Dodging to the side, Hunk cut off one of the creature's tentacles with his machete and fired at the thing. The creature grunted in a mixed voice of a man and a monster, as if two people were in the same body.

Hunk advanced against the creature and plunged his machete into its neck, followed by a kick to its legs, knocking down the monster that was wearing Vicente's now deformed skin. The creature falls, and Hunk shoots it in the head.

The monster roars again and gets up quickly, ignoring the bullets piercing its body. In one swift movement, the creature tried to pierce Hunk's chest, who simply dodged to the side and countered with a kick to the chest, causing the creature to stagger back a few steps.

The monster brandished the tentacles of its arm, trying to attack Hunk, who dodged again by crouching. The creature might not be very fast, but it was certainly very strong, as its tentacles destroyed the concrete of the walls with some ease.

The monster then leapt at Hunk, who rolled to the side, hearing the sound of the ground cracking due to the force imposed by the creature. The agent then landed a strong kick to the monster's head, which was temporarily stunned, and grunted again when the agent fired a hail of bullets into its body.

The monster roared again and leapt upwards, through the concrete of the ceiling and up to the apartment above where they were standing.

Hunk grunted angrily and activated the heat vision of his mask, as well as the audio visible in his lenses. Now, his mask would point in the direction of any nearby noise, no matter how loud. Whether it was a grunt, a footstep, a nail falling to the ground... as long as he was within an area of at least six meters, it would catch.

In other words, it was impossible for him to be taken by surprise, which completely nullified the creature's way of fighting, which was currently relying on its element of surprise to kill him.

Perhaps that was how it had managed to kill Vicente... that thing would never have been able to hurt him otherwise.

Hunk quickly reloaded his rifle and walked with heavy steps out of the room. His slow but imposing footsteps echoed through the empty building.

That thing knew where he was. At the moment, it had a certain advantage, as it could attack him from literally all sides.

From his tactical vest, he pulled two smoke grenades. He threw one of them into the apartment behind him and the other into the corridor he was in. The smoke from the grenades was thick, intense enough to cut with a machete.

The agent switched the view mode of his lenses once more, and slowly, silently, he positioned himself, letting himself be swallowed up by the smoke.

The cloud of smoke dissipated in a matter of minutes. Silence lingered over the deserted place, a silence so intense that it was deafening.

The creature slowly emerged from its hiding place, climbing down one of the holes of destruction in one of the rooms beside the apartment. The creature possessed a level of intelligence that was far advanced compared to known biological weapons. It watched the corridor as if looking for Hunk, attentive to any movement made by the agent.

The creature turned and staggered towards the body of the fallen woman. The tentacles of its arms flailed around frantically and advanced towards the woman's body, penetrating her body and sucking out her fluids, devouring her flesh as the creature itself knelt in front of her.

The creature grunted and struggled as the structure of its body changed. Its muscles deformed and moved as if they were alive. Its face, once that of a brave and skillful agent, slowly transformed into that of a woman.

"Please..." Her voice... not exactly, still with a certain dread mixed in, but an almost perfect copy. "Help me."

The creature stood up after completing its transformation. Turning around again, it began to walk down the empty corridor with uncertain steps, as if it was still getting used to its body.

"Is... anyone there?" The creature asked, looking from side to side in search of its prey. Anyone looking from the outside would have thought it was just a scared, lonely woman looking for help.

The creature took a step forward, the ground creaked, the plank seemed to give way. Its cursed eyes lowered to the ground. An explosion occurred at its feet, causing the monster to fall into the small area of sewage below.

The monster roared in a mixture of inhuman voices. Its arms flexed to get up, but then it grunted again as it felt a weight above it.

Before the monster could do anything, even react, Hunk began stabbing his machete several times into its neck, causing blood to gush from its newest wound. The thing's tentacles flailed about frantically, violently, but Hunk only stabbed harder and harder, each blow more lethal than the other.

The agent stood up after decapitating the thing, attaching a grenade to its body before turning around and jumping upstairs. Whatever it was, he hoped it would stay dead and that he wouldn't find another like it.

The grenade exploded as soon as he left the building, avoiding looking at the disfigured body of the civilian who had died so unfairly. Just as he hated it when more of those damn viruses fell into the hands of filthy human beings, he hated it when tragedies like that happened.

Hunk stepped out of the building and activated the heat lenses on his mask. His eyes ran around and his mask picked up sound waves very close to where he was. Great, more infected.

He heard the notification noise of his watch and raised his arm. The screen showed a message from William... he hoped it was good news. However, considering Albert's track record and everything he was capable of, he didn't have very high hopes.


Sighing slightly, Chris cracks the bones in his hand and moves his head around, stretching the muscles in his neck. It had been a full and tiring day.

Settling into his chair, he leans forward slightly and begins to eat his dinner. The cool night wind was blowing through the small makeshift tent he was in. The site was just outside Filadelfia, and a sea of tents and military vehicles could be seen almost kilometers away.

It was a tragedy... but all things considered, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Albert could have wiped out an entire city with that. Ghost was right, that attack was more about distraction than extermination.

And in a way, Wesker managed to keep them busy with the attack... with luck, Ghost would come to give them some good news.

"Chris." The man focused his eyes on the entrance to his tent and watched O'Brian approach at a slow pace. "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

Redfield swallowed some of his food and took a few sips of his water, placing his bottle next to his plate.

"No, it's fine. I was going to call you anyway." He said, going back to focusing on his food.

