Drift Of The Multiverse: [Marvel] [Resident Evil] [DC] [Bleach] [DB]

"Help me?"

James stared at the two young men clad in medieval-style armor and the young woman accompanying them, his tone skeptical.

"I really don't see how you can help me."

He gave a subtle signal to his team, and a few mercenaries moved in to subdue the trio.

Unfortunately for them, Ethan had no intention of letting that happen. Just as the soldiers approached, a sudden flash of white light exploded in the room. The mercenaries closest to Ethan were caught off guard, their vision blanking out as they stumbled to the ground, completely disoriented.

The remaining mercenaries, positioned farther away, immediately reacted. The sharp clicks of safeties being disengaged filled the room as guns were raised and pointed at Ethan. Whatever doubts they might have had about the seemingly harmless young man were gone.

Ethan remained calm, lowering his hand as the white glow faded. The spell he'd used wasn't particularly strong, it was just a magic shield from the Book of Inheritance, released in a flash to mimic a stun grenade. While it lacked the potency of a real flashbang, it was enough to disorient people in a dark environment.

He had deliberately held back, only knocking the mercenaries off their feet without causing any real harm. His message was clear: I'm not a threat, but don't think you can intimidate me.

"Hands up!" one of the soldiers barked, the command backed by the steady aim of multiple firearms.

Ethan raised his hands slowly, his expression calm. He turned to James, who stood at the front with his MP5 trained on him.

"I told you," Ethan said evenly, "I'm here to help you. Otherwise, you'd have lost those men permanently."

James hadn't escaped the flash entirely—it had shaken him briefly—but he was farther back, and the effect was minimal. He'd seen enough to realize that Ethan had subdued his men without inflicting real damage.

"Don't shoot," James ordered, though his tone remained wary. He didn't lower his weapon, and neither did his team. As a seasoned mercenary, James knew better than to trust anyone so easily.

"Talk," he said. "What's your deal, kid?"

Ethan dropped his hands and gestured to himself. "I'm Ethan. That's my companion, Arthur." He motioned toward Jill, who was still rubbing her eyes after being caught in the flash. "And that's Officer Jill Valentine of the Raccoon City Police Department."

"Police?" James repeated, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at Jill. He didn't care much about Ethan or Arthur, but a police officer complicated things. His gaze shifted briefly to Matt Addison, who had also claimed to be with the police.

Jill, recovering from the flash, pulled out her badge and held it up. "Raccoon City Police," she confirmed, her tone firm. "Now, who are you, and why are you breaking into private property in full tactical gear?"

James sighed internally. This situation was getting worse by the second.

His team's mission wasn't exactly aboveboard, and dealing with Matt earlier had been simple enough—restrain him, finish the mission, and let Umbrella handle the fallout later. But now there was another police officer involved, and she wasn't as easy to dismiss.

Killing her outright was an option, but not a good one. They weren't in a remote area, and Umbrella still maintained a public image as a legitimate corporation. A blatant murder would draw unnecessary attention.

James hesitated, weighing his options.

Ethan, of course, had anticipated this. Bringing Jill along wasn't just a whim, her presence was a calculated move. He knew the mercenaries would hesitate to act recklessly with a local police officer present.

Ethan had decided to openly approach the group because Jill was present. If she hadn't been there, his only option would have been to secretly follow them into the Hive and hope they'd come to his rescue if he got into trouble.

Why did he need to get involved with these mercenaries? The answer was simple, Ethan didn't understand computers.

In his previous life, he had been an ordinary person who could only handle basic computer problems. Expecting him to use that knowledge to hack into the Hive's control system and unlock the hidden entrance would be a pipe dream.

Kaplan, the team's computer expert, was indispensable and needed to be rescued. Without him, Ethan would have to deal with Red Queen—the Hive's AI system—on his own, and he doubted that talking to an artificial intelligence would be easier than working with people.

In short, if Ethan wanted to play the role of savior, he had to work with the mercenaries. Ideally, he'd reach a consensus with them. If that didn't work… well, he had ways of forcing one.

"Alright, Ethan?" James gestured to his team and lowered his gun to the ground. The other mercenaries followed suit, though they stayed alert and ready to react at a moment's notice. "You claim you're here to help us, so do you know what we're about to do?"

