stonecrandall Page 99
Page 99
"I feel that following you is the path that suits me best."
She took a step closer to Zhou Ye, and the invisible pressure made the nearby survivors instinctively give way.
"Whether it's killing zombies or ghosts, it's because I'm an ugly, bloodthirsty woman."
She said this frankly, without the slightest shame, more like a declaration of her own identity.
If someone else were listening closely, they might feel a chill that ran deep in their soul, but Zhou Ye simply listened quietly.
This is not the impulsive remark of an ignorant young girl.
This is a decision made by Saeko Busujima after careful consideration, as she is someone who understands her own nature.
He had seen this kind of resolute madness in her swordsmanship.
"I am not a good guy."
Zhou Ye's straightforward narration is like stating an objective fact rather than expressing remorse.
The air between them seemed even more stagnant.
“Nanri Kaori and Shizuka Marikawa are special cases.”
He briefly mentioned the two men's involvement.
"But are you sure you want to jump into this fire pit?"
This question was the final hurdle he set, his last chance to escape before being engulfed in flames.
Saeko Busujima's gaze remained unwavering.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile bloomed on her lips.
That wasn't a warm smile, but rather one filled with anticipation for blood and fire.
"willing."
This single word carries immense weight, like a blood oath made under the witness of unseen gods and spirits.
Zhou Ye looked at her for a moment, then slowly nodded.
Midway through the train journey, Saya Takagi, with her mother Yuriko Takagi and her surviving bodyguard standing behind her, adjusted her glasses.
The image of Zhou Ye creating things out of thin air still replayed repeatedly in her meticulous mind.
This power overturned everything she knew about science.
This is terrible.
But this is also their only way to survive at this moment.
Zhou Ye is a walking paradox.
But now, the train is about to depart.
Escape is the top priority.
An individual's desire for exploration must give way to survival.
Leaving this cursed city is the only logical choice.
Just as the car door was about to close, a sudden voice rang out.
"Wait a minute, I want to stay too."
The sound was crisp and firm, piercing through the oppressive atmosphere inside the carriage.
Gil Valentine.
She stood by the car door, her professionalism as STARS kept her alert even in this moment.
She kept staring at Zhou Ye, her expression gradually shifting from disbelief to a mixture of awe and understanding.
Before anyone could react, she took a step back and stepped back onto the cold platform.
She jumped off the train that was about to reach safety.
She chose to stay.
Zhou Ye turned his gaze to her, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.
Chapter 74
Gil met his gaze.
"He has been too mysterious ever since I met Zhou Ye."
She spoke, as if explaining to him, and also as if convincing herself, seeking an explanation for this seemingly impulsive, but actually well-thought-out, decision.
Creating a train out of thin air is one thing.
Orbital space-based weapons are another matter.
Preparing calmly to deal with that powerful and hopeless enemy outside is another matter entirely.
"Without even realizing it, I was already drawn to it."
This "attraction" is not the same as romantic love between ordinary men and women.
Rather, it stems from the fatal allure of the unknown itself, the investigator's instinct to explore the truth, and the pursuit of the core forces at the heart of the current situation.
She realized that the tragedy in Raccoon City involved far more than just Umbrella.
Zhou Ye is right at the center of this new and terrifying vortex of reality.
"I really want to know Zhou Ye."
Perhaps, I also want to fight alongside someone who truly has the ability to change the situation, rather than simply choosing to run away.
The being outside, the newly appeared demon—Doma—is beyond the capabilities of a regular army (under the combined effect of a calculated and unintentional sneak attack).
Zhou Ye represents a different level of power, a different form of warfare.
He gazed at her, his initial surprise fading, replaced by a sense of inquiry.
Two very different women chose to stay and face their pursuers.
One is driven by the desire to kill, the other is inspired by truth and justice.
The heavy car door made a deep hydraulic sound as it began to close slowly.
Time seemed to be stretched at this moment.
Zhou Ye broke the silence.
His voice came through the train's public address system, devoid of emotion, simply an instruction.
"The train departs."
There was no persuasion, no attempt to keep them.
Jill made her choice.
His responsibility was to ensure that everyone else left safely.
The uniquely shaped "Cat Train Engine" emitted a deep, energetic hum.
Immediately afterwards, the space in front of the car began to distort.
It wasn't a loud noise, but a visual illusion, like the rising heat from an asphalt road in the height of summer, but a thousand times more intense.
A gate to the Imaginary Space, shimmering with extraordinary light, opened out of thin air.
It wasn't an extension leading to an underground tunnel, but a miracle connecting to an unknown other side.
The train did not accelerate suddenly.
It glided smoothly, with an irresistible air, into that bizarre and dazzling portal.
The familiar, dilapidated underground platform disappeared from the train window.
A brief feeling of weightlessness, a sensation of rapid movement that transcends physical inertia, enveloped all the passengers.
The process was so brief it felt like a hallucination.
When everything returned to normal, the train continued its journey, but the scenery outside the window had been completely transformed.
It's no longer the suffocating darkness beneath Raccoon City.
Instead, there are vast, barren plains bathed in the soft light of dawn.
Scattered cacti dotted the dusty earth.
The air that seeps in through the train's ventilation system, while still fresh, carries a hint of dryness and heat.
Raccoon City traveled all the way to the border between Texas and Mexico.
The long journey across the catastrophic continent, which should have taken several days, was completed in the blink of an eye.
Those survivors who had prepared for a long escape now looked at each other, their faces filled with bewilderment and disbelief at having survived such a catastrophe.
For many, the earlier announcements about the destination were nothing more than a promise made in despair.
Now, it has become a reality.
A completely new reality, full of unknowns, yet far removed from the man-eating horrors of Raccoon City.
Zhou Ye, Saeko Busujima, and Jill remained on the empty underground platform of Raccoon City.
After the train disappeared, the gate to the [imaginary space] also vanished silently.
The surroundings were once again enveloped in the deathly silence characteristic of abandoned subway stations, creating an eerie contrast with the faint sounds of destruction emanating from the ground.
A faint trace of ozone, unique to those who have traveled through space, still lingers in the air.
Jill turned to Zhou Ye.
"Alright, everyone who was just standing around has left. As for Douma? Who's that? That attack just now..."
Saeko Busujima's hand was already tightly gripping the hilt of the sword at her waist.
"Upper Moon II".
Her voice was deep, with a deadly seriousness.
"An extremely powerful demon."