"Most of the wounded are already being treated. Some have already been released, but unfortunately, some have died of their injuries. Among them some of our men." O'Brian said, and Chris sighed slightly.

"I figured. Have we had many losses?" He asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Not many... about 7 of our men. If you consider the scale of the attack, it's almost a miracle we lost so little." O'Brian replied and Chris lowered his head. He didn't see it as a good thing, it wasn't a miracle that they had lost so few men, it would have been a miracle if they hadn't lost anyone.

But they didn't need a miracle. All they needed were weapons and the license to act internationally without needing permission from local authorities.

"What about the others? I saw that the army suffered some casualties too?" He asked, and O'Brian ran his hand through his hair.

"They suffered significant casualties, as did US-SOCOM, but the situation has already been resolved. We'll do a sweep of the city together with DSO. You did a great job today, take it easy tomorrow." O'Brian said, and before Chris could complain or object, they saw Jill enter the tent.

"Chris, sir." She greeted them, followed by Parker who looked as tired as Chris.

"Jill, Parker." O'Brian greeted them back, and his eyes quickly focused on the masked figure who had entered the tent with them.

O'Brian had only heard about the masked figure who had now joined them. Although he didn't like not being able to meet the figure, he respected Chris's decision. After all, Chris was also the leader of that organization.

He had only heard stories and seen a few recordings. Up close, he seemed taller, and certainly more intimidating, because the moment their eyes met, he seemed to stare deep into his soul. The blue of his gaze seemed to turn a little cold. For a few moments, O'Brian just thought it was all in his head, and looked away.

"Well, O'Brian, Ghost. Ghost, O'Brian. But I think you guys probably already knew." Parker introduced them, oblivious to what was going on between them.

Ghost approached at a slow pace, his eyes staring steadily at the man in front of him, who, like all the others who knew of his crimes, avoided his gaze directly. He then calmly extended his hand towards the BSAA leader.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Chief O'Brian." Ghost greeted him, his voice low but audible enough for O'Brian to recognize the way his men called him.

The man swallowed some saliva and shook the agent's hand, finally looking him in the eye, and then regretting it. He felt as if the blue of that gaze was going to consume his body completely. He had never felt this kind of pressure, he was used to dealing with powerful leaders. This was different.

"Likewise." He said after a few moments, ignoring the strong handshake and almost sighing with relief when he turned and broke eye contact.

"So... are we deep in shit or not at all?" Parker asked, taking a seat opposite Chris.

"Depends on how you look at it." Ghost replied, taking a laptop out of his backpack and placing it on the table. "While we were taking care of the attack, William went after Wesker at Umbrella's main facility."

He reached into his main network and took the small projector from his backpack, plugging it into the laptop and showing the screen against the back wall of the tent.

"Albert was still infected with that poison we made, but he still had most of his abilities. They fought, and unfortunately, we lost contact with William." He explained, showing the message his boss had sent.

"What the fuck... so you mean that Albert escaped and that William died?" Parker asked.

"It's certain that Albert must have escaped, but it's uncertain to say that William is dead. You see, they both have very similar blood. As you can see from the message, William was captured earlier so that his brother could get his blood to cure himself. As he escaped before Albert had the chance, it's likely that Albert captured him again to complete his objective." Ghost explained, opening another screen next to the message.

"Damn... so, in other words, Albert is going to heal himself and finish his plan?" Jill asked, arms crossed, standing a few steps away from O'Brian, who was just watching everything in silence.

"That's where the good news comes in. Umbrella's main facility was finishing production of Albert's virus, called Uroboros. William and his team managed to stop the production of the virus and, fortunately, destroyed the facility. The missiles have been disabled and it is estimated that Umbrella has lost more or less 60% of all its power." He said, showing the recording from the cameras attached to each of the agents on William's team.

They watched as the men broke into the computers and hacked into their systems, getting all the information they needed.

"With that, despite Albert's escape, we restricted Umbrella's movements and managed to find their other hideouts and laboratories scattered across the east." The screen switched to the world map, and red dots appeared at different points in Asia.

China.

Philippines.

Korea.

And finally, Thailand.

"We can move teams to destroy each of these laboratories. My team will be leaving soon for China and Korea. I contacted Hunk briefly, we didn't get to talk for long, but I've sent him everything he needs to know for both him and his team." Ghost explained, running his eyes over the small group there.

"Good news at last. Not only is this going to be the downfall of Umbrella, it's also going to greatly restrict Albert's movements. He'll have nowhere to go." Chris said, arms crossed and leaning back in his chair.

"Exactly. He may even heal, but his plan is over. With that, it's only a matter of time before we find him. Whatever he plans now, he won't be able to pull it off in time." Ghost said, leaning his arm on the table. "But even so, that's no reason to underestimate him. He's incredibly intelligent, not to mention almost unpredictable. We can't let our guards down."

"I agree. Is your boss going to be okay?" Jill asked.

"William's death, while possible, is unlikely. At least not until Albert finds a permanent cure for what he has. Hopefully, we'll find him before that happens." Ghost said, leaning back in his chair and also crossing his arms.

"What about your partner, Hunk?" Chris asked, and Ghost looked at him with a certain curiosity.

"He's fine, he was busy with some infected but he should be leaving the country by now. Unfortunately, some members of his team died, apparently there was an infected who was able to transform himself into the person he killed."

"What the fuck?" Parker exclaimed indignantly.

