Sherry let out a sigh of relief as she watched the zombie go down.
After killing it, Claire turned and looked at the door marked EXIT.
“Hey, Leon, Han, over here.”
Hearing her call, the two made their way over.
“Let’s go.
Looks like this leads downward.”
Alan Han took Leon’s shotgun and went ahead.
He remembered that three zombies always showed up down here, just enough to keep things interesting.
They hadn’t even finished descending the stairs when two zombies appeared around the corner below.
Alan Han fired two clean shots, both headshots.
Honestly, he had found something even better than unlimited ammo.
Actually shooting zombies in real life.
He casually finished off another zombie lying on the ground with a shot to the head, then handed the shotgun back to Leon.
After that, he pulled out the tool at his waist, inserted it into a slot nearby, and tried turning it to the left.
The blue iron door slowly lifted as Alan Han pushed with all his strength.
“Man, this is heavy.”
“Let’s take turns.
Save some energy.”
Leon took the tool from him, fully opened the door, then pulled it out and clipped it back at his waist.
“Exactly, Alan Han.
Don’t push yourself.
Ask for help when you need it.
Even Sherry knows that.”
Claire gave him a firm pat on the shoulder.
Sherry nodded.
“Yeah, man, you should ask for help when you’re tired.”
Catching his breath, Alan Han smiled.
“Alright.
Having friends like you guys really is something.”
They passed through the iron gate and walked up to a table ahead.
A key with a red tag hung there.
“With this, we can open some of the doors we passed earlier.”
Recalling the map, Alan Han said confidently.
“Alright, let’s head back.”
Back at the spot where they had just taken down the three zombies, Leon noticed a lever switch on the wall along a path they hadn’t explored before.
He stepped forward and pulled it.
Nearby, the iron bars of an archway submerged in sewage lifted open.
“Alright, I’m used to it now.
So we’re wading through water again, right?”
Claire sounded resigned, though no longer resistant.
Sometimes, the things you hate are just things you haven’t gotten used to yet.
They climbed down into the sewer channel together.
Instead of moving forward, Alan Han carried Sherry back a short distance and found a grenade on a dirt mound nearby.
“Wow, how did you know something was here?”
Sherry looked curious.
Alan Han grinned.
“Want to learn?
You’ll figure it out when you grow up.”
Sherry immediately started swinging her fists.
“Don’t lie to kids.”
“Caught me.”
The two walked back to Leon and Claire.
Seeing that they had already noticed the faint, fleshy mass lurking in the water and had stopped advancing, Alan Han nodded and stuffed the grenade into Leon’s hand.
“Go for it.
Claire, let’s fall back.”
Leon pulled the pin and shot Alan Han a helpless look.
Then he tossed it into the water ahead and quickly retreated.
Boom.
This time, the mass didn’t even have a chance to open up.
It was blown apart instantly.
With enough firepower, there was no real threat.
Just routine sewer cleanup.
After crossing the foul-smelling channel, they reached another iron gate.
Leon took out the tool and strained to turn it open.
Looking at the now-open gate, he rolled his shoulders.
Inside, Leon found shotgun shells, while Alan Han and Claire, along with Sherry, discovered a freight elevator and waited for him.
Once Leon got into position, Alan Han activated the lift.
When it stopped, they split up to search for clues.
There were two locked doors and a chess piece key placed on top of an electrical panel.
Using the red-tagged key they had found earlier, they opened both doors.
Each of them found some ammo, a roll of film, and a clue note.
Leon studied a cabinet, then glanced at the narrow gap beside it.
A hidden door?
He pushed against the cabinet.
It was heavy.
“Ghh… haa… ugh…”
After putting in some effort, Leon finally moved it aside.
It revealed what looked like an elevator.
He looked toward the other two and gestured that he would go up to check it out.
Alan Han and Claire nodded.
Alan Han already knew where it led anyway.
Leon stepped into the elevator and leaned against the wall, exhausted.
He instinctively wanted to rub his eyes, but then remembered there wasn’t a single clean spot on him and gave up.
Ding.
Leon stepped out and looked around.
This place felt familiar.
Wait.
Isn’t this the hidden passage beneath the police station statue?
So that’s how it is.
Chief Irons really was hiding something from us.
Alan Han made the right call with that shot.
I should’ve fired another one too.
Realizing just how deeply the Chief was tied to Umbrella Corporation, Leon clenched his fists.
Looking around, he found a box that seemed to require something to open.
Judging by the shape, it looked like it needed a police badge.
He pulled out the badge from deep inside his pouch, slid the USB back into the rear of the badge, and inserted it into the slot.
Click.
Inside was an extended barrel for the Lightning Hawk.
This would increase its range and power.
I’ll give it to Alan Han later.
After checking around, Leon picked up a grenade.
Finding nothing else, he took the elevator back down.
Back with Alan Han and Claire, Leon handed over the extended barrel.
“Whoa, nice.
Let me see how this attaches.”
Taking out the Lightning Hawk, which hadn’t been used in a while, Alan Han fiddled with it but couldn’t figure it out.
Claire couldn’t watch any longer.
She took the Lightning Hawk, switched off the safety, and skillfully removed the slide.
Before long, she had the extended barrel installed.
“Claire, you’re pretty good at this.”
“My brother used to show me this kind of stuff all the time.
You pick things up after a while.”
She thought again of her always-on-the-move older brother.
“Oh right, I forgot to tell you.
When we found the Lightning Hawk, we also found some information about your brother, Chris.”
“Really?
Where is he?”
Claire lit up immediately.
“In Europe.
But Chris said he’s fine, and he didn’t want to tell you where he is or what he’s doing.
He thinks you’d take risks, and that would be dangerous.”
Recalling the contents of the letter, Alan Han explained.
“Heh, that sounds like him.
As long as he’s okay, that’s what matters.
I’ll find him myself sooner or later.”
Claire handed the Lightning Hawk back to Alan Han.
“Good luck with that.”
Alan Han took it, loaded the rounds, and chambered a shot.
The sound of the Lightning Hawk’s slide really was too satisfying.