The two stepped out of the room and headed down the corridor on the right, where they spotted a door marked “EXIT” ahead.
“We’re here.
Let’s hurry.”
Before he could finish speaking, a beam of light swept across the glass pane on the door.
In the next instant, debris burst from behind it, and thick dust billowed outside.
Only after the deafening sound of the collapsing structure gradually faded did the two come back to their senses.
“What just happened?”
Leon and Alan Han had been knocked off balance by the impact, staggering for a moment before regaining their footing.
Now that things had quieted down, they moved toward where the noise had come from.
Oh.
It was just a helicopter.
Alan Han instinctively glanced at Leon, completely unsurprised.
After a quick look at the wreckage, they had no choice but to leave through a nearby door that had somehow escaped being crushed.
From outside, Leon took another look at the helicopter cockpit and realized the pilot was beyond saving.
He shone his flashlight over it, visibly startled, then seemed to recall something and looked down past the fence.
“Claire!”
“Leon, Han!”
“Wait there.
I’m coming over.”
Alan Han glanced at Leon, then at the helicopter, and silently followed him down the stairs, counting in his head.
Three, two, one.
In the next moment, sparks flickered from the helicopter’s fire control panel.
Alan Han watched as it began to spark violently.
No, not “spark.” It was starting to catch fire on its own.
Electric arcs flashed, instantly igniting the entire panel.
The pilot was engulfed in flames in an instant.
Leon acted as if he hadn’t noticed.
Claire was the same.
“Claire, it’s so good to see you.
Are you alright?
A helicopter just came out of nowhere.”
Leon gestured vaguely back toward it.
“I’m guessing you don’t have the key we need in your pockets, right?”
Claire motioned with her eyes toward the tightly shut iron gate in front of them.
“Unfortunately, you’re right.”
Leon spread his hands.
“So, are you and Han okay?”
“We’re managing.
Still in one piece.”
“That’s good.”
“Did you find your brother?”
“No.
Not yet.”
“Claire, don’t give up…”
Watching the two of them exchange words, Alan Han stood there with one hand in his pocket, like a complete third wheel.
Leon, when you meet Ada Wong, don’t forget about Claire.
There are even rumors that Chris wants to set the two of you up.
What a wild story.
Leon had barely finished speaking when the helicopter behind them exploded.
The already unstable rotor blades were blown off and slammed hard into the police station wall.
Flames and smoke surged outward, swallowing everything nearby.
Alan Han looked at the two of them, both clearly stunned.
So you only noticed now?
“Damn it… do you know what this means?”
“Yeah.
Time for dinner.”
All three turned to look behind them.
A group of zombies was slowly approaching.
“Looks like you need to go.”
“Don’t worry about me, Leon.
You and Alan Han take care.”
“You need to leave.
Hurry!”
Leon grabbed the fence with both hands, calling out anxiously.
Alan Han thought to himself.
Honestly, I have no idea how to insert myself into whatever this is between them.
Claire drew her gun and fired at the incoming zombies.
With a crisp click of the revolver’s hammer, a bullet struck a zombie square in the head.
Blood burst from the back of its skull as it fell backward.
Three shots rang out, and the nearby zombies all dropped.
As expected of Claire.
Her aim is incredibly sharp.
Alan Han felt a hint of envy.
The two watched as Claire broke through the encirclement, both letting out a sigh of relief.
With the two finally separated, Alan Han started thinking about the plot.
If things followed the usual route, their next meeting would be much later.
That was not a bad thing for Leon, at least emotionally.
Come to think of it, am I being too much of a third wheel?
Leon snapped back to his senses, glanced at Alan Han, and met his eyes.
Catching the faint complexity in his gaze, he tilted his head slightly in confusion, then pointed to the nearby door.
“Let’s head out from here later.
We can’t get back to the second floor.”
Alan Han nodded.
Going back would only mean running into those two fireproof zombies anyway.
But should they wait for Claire…
If you are going to be a third wheel, two is better than one.
Alan Han glanced toward where Claire had disappeared.
She would probably be back in a few minutes.
Let’s stall for a bit.
Just a few minutes.
That is not long.
He stepped forward and picked up the large bolt cutters resting on a metal barrel beside the door.
Wait.
Did Leon carry this thing around in the game?
“Marvin, I’ve got a situation here.
I’m surrounded by zombies.”
Leon pressed the communicator on his chest, but only static came through.
“Marvin, can you hear me?
Marvin?
Damn it.”
He switched it off and looked at Alan Han, who had just cut through the chain on the door and was now standing there absentmindedly.
“We need to head back to the main hall.
Damn it, something might have happened to Marvin.”
Alan Han put on a thoughtful expression.
Dragging this out now might not be very moral, but…
He tried to hand the bolt cutters to Leon, but Leon dodged immediately.
“I have a feeling we will need this later.
You keep it.
The cut chain might come in handy too.”
With that, Leon quickly headed inside.
If you say he has no conscience, he is rushing to find Marvin.
If you say he does, it does not seem like much.
So I do not feel bad about stalling at all, Leon.