"Transform? Like, become the person it killed?" Jill asked in disbelief.

"Exactly. I saw the video he sent me. The creature could perfectly imitate an ordinary person, imitate their voice, it could even formulate sentences. It was intelligent, but fortunately it wasn't that strong." He explained.

"Crap. First 5-meter-tall monsters, superhumans and now a fucking skinwalker. What else is going to appear? The illuminati?" He asked no one in particular.

"No, they're dead." Ghost said, and they blinked a few times in surprise.

"Really?!" Parker asked with his eyes wide.

"Do you remember the disappearance of those United Nations ambassadors?" He asked with his arms crossed.

"Really?!" Parker asked again, still not believing it.

"Okay... yeah, I knew they existed. So, we just have to go after the remaining Umbrella facilities while we hunt down Albert. Easier said than done, if you ask me." Parker said, leaning on the table.

"We can ask US-SOCOM for help, and I'm sure DSO will make some agents available to help us." O'Brian said, and Ghost slowly turned his head towards the man.

"Only the BSAA will participate in this mission, and that's final." He said loudly and imposingly, caring little for the look O'Brian sent him.

"Really? This is Umbrella and Albert Wesker we're talking about." Parker argued.

"I'm not against their participation in relation to Wesker. But when it comes to Umbrella, only a few members of the BSAA will become aware and take part in the mission. I won't risk DSO, US-SOCOM or the fucking army getting their hands on whatever virus samples Umbrella still has." Ghost argued back, now also leaning on the table in a slow movement.

"Are you serious? I'm sorry, I know you're a skilled agent, and your conditions are somewhat... unique." O'Brian began, hesitantly, but went on anyway. "But you're not part of the BSAA or any other renowned organization. We need to contact the other institutions. You're not the authority here."

Ghost sighed and stood up slowly, without removing his hands from the table as he felt Chris's sharp gaze on him, he didn't want to seem like a threat at the moment, it would only bring useless enmity.

"I don't care. My organization may not be renowned, but it has done a thousand times more than you incompetents. I know everyone at DSO, US-SOCOM and the BSAA. I trust you for that, because I know everything about you." Ghost said, his last sentence with a slightly whisperier voice, a lower timbre that sounded strangely like a threat for O'Brian's taste.

"And because I know all about you, I say they won't be part of this mission. Any objections?" He ran his eyes around, focusing them again on O'Brian shortly afterwards. "Is that good enough for you, sir?"

O'Brian swallowed a bit of saliva, a slight worry plaguing his chest. Was he really serious about knowing everything? He had no reason to pretend, and after all, it was clear that he had a lot of information about a lot of things.

But it could be a bluff. It wasn't as if he had eyes on everything. It was a bluff, it had to be a bluff... right?

"...Yeah... yeah, okay, fine." He wasn't going to risk it.

"I have to say Ghost, sometimes I don't like this way of yours at all. You act like you're better than all of us." Chris said, getting up as he picked up his empty plate. "But your help is undeniable, so... I'll just swallow it." He said, and they watched the man leave the tent with his empty plate in hand.

"Well... I think we'd better get some rest. Let us know when you're ready, Ghost." Jill said. "Are you going to stick around?"

"I'll be close by. My team will pick me up twenty kilometers from here when we're ready." Ghost replied, and Jill nodded, leaving the tent after Chris, followed by Parker and finally O'Brian.

"I hope you do the right thing, O'Brian." The agent's voice made the man stop just before leaving, and turn his head slightly to the side, looking at him over his shoulder.

"... What do you mean? Was that a threat?" O'Brian asked in a low tone, and Ghost snorted in derision.

"Come on, don't play the tough guy now. I know everything... I know about the torture of civilians that your soldiers committed a few years ago. I know about the crimes you covered up. I could tell Chris... or rather, I could send him the evidence." He said, and O'Brian turned to him with a serious look on his face.

If he was really telling the truth, then his career was practically at his mercy. A complete masked stranger with unknown origins.

O'Brian swallowed some saliva... he hadn't imagined things would turn out like this when he woke up that morning. First a large-scale attack, and then a personal attack on his character and his public outlook.

"... Why are you telling me this?" He asked, trying to disguise the clear discomfort he felt, and he knew he didn't do a very good job of doing so.

Ghost took a moment to answer. Really, why was he doing that? Why was he telling him that?

The logical choice was simply to say nothing and strike at the right time, without the target having the slightest knowledge of his motives. To make justice simple and swift, to take the punishment for his crimes. That was his logical choice, the choice of the agent he was created to be.

It was so easy... to simply hide his real intentions or trick someone into killing him later... he could fool the security guards and kill the fucking president the next morning if he wanted to... so why?

"I don't usually do this. Normally, I would have finished with Umbrella and Albert and killed you in the end, exposing your crimes. But I respect the idea behind the BSAA, I respect the help they provided and the positive view of the population. And above all, O'Brian, I respect Chris." He explained, lowering the screen of his laptop and putting the device back in his backpack.

"I respect his principles to the extent that I know he's practically incorruptible. And I know that he sees you as a great friend. Out of respect for him and your friendship, I'm giving you a second chance here. Do the right things." He raised his head and stared deep into O'Brian's eyes.

He knew why... it was because he was getting soft. He was feeling empathy again, feeling that this second chance was a humane thing to do.

And while he would give anything to be cruel, cold and unbeatable again, he was feeling good about not having to take another life. If O'Brian took the right path, there would be no need for him to kill him.

