RE - Chapter 318: IF: What If Uncle Leon Were Forced to Work Overtime II (Patreon)

After recovering from the shock, Uncle Leon stared at the Jeep gradually disappearing in the rearview mirror. His normally steady heartbeat began to quicken.

He rested both hands on the steering wheel. For a moment, only the music echoed through the car.

“Cold rain seeps to my soul Old wounds, I can't forget...”

“What if I had reached out to you?

I wouldn't have walked alone...”

“Warmth of a new dawn on my face I'll never let it go again...”

The music stopped, yet the final note continued to linger in Uncle Leon’s mind.

His hand fell naturally from the radio’s pause button and settled firmly on the gearshift.

In the darkness of the night, the black Cayenne roared to life once more. Its headlights pierced straight through the darkness ahead. A moment later, the vehicle swung around to face the road where the Jeep had disappeared.

Moonlight filtered through the glass, casting a cold glow over the gray beginning to show in Uncle Leon’s stubble.

His eyes were hidden in shadow, as sharp and deep as ever, yet there was now a strange clarity in them that was difficult to describe.

“Sorry, Sherry. Looks like your medicine is going to be a little late.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the Cayenne launched into a hard drift. The tires shrieked against the pavement, leaving dark skid marks behind. A gust of wind swept past as the black vehicle caught a glimmer of light and raced down the road ahead.

At the gas station entrance, Claire quickly raised both hands when she saw Leon aiming a gun at her, with Alan standing nearby.

“Don’t shoot!”

Leon took one look at her, frowned, and shouted, “Get down!”

A gunshot thundered through the store, drawing the attention of the zombies chasing Claire from behind.

Leon moved away from the store entrance while Alan shut the door. When Alan turned around and stood beside Claire, the sight before them left all three momentarily stunned.

“Holy crap.”

Meanwhile, the zombies inside the store kept pounding against the doors and windows, every impact sounding like a death knell for the three of them.

Just as Leon cursed under his breath and Alan was about to point toward the nearby police car, the roar of an approaching engine came from outside the gas station.

Even the zombies turned toward the road.

The one in front had barely turned its head when something slammed into its waist with tremendous force.

Uncle Leon drove the Cayenne straight through the middle of the gas station without the slightest hesitation. Zombie blood splattered across the vehicle, leaving vivid red streaks against the black paint.

Cries and snarls filled the air. Before Alan and the others could recover from their shock, the piercing screech of brakes assaulted their ears.

Uncle Leon lowered both front windows, turned toward a zombie lunging in from the other side, and pulled the trigger.

The gunshot had barely faded before the zombie collapsed.

Seeing even more zombies heading their way, Uncle Leon looked back at the three people still standing there.

He swept his gaze over them with an expression that said, just as expected, though his eyes lingered on Alan for half a second longer.

“What are you waiting for? Afraid I’m running an illegal taxi?”

Leon gave Uncle Leon a wary look, then exchanged glances with the other two.

Leon went around the front of the Cayenne and climbed into the passenger seat, while Alan and Claire got into the back.

Once everyone was inside, Uncle Leon immediately reversed. Just before the rear of the Cayenne could slam into the police car behind them, he shifted into drive and floored the accelerator.

As the zombies ahead burst apart like torn rags, Uncle Leon calmly switched on the windshield wipers.

“Good timing on the rain. Looks like I can save some washer fluid.”

Leon quickly glanced out the window. Only after the zombies had faded into tiny black specks in the rain did he finally relax.

The tension left his face, and he turned toward the man who had just saved their lives.

“Thank you for saving us. I’m Leon S. Kennedy.”

“You’re welcome. Want some gum?”

Leon stared at him in complete confusion, but still held out his hand and accepted the gum.

“You two in the back want some?”

“...Thanks.” x2

With his right hand free again, Uncle Leon glanced into the back seat through the rearview mirror, then casually rubbed his prickly stubble.

“I’m Claire Redfield. Thanks for saving us. Hey, you have no idea how cool you looked back there!”

Uncle Leon had been complimented plenty of times before, but hearing it from such a young version of his friend still brought the faintest smile to his lips.

He quickly composed himself.

Since he still had not decided what name he could use to bluff his way through this situation, he shifted the attention toward Alan, who had been unusually quiet in the back seat.

