RE - Chapter 325: IF: What If Uncle Leon Were Forced to Work Overtime III (Patreon)

Still recovering from Uncle Leon’s hair-raising stunt, the others were once again drawn to the commotion outside the windows.

Countless zombies, attracted by the explosion, came pouring in from both sides of the street and closed in on the Cayenne.

Seeing this, Uncle Leon hit the gas again and sped down the main road, quickly leaving the area behind.

“That was way too close...”

Claire patted her chest in relief, then looked over at Alan with concern.

“Hey, you okay?”

“I’m fine. That was just a little too intense.”

Alan swallowed and turned to look behind the car at the swarm of zombies pouring after them like rain.

“...I can’t believe I actually ended up in something like this.”

Claire sighed helplessly. “Tell me about it. My motorcycle’s still parked outside the gas station. There’s no way I’m getting it back now.”

Leon looked like he wanted to cry. “I’m still making payments on my Jeep.”

Alan seemed to realize something and laughed. “Well, I guess you don’t have to make those payments anymore.”

“Yeah... Let’s worry about staying alive first.”

Before long, Uncle Leon pulled over beside a street corner.

The engine slowly died, and Uncle Leon said, “The roads are too bad. We’ll have to go on foot from here.”

“Figured as much.”

The four of them unbuckled their seatbelts and got out.

The moment they left the shelter of the car, the rain began pelting them mercilessly, and the cold quickly seeped through their bodies.

Flickering streetlights shone across the countless vehicles abandoned on the road. A chilly wind swept through the street, carrying the metallic smell of rust.

Uncle Leon checked how much ammunition he had left, then went straight to the trunk and opened it.

The other three gathered behind him out of curiosity and stared at its contents in amazement.

“My God. What exactly do you do?”

Leon, a rookie cop who had not even officially started the job yet, could not help wondering if the man was some kind of gangster.

Uncle Leon picked up two spare axes and checked their edges, then turned toward the others. His gaze finally settled on Leon’s wary expression.

“Just a little self-defense. Nothing unusual about that. Don’t get the wrong idea, Officer.”

Officer, huh?

At the title, Leon unconsciously straightened his back before hurriedly catching the axe Uncle Leon tossed him.

“Tactical axe. Good for prying open doors too. Take it.”

Uncle Leon tossed the other axe to Claire, then finally looked at Alan.

Leon was obvious. Uncle Leon already knew he had a gun.

Claire had one too, since it was right there at her waist.

But Alan?

No matter how Uncle Leon looked at him, he was a civilian through and through.

A completely ordinary civilian.

That point deserved repeating three times.

So when Uncle Leon saw Alan’s eyes light up, he hesitated over whether to give him a weapon.

It was not because he thought Alan could not use one. He was not a child.

He was more worried Alan would miss his target and put a bullet in his back.

Whatever. The guy looked pretty sharp.

In the end, Uncle Leon took a handgun and some ammunition from the trunk, keeping them separate as he handed them to Alan.

“Use this to protect yourself.”

What he really meant was: Unless something is actively threatening you, try not to fire it.

Alan, now holding a gun, clearly took away a very different message.

He gave me a gun. He must want me to start blasting!

Uncle Leon’s worried look deepened when he saw Alan’s excitement.

Still, once he saw that Alan knew how to load the weapon and chamber a round, he relaxed a little.

Uncle Leon stopped watching him and addressed the three of them.

“Take plenty of spare ammo. Don’t worry about conserving it.”

“Got it!” x3

...

Zombies prowled through every corner of the pale, lifeless streets, while the RPD sign above the police station gave off one last faint trace of warmth.

Marvin stood beside the surveillance monitors in the lobby, watching the various camera feeds when a figure in blue slowly entered one of the screens.

“Marvin, are you there? Don’t worry, I’m still alive! I think the clue is just up ahead, so you don’t have to worry about me!”

“...Idiot. Watch where you’re going. Why are you wasting time telling me you’re okay?”

Despite what he said, Marvin finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Elliot was still unharmed.

The pain in his abdomen and his high fever soon made it impossible to remain standing in front of the monitors. He slowly moved to a seat behind him and sat down, trying to ease the pain.

There was no one else around, and the agony was too intense for Marvin to bother hiding it anymore. He eventually lay down, but his eyes remained fixed on the monitor nearby, terrified that he might miss a message from Elliot.

“...Can’t fall asleep.”

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening made Marvin tense.

He hurriedly rolled over and dropped awkwardly to the floor, then crawled into a corner. One hand covered his wound while the other gripped his gun. Even with sweat covering his face, he forced himself to breathe as quietly as possible.

“Anyone here? Is anybody here?”

Leon’s voice echoed through the empty lobby.

Uncle Leon looked at the building before him, still remarkably intact, and suppressed the urge to marvel at it. He glanced toward the monitor at the front desk from a distance, then turned and headed for the steel gate on the right.

Leon and Claire went over to the monitor, brought up the surveillance feed, and saw Elliot being chased.

At the same time, Marvin, listening from his hiding place, immediately grew anxious.