And that pleased Leon.

"I don't think I need to say this, but I can wipe you and this organization out in the blink of an eye. One day, that's all. So don't try anything against me. Trust me when I say that you don't want to take that risk." Ghost said, picking up the small projector and putting it in his backpack as well, heading towards the exit of the tent soon after, without taking his eyes off O'Brian, who looked cornered, not knowing how to react or where to go at the moment.

Ghost stopped in front of him, before leaving the tent completely. In the distance, he could hear the noise of the people around him. He didn't want to stand there and be seen any more than necessary.

"Don't make me be wrong about this." Was all he said, before turning and walking away at a calm pace, leaving behind a nervous and relieved O'Brian at the same time.


Sighing somewhat lazily, Sherry rolled over in bed and scratched her eyes with her hands. The alarm clock next to her beeped annoyingly. The girl grunted angrily and turned over, turning off the alarm clock and staring at the ceiling with a distant look.

Her eyes went to the clock on her cell phone. 7:50 in the morning. She felt that she hadn't rested very well.

Getting up, the girl straightened her shirt and walked barefoot to the bathroom, her eyes only now taking a little more notice of the hotel room she was in.

It was a simple room, a single bed next to a desk. There was a closet to the left and a small television on the table next to the bed.

Sherry ran her hand through her hair and undressed when she reached the bathroom, her eyes then focused on her reflection in the mirror.

She looked slightly tired, with dark circles under her eyes. Despite her tiredness, her body was fine. Her regeneration had taken care of any minor injuries she had suffered at some point, she no longer even worried about such things.

The girl took a cold shower and returned to her room. With her clothes changed, she picked up her backpack and left the room. She would have preferred to stay in one of the temporary tents, since they might need her help during the night, but everyone in the medical ward advised her to spend the night in a nearby hotel.

She and Claire... the Redfield a few rooms down the corridor.

Raising her cell phone, she walked down the hotel corridor towards the cafeteria to have breakfast. Claire had texted that she had left early. Knowing the older woman, Sherry would say she'd had trouble sleeping, if she'd slept at all.

With her tray of food in hand, she sat alone at a table further away and began to eat while occasionally glancing at her cell phone. No messages from Claire, and a message from Chris asking how she was and saying that he had new goals with Albert. She didn't have to think too hard to know that Ghost was involved.

And speaking of Ghost, her eyes went to the large television attached to the wall opposite. It was a news report about the previous day's tragedy. The images showed the city destroyed, biological weapons attacking civilians, destroying cars... real chaos captured both by ordinary people's cell phones and by helicopter images from journalists who had been allowed to accompany some helicopters and military vehicles into the city.

She watched the news for a few moments, noticing some people talking to each other almost in disbelief, a certain distress on their faces as they asked themselves "what if it happened there too?".

The scenes changed to images captured by a cameraman from a group of field journalists. The image showed the civilians running desperately towards the stadium, only to come face to face with the huge tyrant.

Sherry sighed as she watched the deaths take place in front of the camera, blurred as a form of censorship because it was on free-to-air TV. She watched carefully as the civilians ran away, only to run into a group of Lickers.

Considering the situation, it was almost a miracle that they managed to escape unharmed. Of course, that, and the fact that they were saved by a masked agent.

Sherry's eyes widened slightly as the camera focused on Ghost, fighting the Lickers with superhuman speed and agility. Some of the people watching stared in curiosity, confusion and surprise as Ghost dodged fatal attacks and counterattacked with just a pistol and his knife.

Sherry swallowed some of her food. Ghost didn't seem the type to want to be seen, and that would certainly draw attention to him. The footage ended with the cameraman filming Ghost walking towards the huge tyrant behind them.

The newscast raised questions like "Who was he? What organization was he part of?" There was no identification stamp, badge or logo of any known association. At the moment, they only stipulated that he was part of a separate special forces group.

She lowered her head a little. She imagined that Ghost wouldn't be too happy about it. What kind of consequences could this have for him?

Well... considering that they didn't have the slightest information about him, she would say that maybe it didn't matter that much.

She hoped.

She finished her breakfast and put her backpack on her back. After checking in at reception, she left the hotel and walked down the sidewalk towards the temporary camp for the civilians. That day, those in critical condition would be taken to a private hospital. The others would be taken to temporary homes and apartments until further orders arrived. From the message Chris had sent her, the city could get back on its feet, they could rebuild.

Which was great, but she doubted that the civilians would want to go back there. Even though it was their home, they would probably be too affected for that.

She didn't know what it was going to be like. The terrasafe together with the government would not leave them helpless. But the situation was more complicated than that.

She entered the camp, running her eyes over the vehicles leaving the site and entering the city. There were reporters, soldiers, some police, ambulances, medical teams, Terrasafe... hell, it seemed like everyone was gathered together.

She didn't necessarily need to be there, she could have stayed at the hotel and rested a little longer, but she couldn't. Her mind wouldn't let her, her conscience wouldn't let her.

So she just decided to help in any way she could, whether it was changing bandages, bringing water, food, giving medicine... whatever they needed, she was willing to help.

The hours passed without her even noticing, she only left the camp to eat, almost nine hours after she arrived.

When she returned, she noticed the drastic decrease in the number of people inside. Civilians were taken to housing inside the city, others were transported to different tents where they would stay indefinitely. While some of the journalists were leaving the area, others were standing around with cups of coffee in their hands.

