Chapter 148: Wolf Squad or Echo Squad (Patreon)

Leon let out a long breath. It was his first time facing a situation like this, and he was nervous too.

He glanced at the shattered window behind the two corpses, then stopped exploring and went back to the door.

"Keep the change, sir."

He left the money for the gas on the counter, returned to the pumps, and filled up his beloved bike.

"Vrrrm—"

The distinctive roar of a motorcycle engine rose from the road not far away. Leon set down the nozzle and fixed his eyes on the rider in red…

"So you're headed to Raccoon City too?"

"Yeah. My brother's there. I haven't heard from him in a long time, and I'm worried about him."

After a few words, Leon learned her name: Claire Redfield. She was going to Raccoon City to find her brother, who worked at the police department.

"What's his name?"

"Chris."

Claire's voice brimmed with pride when she said it. Her brother had made the papers, after all. He was famous the world over.

A flicker of respect stirred in Leon.

"So that's him. Funny, we're about to be colleagues."

"I hope I can join S.T.A.R.S. someday too."

"Ha ha."

Claire climbed back onto her fueled-up bike and turned to Leon.

"I'm sure you can."

"Oh, and I'll leave my share with you, Leon."

She pulled the gas money she'd had ready out of her pocket and tossed it to him. He caught it on instinct.

Then Claire twisted the throttle, and with the roar of her Harley, she was gone.

Watching her disappear down the road, Leon unfolded his hand. Two coins were tucked inside the bills.

"That's a lot of money, ma'am."

He set the cash on the convenience store counter and took a bottle of cola from the cooler.

"Sir, the other coin's on me. Cheers."

Leon raised the bottle toward the counter, twisted off the cap, and took two big gulps. It was the least he could do to send the clerk off.

Sigh…

Gripping the handlebars, Leon thought back on everything he'd seen at the store, and his mood grew heavy.

"I wonder how Raccoon City's doing now. I hope everything's okay…"

At 11:30 PM on September 24, in an empty field on the outskirts of Raccoon City, a six-man U.S.S. squad opened a hidden entrance leading underground. Inside waited a tram that ran straight to the mother nest.

Their leader was a French woman of about forty, dressed in a black U.S.S. combat suit with a translucent purple neon mask over her face. She carried a G36K assault rifle and a katana across her back, and her dark brown hair was tied up. She looked sharp and capable.

Her full name was Karena LesProux. Outsiders mostly called her "Lupo." Her teammates preferred another name: "Wolf Mother."

She was the squad's main founder and also served as its commander and primary assault specialist.

The Wolfpack had received orders from headquarters: go to Raccoon City, support Alpha Team, and seize the G-Virus. They were also to use EMP charges to knock out the city's communication towers and stop information from leaking out, and to sow as much chaos in Raccoon City as possible.

Meanwhile, a military helicopter had also reached the airspace above Raccoon City. With the police department's permission, its passengers landed on the helipad atop the main building.

Another six-man squad. After saying goodbye to their pilot, they followed the officers sent by the police into the S.T.A.R.S. office.

The moment he walked in, the team leader, codenamed Dee-Ay, real name Crispin Jettingham, shook Ivan's hand warmly.

"Hello, Chief Ivan. I'm Dee-Ay. Your name is legendary in our ranks."

"You flatter me. I only did what I had to."

"That answer alone tells me you're a good man. Ha ha."

Amid the pleasantries, Ivan showed Dee-Ay and his men to their seats.

The young man in front of him, with a short crew cut and a red scarf, left a deep impression on Ivan. Wasn't this the Echo Six squad the military had sent to investigate the truth during the Raccoon City operation?

If so, the Wolfpack, every one of them armed with black-tech gear, had probably reached Raccoon City too. The variables just kept multiplying…

"Chief Ivan, could you tell us what's going on in Raccoon City right now?"

Ivan gathered his thoughts and gave Dee-Ay a concise but thorough account of the city's tangled situation.

By the end, all six men, every one of them righteous, were seething. Dee-Ay couldn't help slamming his hand on the table.

"What does Umbrella think human lives are worth?!"

He forced his anger down.

"Chief Ivan, you've been through a lot."

"My comrades and I want to do our part for Raccoon City. Tell us what we can do to help."

From his expression and bearing, Ivan could tell he truly meant it. Ivan had a few ideas of his own, but first he had something to ask.

"Dee-Ay, does the outside world know what's happening in Raccoon City?"

The question caught Dee-Ay off guard. Then his brow furrowed, and he answered heavily.

"I don't think I've heard a whisper about it."

"Shit. It has to be Umbrella. They're using their resources to lock down every channel of information about Raccoon City."

The answer didn't surprise Ivan. If anything, the real situation was probably even worse. Umbrella was powerful, but not powerful enough to silence the entire United States. The cause was obvious: ambitious people all over the country had set their sights on Raccoon City and quietly colluded.

Some saw it as a proving ground for live BOW combat data, hoping to sell it for a good price or put it to other uses.

Some wanted to steal Umbrella's assets, such as the G-Virus and other vital research data.

Some wanted to treat the whole of Raccoon City as their chessboard, watching to see whether the BOWs' destructive power against human society lived up to expectations.

Some…

There were far too many. To these people, Raccoon City, with its excellent personnel and unique location, was a gold mine, and each of them wanted to carve out a piece.

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Ivan's eyes turned as cold as ice.

Raccoon City had long since been marked as his territory. It was the cornerstone for fighting back against every bioterrorist attack to come.

Anyone who reached out a hand would lose it. Anyone who poked out a head would lose it.

Even if every schemer wanted to see Raccoon City destroyed in this crisp autumn, Ivan didn't flinch for a second. He would fight them to the very end, fight his way to a tomorrow, to a future. And when that day came, it would be his turn to hunt down these bastards one by one and settle the score.

He pulled his thoughts back and looked at Dee-Ay with sincere eyes.

"Dee-Ay, can I trust you?"

Dee-Ay felt the weight of responsibility settle on him, a responsibility born of his respect for Ivan.