The operators rappelling from the hovering V-22 Osprey were clad in midnight-black combat uniforms, wearing heavy Level 4 plate carriers that looked surprisingly streamlined.
Their tactical belts were adorned with a dazzling array of flashbangs, magazines, and medkits. Their FAST helmets were equipped with the distinctive, spider-like lenses of GPNVG-18 quad-tube night vision goggles, flipped up to reveal tinted ballistic glasses with faint, glowing holographic HUDs reflecting off the lenses.
It was evident that these men were not regular infantry or border guards. They were Tier One.
Simon, his hands resting casually near the steering wheel, watched them deploy with a professional's eye. "United States Secret Service, Counter Assault Team," he noted quietly. "Or JSOC boys masquerading as them. Either way, their combat capabilities are top of the food chain."
Dominik, having consumed endless military thrillers and video games in his past life, knew exactly what this meant. A CAT unit's sole purpose was to lay down overwhelming, devastating firepower to protect the President or high-ranking VIPs. They were the elite of the elite, hand-picked from Delta Force and DEVGRU.
Just as everyone in the Hilux was intently watching the cinematic spectacle unfold, a final figure gripped the thick fast-rope and slid down from the transport plane.
Unlike the armored juggernauts surrounding him, this man wore no helmet. He had flowing, perfectly parted brown hair, wore dark tactical jeans, a fitted light blue short-sleeved shirt over soft armor, and combat boots. He wasn't wearing a heavy tactical rig; he only had a custom Kydex drop-leg holster on his right thigh, holding a sleek silver handgun.
When Dominik saw this person's face, his heart skipped a beat, and he screamed internally, Leon S. Kennedy?!
It turned out the last person to hit the tarmac was none other than the legendary protagonist of the Resident Evil franchise.
Seeing Leon step away from the prop-wash of the Osprey, Dominik couldn't help but feel a sudden, intense chill for the elite operators around him—especially the pilot.
In Dominik's past life, gamers affectionately and fearfully joked about the "Kennedy Curse." It was a universal law of physics: any vehicle Leon got into was destined to crash in a fiery explosion, and any male NPC who teamed up with him was going to die a horrific death.
Helicopter pilot? Dead.
Driver? Dead.
Local cop assisting him? Dead.
It was a miracle the Osprey hadn't spontaneously combusted in mid-air. Dominik truly didn't know if these Secret Service agents were the luckiest men alive, or just living on borrowed time.
Of course, there was the flip side of the curse. Leon had an uncanny, almost supernatural luck with women. Regardless of whether they were a hardened spy, a local survivor, or the President's daughter, they inevitably found themselves captivated by his brooding handsome face and action-hero heroics.
Dominik shook his head, clearing his gamer-induced panic. This is reality now, not a game, he reminded himself. Maybe the vehicle curse doesn't apply here.
But Leon's appearance confirmed a massive, reality-altering theory for Dominik. The System wasn't just pulling Simon from a void; this entire parallel world was a massive, geopolitical composite of the games and movies from his past life.
However, the Secret Service CAT operators weren't going to give Dominik time to ponder the multiverse. They had already fanned out, forming a tight, 360-degree kill box around the battered Hilux. The muzzles of their suppressed SBRs were fixed squarely on the cab.
Leon rested his hand casually on his holster, walked slowly to the driver's side of the pickup, knocked hard on Dominik's window, and shouted, "Engines off! Hands where I can see them! Everyone out of the vehicle, slowly!"
Seeing the laser sights dancing across the dashboard, Simon immediately said sternly, "Do as he says, Dom. Everyone out. No sudden movements."
"Alright." Dominik knew this was no time to test his luck. He turned the key, killing the engine, and nodded vigorously.
Quaid, Jean, Ashley, and Laura murmured quiet, terrified assents in the back. The sheer display of force was overwhelming.
Click... The four doors of the pickup opened almost simultaneously.
Quaid and the girls stepped out onto the concrete with their hands raised high. Dominik and Simon stepped out as well, keeping their hands in the air, leaving the Type-56 and the SCAR-L clearly visible but untouched inside the cab.
Seeing they were unarmed and compliant, Leon raised a closed fist.
Instantly, the CAT operators lowered their weapons to a low-ready position in perfect synchronization, though their eyes never left Dominik and Simon.
Leon walked straight past Dominik and approached the professor. His face was stern. "Professor Sears. Care to explain why you brought the Senator's daughter into the Golden Triangle? Didn't you read the State Department briefings? The region was a powder keg even before the outbreak."
"This..." Quaid's face twisted with bitter guilt. He lowered his hands, sighing heavily. "With the discovery of the Shan State ruins, as an archaeologist, I had to see it. And my students... they were brilliant, eager to make a mark. I thought the shadow PMCs had the sector secured. Alas! It's my fault! Five of my best students are dead because of my hubris."
Leon looked at the older man, whose shoulders were shaking with grief, and his stern expression softened slightly. "Professor, don't put all the blame on yourself. No intelligence agency in the world predicted a biological outbreak of this magnitude."
Leon then turned his gaze to Ashley. While his tone was gentler than it had been with Quaid, the reprimand was still sharp. "And you. Before taking a commercial flight to Southeast Asia, you should have informed the Senator's security detail. You gave your Secret Service handlers the slip in London. If you hadn't, none of you would have been trapped in Mandalay."
At this moment, Ashley, upon making eye contact with Leon, had already started to flush a deep shade of red.
Hearing Leon's reprimand, she fidgeted with the hem of her dirty shirt and looked down. "I... I'm sorry, Agent Kennedy. I just wanted to be normal for one summer."
"Forget it. You're safe now," Leon sighed, waving his hand, clearly used to dealing with the rebellious streaks of VIPs.
While Leon, Quaid, and Ashley were conversing, Dominik leaned against the hood of the Hilux and silently commanded the System in his mind.
System, run a Probe on Leon. Show me his detailed stats.
[Acknowledged. Scanning Target...]
[Leon Scott Kennedy]
Level: S-Tier (Native)
Shooting: 93
Reaction: 90
Combat: 84
Luck: 95
Skills:
① Protagonist Halo:"When surviving the impossible is a daily routine, luck becomes a tangible asset." In deadly or insurmountable situations, the target receives a massive boost to evasion and is highly likely to receive unexpected assistance (frequently from female allies).
② [Skill Cannot Be Viewed]
Oh?
Dominik blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected the second skill to be locked. He quickly asked, System, why can't I see his second skill?
[Target Leon S. Kennedy was not summoned by the Host. He is a high-tier 'Hidden Character' native to this world's timeline. The Host cannot immediately access the deep data of native Hidden Characters.]
[To unlock unviewable skills and full profiles, the Host must build Rapport. When the Host's relationship with the target reaches established thresholds of Gratitude, Trust, or Affection, the System will unlock the remaining data.]
Hidden character? Dominik questioned internally.
[This world's reality is populated by numerous Hidden Characters—anomalous individuals possessing exceptional stats matching those of summoned Operators. They originate from various converging timelines within this reality.]
[The Host may choose to befriend them, recruit them, or treat them as hostile. Use the Probe function frequently to identify and assess these individuals.]
Understood, Dominik thought, his eyes narrowing slightly as he observed the interaction between Leon and the VIPs.
His earlier theory was absolutely correct. This world was a massive, volatile melting pot of legends. He had Simon "Ghost" Riley at his side, and Leon S. Kennedy standing ten feet away.
If this world was filled with S-Tier protagonists... it meant it was also filled with S-Tier villains. Dominik needed to establish his Mercenary PMC faster than he originally thought.