It had been a busy day for everyone.

Lightly massaging her shoulder, the girl began to walk around the camp, checking how things were going. Terrasafe was still around. Technically, her shift was over, but considering that her home (Chris's house) was abandoned in an attacked town, she had nowhere to go but the hotel, and she wasn't too keen on staying there alone again.

Without realizing it, she ended up moving a little away from the camp. The place where they were staying was outside the city of Philadelphia, but it was close to other places. There was a school thirteen kilometers to the north, and a golf course twenty-two kilometers to the south. In front of the camp was the highway, and behind it was a small forest that led to one of the noble neighborhoods almost ten kilometers away.

The open space was between the trees, and she sighed in relief at the silence that had taken over. The noise pollution from before made her head hurt.

She picked up her cell phone and read some of her messages.

Claire (02:28 pm) - I'm on my way to the Terrasafe building here with some civilians. I might be gone for a while. Anna and Moira are with me. Barry sent you a hug.

Sherry (05:33 pm) - Send him one too 😊

She leaned on the trunk of one of the trees.

Chris (01:22 pm) - Sherry, how are you? I'm in a meeting with O'Brian and the DSO, as I said, we're in charge of sweeping the city. I hope you're all right. Don't push yourself too hard.

Chris (04:56 pm) - We took a short break, then we'll be out again, it looks like there were some infected still in some places, but we'll deal with them. You'd better answer me, brat, or when I get there, I'll make you and Claire sleep together. Don't play games.

Sherry smiled slightly and shook her head. He never changed.

Sherry (05:34 pm) - Hiii! I was busy helping the civilians today, I didn't even pick up my cell phone, so I didn't even see your messages.

Sherry (05:35 pm) - I'll stop messing with you if you stop playing with Jill 😘

Chris is typing...

Chris (05:35 pm) - Grounded.

Sherry laughed a little louder.

"Good to see you smiling, little Redfield." Sherry was startled by the sudden voice next to her, and her wide eyes stared at the masked agent a few steps away from where she stood.

She didn't even hear him coming.

"Jesus... how did you manage to walk through the dry leaves without making a sound?" She asked, and he just shrugged as he took two steps closer.

"You weren't paying attention to me, it was easy to get closer." She stared at him.

"It's good to see you. I figured you'd be around, but I didn't realize you were in the camp."

She said, and Ghost looked around calmly as he played with his knife between his fingers masterfully.

"I'm in that private BSAA tent." He said, pointing to a tent a little further away about a hundred, a hundred and ten meters away. "Chris arranged it for me."

"I figured you'd be far away, you know? With all the attention you drew. By the way, how does it feel to be a big topic in the news?" She asked, crossing her arms and leaning back against the tree behind her.

"It's uncomfortable... but it's nothing serious." Sherry let out a nasal laugh. Somehow, she knew that was the exact answer he would say.

"Oh, about the gun you gave me, it's with Chris, if you want it back, you'll have to-"

"No, relax. You can keep it." He interrupted her, and the girl stared at him, blinking a few times in confusion.

"Really? Like, really? That's certainly no ordinary weapon. Are you sure?" She asked, and he just shook his head.

"Consider it a gift. I'll do my best not to let another attack like that happen, but you'd better be prepared for anything with the best of equipment." He just replied, throwing his knife up and twirling it in his fingers after picking it up again.

"Okay... thanks. I don't know exactly how I'm going to keep it, but thanks." He snorted.

"Ordinary bullets work too. Don't worry." He replied, and Sherry looked at him with a curious face.

"Are you all right?" She asked, making him look at her. "It's probably a stupid question, but... you were up against that tyrant in the stadium and... I don't know, it's hard to think that anyone would be intact afterwards." He shook his head in understanding, and sighed slightly.

"I'm fine. That wasn't the first, and maybe it won't be the last tyrant I'll face." He replied, swinging his knife between his fingers again, throwing it and spinning it in the air.

"You make it look so easy." She said, and he looked at her with one eyebrow raised under his mask. "Knives aren't my specialty."

"And what would your specialty be?" He asked, and she bowed her head thoughtfully.

"I don't think I have one. I'm good at everything, but that's pretty much it. I don't excel at anything." She replied, and Ghost stopped playing with his blade.

"You don't have to be great at fighting, Sherry. That's not you. You're great at looking after others, helping them, protecting them." She let out a nasal laugh.

"You talk just like Chris." She said, raising her head and sighing. "I don't know. I always feel like I could do more."

The girl stared at the camp with a distant look, oblivious to Ghost's gaze on her.

"I can teach you a thing or two." His voice drew her attention in his direction, and she stared at him with both eyebrows arched. "If you like, of course."

She looked at him curiously. She knew he had helped Claire, in his own way, but he had helped her nonetheless. And after that conversation, they hadn't had any time alone. He was different, and she held back a small smile when she saw that it was because of her.

She was making a difference in his life. Maybe it wasn't a lost cause yet.

"Of course." She said, and he nodded before turning and starting to walk into the forest.

She followed him, staring at his back with curiosity.

"I believe it was Chris who trained you, right? The way you handle a gun is similar to his." He said, following her to a small open area among the trees.

"Yes, him and Claire, actually." She said, stopping when she saw that he had turned in her direction.

"To what level did they teach you with a knife?" He asked, throwing his knife into the air in a spinning motion and changing the posture of his grip.

