A pitch-black transport plane with a futuristic sci-fi design was tearing through the thin clouds at high altitude at an astonishing speed.
Inside the cabin, the cold metal walls flickered with eerie blue emergency indicator lights, painting everything in an otherworldly hue.
Albert Wesker sat on the only commander's chair, his legs crossed elegantly.
He didn't even spare a glance at the woman he had carelessly discarded on the cold metal floor, who remained unconscious even now.
Jill Valentine, a S.T.A.R.S. elite and Chris's most trusted partner, was nothing more than a tool with specific value in his eyes at this moment.
The crimson vertical pupils behind Wesker's sunglasses reflected the complex stream of data constantly jumping across the screen in front of him.
His brain was working frantically, deducing every step and detail of his upcoming plan.
Alexia Ashford.
The woman hailed as the most outstanding Genius of the Ashford Family throughout its generations.
The Sleeping Queen who had created the t-veronica virus single-handedly and frozen herself for fifteen years.
A cold and fanatical smirk curled at the corner of Wesker's mouth.
He admitted that Alexia was a Genius.
But her Genius was riddled with fatal flaws.
Her understanding of power remained at its most primitive and crude stage.
Whereas he, Albert Wesker, was the one chosen by God, destined to usher in a new era of human evolution—the true New God.
The veronica virus would be the most important cornerstone for him to ascend his divine throne.
And Chris Redfield, Noah, and that group of rats who didn't know the meaning of death... their unexpectedly powerful combat strength was exactly the most perfect part of his plan.
Let them serve as the vanguard to awaken the Sleeping Queen.
Let them exhaust Alexia's strength and tear through her seemingly perfect defense.
And he would only need to appear gracefully at the most appropriate moment and then... harvest everything.
"Chris, Noah..."
He whispered softly in a voice only he could hear.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of grand and magnificent salute you can offer for my upcoming coronation ceremony."
...Meanwhile.
Inside the cabin, Claire carefully placed her Tactical Backpack under Chris's head as a cushion.
Only after confirming that her brother had fallen into a deep sleep and his breathing had stabilized did her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settle down slightly.
Noah didn't disturb her.
He walked straight to the cockpit and connected his IBM ThinkPad, a gift from Trant, to the expansion port of the plane's main console via a data cable.
A series of complex codes refreshed rapidly on the laptop screen like a waterfall.
The plane's central control System was locked tight by an extremely complex firewall.
However, this was not much of a problem for Mr. T's Assistant.
In less than a minute.
"Beep."
A soft sound.
The final encryption program on the screen was cleanly cracked by him.
All control permissions for the plane were instantly fully opened.
Just then.
An encrypted communication pop-up suddenly jumped out from the bottom right corner of the screen.
Noah raised an eyebrow slightly and reached out to click on the window.
A line of concise English appeared before his eyes.
[All Systems have been remotely unlocked. The remote control backdoor programs inside the fuselage have been cleared. Have a pleasant journey, Mr. Noah. — Mr. T's Assistant.]
He calmly closed the communication window.
"Alright," Noah turned around and said to everyone.
Ada Wong glanced at the dense, dizzying array of dials and control sticks in the cockpit and spoke in a cool voice.
"This plane requires two people to start."
She paused, her gaze sweeping across everyone one by one.
"Who among you can fly a plane? I need an assistant."
"I can."
Claire stepped forward without hesitation.
She looked at the sleeping Chris beside her, a hint of tenderness and pride showing in her eyes.
"Chris used to be a top pilot for the US Air Force; he taught me some basic flight skills."
Ada nodded at her.
Claire immediately walked forward and bent down with Ada to begin carefully checking the complex control equipment.
Both were wearing black tactical suits.
The form-fitting material perfectly outlined their slender yet powerful and graceful figures the moment they bent over.
Especially the perky curves of their buttocks, which appeared particularly eye-catching in the dim light of the cabin.
A burning gaze full of desire shot straight over from a corner of the cabin.
Steve's Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably.
Like iron filings attracted by a magnet, his gaze was stuck fast to those two beautiful sights that could make any normal man's blood boil, unable to pull himself away.
