RE - Chapter 364: The More Allies, the Better (Patreon)

“Picking up Ada? How did I end up having a dream like this?” Leon rubbed his face, still unable to shake his disbelief.

“Want me to pinch you?”

“Sure, go ahead... OW!” Leon sprang away from Alan and frantically rubbed his side.

“Damn it, that hurt!”

“You asked for it.” Alan waved a hand, his grin widening.

“Yeah, thanks a lot.” Leon grimaced but soon recovered. Looking at the deserted, unfinished building, he turned to Alan. “Hey, Alan.”

“What is it?”

“Should we tell her?” Leon asked suddenly.

Alan went quiet, folding his arms. He wasn't sure what the right answer was. “Do what you think is best, Leon. It's not like we have much left to lose.”

“That's a hell of a way to put it... Fine. I'll decide.”

Leon sighed. He knew Alan was still afraid of things spiraling completely out of control. Now that Leon knew the truth himself, he shared some of those concerns.

After all, a single decision from them could affect countless lives.

The night was quiet except for the cold wind whipping through the trees, sending leaves and branches rustling in every direction.

Alan rested a hand on his gun and exchanged a glance with Leon.

They turned together, raising their weapons toward the depths of the woods.

“Come out now, or we'll start treating you as a target.”

“...You're no fun.” Ada was a little annoyed that the two had become sharp enough to ruin even her chance at a mysterious entrance.

Of course, the simple terrain didn't offer much cover. The place had been chosen to keep pursuers from sneaking up on them, but it had worked just as well against her.

She raised both hands and slowly stepped out of the brush into full view.

“Careful with those triggers.”

“We're not amateurs... Welcome, Ada.” Alan lowered his gun and gave her a nod.

“Alan, you're looking much more dependable these days.” Ada raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down.

“Don't mistake me for the ordinary civilian you met in Raccoon City.”

“I never said you were. Besides, teasing you now would probably just be asking for trouble.” Ada chuckled before turning to Leon.

Even in the moonlight, the gold of his hair stood out just as clearly as she remembered.

“Leon. Long time no see.”

“Ada. You're as beautiful as ever.”

“Such a sweet talker. Aren't you going to invite me into the car?”

Alan rolled his eyes at the way they were looking at each other. “Fine, fine, I'll drive. I don't feel like breaking down halfway there anyway.”

Leon nearly choked on that. Ada raised an eyebrow. “What's that supposed to mean?”

Under Alan's challenging stare, Leon could only scratch his head. “How do I explain this...? I haven't exactly had the best luck with cars.”

“I see.” Ada shrugged and opened the rear door. “Gentlemen first.”

“What a lady.”

Once they were both inside, Alan took the wheel and followed their planned route away from the dark, unfinished building.

Not long after they left, screams and explosions began echoing through the abandoned structure.

...

“Do these people have any brains at all?” Leon scoffed at the footage playing on his terminal.

Ada leaned over to take a look and shook her head. “I'm starting to question my own judgment.”

“How so?”

“I originally thought Wesker sent them, but the more I see, the less this looks like his style.” Ada took out her phone and showed Leon the intelligence she'd gathered.

“First Wesker vanished, and then people started hunting me. I've tried tracking down whoever's in charge, but every time I get close, it turns out there's yet another boss above them.” Ada rubbed her forehead. “It's ridiculous. Don't they get tired of passing messages up and down the chain?”

Leon found it absurd too. “That's taking information security to an extreme.”

Ada shrugged. “It's also the reason I managed to escape every time they surrounded me. That's what happens when one side doesn't have the same information as the other.”

When neither man answered, Ada glanced from Leon to Alan.

“You two...”

Alan checked the rearview mirror with a rueful smile. “Leon, don't overthink it. And don't make the same mistake I did.”

Ada studied Alan with renewed interest, then turned back to Leon.

“Did I just stumble onto something important?”

Seeing Leon hesitate, she rested a hand on his thigh.

“I'm not trying to make things difficult. If you don't want to tell me, I'll forget I asked.”

Her expression was sincere. Leon glanced at Alan's back, remembering that his friend had left the choice to him, and sighed.

“All right, Ada. This is going to take a while, and you might find it hard to believe. Are you sure you want to hear it?”

“Oh, now I'm looking forward to it.”

“Okay. Alan, slow down a little.”

“You got it. Take all the time you need, you two. My meter's running!”

...

“No wonder... That explains so much. Alan, you've been planning things so carefully you'd put a professional spy to shame.”

Ada shook her head, looking thoroughly exasperated.

“I knew there was something different about you the first time we met in Raccoon City. You never struck me as an ordinary civilian.”

That made Alan curious. “Why does everyone keep saying that? What gave me away?”

“What ordinary civilian keeps joking around and chatting when danger is closing in? And when you looked at me, I saw attraction and admiration, but one thing was always missing. Fear.”

Ada gave them a look that recreated the dangerous charm she'd carried back in Raccoon City.

Leon was secretly delighted. Alan understood what she was getting at too.

“True. There was a hint of killing intent beneath all that mystery and charm, but the sense of danger was even stronger.”

“Not bad, Alan. Have you used that kind of talk to charm yourself a girlfriend?” Ada looked to Leon for an answer.

Leon tilted his head and sold his friend out without a second thought. “Of course. He even managed to win over the President's daughter.”

“Wow. Impressive.”

Alan felt goosebumps rising all over his body. “Could you two stop ganging up on me? You're like an old married couple.”

“Old married couple?” Ada went still, then turned a deadly glare on Leon.

“You told him about that? Why? Were you showing off?”

Leon broke into a cold sweat. That look could kill, and her hand was already shifting toward where she could draw her gun.

“No! Actually... Well, remember that phone call I took back then?”

All his confidence vanished as he hurried to explain.

Ada raised an eyebrow. Apparently she'd misunderstood. She gave a cold snort and motioned for him to continue.

“...I really was about to leave. But then Alan texted me. He was right across the street, and he knew my mission had already started. He was looking out for me, so...”

The murderous look in Ada's eyes melted into an irrepressible smile. “I knew it. You, Leon? There's no way you'd come up with something like that on your own.”

“So you had a mastermind helping you.” Ada smiled sweetly at Alan, giving him the distinct feeling that his luck had finally run out. He turned his attention to the nearly empty highway. “Huh. Traffic's surprisingly light today.”

Ada shook her head with a laugh, half annoyed and half amused. Secretly, though, she was delighted.

After all, she'd come so close to ending up alone again.