate as soon as you returned, but the damn subway is completely out of power!"
Lear stared into the dark, deep tunnel. According to the game plot of the remake, the next step would require Jill to go and restore the power before the subway escape route could be cleared.
Carlos spoke up immediately: "You two keep assessing the situation. I'll take them to see the old man and come back to help later."
The two men nodded and stepped aside, clearing the way to the subway station entrance.
After walking a short distance, the platforms and the subway train parked in the center came into view.
As they climbed onto the platform, displaced civilians could be seen everywhere seeking shelter. A rough glance suggested nearly a hundred people were resting and waiting there.
Back at the camp, Carlos seemed to relax significantly. "We're here. Pick two people to come with me to see our commander."
Lear and Jill exchanged a look.
"Brad, take Sherry and Katherine to rest over there. If all goes well, we'll be able to evacuate on the subway soon," Jill said, turning to Brad.
Brad nodded and led the two toward the side.
Lear then spoke: "Let's go."
The two followed Carlos across the platform. Compared to the game plot, there were significantly more surviving U.B.C.S. members present.
"You guys retreated from City Hall?" Lear asked casually.
Carlos didn't look back, his voice low. "Yeah. We were originally deployed at City Hall to set up a temporary shelter and evacuate civilians, but those monsters were far tougher than we imagined. Without heavy fire support like heavy machine guns, we almost didn't make it out."
He paused for a moment before continuing. "The old man had us holed up in City Hall ready for a last stand, but then an explosion went off somewhere. Most of the zombies outside scattered, and then Tyrell arrived with B and C Platoons just in time to reinforce us. That's the only reason we managed to break out and evacuate."
Carlos fell silent, his expression turning somber. He stopped talking to Lear and Jill, and the rest of the walk continued in silence.
A short while later, he stopped in his tracks. "We're here. Old man Victor is waiting for you inside." As he spoke, he ushered Lear and Jill into a train carriage and then turned to step back outside.
The carriage was filled with various weapons, the steel of firearms and ammo tins glinting coldly in the dim light. Seated on a bench beside the weaponry was a gray-haired man, likely in his late forties or early fifties, with a composed expression.
Seeing Lear and Jill enter, he stood up from his chair and extended his hand.
"Hello. I am Mikhail Victor, D Platoon Leader of the U.B.C.S., and currently the highest-ranking officer among these boys. Carlos mentioned you had something to discuss with me?"
Lear reached out and shook his hand; Victor's palm was calloused, his grip steady and powerful.
"Hello, Mr. Victor. I'm Lear, a Patrol Officer with the Raccoon City Police Department. This is Jill, a member of Raccoon City's S.T.A.R.S."
Jill also reached out and shook Victor's hand.
Lear continued, "Mr. Victor, I'll get straight to the point. Are you aware that Umbrella has already abandoned you as cannon fodder? Your only purpose here is..."
"To test the effectiveness of those bioweapons, right?" Victor interrupted, his tone calm.
Victor raised the walkie-talkie in his hand. "I know. Tyrell told me while you were on your way back."
At this, Victor's voice grew heavy. "But so what? They want us dead, but we have no intention of dying. I plan to get these men out of this hellhole." Victor looked out the window at the busy U.B.C.S. mercenaries and the anxious surviving civilians.
He then shifted his gaze back to Lear, his voice steady. "So, Officer Lear, I don't care what grievances you have with Umbrella, you can count me in now. They don't want us making it out alive, so if you have any suggestions or information, please share them now."
Hearing Victor's response, Lear smiled. He could now be certain that Victor and his U.B.C.S. unit could serve as allies—at least while they were in Raccoon City.
"Fine, then I'll be blunt. We originally planned to evacuate using a helicopter at the hospital, but after arriving at the subway, we changed our minds. Leaving by subway is equally viable. We can help you restore power to the station and clear the subway lines." Lear looked Victor straight in the eye. "Your men should have told you by now that our combat capabilities are far superior to theirs."
Victor didn't interrupt; he simply watched Lear, waiting for him to finish.
Lear glanced at Jill and continued: "And you, Mr. Victor—I expect that after we successfully escape this place, you will stand up as a witness to testify against Umbrella's crimes."
Jill nodded from the side in agreement.
Victor pondered for a moment before speaking slowly, "I can promise you that, but I cannot guarantee our testimony will be effective. Furthermore, only I will come forward to testify."
"Fair enough," Lear nodded. "Deal."
With the agreement reached, Victor said immediately: "I want you to head to the Substation right away to check the situation. My men have already inspected the tracks; there are no faults with the lines themselves, so the problem must be at the Substation. Meanwhile, I'll have Carlos and his team head to the Subway Control Room to ensure the route is clear."
Lear didn't hesitate and accepted the task. He and Jill then turned to leave the carriage.
"Why do we need them to testify?" Jill asked, voicing her confusion once they were outside. "From the look of things, Umbrella is finished regardless. We didn't need to force them into this."
Lear smiled and shook his head. "Jill, look at Victor's attitude just now. If I hadn't made a demand, do you think he would have really trusted us? Besides, I wanted to use that to test what kind of man he really is."
Lear looked back at Victor, who was still in the carriage speaking into his walkie-talkie.
"He'd rather testify against Umbrella alone than involve his subordinates. What does that tell you?"
Jill raised an eyebrow. "It means he's a good man, and an even better commander. He doesn't want his men dragged into the spotlight?"
"Exactly. Our Miss Jill is quite sharp. Everyone prefers dealing with good people, don't they?" As he spoke, Lear snapped his fingers near Jill's ear and casually brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face.
Clearly not expecting the gesture, Jill stiffened and froze for a momentary beat.
Once she regained her composure, her face flushed red and she hurried away, feigning calmness. "I'm going to check my gear and grab some ammo from them. Come find me when you're ready."
(Translated by yourtl.app)