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He didn't know how long he had been asleep.
Noah felt like a sponge drained of all strength, slumped on the sofa. Even the simple act of lifting his eyelids felt like fighting against the weight of the entire world.
Amidst this chaotic darkness, a slight, fuzzy sensation began wandering and burrowing across his chest.
The tiny paws stepped on his skin, bringing a faint itch.
He subconsciously raised a hand, wanting to brush away this little troublemaker, his fingertips touching a warm and soft ball of fur.
His eyelids struggled to open a crack.
In the dim light, a small creature, snow-white all over with two black-bean-like eyes, was squatting on his chest, curiously sniffing his chin with its pink little nose.
It was "Snowball," the little white mouse that Sherry treasured like a precious gem.
A familiar and warm feeling instantly dispelled the bloodshed and gunpowder smoke lingering in his mind.
Noah felt a warmth from behind, as if something was leaning against him.
He struggled to turn his head. Between the sofa back and himself, someone had appeared without him noticing.
The soft lighting outlined a familiar and beautiful profile he missed to the bone.
Her reddish-brown hair was casually draped, a few strands falling onto his neck, carrying the faint fragrance of shampoo.
She seemed to have fallen asleep as well, her breathing even and steady.
And right behind the sofa back, another figure was standing.
It was a graceful young girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old.
She had a head of brilliant short blonde hair, shimmering softly under the light.
Her features were exquisite, like a doll in a shop window. A pair of sapphire-blue eyes were now watching him quietly with a hint of mischievous amusement.
Sherry?
Noah's brain froze for a moment.
When did the little girl in his memory, who needed to hide behind him and Claire, needing their protection, grow so tall, so... beautiful?
How much time had passed?
As he was stunned, Sherry made a "shh" gesture towards Claire, then suddenly lunged forward, throwing her entire weight onto Claire's back.
"Mmph!"
Claire, startled awake by the sudden weight, let out a muffled grunt.
And this weight was solidly transmitted to Noah through Claire.
"Aha! Got you!" Sherry, like a mischievous little kitten, spread her arms and tightly hugged both Noah and Claire together.
The soft sofa groaned under the sudden impact.
"Sherry!" Claire cried out, both annoyed and amused.
"Hehe!"
A warm, soft embrace carrying the fragrance of a young girl.
The familiar warmth of Claire was at his nose, Sherry's clear laughter was in his ears, and the fuzzy sensation of Snowball was on his chest.
All the fatigue, tension, killing intent, and despair accumulated in the South American rainforest were, at this moment, completely washed away by this sudden yet incredibly warm hug.
Noah's nerves, which had been taut for dozens of hours, finally completely relaxed.
He slowly raised the arm that, not long ago, could unleash terrifying energy capable of incinerating everything, but now only wanted to feel this tenderness. Gently, he wrapped it around Claire in front of him, and also around Sherry who was lying on Claire's back.
He buried his face in the crook of Claire's neck and took a deep breath.
"Honey, I'm back."
His voice carried a hint of the hoarseness of just waking up, yet it was filled with unprecedented contentment and peace.
Claire reached back and grasped his hand, their fingers interlocking tightly. In a tone that held a hint of complaint yet was full of heartache, she said, "You jerk, you came back and just passed out like you were dead."
"It's just... I was too tired." Noah nuzzled her neck, like a big cat acting spoiled.
Seeing the two of them being so lovey-dovey, Sherry's sapphire-blue eyes rolled mischievously, and a naughty smile appeared on her face.
She let go of her arms, jumped down from the sofa, and then cleared her throat with great ceremony.
"Ahem, I hereby announce that, in order not to disturb a certain couple's alone time, I have decided to go out and have fun with friends! I won't be back for dinner tonight!"
As she spoke, she walked to the entrance hall and started changing her shoes.
Noah looked up in surprise. "Going out this late?"
"Of course!" Sherry winked at him, her smile carrying a hint of smugness. "I'm also going to help at Sister Rebecca's Research Institute. I won't be back tonight, so you two make yourselves at home!"
Noah's expression completely froze.
Going to the Research Institute... to help?
He looked at Claire with a questioning gaze.
Claire's face was full of pride. She raised her hand, lovingly smoothing Noah's messy bangs, and spoke in a nonchalant tone.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Our Sherry earned her doctorate last month."
Noah: "..."
He opened his mouth, feeling his brain's processor had short-circuited from the overwhelming amount of information.
Do... doctorate?
A sixteen-year-old... doctor?
He looked at the back of the youthful, beautiful girl who had already changed her shoes and was waving goodbye to them, unconsciously muttering a few words.
"Holy... shit... that's insane..."
It wasn't until the front door clicked shut that Noah, as if waking from a dream, turned to look at Claire.
Seeing his dumbfounded expression, Claire finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
"In the two years you were gone, she self-studied all the courses, then started doing research with Rebecca. The professors were all fighting to have her as a student; we couldn't stop her."
Noah swallowed hard with difficulty... Night gradually deepened.
