AN : Sorry for the late update—I was really tired yesterday.
...
The next day, Laura woke up earlier than usual, and when she was in the bathroom, she stayed there longer while staring at the mirror more intently than before.
For some reason, today she wanted to look different from the previous day.
And when Laura checked her body and looked down, she just bit her lip.
"I guess it's time for you to be shaved," Laura said, speaking to the fine hairs on her pubic area, even though they hadn't grown much and were still thin, but at least she wanted to look clean.
"Where is that thing?" Laura muttered, seemingly searching through the pile of makeup, skincare, and other items in her bag.
"Ah, here you are," Laura said, as if she had found the razor, which she now held as if it were the most precious item among her belongings.
And after she carefully shaved all the hair, she quickly looked for some clothes that might suit her, but she was a bit disappointed because most of her clothes were masculine, and she didn't even have a simple dress like the ones Ada or Rebecca usually wore.
"I guess I really need to buy some new clothes," she said, then stepped out of the bathroom after taking a shower and putting on some light makeup.
However, when Laura stepped out of her room, she couldn't find Allen anywhere in the apartment. Confused, she turned to Rebecca.
"Do you know where Allen went?" she asked.
"Allen already left for a seminar invitation hosted by Umbrella," Rebecca replied calmly, deliberately leaving out the details of Allen's real reason for going. "He said he'll probably be back tonight."
That answer naturally made Laura feel a little disappointed. She had gone out of her way to dress up nicely today—yet Allen wasn't even home.
Moments later, Ada walked in, eyeing Laura with a teasing grin.
"Hey, Laura, you look different today. Did you put on makeup to impress Allen?" she asked playfully.
Laura's face instantly turned red, but she didn't deny it.
"Okay, Ada, stop teasing her," Rebecca said, stepping in with a small sigh. "And really, what's wrong if she wants to wear a little makeup?"
Hearing Rebecca defend her, Laura could only smile softly, feeling thankful—but also a bit guilty, since Ada had clearly guessed the real reason she'd decided to put effort into her look that morning.
"Alright, alright," Ada said with a shrug before heading off to the kitchen, where Alyssa was already preparing breakfast.
After Ada left, Laura moved closer to Rebecca and leaned in, lowering her voice.
"Rebecca," Laura said softly after a moment, "could you come with me later to buy some new clothes?"
"hmmm Sure," Rebecca replied with a warm smile. "I've got nothing else to do today anyway."
.....
Meanwhile, Allen was on his way with Svetlana to a stadium in Raccoon City. The place was unusually crowded today—apparently, a soccer match was being held, featuring one of the teams funded by the city's mayor. The atmosphere was lively, filled with cheers and flashing lights from the stands.
As Allen and Svetlana casually walked around, watching the game for a bit, a man in a neat suit approached them.
"Dr. Winter, please follow me. I was instructed by Dr. Fabron to escort you," the man said politely before leading them toward one of the stadium's VIP areas.
Soon after, they passed through a series of restricted rooms. Then—unexpectedly—a section of the wall shifted open, revealing a hidden doorway.
"Well, that's quite an interesting secret passage," Svetlana remarked with a faint smirk.
The man stepped through first, guiding them inside. Behind the wall was an elevator leading down into an underground tunnel system connected to a covert transit network.
As Allen entered the lift, he subtly activated a small hacking device prepared earlier by Yoko—allowing him to access this hidden route whenever he wished in the future.
After a few minutes of descent and a quiet ride through the tunnel, they finally arrived at a secret subway terminal. The tracks stretched into the distance, leading directly toward a classified research facility deep within the Arklay Mountains.
Inside the lab, Allen was greeted by two men who seemed to have been waiting for him.
"Hello, Dr. Winter. I'm Dr. Daniel Fabron. And this is Dr. William Birkin," Daniel said, offering a handshake as he introduced them.
"Yeah, hello. Nice to meet you both," Allen replied, shaking Daniel's hand.
"And Dr. Birkin, it's great to finally meet you. I'm also sorry for your loss—your wife and daughter. Truly a tragedy," Allen added, sounding sincere as he addressed the man.