Less than two seconds after his aggressive gaze was cast.
Two tall figures, one on the left and one on the right, silently blocked his view.
In Noah's pitch-black eyes, there was no extra emotion, only a chilling coldness.
"What the hell are you looking at?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it made Steve feel as if his heart were being squeezed.
On the other side.
Leon stood with his arms crossed, a cynical smile hanging on his lips.
However, that smile held a dangerous aura that made one shiver.
"Kid."
He spoke lazily in a relaxed tone, as if discussing the weather.
"If you don't know where to put your eyes, you might consider donating them to a hospital's eye bank in advance."
"There are many people there who need them more than you do."
The color drained from Steve's face instantly!
An indescribable sense of fear and shame completely overwhelmed him in an instant!
He didn't even dare to look up at the expressions on the two men's faces.
He could only instinctively shrink his head like a startled quail, standing up from his seat in a fluster and retreating awkwardly to the back of the cabin.
The engine let out a low, powerful roar, and the fuselage cut through the dark blue sea surface, leaving two snow-white wakes before soaring head-first into the boundless night sky dotted with moonlight and stars.
The atmosphere in the entire cabin suddenly became somewhat frozen.
Just then.
"Thud!"
A dull sound of metal impact suddenly came from the airdrop cargo hold at the very back of the plane!
The sound wasn't loud, but in this quiet environment, it was particularly abrupt and piercing.
Everyone's nerves suddenly tightened!
Steve, who had just broken free from the immense pressure brought by the two men.
Without even thinking, he immediately volunteered and said loudly.
"I... I'll go take a look!"
After saying that, he couldn't wait to walk quickly toward the closed cargo door.
However... "Ah—Help!!!"
A shrill scream filled with extreme fear and despair suddenly erupted from the cargo hold!
Leon and Noah's expressions changed at the same time!
The two of them glanced at each other and lunged forward almost simultaneously!
They reached the cargo hold door in an instant!
Noah kicked open the unlocked metal door!
The scene behind the door made him frown!
In the small airdrop bay, a terrifying humanoid monster over two meters tall, with a suffocatingly burly build and wearing a dark green trench coat, was slowly standing up from a ruptured container!
That pale, bloodless skin, those cold eyes flashing with inhuman intelligence!
T-103 Tyrant!
And at this moment, the volunteering youth, Steve, was being held high in the air by the Tyrant's single hand, which was choking his neck like it was grabbing a chick!
His feet kicked uselessly in the air, and his face turned a terrifying liver-purple color due to lack of oxygen.
Seeing Noah and Leon rush in, a strong desire for survival burst from his eyes, which were wide with fear!
"Save... Save me..."
Noah didn't hesitate for a second.
He stomped his foot, and his whole body shot forward like a cannonball, instantly closing in on the T-103 Tyrant!
The Tyrant seemed to sense the threat as well, and its other hand, a giant hand like a massive iron pincer, swung down ruthlessly toward Noah's head without hesitation!
The terrifying wind from the punch even created a sharp hiss in the air!
Noah didn't dodge or evade, meeting it with a punch of his own!
"Bang—!!!"
A dull, terrifying collision sound, loud enough to make one's eardrums ache, boomed in the narrow cargo hold!
Two fists of completely disproportionate sizes slammed into each other!
A visible white shockwave centered on the contact point of their fists and spread frantically in all directions!
The metal floor under Noah's feet suddenly caved in a large section!
Yet the T-103's massive body was actually forced back a large step by this power!
A tooth-aching "crack" even came from the knuckles of the fist it used to clash with Noah!
Steve, who was being choked in its hand, was also released, slamming heavily onto the floor like a broken sack.
Leon crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe leisurely, watching this scene full of violent aesthetics with great interest.
Steve, who had scrambled away on the floor, coughed violently, greedily sucking in large mouthfuls of fresh air.
He looked up at Noah, who could actually go toe-to-toe with the Tyrant, with a gaze that was almost like he was looking at a monster.
Then, with a look full of confusion and anxiety, he looked at the man next to him who was still leisurely watching the show.
"Why... Why aren't you helping him?!"
