Lear remained trapped in a groggy chaos, his consciousness drifting between dreams and wakefulness, his body feeling as heavy as lead. He could vaguely sense something lingering in the vicinity, accompanied by occasional low growls and the sounds of a struggle.
After an unknown amount of time, a jolting sensation surged through him. The shaking caused such excruciating pain that he tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't force them open no matter how hard he tried. He could only allow that force to carry him, moving in a certain direction.
After a long while, Lear slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the familiar Main Hall.
"This is... the Police Station? How did I end up back here?"
Lear found himself placed on a chair in the Police Station Lobby. He tried to brace himself and sit up, but as soon as he moved, a heart-wrenching pain radiated from his internal organs.
"Fuck! That hurts!" Lear let out a cry of pain and his body went limp, falling heavily back into the chair as fine beads of cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.
At that moment, a mature female voice came from the shadows of the Main Hall. Her tone was calm and carried a sense of detachment.
"If I were you, I wouldn't move around. You have at least three broken ribs, a fractured leg, and internal bleeding. To be honest, Officer Lear, I don't even know how you're still alive."
Lear looked toward the source of the voice. An Asian woman with short hair, wearing a brown trench coat, black high heels, and sunglasses was leaning against the wall, watching him.
In an instant, Lear knew this woman's identity—Ada Wong, the most mysterious heroine of the Resident Evil series, Leon's "white moonlight," and the woman fans jokingly referred to as "Auntie Wong."
And yet, the Ada Wong of this moment had no idea that her background was already completely transparent to Lear.
Ada stepped forward slowly, calmly pulled out an ID, and flashed it in front of Lear. Her tone was curt: "Senior FBI Agent, Ada Wong. I am tasked with investigating the Umbrella Corporation. I'm here to find a reporter named Ben Bertolucci. He holds evidence of Umbrella's crimes."
Ada Wong delivered her lines like a rapid-fire burst, and combined with the ID in her hand, any ordinary police officer would have been intimidated. However, the Lear standing—or rather, sitting—before her knew her inside and out and wasn't buying it at all.
Enduring the pain, Lear pulled his lips back into a faint smile and spoke clearly: "Ma'am, first of all, I cannot verify the authenticity of your credentials. Secondly, the reporter you mentioned has been detained in the cells by order of Chief Irons for spying on Police Station secrets; I have no authority to release him privately. Finally, if you don't mind, could you tell me when you arrived at the Police Station?"
This methodical response was clearly beyond Ada's expectations. She raised a slender eyebrow, her tone gaining a hint of amusement: "About half an hour ago. Why? Are you trying to interrogate me, Officer Lear?"
Lear shook his head gently, his voice still weak: "I wouldn't dare investigate you. I just want to figure out how I got back here. My last memory was collapsing in a coffee shop."
Ada shrugged indifferently, her expression calm. "I wouldn't know. When I arrived, you were lying on this bench, and there wasn't a soul around. Once I confirmed you were still breathing, I stayed here waiting for you to wake up."
Lear nodded noncommittally at this explanation, choosing not to press further, ostensibly accepting it for the time being. His gaze discreetly scanned the surroundings; when he noticed the east entrance of the Main Hall was wide open, his brow furrowed slightly.
"Um, Ms. Wong, was that open when you arrived?"
"Yes, it's been open the whole time. Why?" Ada replied casually.
Lear gave a wry smile, his tone turning grave. "Then something's wrong. Before we evacuated, we sealed this place completely; it couldn't have just opened on its own. This means someone else was here before you reached the Police Station."
Hearing this, Ada walked silently to the east entrance. Her fingertips brushed lightly over the power switch beside the door, her expression unreadable as a faint, imperceptible spark of calculation flashed in her eyes. After a moment, she turned back to Lear, her voice reverting to her previous coldness.
"Officer Lear, if your physical condition permits it, you'll have to stay here alone for a while. I intend to investigate the east area. I must obtain the evidence against Umbrella from Ben Bertolucci as soon as possible; there's no time to waste."
The words sounded polite, but Lear understood the subtext perfectly: I'm going to handle my own business; you stay put and don't cause me any trouble.
Lear, naturally, had no intention of making a scene. He nodded gently. "As you wish, Ms. Wong. I'm in no state to be of any help to you anyway. I can only offer one piece of advice: the cells holding the reporter are right next to the underground parking lot. There may be quite a few zombies in there, so be careful."
Ada gave him a polite smile but said nothing more. She turned and walked briskly toward the east entrance, quickly disappearing from the Main Hall.
Once Ada had left the Main Hall, Lear spoke toward the back of the statue.
"Come out. She's gone."
As Lear's voice fell, a hulking figure stepped out from behind the statue—it was the same special Hunter from the hospital. Lear had sensed it earlier, hidden behind the statue, watching Ada Wong.
To avoid drawing Ada's attention, Lear had intentionally sent her away before letting it emerge.
"Did you save me? Thank you."
This time, the Hunter did not pretend it couldn't understand. Instead, it nodded and produced several bags of puffed snacks from behind its back, looking as though they had just been snatched from a vending machine somewhere.
"For me?" Lear was slightly stunned, then immediately thanked it. "Thanks."
The power within him that was repairing his body didn't come without a price. Aside from the pain, Lear's strongest sensation right now was hunger—his stomach was completely empty, and he felt as if he were being swallowed by the void. He didn't stand on ceremony; he reached out for the food, endured the pain as he tore open the packaging, and began to eat in large gulps.
With a few bags of food in his stomach, the body's repair speed, which had slowed due to lack of energy, accelerated once more. A faint tingling sensation flowed through his limbs, the dull pain in his chest subsided significantly, and even the stabbing pain in his ribs lessened.
Lear leaned against the wall to sit upright, slowly bracing himself as he looked at the Hunter and asked softly, "How did you find me? And how did you bring me here?"
This time, perhaps because Lear's question was too complex, the Hunter tilted its head and looked at him, remaining silent for a good while before beginning to gesture clumsily.
As it turned out, after Lear had left the second floor of the hospital, this special Hunter had been tailing them secretly, observing their movements. It was only when it saw Lear's group board the helicopter that it prepared to turn and leave.
However, just as it reached the hospital entrance, it witnessed Lear being struck out of the sky by a piece of concrete hurled by Nemesis. It immediately tracked the direction of the fall and found the unconscious Lear in that abandoned coffee shop. Avoiding danger the whole way, it had carried him back to the Police Station.
(Translated by yourtl.app)