Chapter 95: Bright Plan (Patreon)

Fortunately, the survivors worked together with the remaining officers to complete the demolition, successfully blowing up the tide of undead.

Otherwise, by the time Leon S. Kennedy and Claire arrived in Raccoon City, there might have been nothing left of them but bones.

This was a capable, responsible person. For someone like that,

if he could lend a hand, Ivan would naturally do so — after all, this was also a way of building up strength for his own future.

After lunch and finishing preparations, the massive column set off toward the Arklay Mountains.

Facing the situation in the Arklay Mountains, Lieutenant General Tustin didn't rush into a large-scale advance.

Instead, he chose to seal off the necessary passages first, to keep the beasts inside the mountains from breaking into the city and causing chaos.

Though the Raccoon City government had supplied some heavy weaponry, it still fell short for a force of more than thirty thousand men.

To avoid unnecessary casualties, once Tustin gave the order to seal off the key routes, he led the troops forward in a steady, measured advance.

Part of the National Guard took point, while another part brought up the rear guarding the supply vehicles; Ivan's squad and Raymond's squad held the middle.

Along the way, Ivan gave the various squads a detailed rundown of the weaknesses of every B.O.W. they might encounter.

Everyone listened closely and committed it to memory — this was a matter of life and death, not something to take lightly.

Ivan's intelligence proved enormously useful. When the infected wildlife came charging in with overwhelming force,

the National Guard troops at the front, having already braced themselves mentally, showed no sign of panic.

Bullets converged into a torrent, mercilessly cutting down every B.O.W. that came at them.

The militia units in the rear stirred with brief unrest, but caught up in the National Guard's steady momentum,

they quickly settled their nerves, watching closely to learn from the fighting and adapt to the battlefield.

Watching the National Guard fight with such tremendous prowess, Ivan grew ever more convinced that Lieutenant General Tustin truly was a capable man.

Whether it was the quality of his troops or his style of command, everything pointed to a general with extensive, real combat experience leading men.

The first day's advance went smoothly.

As the sun began to set, Tustin gave the order for everyone to make camp and rest.

The supplies had all arrived by then, and soon the smell of cooking drifted through the camp.

After finishing a series of command duties, especially arranging watch over the surrounding area,

Tustin took off his cap and ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair.

Just then his adjutant walked over, carrying a bowl of cool tomato soup to help beat the heat.

"You've worked hard, sir. Have some cold soup to cool off."

Tustin didn't refuse the gesture. He put his cap back on, smiled as he took the bowl, and tilted his head back for a big gulp.

The tomato's sweet-tartness paired beautifully with the cucumber and bits of celery.

The moment it hit his mouth, a cool sensation wrapped around his whole throat.

Tustin felt instantly refreshed, clear through.

"Raccoon City really grows good vegetables. I've had plenty of cold tomato soup before, but this one's one of a kind."

His adjutant looked pleased too.

"Right, sir? Just from the smell alone you can tell this soup is something special."

Tustin nodded in agreement.

"Mm... once this whole thing is over, we should have procurement send someone here to Raccoon City specifically to buy up another batch of vegetables."

As he spoke, he finished off what remained in the bowl.

Seeing this, his adjutant quickly spoke up.

"Noted, sir."

With that, he reached to take the bowl from Tustin's hands, meaning to go refill it.

Tustin waved him off.

"Don't worry about me. It's been a long day — you're tired too. Go get something to eat."

"Yes, sir!"

The adjutant left at once. He knew Tustin wasn't displeased with him — he was genuinely being considerate of how hard he'd worked.

That was just the kind of man Tustin was — never grasping after credit for himself, fair with both reward and punishment, and if someone performed well, he'd even pay bonuses out of his own pocket.

It was precisely under his leadership that the Colorado National Guard had built up such formidable combat strength.

Once his adjutant had gone, Tustin carried his bowl over to the cooking pots.

Instead of ladling out the main course from the other pot, he scooped himself another bowl of cold tomato soup and walked over to Ivan's squad.

They were sitting cross-legged in a circle, eating and chatting.

"Mind if I join?"

Ivan smiled and gestured for him to sit.

Tustin gave a small nod and sat down between Billy and Old Forest.

He looked over at the tall, striking young man beside him, took a small sip from his bowl, and finally asked the question on his mind.

"Ivan, what do you make of the current situation in Raccoon City?"

Ivan thought for a moment before answering.

"It's a mess. The city government signed what's called the Bright Raccoon 21 with Umbrella. It brought a huge economic boost, and in just ten years turned Raccoon City from a rural community into a modern economic hub."

"But that's also where the problems started. Everything Raccoon City's citizens eat, drink, and use bears Umbrella's mark."

"The whole city is tied to Umbrella at every level — the city government has practically become Umbrella's mouthpiece."

"Administrative power, financial power, military power — the three most important levers of any city — are all in Umbrella's hands."

"Now that the Arklay Mountains incident has already broken out, I'm worried there might be more virus research facilities hidden away that we haven't found yet."

After hearing Ivan's assessment, everyone's expression turned grave.

Tustin nodded in agreement.

"What you're saying is exactly what worries me."

"The governor was furious about it. He originally wanted... me to turn Raccoon City upside down and root out every last one of these vermin."

"But Ivan, do you know why... that plan was never carried out?"

Ivan gave his answer right away.

"Because there are Umbrella people inside the state government?"

Tustin: "Exactly. The legislature pushed back hard."

Richard cut in at just the right moment.

"But I thought the governor could mobilize troops without needing legislative approval — especially for something as dangerous to public safety as the Arklay Mountains incident."

Hearing this, Tustin, bowl still in hand, answered Richard's question directly.

"That's right. Military authority rests with the governor, and mobilizing troops for something like this is a given, no question about it."

"But while the legislature can't stop the deployment itself, they can hold up the funding that follows."

"But that's not even the real issue. The real issue is the reason they gave — that if the Arklay Mountains incident were used to justify a complete overhaul of Raccoon City's current leadership..."

"...it would create unnecessary political risk."

Off to the side, Billy listened with a deep frown.

"So the governor just backed down? Letting a chance like this slip by — what happens when the crisis actually hits for real?"

Tustin shook his head helplessly at that.

"That's not quite it. Remember this, young man — politics was never about fighting and killing. It's about human relationships and how the world actually works."