"Military basics, I guess. We focus more on hand-to-hand than with the knife, to tell you the truth." She said, taking her combat knife from her waist. It was a little shorter than Ghost's and the blade was black instead of silver.

"A knife, like any other weapon of which you have a level of mastery, should be like an extension of your body. Knives are perfect for close combat and, depending, even medium range. They are fast and precise and can prevent a situation from becoming too tight with just one well-timed move. Most of the time, the secret lies in your drawing speed." He said, throwing his knife from one hand to the other with a certain speed.

"Against a human being, all you need to do is get close enough. Break into his zone. Try to get your weapon." He said, and Sherry quickly did so, putting her hand on the handle of her pistol and pulling it out of her waistband.

But before she could even raise her arm, she felt the icy blade of Ghost's knife against her neck.

She blinked a few times in surprise. She hadn't even seen him approach, and he was only about seven paces away.

"Be quick, and you'll eliminate your opponent before he can even raise his weapon. Unlike Chris, you're small, which means you're agile and fast, so use that to your advantage. If you can't and he reacts, use his momentum against him. Attack me." He said, and Sherry advanced with her knife in hand, attempting a horizontal cut from right to left in a saber grip.

Ghost quickly repelled the girl's attack by crashing his blade into hers, controlling the rotation of his arm to throw the girl's limb to the side, causing her to step to the side to try to keep her balance, giving Ghost the opening to place his knife against the girl's neck once again.

"You control the fight, control your opponent's movements and he won't even be able to touch you. Attack me again."

Sherry stepped back and attacked again. This time, a vertical slash from bottom to top.

Ghost again repelled the girl's attack by forcing his blade against hers, causing the girl's arm to be thrown to the side.

"I barely used any force in that move and left you with your guard open, that's the important part. Use your opponent's speed and strength against him. Defend yourself." He said, dropping his knife, turning his body and catching it still in the air with his other hand, attempting a slashing attack on the girl in a hammer grip.

Sherry's eyes widened slightly at Ghost's speed and she reacted, imitating his move and attacking his knife with hers, causing the agent's movement to be interrupted.

He was serious, he wasn't taking it easy just because it was training. He didn't seem afraid of hurting her, and in a way, good, she would regenerate from almost any injury anyway.

Quickly, the girl counterattacked by dropping her knife, turning her body and catching the blade with her other hand, imitating the same movement as Ghost, who widened his eyes slightly and blocked her attack with his blade.

His eyes met hers, both shining brightly, and a smile appeared on Sherry's lips.

"Be careful, I'm a fast learner." She said, and Ghost relaxed his posture slightly, still staring at her.

"I can see that. I guess the little flower still has its thorns, huh?" Sherry widened her eyes slightly and grimaced.

"Argh, do you remember that?!" He let out a nasal laugh.

"My memory hasn't been erased, Sherry. I remember everything." He said, and Sherry stared at him for a few moments. His knife lowered, the short, brief training session being put aside.

"Really? I'm sorry to inform you, but I'm on the Terminator team now. I still like Rambo, though." He let out a nasal laugh.

"Well... there's nothing I can do about you having terrible taste." He joked, and Sherry shook her head and patted him lightly on the shoulder.

Ghost stared at the floor for a few moments and sighed slightly, feeling the girl's gaze on him all the time.

"You look... troubled." Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he blinked a few times as he looked away, putting his knife back in its sheath.

"I've been thinking... recently, I've been thinking things I wouldn't have thought before. I act in a way that I would never act in other circumstances. And that's because of you." He said, looking the girl in the eye. "Every time I'm around you, I say more in five minutes than I've said in months, and I always regret it."

The girl swallowed some saliva because of his intense gaze. It seemed like something that happened even though he didn't mean it, his intense gaze that seemed to engulf her entire body.

"But at the same time, it doesn't seem so bad. Part of me even likes it." He said, and Sherry took a step closer.

"So, what do you think, Ghost? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" She asked, and he lowered his head for a few moments, staring at the ground.

To be honest with himself, he no longer knew. It was as if his two sides were in conflict, and both were right.

"I think I should apologize to you. For the way I treated you in our last conversation. What I said." Sherry sighed, hiding her slight disappointment at not receiving a concrete answer, but she soon pushed those thoughts aside.

"Oh, that? You don't have to apologize for anything, Ghost. In fact, you were right in much of what you said. The world needs those who are strong enough to do what needs to be done, no matter what. You were right about your impact, people need an unconventional kind of hero like you." She said, crossing her arms, and Ghost snorted as she looked away.

"Don't call me that. You're wrong. The world doesn't need a hero, it needs a professional." He said, and Sherry felt her body tremble at the look the man gave her. "I'm not a hero, I don't fit in. People like you are the real heroes. Cops, firefighters, doctors, soldiers. You do things that I could never do. As you said, I don't feel enough to really save a person."

The girl licked her lips and lowered her gaze, remembering her own words. Silence lingered in the room for a few moments.

"After all this..." She began. "After Wesker, Umbrella, the corrupt politicians and everything else... what are you gonna do?" She asked, and Ghost looked up, staring at the late afternoon sky.

The plan was to stay in the shadows, monitor the world and make sure that anyone who tried anything was stopped. Killed and dumped in a grave, scattering their corpses as a form of warning to anyone else who tried the same thing.

However, the answer he wanted to give was different.

"I don't know." He finally answered. "But I do know that now I'm going to finish your knife training. Draw." He said, picking up his blade again at great speed and taking a few steps back.


