Chapter 94: Time-Limited Event (Patreon)

But then, as if something occurred to him, he looked toward Ivan.

This young man might just work, Tustin mused inwardly, though his weathered face betrayed nothing.

The National Guard's heavy weapons shipment was still en route, expected to take at least two more days to arrive in full.

Despite the lack of heavy weaponry, Tustin had no intention of waiting any longer.

The reason was simple: the Arklay Mountains situation couldn't afford delay — who knew what horrors the t-Virus would unleash if it kept rampaging unchecked.

So Tustin turned to his adjutant.

"Has the expert team Umbrella promised to assemble arrived yet?"

The adjutant answered respectfully.

"Not yet, sir. They say the experts are coming from all over the world, so it's hard to get them all in one place quickly."

Tustin frowned.

"We won't wait for them any longer. Whenever they show up, they show up."

"Have the men square away their gear — we're moving into the mountains!"

The adjutant saluted and answered loudly.

"Yes, sir!"

As he left, Tustin turned to Brian.

"Chief Brian, when it comes to familiarity with the Arklay Mountains, your department has us beat."

"I'll need you to send a team to serve as our guides."

"I hope you understand."

Brian nodded.

"Of course, General. This concerns the safety of all of Raccoon City — we'll give it our full cooperation."

"If you'll excuse me, then."

With that, once he'd gotten Tustin's confirmation, Brian turned and walked away.

Finally, Tustin turned to Ivan.

"I appreciate this, Ivan. I'll need you to come along with us."

Ivan smiled.

"My pleasure, General."

"But General, I'd like to request my own reassignment to the front line."

At that, Rebecca and the others stepped up beside Ivan, one after another.

Their intentions were strikingly unanimous — every one of them wanted to go with Ivan, straight into the front line.

Seeing this, a rare flicker of pleasure crossed Tustin's usually stern face.

This was what soldierly spirit looked like — no wonder they were the elite squad that had fought their way out of the Arklay Mountains.

Their reputation was clearly well-earned, and Tustin couldn't help but cheer aloud.

"Good! Good! Excellent! With all of you lending your full support, how could this mission possibly fail!"

Ivan glanced around at the companions gathered near him, his smile widening.

Crossing over into this world, and meeting all of them — it really was the best thing that could have happened to him.

Meanwhile, Brian was mustering officers at an impressively fast pace.

Before long, aside from the personnel needed to keep order in the city, every single remaining officer had been called in.

In the end, the number assembled turned out to be a solid and sizable force of a thousand men—neither small nor excessive. To rally their spirits, Brian made a set of promises.

1. Everyone who completed the mission would receive a substantial bonus, the exact amount depending on the length of their deployment and their contributions along the way.

2. If any officer was unfortunate enough to become a casualty during the operation, the department would take care of their family for life — from start to finish.

3. Any and all incidental expenses incurred over the course of the mission could be reimbursed.

The officers took the chief's word without a shred of doubt — after all, Brian's credibility was riding high these days.

In no time they were brimming with drive, not just for the generous bonuses, but because they genuinely wanted to do their part in defending their home.

The gun-loving citizens of Raccoon City, upon hearing that troops were about to move into the Arklay Mountains, grabbed whatever firearms they had and converged on the police department.

Seeing this, Tustin was genuinely moved. He urged the citizens to just go home and wait for news.

The National Guard and the Raccoon City Police Department would clear out every threat, he told them.

Even Brian felt a stirring of something different inside.

He found himself understanding Ivan's earlier words on a much deeper level now.

But the citizens' enthusiasm ran too high, and they ignored Tustin's advice entirely.

"General, just let me go! Don't worry, I already squared it with my old man — even if something happens to me, he won't say a word."

"Yeah, exactly! My mom even praised me today, said her son's finally amounted to something!"

"Heh heh, I want in on that bonus. I'm not afraid to die — Chief, can I get a cut? If I die, just wire the money to my dad's account."

"I follow the will of the Lord. He's told me that the spawn of Satan have begun to run rampant in the Arklay Mountains, and as a child of God, it's my duty to burn what little strength I have, so this world may see a clear sky again."

For a moment, Tustin didn't quite know what to say.

Brian, for his part, simply said yes — anyone and everyone, no exceptions, who picked up a gun and headed into the mountains to fight monsters would get a share of the bonus.

And if they died, the city government would fund their families' care, seeing to their needs until the end.

Brian wasn't the least bit worried about Warren objecting — if Warren dared refuse, Brian would happily blow the whole thing wide open on him.

Ever since that office conversation with Ivan, Brian had adopted a whole new way of thinking.

He'd realized that as long as he stayed allied with Ivan, neither Umbrella nor Warren could really touch him.

Worst case, he'd go down swinging and take them with him — after all, he 'wasn't long for this world' anyway.

At those words, the crowd's mood grew even more fervent!

Even some citizens who hadn't originally planned to join this 'limited-time event' dug their prized guns out of storage and fell in line.

Seeing this, Tustin gave up on trying to talk anyone out of it. He had to admit — Raccoon City really was a city full of surprises.

In the end, after a full tally, this citizen 'militia' numbered a staggering 6,786 people.

For a city with a permanent population of only a hundred thousand, that was an absolutely outrageous proportion.

Brian placed them under Raymond's unified command, while also pulling five hundred officers aside and assigning them to Ivan.

Among them were Lisa, Ryman, and several others.

The overall force was split into three groups.

The first was the National Guard at full strength — twenty-seven thousand men — under the command of Lieutenant General Tustin.

The second was a mixed force of five hundred officers and 6,786 civilians, which Brian handed over to Raymond's command.

The third was a "special combat unit" made up of five hundred officers plus Ivan's squad, with Ivan in overall command.

On top of that, Tustin and Brian jointly appointed Ivan as chief advisor for the entire operation.

The moment he thought about the thousands of lives now resting on his shoulders, Raymond immediately felt the crushing weight of it all. He'd never commanded this many people before, let alone a force with such wildly uneven quality among its ranks, which could spiral into chaos with ease. Still, he didn't turn down the chief's appointment.

For one thing, he couldn't afford to lose face in front of an outsider like Tustin.

For another, if he pulled this off well, it would be a massive boost to his career and standing going forward.

But more than anything, Raymond knew that aside from himself, there simply wasn't anyone else better suited for the job.

After accepting the appointment, Raymond quietly sought Ivan out.

"Captain Ivan, I hope you'll look out for me on the battlefield."

The subtext being: when it counts, pull your brother through.

Ivan didn't refuse. He just smiled and agreed.

In the original timeline, after the Raccoon City crisis broke out, Raymond Douglas had led officers to set up barricades on Ennerdale Street, rigging explosives for a planned demolition meant to hold back the surging tide of zombies.

Unfortunately, while later covering the evacuation of survivors from a bar, he was attacked and killed by zombies.