"Thank you for your condolences," William replied, shaking Allen's hand.
Yet, for some reason, he felt a strange sense of unease—as if the man standing before him had somehow taken something important away from him.
"Alright, since everyone's here, let's begin the Project Resistance briefing," Daniel said, opening a folder and spreading several documents across the table.
"We've developed a new strain of serum for this project. Its reaction is directly influenced by the subject's mental state—especially fear. The stronger the psychological stress, the more aggressive the mutation becomes. To properly evaluate the effects, we'll need to conduct a series of psychological and physiological tests designed to push the subjects into panic and despair."
"Dr. Wesker said that you're quite skilled in this field, which is why I invited you here," Daniel added, looking at Allen.
"Do you have any relevant documents regarding previous experiments?" Allen asked, showing some interest.
Hearing that, Daniel gestured, and one of his assistants quickly stepped forward, handing Allen the requested files.
Allen skimmed through the documents, his eyes scanning the results before he slowly shook his head. The survival rate was barely different from the T-Virus—only around five percent. Most of the subjects had either died or turned into unstable monsters after experiencing extreme trauma.
"Well… do you want the honest answer?" Allen asked calmly.
"Of course. I'd gladly hear your opinion, Dr. Winter," Daniel replied.
"Your current approach is too simple—and it yields very little result," Allen said bluntly. "If you really want to maximize the effect, you need a larger-scale environment."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"First option—turn an entire city into a controlled disaster zone. The level of fear would skyrocket, and your data would be far more valuable. Of course, it's extremely risky and expensive."
"Second—use a small village or a remote island. It's more manageable and reduces external risks."
"And third…" Allen leaned back slightly, his tone turning more thoughtful. "Why not develop a compound that can artificially stimulate fear? Something like a 'fear gas.' That way, you can control the psychological state of your subjects without relying entirely on external conditions."
He then glanced toward William.
"Though, honestly… I doubt Umbrella is truly focused on this project right now. From what I've heard, the company is far more interested in the G-Virus—something with much greater potential than the T-Virus developed by Dr. Birkin."
"Hahaha… it seems Dr. Winter understands the value of my research better than this trivial project," William said with a satisfied nod, clearly pleased by the remark.
Meanwhile, Svetlana, who sat quietly beside Allen, simply smiled.
She hadn't expected him to come up with such detailed ideas just from a quick read-through.
And if she didn't know him better… she might have actually believed that everything he said just now wasn't an act.
"Your suggestion is good—I'll probably bring it up with my superiors first," Daniel said, though there was a hint of irritation in his tone after Allen bluntly pointed out that Umbrella wasn't truly invested in his project.
"Still, I've put a lot of effort into this. It would be a waste not to at least test it. If any of you are interested in watching the subjects suffer and die, follow me to the testing chamber I've prepared," he added.
"No thanks. I'd rather return to my lab," William replied coldly. "Besides, I'm convinced your serum won't be useful. I should focus on my G-Serum—it's at a critical stage."
With that, he stood up and left the room without another word.
Deep down, William suspected that Umbrella was using this side project as a distraction—an opportunity to hack into his systems and steal his research. Fortunately, he had already anticipated that possibility. His most important data had been moved and secured elsewhere.
He had also been trying to contact the military in secret, but for some reason, he still hadn't received any response.
Daniel tried to persuade William to stay, but there was nothing he could do. William kept brushing him off, insisting that he was too busy with his own project.
That only left Daniel feeling slightly frustrated, though he had no choice but to let it go.
Meanwhile, Allen remained seated, calmly flipping through the files of the prisoners selected as test subjects for the new serum—the T-Phobos Virus.
After a moment, he stopped at two profiles.
"I want these two women," Allen said calmly, looking up at Daniel.
Daniel frowned at the request. "What do you mean you want them?"
Allen looked up at him. "We already have an agreement, and I want them as my personal test subjects."
"I'm sorry, but that's going to be difficult. They could expose the company's secrets," Daniel replied cautiously.
