Chapter 139: You're Still So Reassuring (Patreon)

After shaking the liquid off, Lisa withdrew her tentacles.

"Something's wrong with the rats," she said. "They're infected with the t-Virus."

Jill's brows knit together as she listened.

"The t-Virus? Good grief. If these rats are allowed to run wild, the whole of Raccoon City will be under threat from the t-Virus all over again."

Ivan rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. We still have plenty of antidote. We can call on the citizens to get their injections first, and once we've weathered this period..."

"Rebecca will finish the antidote research, and every lingering danger will be wiped out."

Hearing that, Jill felt her anxious heart settle. She shrugged, visibly relaxing.

"Ivan, you're always so reassuring."

Ivan only smiled and said nothing, then led the group onward.

With his heightened senses, it didn't take long for Ivan's squad to spot it: the front car of a tram, embedded in the wall.

Its underside and body were twisted together into a single mangled lump. Most of it had burned away completely, and only a few patches still showed traces of its original color.

Ivan turned his gaze toward the direction the tram had come from and saw the huge hole punched through the wall there.

Clearly, this tram had come from the mother nest.

Something had gone wrong along the way and derailed it. After smashing through the wall on the far side of the sewer, it had exploded right here in the tunnel.

Could this be the one HUNK was on?

Ivan had a guess, and if it was right...

HUNK should be somewhere nearby.

Better still, by following the tram's path back, they could trace a direct route into the mother nest.

But...

That was an extremely risky choice. If the bulk of the Raccoon City Police Department's strength was pinned down here, no one would be left to stop Umbrella from stirring up trouble in the city proper.

Still... Ivan lifted the camera hanging from his neck and snapped a few photos of the scene.

As long as he had evidence, none of those problems would be problems.

Ivan had just put the camera away and was about to start exploring around the tram when something unexpected happened.

They were standing at a four-way junction in the sewer.

Splat!

From a vent on the left, something suddenly slid out and plunged into the water.

When it surfaced, Ivan realized it was none other than the "Toad."

Or, more precisely, its real name was Hunter Gamma.

It was a BOW developed by the Umbrella Europe, first appearing in Resident Evil 3 and its remake.

Since the creature had been fused with the genes of frogs or toads, it was terrified of light and liked cold, damp places.

With no real speed advantage, it was basically a sitting target in the game.

In reality, though, its leaping ability was decent. But with its massive body and the low ceiling of the sewer, every time Hunter Gamma tried to use that strength, it ended up smashing its head bloody.

Its attack was simple, too. Lacking the claws other Hunters had, it had to close in on its prey and swallow it whole.

Ivan was still recalling its origins when Hunter Gamma moved. Its entire upper body and thighs rose out of the water, and it charged straight at the spot where Ivan and the others stood.

Jill was just raising her gun when Lisa sprang into action.

This time she didn't use Nemesis's power. Instead, her whole body shot upward in height.

Her form mutated rapidly. Large red eyes like William's bloomed from both of her shoulders.

The veins in her slender arms strained and bulged. Her arms stretched out in an instant, swelling to the size of tree stumps, and her fingers turned into five long, sturdy claws.

Her legs were no less impressive, as thick as telephone poles.

The whole transformation was done in under six seconds.

By then, Lisa had already reached Hunter Gamma.

Both sets of claws drove into its mouth.

Hunter Gamma writhed in agony. Meeting Lisa's assault, its tongue split straight into four lobes, each one lined with rows of sharp barbs.

Its intent was obvious.

Lisa sensed its "plan" to swallow her whole.

She neither dodged nor retreated. The barbs bit into her as if into thick leather, and for a while they couldn't pierce her skin.

Then the Nemesis tentacles reappeared. The tip of each one sprouted a puckered, chrysanthemum-like maw that clamped down hard on Hunter Gamma's long tongue.

The creature's body thrashed wildly in pain, but it was no use.

Lisa's hands surged with force. Her sharp claws pierced the skin on both sides of Hunter Gamma's abdomen.

Then she tore.

Ten gashes ripped open across its body in an instant. Blood poured out and organs spilled across the ground.

The Nemesis tentacles heaved in unison and yanked the four-lobed tongue clean off.

Hunter Gamma lost its balance, toppled backward, and crashed into the stinking sewage.

The agony sent it rolling around frantically, but it didn't last long. Soon all its struggling ceased. Its pupils glazed over, and the life went out of it.

At the same time, the traits of the G-Virus and Nemesis vanished from Lisa's body one after the other.

In the blink of an eye, she was back in her S.T.A.R.S. combat uniform, looking like a harmless, pretty girl once more.

Lisa returned to Ivan's side and tilted her head up to look at him.

"Ivan, it's all taken care of."

She pointed at her own head, her meaning plain.

Ivan smiled, of course, and reached out to gently stroke her long, glossy black hair.

What he didn't expect was for Lisa to suddenly cup his face, rise onto her toes, and lightly kiss his cheek.

Then she slipped out from under his hand as if nothing had happened and stood obediently at his side.

Ivan touched the cheek she had kissed, at a loss for what to say.

Meanwhile, inside Lisa's mind, a chibi version of herself appeared and pumped a fist hard.

She spun in a circle, wiped her nose, and planted her hands on her hips...

Yeah! Operation: Get Ivan, a perfect success!

She couldn't help it. Rebecca, Jill, and even Makima, who had come along later, were all growing closer to Ivan, and Lisa had started to feel anxious.

She hadn't arrived late, so why had she ended up last?

And Ivan still hadn't shown any sign of interest in that direction.

Lisa knew she had to turn passive into active.

Fortunately, the plan had worked, and Ivan didn't seem angry.

Keep pushing. No matter what, she had to get ahead of Makima.

Ivan, naturally, had no idea that behind Lisa's quiet exterior and her usual deadpan, emotionless way of speaking, her inner thoughts were this lively.

From her angle, Jill hadn't seen what happened.

Makima, on the other hand, watched the scene with interest.

Moreover, Lisa's display just now had given her a glimpse of the supernatural forces in this world. Makima could tell this was far from Lisa's limit.

After that, the group met no further obstacles...

Circling the tram, Ivan saw some charred human remains inside, which only reinforced his conviction.

This tram had to be the one HUNK had escaped on.

He pushed his senses to the maximum.

Before long, Ivan caught the faint sound of breathing.

He led the women toward the source of the sound...