Chapter 151: Reunion with Ada (Patreon)

"Ring! Ring!"

The phone shrilled out of nowhere. Ivan's expression turned grave. He already had a guess about who was calling.

"Ivan, something's happened!"

Sure enough, it was Annette.

The woman who had stayed so calm and composed when they last met couldn't hide her panic now. It bled through every word.

"Don't rush. Take a deep breath first, then tell me slowly. What happened?"

Annette followed his advice and let out a long breath. Once the tension eased a little, she spoke quickly.

"William… William is dead! Or, to be more precise, he injected himself with the G-Virus and turned into a monster."

"The whole mother nest is out of control now. Most of the BOWs have slipped their containment and broken out of the labs."

"I'm sorry, Ivan. I couldn't fulfill our agreement."

Ivan didn't blame her. For one thing, he had already expected this. For another, dwelling on it now was pointless.

He kept comforting her.

"Don't say that. None of this is what you wanted."

"Take your time, Annette. Tell me what's going on in the mother nest."

"Okay…"

From her account, Ivan learned that the situation in the mother nest was close to what he had pictured.

HUNK's squad had shot William to seize the G-Virus. Dying, William had injected himself with it and turned the tables.

The commotion from both sides along the way had set off a large-scale virus and BOW leak throughout the mother nest.

To keep the USS from escaping, Annette had sealed off routes and set traps as they went.

But at a crucial moment, the shockwave from an explosion had knocked her unconscious.

She had only just woken up, which explained why she'd been out of contact.

After hunting down the USS, William had returned to the mother nest and now wandered near the lab where the G-Virus was kept.

Anything that dared come close tasted the club in his hand, without exception.

Annette didn't know whether the USS had gotten out or been wiped out by William.

As for the five Delta Force survivors, they had entered the underground transport tunnel through the mother nest and were now on the route the USS had used to retreat.

Judging by their direction of movement, it was hard to say what they intended to do.

"Ivan, another team has arrived at the mother nest."

"Can you make out who they are?"

"One moment. I'm zooming in on the camera feed."

Annette tucked the receiver against her ear and typed commands into the console with both hands.

"Got it. That armband… it's Umbrella again."

"How many are there?" Ivan asked.

"Six."

"Is one of them a woman wearing a blue, semi-transparent protective shield?"

"You're exactly right, Ivan. Do you know where they come from?"

"Yeah. The USS Wolfpack squad. I got word that they're here for the G-Virus too."

Hearing that, Annette actually laughed in sheer fury.

Fine. Just fine. So they all think the mother nest is their own backyard.

Come when they please, leave when they please.

In that case, they could all stay.

"Umbrella will regret this decision."

Her voice was thick with suppressed rage.

Ivan understood. Her husband's body wasn't even cold, and still a stream of people kept leaping around in front of her, all after the G-Virus, the research result the couple had prized above everything.

How could Annette possibly hold that in?

Ivan cautioned her.

"Don't act rashly. Safety comes first."

"Don't worry, my position is very safe right now."

"By the way, are those five people your doing?"

Ivan knew she meant the Delta Force squad.

"Yeah. I told them to gather information on the mother nest."

"But it doesn't look like that's what they have in mind."

Ivan had no good answer for that, and he was still working out what to say when Annette went on.

"Is Sherry all right?"

"Sherry's fine. She just misses you both."

"She's right outside. Do you want to talk to her?"

Annette's nose stung. "No…" She was about to say there was no need, so her daughter wouldn't worry.

But a mother's longing for her child made her take the words back.

Because this might very well be the last call they ever had.

"Yes. Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Ivan set the receiver on the desk and nodded to Ada, then stepped outside to call Sherry.

Sherry was helping Daisy sort files. When she heard it was her mother on the phone, she rushed over to Ivan in excitement and followed him back to the captain's office.

So as not to disturb the mother and daughter, Ada and Ivan slipped out of the room, a tacit understanding between them.

Ivan poured a cup of water and handed it to Ada.

She thanked him.

After moistening her throat, Ada held the paper cup in her palm and rested her hand flat on her thigh.

"I never imagined the mother nest would be this lively before I got here."

Ivan smiled, agreeing with her.

"A gathering of the great and wise. That's exactly what this is."

Unlike everyone else, the two of them spoke in their native tongue, thanks to their shared cultural background.

Ada caught the meaning behind Ivan's words at once.

That feeling of meeting someone from home in a foreign land wasn't bad at all.

Of course, that only held for people like Ivan. The famous scene of countrymen meeting abroad with tears in their eyes was something Ada had seen plenty of.

She smiled and put down her cup.

Her face settled back into calm.

She beckoned to Ivan, and he leaned his head toward her.

Her sensual red lips nearly touched his ear.

Her breath was soft and fragrant as orchids.

"About the G-Virus, what are you thinking?"

After the closeness he had shared with Rebecca, Ivan was no longer the green rookie he'd once been.

So even with that warm breath tickling his ear canal, he kept his expression perfectly steady.

Ada pulled back and studied him with interest.

"You'll find out when the time comes."

At that, Ada rose from the sofa and came around to his side, placing a hand on each of his shoulders.

She bent down and murmured in his ear.

"I see. Then I'll be waiting."

With that, she turned and left the office, leaving him with one last remark.

"I'll take a look around. Contact me anytime."

Ivan watched the direction she had gone and shook his head with a smile.

Then he picked up the phone in the S.T.A.R.S. office and issued a notice to every department…

11:50 PM. The basement of Spencer Memorial Hospital, Raccoon City.

"Bang!"

The explosive Silver Python spat out a bright line of fire, striking the head of a naked, pale, humanoid creature.

It was called a "Pale Head," a test subject from Umbrella's No. 2 mother nest. Severe mutation had boosted its regenerative ability.

A weapon's firepower had to outpace its regeneration, or the monster could never be fully killed.

"Splat!"

The tremendous force blew half its head clean off.

Barry watched it fall, but he didn't dare relax for even a second.

At least three or four more of these creatures were closing in around him.

"Careful, those things are coming again!"