"Oh, come on—don't play dumb. Even the S.T.A.R.S. members who already know about Umbrella's dirty business can't do anything about it, and they're easily silenced. So what's the harm? Who's going to believe two random civilians anyway?" Allen said, feigning indifference.
"Fine… but I'll have to report this to my superior first," Daniel muttered.
"Sure, go ahead," Allen replied casually, still relaxed in his chair.
Not long after, Daniel stepped out to contact Sergei about the matter. "Hello, sir. We've hit a minor issue here—it seems Dr. Winters wants two of the prisoners handed over to him," Daniel reported over the phone.
Meanwhile, Sergei, who was sitting in his office watching the surveillance monitors and quietly observing Allen's movements, simply smiled. "Let him have them. After all, this is your fault for making a deal with him. Oh, and if those two prisoners try to spread any rumors about Umbrella or attempt to leave the city… you'll be the first person I come after," Sergei said coldly, his tone carrying a clear threat.
Sergei had overheard Allen's earlier discussion about the Project Resistance, and while he found the idea intriguing, he also noticed Allen's weakness—his fondness for women. It seemed Alex had already figured that out and knew exactly how to control him through it.
Daniel, now stuck as the scapegoat in this situation, could only curse under his breath. "Understood, sir," he said before hanging up the phone.
After that, Daniel returned to the room.
"So, what's the verdict?" Allen asked, wanting to know the outcome.
"You can take them," Daniel replied, clenching his fist tightly, "but make sure our company's secrets don't leak. And those two women are not allowed to leave Raccoon City—ever."
"Understood," Allen said casually before turning to the guards in the room. "You heard him. Move them to another room so I can meet them later."
Upon hearing his command, the guards immediately left to transfer the two prisoners to a different area.
And after the two women were transferred, not long after that, the Project Resistance test began.
Several prisoners were ordered to survive by killing each other, but they also had to face various obstacles such as zombies, Lickers, and several B.O.W.s.
However, Allen soon left the room because he didn't want to see what would happen to them and felt guilty for not trying to save those people.
Meanwhile, Svetlana, who saw Allen leave, immediately approached him and tried to hold his hand. "It's okay, it's not your fault," she whispered softly. "I know, thanks," replied Allen with a faint smile.
Meanwhile, Allen was currently heading toward the room where Becca and January were being held.
"Follow me," Allen said, leading them into a room that had a fairly large bed inside. The girls, of course, had no other choice but to follow his orders—especially since Svetlana was also forcefully dragging them along.
Meanwhile, Daniel, who secretly watched where Allen was going, decided to cancel his plan to observe him any further. "Damn it, I got myself into trouble just because that guy wants to satisfy his lust. How annoying," Daniel muttered, frustrated—but it seemed he had found something useful to report to Spencer later.
Inside the room, Becca and January felt both frightened and angry, as they assumed they were about to suffer something unforgettable. But soon after, Allen sat down facing them, while Svetlana arrogantly sat on his lap, looking at the two girls.
"Okay, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not that kind of man. Why don't we start by introducing ourselves? My name's Allen, and this is my bodyguard, Svetlana."
Becca felt relieved—apparently, the handsome man before her just wanted to talk. She even felt a little embarrassed for thinking otherwise. "I'm Becca, a park ranger working in the Arklay Mountains."
"I'm January, a programmer," January said coldly—still suspicious of Allen and keeping her guard up.
"Alright, I'll make it simple. I'm here because Alyssa and Cindy asked me to save you both."
"Cindy? Cindy asked you to find me? That's hard to believe—she doesn't trust people easily, and there are only a few she really believes in."
"Wait… don't tell me you and Cindy are dating?" Becca suddenly asked, forgetting for a moment that Svetlana was sitting on Allen's lap. Becca seemed far more excited to hear about her friend's love life than to focus on their current situation.
Allen raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. The blonde girl in the lovely outfit, with such a beautiful face, turned out to have a bold and spirited personality.
"Okay… okay… even though I'm incredibly handsome and become the dream of many women out there, Cindy and I are just friends. She asked me to find you because I'm a member of S.T.A.R.S.," Allen said teasingly, trying to lighten the mood.