“What about you? You look a little shaken.”

“Sorry... My name is Alan. I spaced out for a second and didn’t react.”

Uncle Leon raised a thumb in the air.

“No need to apologize. After something like this, anyone would need a minute. Chinese? Your English is pretty good.”

“Uh... yeah.”

Alan felt both panicked and numb inside.

He had thought he had somehow entered the world of Resident Evil, so why had someone who was not supposed to be part of the story suddenly appeared?

Leon had originally been about to ask Uncle Leon for his name, but their conversation caught his attention. Looking back at Alan, he remembered something he had been meaning to ask.

“Alan, you were unconscious at the gas station. Do you know what happened?”

Alan collected himself and told them everything he was able to say. Only then did everyone finally stop focusing on him.

“So the city is extremely dangerous... Are you sure you still want to go?”

Uncle Leon glanced at his younger self from the corner of his eye as he asked.

Leon answered without hesitation.

“Of course. I need to find out what happened. No matter what, I’m still a police officer, even if today was supposed to be my first day and I already showed up late.”

“Even if you might die?”

“That’s right. That’s a police officer’s duty, isn’t it?”

Uncle Leon smiled.

“Leon, you haven’t even officially started the job yet. You’re risking your life doing unpaid work. Who knows? Going into that city might end up costing you the rest of your life.”

Leon opened his mouth to explain, but Uncle Leon interrupted him.

“Still, I admire your courage and sense of responsibility. So I’ll go with you... Getting another chance to do all this again, huh? I suppose putting this old life of mine on the line is worth it.”

“I’ll protect you!”

The corner of Uncle Leon’s mouth lifted slightly as he gave a small nod.

“...Of course. You’ll protect everyone.”

“So, can you tell me your name?”

“That’s not important. But... you can call me Scott.”

The scenery outside swept past them.

As the four talked, the Cayenne sped past a roadside sign and headed toward the distant city swallowed by darkness and flames.

Once they entered the city, familiar scenes began appearing before Uncle Leon’s eyes once again.

“Twice in one day. This really is going to kill me.”

Without warning, Uncle Leon steered the Cayenne into an alley and shifted into reverse.

The other three looked confused.

“What happened?”

“I’d rather not get into a car accident.”

The next moment, horns blared on the street outside the alley, followed by the violent crash and screech of twisting metal.

All four turned to look behind them.

A massive tanker truck came barreling down the road with its high beams blazing. Not long afterward, a deafening explosion shook the street, making Leon and Claire jump in their seats.

“My God! What just happened?!”

“Damn, did that tanker truck just explode?!”

Claire stared at Uncle Leon in amazement.

“You saved our lives again!”

Uncle Leon shrugged.

“Nothing to it. Sit tight. We’re moving again.”

As he spoke, Uncle Leon glanced at Alan.

The young man had looked nervous and frightened ever since leaving the gas station and had barely spoken the entire way.

Yet when the explosion happened just now, he had been far calmer than Uncle Leon expected.

What a strange kid.

Maybe his reactions were just a little delayed?

The Cayenne backed out of the alley and returned to the road. The blazing red fire reflected across its body and illuminated the faces of everyone inside.

“That was terrifying. What the hell is happening here?”

Uncle Leon shifted into drive and glanced at the makeshift ramp formed by the exploded tanker and the building beside it.

“As long as we keep moving forward, we’ll find the truth eventually.”

Then he gave everyone a friendly warning.

“You might want to fasten your seat belts.”

“...Wait. What are you planning?”

“Well... I’ve never liked taking detours.”

Uncle Leon thought back to the route he had once been forced to take and shrugged.

“What?!”

Uncle Leon slammed on the accelerator.

The Cayenne’s engine roared, and the entire vehicle shot forward, plunging straight into the sea of flames.

The other three held their breath as fire swallowed their entire field of vision, instinctively squeezing their eyes shut.

The car shook violently beneath them. The force threw them from side to side until they suddenly felt themselves become weightless, followed immediately by a brutal jolt.

Then everything went still.

Only the steady roar of the engine remained.

Uncle Leon’s deep voice, steady yet carrying a playful edge, filled the car.

“You can open your eyes now. We’re still alive.”