"I know a bit." Ethan pointed to Alice, who had been standing silently beside him, her expression clouded with confusion. "You're planning to investigate what happened inside the Hive, and she's the Hive's security officer."

The mercenaries' expressions darkened. The fact that a random young man knew about their classified mission didn't sit well with any of them. It was unsettling and made them question just how secure their operation really was.

James, in particular, looked especially grim. His face, already serious, now resembled the bottom of a scorched pot. "How do you know that?"

"I have my sources," Ethan replied with a faint smile. "And I know more than just that. I even know what happened inside the Hive."

James' scowl deepened. Ethan's words triggered two possibilities in his mind: Either Umbrella knew exactly what had gone wrong inside the Hive and still sent his team in, suggesting a far more dangerous situation than they had been led to believe. Or Ethan was bluffing and had no idea what he was talking about.

Either way, James wasn't happy.

"So, what happened in there?"

At this question, all eyes turned to Ethan, including those of Matt, the undercover cop currently pinned to the ground. His face reddened with suppressed emotion, but he remained unable to act.

"I assume you were briefed before you came here," Ethan began, "and know that the Hive's master computer, the Red Queen, went rogue and killed everyone inside?"

The mercenaries nodded grimly. This wasn't new information to them. Only Matt seemed to react strongly, his breathing quickening as he stared intently at Ethan.

"But you don't know why the Red Queen did it, do you?" Ethan continued.

Everyone shook their heads, so Ethan explained. He spoke about the experimental virus being developed in the Hive and how it had leaked. To prevent the virus from spreading, the Red Queen had been forced to kill everyone infected and seal off the facility.

Even this limited explanation was enough to make the mercenaries' blood run cold.

"A virus?" James' face twitched as he processed the revelation. "What kind of virus is so deadly that the Red Queen had to kill everyone? Couldn't it have been contained and backup called in?"

Ethan's gaze met James'. He could see the man's frustration. James wasn't angry at the Red Queen's actions; he was furious that Umbrella had sent his team into a potentially fatal situation without warning or any antiviral measures. It was clear now that the company didn't care whether they lived or died.

"You'll see for yourself once you're inside," Ethan said calmly. "Your mission is to retrieve the Red Queen's motherboard, right? You still plan on going in?"

James stiffened. Ethan's knowledge of the mission details further confirmed the presence of a leak within Umbrella. It was impossible for someone outside the organization to know so much otherwise.

"Yes, we're still going in," James replied firmly.

None of the mercenaries objected. It was their job. They had taken Umbrella's money, and now they had to fulfill their end of the deal. Dangerous or not, there was no turning back.

Seeing that Ethan intended to accompany them, James didn't protest. If he couldn't eliminate the young man, he'd allow him to tag along until the mission was complete. Then he'd deal with him.

Ethan, for his part, wasn't worried about their distrust. He knew he needed to be with them to access the Hive and complete his own goals.

"Let's go then!" Ethan said with a wave of his hand. "You don't need to worry too much. The Hive is relatively safe for now. The virus can only spread through the air shortly after it leaks, so it's no longer a concern."

Despite his reassurance, the mercenaries were clearly uneasy. When the Hive's entrance opened, nearly all of them instinctively stepped back, even Jill, who had only a vague understanding of the situation.

"Are you sure it's safe?" someone muttered.

"Yes," Ethan replied confidently.

"Are you positive?"

"If it weren't, would I be standing here so calmly?"

Ethan's composed demeanor seemed to convince them, or perhaps they simply needed a reason to push forward. Regardless, they followed him onto the internal train leading into the Hive.

Ethan, however, knew what was really hidden on this train: the film's main antagonist, along with the vials of the virus and the antivirus he desperately needed. Still, taking the items outright would be too conspicuous, so he made a suggestion.

"It's always better to be cautious. Why not check the train first?"

Even without Ethan's suggestion, the mercenaries would have done so. This was how they discovered Spence in the original events. Sure enough, they didn't overlook anything this time either. When they found Spence, Ethan retrieved a suitcase from the corner, drawing everyone's attention.

"What's that?" someone asked.

Ethan held up the suitcase, his expression grim. "The greatest source of evil in this world."

***

For every 100 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 20+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.