Leon curled his lip and said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Help with what?"
"An opponent of this level is just a slightly hearty post-meal exercise for him."
"Just watch."
Steve's mouth fell wide open, his expression looking as if he had heard some kind of fairy tale.
Post-meal exercise?
Treating a terrifying monster that could make one feel suffocated just by standing there as a post-meal exercise?!
Is there something wrong with this guy's head?!
However.
The scene that happened next completely crushed his newly established worldview to pieces!
"Roar!"
The T-103, frustrated by its failure, seemed to be completely enraged!
Its lipless mouth opened wide, letting out a low roar!
Its massive body, like an out-of-control heavy truck, launched a violent charge toward Noah!
Noah's eyes narrowed, and instead of retreating, he advanced!
His body lowered slightly.
Just as the T-103's heavy punch was about to hit his face!
His figure moved like a ghost, shifting half a step to the side!
He narrowly avoided the fatal blow!
Simultaneously!
His right fist, which had already accumulated all the power in his body, traced a tricky and ruthless arc from the bottom up!
It slammed heavily into the T-103's lower jaw!
"Crack!"
A crisp sound of bone fracturing that made one's scalp tingle echoed through the entire cargo hold!
The T-103's massive body was actually knocked off the ground by this seemingly effortless uppercut!
Its huge head snapped backward.
Noah took a sudden step forward and leaped high into the air!
His hands, like two sharpest iron pincers, clamped firmly onto the T-103's head from both sides!
His two arms, which didn't look particularly thick, suddenly erupted with an unimaginable, terrifying strangling force!
"Crrrack—!!!!"
A sound of neck bone snapping, crisper and louder than any previous bone fracture, suddenly rang out!
The T-103's head was twisted a full circle by Noah in the most brutal manner!
Those cold, emotionless eyes stared straight back at its own back!
Its massive body twitched violently in mid-air.
Then it crashed to the ground!
It slammed heavily onto the metal floor, letting out a dull, heart-pounding thud.
Silence returned to the cargo hold once more.
Noah landed slowly on the ground and lightly shook his wrist, as if he had just done a trivial task.
He turned his head and nodded to Leon, who was still posing at the door, pointing to the completely dead corpse on the floor.
"Once we arrive, we need to dispose of it cleanly."
"Burn it; we can't leave any hidden dangers that might cause secondary contamination."
Leon gave him an "OK" gesture.
Noah didn't say anything more, turned around, walked out of the cargo hold, and headed straight back to the cockpit.
Leaving behind only Steve, who was still kneeling on the floor in a daze.
Leon walked up and patted his shoulder, which had become somewhat stiff from excessive shock.
"Let's go, kid."
"Unless you want to stay here and chat with it."
...In the cockpit, Ada had already turned on the autopilot mode.
The plane was flying steadily along the preset route toward that white continent covered in ice and snow.
Continuous fighting and high mental tension left everyone feeling a bit exhausted.
After everyone briefly replenished themselves with high-energy food and water from the supply crates, they each found a spot to seize the time to rest.
Claire naturally curled into Noah's broad and warm embrace.
She buried her face deep in his chest, listening to that steady and powerful heartbeat, feeling the sense of security that was enough for her to resist the whole world, and slowly closed her eyes.
On the other side.
Leon put his shameless skills to use, practically sticking himself to Ada.
Although Ada didn't give him a good look, she didn't push him away as ruthlessly as usual.
Steve, forced to endure the display of affection, could only huddle in the corner with a resentful expression.
He glanced at Chris, who was still in a deep sleep, and silently moved his body a little closer to the big guy.
It seemed that only in this way could his fragile, battered heart find a small bit of solace.
Just as Noah and his party disappeared over the horizon in the seaplane.
Deep within the ancient castle on Rockford Island, which had been disfigured by the flames of war.
A secret underground hangar slowly opened.
Accompanied by a piercing engine roar loud enough to tear the air.
A Harrier VTOL Fighter, painted with the Ashford Family's golden double-headed eagle emblem, soared into the sky, trailing two orange-red exhaust flames.
It turned into a black stream of light, following Noah and the others, silently merging into the boundless darkness.