"Joan." Claire called out the woman's name as she entered the medical tent, and a woman in hospital clothes and a mask stood up from the chair next to the bed of one of the patients.

"Ah, Claire. These are the reports, I presume." The woman said, removing her gloves and walking towards Claire, who nodded.

"Yes. Some supplies will arrive in the morning, and patient forty-seven will have to be transferred." Claire explained, handing the reports to the woman.

"Understood. Thank you, Claire." The woman thanked her, and Claire left the tent shortly afterwards.

With a sigh, she fixed her ponytail and walked through the camp towards the exit. It was already evening, and although she wasn't hungry, it would be good if she went back to the hotel and had a shower. Perhaps she could go out with Sherry afterwards, to relieve all that tension.

As she walked, she felt her cell phone vibrate and picked it up, slowing her steps when she saw Sherry's messages.

Sherry (08:14 pm) - Claire, I'm at the hotel now. Chris will be here later to check on us. Just letting you know.

Claire (08:14 pm) - Okay, I've just arrived at the campsite. I'll be at the hotel soon too.

Sherry (08:15 pm) - Great, I don't want to hear him telling us to answer his messages faster on my own. Not to mention that he's pissed off because his house was hit by one of the missiles.

Sherry (08:15 pm) - You're going to suffer with me.

She smiled.

Claire (08:15 pm) - You know what? think you're alone in this.

Sherry (08:16 pm) - Nu-uh, no chance!

Sherry (08:16 pm) - Get your ass over here! You've got until 10!

Sherry (08:16 pm) - Otherwise I'll give your number to Piers.

Claire grimaced.

Sherry (08:17 pm) - Did you know he asked me this back at the BSAA? Right before everything happened.

Sherry (08:17 pm) - And he's already sent me messages asking for it.

Claire sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Really? Even after I said no?"

Claire (08:18 pm) - Don't you dare!

Sherry (08:18 pm) - Come on then! Need a little incentive? I'll buy you a pizza, how about that?

"Claire?" The woman raised her head as she saw Parker approaching from further ahead with some papers in his hands.

"Hey, Parker. Leaving now?" She asked, and he snorted in disgust.

"Leaving? I'll probably sleep here. Seriously, sometimes your brother is a pain in the ass." He said with a little grimace, and Claire laughed softly. "Don't tell him I said that."

"No problem, I'll keep my mouth shut." She said.

"Good." Parker said, nodding at her. "If I may, I have to find a tent for myself. Apparently, the one that would be mine is already occupied."

"Really? Jill stole your spot?" she joked, and Parker snorted.

"No, I just can't tell if it's better or worse. It was Ghost." He said, and Claire arched her eyebrows slightly in surprise.

"He's here?"

"He's been here for almost a day. He's in private tent 09. I'll see if I can stay in 07. I don't know, maybe I can share with someone." He said with a sigh. "Anyway, Chris said to let you know that he'll be stopping by your hotel later, in case I see you."

"Yeah, yeah, Sherry just texted me. Thanks, Parker." She said, and Parker nodded, before turning and starting to walk away.

"A good night to you, Claire." He said, and she nodded at him.

As the man walked away, she sighed slightly and shook her own hand. After her conversation with the agent, she hadn't had many opportunities to talk to him. And, well, she had plenty of time to read the files on that USB.

In a few moments, she started walking further into the camp. She was only going to meet the agent to return the USB.

She didn't know exactly how to feel. It was rather obvious that other people didn't have access to such information. She would say that even Chris didn't know about all the agent's exploits, so on the one hand, she felt almost flattered by the confidence.

But on the other, she felt a little... confused? Why had he given her so much information like that? It wasn't just anything, it was important, detailed information about successfully completed missions. And there were a lot of them. So many that there were missions that she had heard about but had no idea of the real proportion.

It was hard to believe he was human. If anything, he was more like a machine.

In a few minutes, she found herself approaching the tent Parker had mentioned, the 09 marked in the bottom right corner.

Was that a good idea?

Well, too late, she was already there. Not to mention that she had to return the files.

Stopping in front of the closed entrance to the tent, she sighed once more.

"Ghost?" she called out, and waited for an answer that didn't come.

Hesitantly, she opened the tent's curtains and slowly stepped inside.

Like all the tents nearby, this one had a spacious interior. In the right-hand corner there was a bed on the floor. In the center was a table with a few chairs around it. A few chests in the left-hand corner and a table with a lamp illuminating what looked like a laptop.

Next to the bed, there was a backpack.

No sign of him, though.

"Ah, a Redfield spying on my quarters." She felt her skin crawl as she heard his voice just behind her, and the woman turned, facing the agent standing just outside the entrance to the tent. "Should I be worried?"

"Probably not. I mean, no, you shouldn't." She said, watching him walk calmly towards the table.

"I assume you took a look at the file I gave you?" He asked, picking up his laptop and placing it on the table in the center of the tent.

"Yes, that's why I came." She said, approaching in short strides and placing the USB on the table, right next to where he sat.

"So?" He asked, looking deep into her eyes, which felt exposed to his gaze. How could someone have such a strong effect?

"... So I guess you were right. This isn't for me. I can't do what you do, and you do it perfectly." She replied, and for a brief moment, somehow, he seemed satisfied with that answer.

"Good then. As I said, let people like me deal with people like them." He said, and she shook her head, searching for the best words as he turned on his laptop.

