Chapter 156: Finally Reaching the Mother Nest (Patreon)

As for whether Umbrella was writing a blank check…

For Wolfpack, who had worked with the company many times, there was no reason to doubt its finances or its credibility.

"Director Ivan!"

Alex was surprised to see Ivan appear.

By now they had covered more than half the distance. Seven more minutes and they would reach the sewer entrance.

Ivan looked at the Delta Force squad, now one man short, and asked with concern, "What happened to you?"

Alex shook his head in frustration.

"It's a long story… If I'd led the men out sooner, this wouldn't have happened."

Ivan heard the rough outline, stepped forward and patted his shoulder.

"Don't say that. You did everything you could."

Alex felt a good deal better.

"Director Ivan, what about you two?"

"As you can see, we're heading to the mother nest to deal with a hidden threat."

Deal with a hidden threat? Just the two of them?

Alex looked at Ivan, then at Lisa beside him. Both wore grave expressions, with no hint of a joke. He figured they must have found some shortcut for wiping out the mother nest. In that case, there wasn't much more he could say.

He could only offer one last warning.

"Director Ivan, be careful. Especially of the people who attacked us. They're carrying a lot of cutting-edge military hardware that's still in testing. You can't afford to underestimate them."

Ivan didn't brush it off. He accepted the advice with sincerity.

"Don't worry, I will."

They chatted a little longer. Ivan learned that the Delta Force squad was heading back to the police station to resupply first. After resting up, they would throw themselves back into the fight against Resident Evil.

Ivan naturally welcomed that, and then the two groups parted ways.

In truth, Ivan hadn't wanted to move on the mother nest just yet.

It carried enormous weight in his mind. So many BOWs lived there that striking rashly seemed unwise. He had wanted to wait until the situation on the surface stabilized, then send in overwhelming force and swallow the place whole, taking as little risk as possible.

But with the appearance of Wolfpack, Ivan realized that waiting wouldn't work.

He could use his men to watch most of the mother nest's entrances inside Raccoon City, but there were countless other ways in. Never mind the far-off ones. The outskirts of Raccoon City alone had plenty. There was simply no way to guard against everyone who wanted to seize the mother nest's legacy.

Even that wasn't what worried Ivan most. What worried him most was this…

With each successive battle, the G-Virus inside William would slip further out of control. If the G5 form from the original course of events appeared, the consequences would be unthinkable.

So rather than wait for them to turn the situation into a mess, it was better to gamble.

Besides, Raccoon City's local armed forces were now all in position, just as he had arranged, and command had been handed to Makima. With nothing left to worry about behind him, Ivan realized the moment had arrived.

He immediately called on Lisa, and with the leech army he could summon at any time, he suddenly realized he had been too cautious before. The advantage was clearly his!

Lisa was just as happy to be going out alone with Ivan. Being completely alone with him like this was a first for her, and her steps grew lighter before she knew it.

The two of them moved far faster than the Delta Force squad, since their bodies had already reached the realm of the inhuman.

Before long, the site of the earlier battle came into view.

But the place was long since deserted.

"Ivan, I can see you."

Annette's voice came through the tactical earpiece. She had known they would come, because Ivan had notified her beforehand.

"Annette, can you see where Wolfpack and William went?"

At the mention of Wolfpack, Annette tried to keep her voice steady.

"They're planning to steal the G-Virus, but I've already activated the mother nest's defense system. Add the experimental subjects inside, and their plan is doomed to fail!"

"William… sigh… This was my mistake. Ivan, I'm begging you, please kill him. His condition is getting worse and worse, and right now he's heading for the lab."

"To prevent exactly this, we developed syringes that suppress the activity of the G-Virus. They're located at—"

Annette went on quickly.

"Also, Ivan, I've already mapped out the safest route for you. You can bypass William and reach the lab directly. I'm leaving the syringes to you. I trust your character. I know you'll handle them properly."

Ivan had no objection to Annette's arrangements.

"And you? What do you plan to do?"

Annette started, as if she hadn't expected Ivan to care about her safety. She realized she had been measuring a gentleman by petty standards. She reined in her tangled emotions and gave a bitter laugh.

"I'm surrounded by BOWs. There's no hope for me. Ivan, I'm entrusting Sherry Birkin to you. I wasn't a worthy mother. Please rest assured, I'll honor the promise between us. Once I've helped you all get out safely, I'll trigger the self-destruct device, and everything will be buried here."

Ivan fell silent.

After a short while, he asked a question.

"Your test subjects. Where did they come from? Who were they?"

Annette didn't know why he cared about that. Her mind was full of how to end all this, and she had little energy to spare for anything else. But since it was Ivan asking, she was glad to answer.

"Serious felons, without exception."

"Can you be sure of that?"

"Of course. I can say with certainty that not a single one of them slipped through the net. You know what truth serum is, don't you?"

Ivan replied, "Mm."

Annette smiled.

"I used it on every single felon, and it was a special mother nest version. It strips away a person's mental defenses. In that state, every answer to every question is true. To be extra safe, I confirmed things repeatedly, for example by cross-examining them again and again with the answers I'd gotten, to make sure nothing could go wrong."

As she spoke, Annette pressed a hand to her forehead and smiled sweetly.

"You know, William argued with me about this many times. But in the end he always gave in. A man that proud, yet willing to, in this matter…"

"Ah, sorry. I've said too much."

Ivan smiled as well.

"It's fine."

"Ms. Annette, Sherry can't do without her mother. Don't you think?"

Annette froze, and before she could react, Ivan and Lisa were already moving.

They had chatted long enough. It was time to get to work.

Of course, Ivan had done this on purpose. His perception told him that slowing the pace a little would benefit the battle ahead.

Meanwhile, Wolfpack had fallen into a fierce fight.

Everything had gone smoothly at first. They had taken advantage of the opening the Delta Force squad created and gone straight for the lab. At this rate, getting their hands on the G-Virus was a sure thing…