Alan Han quietly picked up the chain, awkwardly wrapped it around the bolt cutters, and slung it over his shoulder.
It is heavy.
Great.
I have turned into Leon’s item box.
Taking a deep breath, he glanced at the two flaming zombies on the stairs.
He raised his gun and fired twice.
The impact threw off their steps briefly before they started searching for a target again.
“Roar!”
Watching the flaming zombie approach after taking two shots, Alan Han curled his lips into a slight smile.
“Leon!
Get over here!”
Hearing this, Leon immediately ran toward the back door.
“Han?
What happened?”
He rushed out with his gun just as a zombie from upstairs fell through the gap blasted open earlier by the helicopter.
It landed not far from him.
“Since when do zombies play with fire?”
Leon raised his gun and fired at its head.
The smoke from the muzzle cleared, but the zombie remained as lively as ever.
“Why is it not working?”
Alan Han turned toward another zombie coming down the stairs and fired as well.
“Maybe the fire buffed them.”
After half a magazine, the zombies were still charging and roaring.
Leon glanced doubtfully at his gun.
A sudden gunshot rang out from behind the iron gate, startling both of them.
“Leon!
Thank goodness you are still here.”
Claire had just been complaining that Leon must have already left.
Seeing the zombie in front of them drop with a single shot, Alan Han decided not to waste more bullets.
They could not be killed anyway.
Once the flames died down, they would.
“Claire!
Why are you back?”
Claire waved a key in front of the door, smiling brightly.
“Got lucky.
Found it in a nearby tool room.”
She opened the iron gate and walked in, carrying a pair of bolt cutters on her back.
Looking at the flaming zombie writhing on the ground, she raised a brow.
“Is this some kind of movie?
Zombies can catch fire now?”
She stepped around it and walked over to Alan Han.
“Probably caused by the helicopter explosion earlier.”
Alan Han led her over to Leon.
“Why are you carrying bolt cutters too?
Same as me.”
“You will have to ask Leon.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a zombie climbed in through the window behind Leon.
He raised his gun and fired two shots into its head, then looked at Alan Han.
“Han, the door inside is chained.
I’m counting on you.”
Claire nodded.
So Leon was the one who made her carry them.
“Roar…”
The zombie on the ground suddenly cried out in pain.
Claire had casually thrown her bolt cutters onto it.
“Then I’ll leave mine to you as well.”
Alan Han: ?
He puffed his cheeks, took off the heavy cutters from his back, and walked into the room.
Then, in one clean motion, he cut through the chain on the inner door.
He slung the cutters back over his shoulder and gave Leon a mischievous look.
“Leon, how about we take turns?
This thing is seriously heavy.”
“I believe in you.
You can handle it, Honorary Citizen.”
Unbelievable.
Fine.
You handle the fighting.
I will handle logistics.
As Claire stepped into the room, Leon said to her,
“Claire, stick with us.
We can keep you safe.”
“Sure.
I was not sure where to go anyway.
But I do not need protection.”
She showed the revolver in her hand and the one at her waist.
Several zombies inside had been idle, but as soon as they entered, all of them sprang into action.
Leon, Alan Han, and Claire worked together to take them down, then searched the area.
Leon picked up some ammunition and a flash grenade.
It could be stuffed into a zombie’s mouth to incapacitate it.
Claire examined the item in her hand.
“There is even a fuse on this?”
Just as she was about to keep searching, Leon stopped, staring at the valve in front of him.
Alan Han stepped forward, glanced at the valve, then at Leon.
“I will go grab that cut chain.
I can carry it too.”
“Thanks, Han.
You are the best.”
Leon chuckled, then left with the valve together with him.
Time to go out and fight.
No.
Just Claire.
Fortunately, they had cleared the room earlier, though zombies were still climbing in through the window.
Leon raised his gun and blew one’s head apart.
Blood sprayed out, though it probably was not dead.
Alan Han gave him a thumbs up.
After securing the valve on his shoulder, Leon removed the chair and stack of books blocking the door.
Before he could open it, a zombie pushed its way in and tried to grab his shoulder.
Leon broke free, pinned it with one hand, and shoved the flash grenade into its mouth.
The zombie instinctively bit down.
Leon pulled the pin and kicked it away with all his strength.
“Cover your ears!”
Just as everyone covered their ears, the grenade detonated.
A blinding flash and deafening blast hit them, the shock forcing its way through their hands and into their ears.
Their vision dimmed for a moment.
The three shook their heads, taking a while to recover.
They looked at the zombie.
It had taken most of the blast.
Its lower jaw was shattered, hanging open in a gruesome, inhuman way.
Using it like that might be even more terrifying than a regular grenade, Alan Han thought.
“Nice, Leon.
That was quick.”
Claire gave him a thumbs up, though it cost quite a bit in return.
After stepping outside, Leon looked at the fuse box missing a fuse and fell silent.
Claire took out the fuse they had just found and inserted it.
The nearby iron gate slowly rose.
“We even have to search for fuses.
Good thing we got lucky.”
Alan Han sighed.
If an ordinary civilian wanted to escape, they would probably need to bring their own typewriter.