Svetlana, still sitting on his lap, couldn't resist and pinched Allen's thigh—annoyed that he was joking around at a time like this.
Meanwhile, Becca, noticing the closeness between Allen and Svetlana, started to think that her close friend Cindy might have some serious competition in love. Besides, she knew how hard it was for Cindy to trust men—even if they were police officers or whatever they were called.
"Hmph… so you're one of the members involved in that case about the old abandoned hospital incident, huh? But it looks like you and Umbrella are on the same side. Are you just pretending not to know about all the horrible experiments they've been doing?" January scoffed, her tone sharp and full of distrust.
Allen raised an eyebrow, slightly confused by her attitude. Was this woman really that naive—or just reckless?
"Well, I've known about their experiments for quite some time," Allen replied calmly. "So what? Do you think reporting them to the police or the government would actually change anything? Look at you now—you tried to play hero and ended up getting arrested and dragged to this place."
His words were laced with sarcasm. After all, he had read her file—how she got caught while trying to hack Umbrella's systems.
Becca stayed silent, just watching the two argue. She was brave and full of spirit, yes, but she wasn't stupid enough to jump into this kind of exchange.
"How can you say that so casually?! Don't you have any conscience after seeing how many people have been turned into test subjects by them?!" January snapped, her voice rising.
Slap!
Suddenly, Svetlana's hand lashed out, striking January across the face.
"Don't spout nonsense," Svetlana said sharply. "What do you even know, you reckless girl? You should be grateful that my man bothered to risk himself to save you at all."
"You… you slapped me," January muttered in shock, holding her cheek. The slap had been hard—her head was spinning slightly from the impact.
"Okay, Lana, that's enough," Allen said, gently reaching out to calm her down and making her sit again. "I don't really mind what she said."
Still, Allen couldn't help but feel a little bad for January. He leaned forward and checked her condition, noticing the faint redness and a small trace of blood at the corner of her lip.
"You okay?" he asked softly, his tone surprisingly gentle as his eyes met hers.
"Listen to me," Allen said while treating January's wound. "If you want to survive and get out of here alive, forget everything you've seen. Pretend you don't know anything about what's happening here."
Becca nodded quietly, showing that she understood.
"So selfish," January muttered under her breath.
"Selfish?" Allen raised a brow. "Everyone's selfish. Look at yourself — a hacker who probably spies on other people's private lives for fun. Don't tell me that isn't a crime."
January wanted to argue, but she couldn't deny it. He wasn't wrong — she had done that more than once when she was bored.
"Fine," she sighed. "So what do we have to do to get out of here?"
"Well," Allen said calmly, "I need both of you to put on a fake show with me."
"Fake show? What do you mean?" Becca asked, confused.
"What he means by 'fake show,'" Svetlana explained coolly, "is that you'll pretend to be his lovers while you're still in this city. It's to avoid suspicion from Umbrella — they'll definitely be monitoring your movements."
"And what if we don't?" Becca asked nervously.
"Well," Allen shrugged, "there's a good chance you'll get captured again and dragged back here."
"Ahhh... I don't want to come back here!" Becca said, her voice trembling. The memory of this place clearly haunted her; she had already lost hope of ever leaving it alive.
"Alright then," Allen said as he stood up. "Let's get out of here. And remember — don't say a word once we're outside."
Both women nodded and followed Allen as he led the way out.
After Allen returned to the room where Daniel was waiting — now with two new women at his side — Daniel raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
"Well, Dr. Winter," Daniel said with a smirk, "looks like you've been a bit rough with your new girls."
He was clearly trying to mock Allen after the trouble he had caused earlier.
Allen just shrugged, completely unfazed.
"Stop talking like you actually care about them," he replied flatly, giving Daniel a bored look. "So, how did your test go?"
Daniel let out a quiet sigh, realizing there was no point continuing the banter. Without another word, he handed over the test report.
Allen took it and quickly scanned through the data, his eyes moving sharply across the pages.
"Hmm…" he muttered, before casually pointing out several flaws and weak points in the experiment's design, as if the issues were obvious to him.