"I've seen all the missions. I've read every detail. What you do... I've never seen anyone do it. The things you're capable of... I think I have to thank you." She said, and the agent stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"You know, for saying that. For helping me open my eyes. You gave me hope that, although it won't exactly end all the evils of the world, bioterrorism will, one day." He shook his head.

"It won't lead to definitive peace, that's impossible. But it will send a message and prevent many from trying to do the same. And that's something." He said, and she looked at him with a curious expression. He was so mysterious. But he was so comfortable at the same time.

"I don't understand how you do it." She began. "I don't understand how you fight so easily. You do what you do every day as if it were easy, you see so much chaos and tragedy and yet you remain unaffected." She swallowed some saliva, shaking her head as she looked away. That conversation was as much for him as it was for her.

"You're just a man, and yet you fight against bio-weapons, terrorists, super-soldiers. Hell, you go up against practically the whole world with your chest held high. It's like you have no fear. I could never do that." She looked him in the eye again. "I'm not like you. I'd have nightmares every night."

"When you know something, really know it, it stops giving you nightmares." He said, his firm voice penetrating Claire's mind. She'd heard that voice before. "When you know how to fight something, it stops looking so threatening." She swallowed some saliva, digesting those words. They sounded so true, yet so far out of her reach.

"You shouldn't be afraid of them, Redfield. Neither of biological weapons nor of those who produce them. Your fear slows you down. When there is no enemy within, enemies on the outside can do you no harm. What does that tell you?" he asked, taking her by surprise.

He really was an unknown. He sounded so distant at times, so close at others. He was so cold at times and at others he spoke like a sage, a coldness that was welcome rather than uncomfortable, being nothing more than a cool breeze.

"Why are you telling me this? You don't have to. You don't even know me, and yet you choose the right words to strike me." She asked, feeling too close to a complete stranger but at the same time someone she had always known.

It was so confusing.

Ghost, for his part, looked thoughtful for a few moments.

"Because you're innocent." He replied a few moments later. "As I mentioned before, you're just another victim of all this shit." His response characterized him well, it was very much his style.

But for some reason, Claire didn't fully believe him. She felt there was something more there, but unlike the other times her instincts had warned her of something hidden, this time she didn't sense any malice.

"You're... nicer than I thought." She said, trying to relieve the tension, and to her surprise, the eyes of the man in front of her showed a certain level of amusement.

"Worrying about futile things is like using a broken pen." He said, and the woman arched an eyebrow in silent question. "It's pointless."

The woman blinked a few times, her eyes widening slightly as she digested the words.

"That... was that a joke?" She asked sheepishly, and he just shrugged.

"A bit of army humor. It helps relieve tension on stressful missions." She blinked a few more times, a bemused smile springing to her lips.

It made a certain agent's heart skip a beat. It was the first time he'd seen her smile after so long, and her smile was just as beautiful as he remembered.

"So, you, the skilled and lethal mysterious agent, make jokes?" She asked, and again, he shrugged, completely ignoring the agent's voice in his mind.

"Nothing wrong with a good sense of humor." She arched an eyebrow.

"Really? Okay, tell me another one." He grunted softly, thoughtfully.

"What did the ocean say to the beach?" She shook her head. "Nothing, it just waved." They stared at each other for a few moments in silence, the woman's smile widening by the second, until she shook her head.

"Jesus, that was awful." She laughed lightly, and Ghost found himself lost for a moment.

That was wrong... very wrong.

But to hell with it.

"I disagree." He simply replied.

"Ghost, that was terrible."

"It was not."

"Of course it was."

"I imagined that living with your brother would have some kind of consequence. You've lost your sense of humor." She laughed a little.

"You call that a sense of humor?"

"Yes indeed." She leaned slightly to one side and propped herself up on the table with one hand, still looking at him with a smile on her lips.

He certainly wasn't what she had expected. Of course, she was aware that he was one of the most deadly men on a battlefield she had ever met. But as a person, he didn't seem so bad.

"You're different from what I imagined. That's a surprise." He looked at her with a certain curiosity. "Well, you can't blame me. Your story, your voice, your build, your mask. Anyone would be hesitant about you. Someone so lethal that no one has ever even seen his face."

He looked thoughtful for a few moments.

"Maybe... but I don't wear a mask just to hide my face. I wear it to show what I have become. People fear me not only because of my abilities, but also because they don't know me. Hence the nickname." He said, and Claire looked at him with a different countenance, her smile leaving her face and giving way to a more serious expression.

"Strange as it may seem, you look so familiar." She said, and just like her, Ghost's countenance also changed, adopting a more serious expression behind the mask. "It's just a feeling, you're easy to talk to... I feel like I know you."

With a serious expression and eyes shining with intensity, Ghost leaned back in his chair.

"Maybe you do." He said, the voice in his mind falling on deaf ears.


Whoa, whoa, has the moment arrived? HAS IT ARRIVED? Fucking no, but it's a good suspense.

Stopping by to tell you that I'm going on a trip. I've finally finished my semester at college and taken some time off work. I'm going to visit family, spend some time looking after myself. I'll probably be writing while I travel, but I won't be posting as often, so don't expect much.

Sorry about Hunk's short fight, it was supposed to be in the previous chapter, but I simply 'forgor'.

Thank you to everyone who has read this far, I hope you continue to enjoy the story, we're almost at the end. I hope you're all well, and I'll see you next time.