The bedroom lights were off. Only the moonlight from outside the window, like flowing mercury, quietly spilled onto the floor, coating everything in the room with a hazy, gentle silver edge.
After a passionate, exhilarating session that seemed to pour out two years' worth of longing, the air still held a lingering, ambiguous, and heated scent.
Noah leaned against the headboard, covered only by a thin blanket, and let out a satisfied sigh.
But Claire beside him was not lazily lying in his arms as usual.
She was facing away from him, kneeling and leaning forward on the soft bed. Her upper body was fully stretched forward, her forehead gently touching the bedsheet, her arms also stretched out straight. Her entire body formed an extremely stretched and devout posture.
It was a yoga pose, the "Child's Pose," or more precisely, Balasana.
Outlined by the moonlight, her back, glistening with a thin layer of sweat from the recent vigorous activity, displayed an incredibly graceful and enticing curve, from her slender neck all the way down to her perky buttocks, finally disappearing into the shadows.
This sight made Noah, who had just been satisfied, feel a certain part of his body stirring with restless signs again.
He cleared his throat and spoke somewhat uncertainly.
"Um... well... honey, what are you..."
"Don't move. Be quiet." Claire's voice came from ahead, carrying a hint of breathlessness from the exertion, but her tone was unusually serious. "The book says... this position makes it easier to conceive."
Noah: "..."
Alright.
Looking at Claire's determined and somewhat adorable back, he felt completely filled with an indescribable warmth and love.
With a sly grin, he leaned down and planted a gentle kiss right in the center of that perfect spinal line.
Before Claire could voice a complaint of dissatisfaction, he draped the blanket over her, then quickly rolled out of bed, picked up his pants from the floor, and put them on.
"Alright, Your Majesty. You carry on. I promise not to disturb."
Claire snorted, seemingly accepting his teasing.
"You should deal with your own matters quickly too."
"As you command."
With a sly smile on his face, Noah turned and walked out of the bedroom, gently closing the door behind him.
The study was pitch black.
He walked skillfully to the desk and turned on the uniquely shaped, all-black laptop.
The screen lit up. A series of complex data streams flashed by like a waterfall.
A steady, magnetic voice came from the computer's speakers.
"It seems you've made it home safely."
It was Trant.
"Thanks to you, I'm still alive." Noah leaned back in the chair, his voice regaining its usual calm and composure.
"The process was more complicated than I imagined." Trant's voice betrayed no emotion. "Wesker is more cautious and more insane than before."
"Insane is an understatement." Noah sneered. "Javier has completely fused with a plant that combines the t-virus and g-virus. That thing is like a living mountain; conventional weapons are almost useless against it."
As he spoke, he encrypted and sent over the videos recorded by his hidden camera.
Trant fell into a long silence on the other end, with only the faint notification sound from the computer as the files were received.
Noah knew he was rapidly analyzing the data and footage.
After a full half hour, Trant's voice sounded again. This time, his tone carried a trace of unmistakable interest.
"The veronica virus... very interesting."
"Are you talking about the dark red flames Manuela erupted?"
"I'm more interested in your final strike." Trant's voice became focused.
"According to energy reaction monitoring, the energy level you released in that instant far exceeded the theoretical peak achievable by the veronica virus. It was a purer, more domineering... energy."
He paused, then asked, "Can you describe how it felt at that moment?"
Noah closed his eyes, carefully recalling.
"A resonance." He said slowly.
"The moment Manuela released her power, the blood in my body... felt like it ignited. A scorching energy surged uncontrollably. It must have had a strong reaction with the 'thing' I brought back from Antarctica."
He deduced that he had likely been infected with the T-Veronica Virus Queen Strain by Alexia.
"I just followed that impulse and channeled all my strength, along with that newly born energy, and unleashed it all."
Trant fell silent again.
Noah could almost imagine that in some unknown secret base, that always impeccably dressed man was subconsciously rubbing the gold and amber ring on his finger with his slender fingers, his brain processing the newly obtained information at supercomputer-like speeds.
"I understand."
Finally, Trant's voice sounded again, his tone having returned to its usual calm, as if everything just now was merely a minor interlude.
"This incident, Wesker was just reclaiming an 'inheritance' he left behind earlier, while also testing the Fusion potential of the viruses. I'll handle the aftermath; you needn't worry."
"Good." Noah nodded.
Just as he was about to end the call and properly enjoy his hard-earned vacation, Trant suddenly changed the subject.
"By the way, there's one more thing."
"In a few days, someone from your homeland will contact you."
Noah was slightly taken aback.
A rare, almost teasing hint of amusement entered Trant's voice.
"Don't worry, it's good news."
"As for what it is, let me keep you in suspense."
"These next few days, enjoy your vacation."
After he finished speaking, the golden amber pattern on the screen instantly vanished. The computer shut down automatically, and the study fell back into darkness and silence.
Noah sat quietly in the darkness, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the cold desktop.
Homeland... What could it be?