Damn it. Elliot’s in danger!

“We have to help him!” x2

Leon and Claire exchanged a glance, checked the map for the east corridor, and immediately headed out.

Meanwhile, Alan watched Uncle Leon’s back, increasingly convinced that there was something he had forgotten.

This man had not only barged straight into the plot, he also seemed to know exactly how everything was supposed to unfold.

He had avoided the tanker truck, immediately checked the surveillance monitors, and then headed straight for the steel gate leading to the east corridor.

While Leon and Claire were still checking the cameras, Uncle Leon had already pulled the switch for the steel gate.

The gate rose just enough to create a gap before getting stuck. Uncle Leon crouched, gripped the bottom with both hands, and heaved upward.

The grinding noise echoed throughout the lobby.

“I’ll help.”

Uncle Leon glanced back at Alan.

He did not refuse. He simply nodded and kept pushing.

With a loud metallic crash, Uncle Leon shifted sideways and braced the descending gate against his shoulder. By then, Leon and Claire had also reached them.

Alan quickly looked around, then ran off to grab several boxes and stacked them beneath the gate.

Once the stack was high enough, Uncle Leon stepped aside. The steel gate immediately crashed down onto the boxes with a heavy bang.

“Thanks, Alan.”

“Hah... hah... No problem.”

Alan could hardly believe it.

He had actually gotten winded just from moving a few boxes!

How pathetic.

Uncle Leon did not seem to think much of it. He looked at Leon and Claire.

“Ready? Then let’s move. We don’t have time to waste.”

“Got it. Let’s go.”

Uncle Leon watched the two pass through, then turned toward Alan, who was about to follow.

“You stay here.”

“Uh... okay. I’ll stay here and cover you!”

Uncle Leon smiled and nodded. “I’m counting on you. There’s an injured man in the lobby too. Look after him.”

Alan turned toward the area behind the front desk.

At some point, Marvin had gotten back to his feet and was standing there silently watching them.

When did he notice him?

Uncle Leon said nothing more. He gave Alan a reassuring look, then turned and ran toward the east corridor.

Watching him go, Alan felt that strange sense of familiarity grow even stronger, but he pushed it aside for now.

“Officer, are you okay?”

When Alan hurried toward him, Marvin instinctively recoiled.

“Don’t come any closer!”

Apparently worried that Alan might misunderstand, Marvin turned sideways and showed him the wound.

“...A zombie scratched me. Stay away from me.”

“What are you talking about?”

Alan stared at him in disbelief, then immediately stepped forward, draped Marvin’s arm over his shoulders, and helped him toward a nearby seat.

“You!... Hiss.”

A fresh wave of pain made Marvin suck in a sharp breath.

Alan immediately apologized and asked if he had bumped the wound.

Marvin waved him off, indicating that the wound itself was simply acting up.

Once seated, he looked up at Alan.

“You’re not afraid of me?”

“Afraid of you? Why?”

“...You stupid kid. Don’t you know people mutate after they’re bitten by zombies?”

“I know. But you haven’t mutated yet, have you? So right now, you’re just someone who needs help.”

Marvin did not know whether to laugh or sigh, but he still thanked Alan sincerely.

Alan scratched his head, slightly embarrassed.

“Um, I’ll see if I can find some medicine or something. That wound needs treatment.”

Marvin watched Alan pretend to busy himself searching around. He had wanted to tell him not to bother, but in the end, he said nothing.

Forget it.

The kid meant well.

With that thought, Marvin looked at the handgun beside him. He picked it up, determination flickering in his eyes, then slowly set it back down.

Meanwhile, Leon had already pushed the fallen cabinet upright, and the three of them quickly squeezed through the narrow passage and rushed toward the east corridor.

Before they even reached it, Elliot’s desperate cries were already audible.

“Open the door! Hurry! Damn it, hurry up! Open it!”

The panic and desperation in his voice immediately sank into all three of them.

Uncle Leon charged ahead, sprinting toward the sound with Leon and Claire right behind him.

The moment he entered the room, Uncle Leon rushed to the closed steel shutter. Elliot was on the other side, shouting for help.

“Open the door!”

Uncle Leon pulled the flashbang from his belt and looked at Leon and Claire.

“One of you lifts the door. The other pulls him out!”

“Got it!” x2

Leon strained against the steel shutter and finally managed to raise it just enough to create a narrow gap.

Elliot thrust his hand through and shouted, “Pull me out!”

“I’ve got you! Hang on!”

Claire grabbed Elliot by both wrists and pulled with all her strength.

Uncle Leon was not standing idle either. The instant the gap opened, he pulled the pin on the flashbang and tossed it through.

“Watch the flash!”

A blinding white light erupted beneath the door. The savage snarls from the other side immediately turned into agonized howls.

The deafening blast hit the three of them as well, but they gritted their teeth and endured it.

Leon released the shutter and grabbed the left side of Elliot’s bulletproof vest, while Uncle Leon hooked his fingers into the opening at the vest’s shoulder and yanked with all his strength.

“Ugh!!!”