The smoke and dust from the explosion had not yet dissipated. Lear stared at the ruins before him, his brow furrowed. As one of Umbrella's premier Bio Organic Weapons, the Tyrant's height of defensive and regenerative capabilities was terrifying; logically, it shouldn't have been destroyed so easily. Yet, there wasn't a single movement within the rubble. This abnormal silence only intensified the growing unease in his heart.
Jill walked to his side and reached out to help him up from the ground. Noticing the tension in his face, she asked softly, "What is it? Is something wrong?" Lear shook his head, his voice tinged with doubt. "Nothing, I just feel a bit uneasy."
"Don't think about it. At least it's over for now. Come on, let's get back to the Police Station." Jill supported him again, but Lear suddenly realized that the sharp, stabbing pain in his ribs from the fight with the Tyrant had nearly vanished. Now, the injured area only felt slightly itchy. He gently pulled his arm away from Jill's grasp and said, "It's fine. It doesn't really hurt anymore."
Jill gave him a surprised look, her tone a mix of resignation. "You don't need to play the hero in front of me, kid. When I was facing off against criminals in S.T.A.R.S., you probably had just joined the force."
"No, Officer Jill, I really seem to be okay." Lear took a few steps on the spot, his movements natural and fluid. He was also full of confusion; it had been unbearably painful just moments ago, yet now he felt almost no abnormality at all.
"Alright then, but still be careful. I'll scout ahead, you follow behind." Jill glanced at Lear's chest and said no more. She racked her shotgun and took the lead toward the Police Station.
Lear watched her straight back, a strange feeling crossing his mind. From telling him to stay close behind her when they left the building, to having him only provide cover instead of facing the Tyrant head-on, and now taking the lead to scout—Jill seemed to constantly place him in the position of someone being protected. Though he found it puzzling, he didn't voice it. He simply tightened his grip on his gun and strode after her.
As they moved, Lear followed behind Jill and asked in a low voice, "Officer Jill, why are you here?"
Jill didn't stop. Her fingers brushed against the forestock of her shotgun as she gave a self-deprecating laugh. "That apartment building is my home. I was suspended by Irons long ago—where else would I be? I heard the explosion and came out to check, only to run into you being chased by that monster."
She paused, then glanced back at him. "As for you, what are you doing in this sector? I remember the Police Station was supposed to be evacuating all citizens toward the station itself."
"Yes, Officer Jill..." Lear began, but Jill interrupted him.
"Just call me Jill. I doubt I'll be much of an officer after today," she said dismissively. Then, remembering something, a faint smile played on her lips. "Your name is Lear, right? I saw you at the shooting range before. Back then, you were still practicing basic standing-position shooting. I didn't expect your marksmanship to improve so much in just a few days."
"Alright then, Jill, thanks for the compliment." Lear smiled and continued, "Under Chief Raymond's command, we were originally planning to evacuate the citizens from the Police Station to the suburban Jail, but we ran into that monster halfway there. By the way, do you know what that thing actually is?" he asked tentatively.
"I'm not entirely sure." Jill fell silent for a moment, her tone darkening. "But I've encountered similar Bio Organic Weapons before. They are indeed extremely difficult to deal with." At that, she turned her head away and said no more, clearly unwilling to dwell on the past.
Seeing this, Lear didn't press further. He knew the reason for Jill's avoidance; the incident in the Arklay Mountains had become a scar she didn't want to touch. The S.T.A.R.S. squad had encountered the T-002 Tyrant released by Wesker there, and in the end, they were nearly wiped out. Aside from Chris, Barry, Rebecca, Jill, and the traitorous Wesker, all the other members had perished.
Relying on accurate marksmanship and decent coordination, the scattered zombies along the way posed no obstacle to the two of them. About half an hour later, the Raccoon City Police Department appeared in their field of vision. The surrounding area had been cleared beforehand, and the entrance was empty, with no sign of any zombies.
Lear stepped forward quickly, clenched his fist, and knocked hard on the main door. The thick panels let out a dull thud, but there was no response, and the door remained firmly locked.
"What's going on?" Jill asked, walking over as she saw the look on Lear's face.
"Something's wrong." Lear's brow furrowed. "Between Marvin, Elliot, and the officers staying behind, there are over a dozen people. It's impossible for no one to be guarding the door."
He immediately pressed his communicator, calling Marvin repeatedly, but the channel was filled with nothing but static. After more than a dozen consecutive calls, there was still no answer. Just as Lear was about to look for tools to force the door, a raspy voice finally crackled through the walkie-talkie: "Lear? You're alive? Thank god! Hang on, we're coming to the front of the Police Station right now!"
Ten minutes later, two police cars tore through the night and pulled up steadily in front of them. Marvin was the first to step out, followed by three fully armed officers. Before anyone could speak, a small figure darted out from behind Marvin and threw herself straight into Lear's arms—it was Sherry.
"Lear, thank goodness... I thought... I thought..." Sherry buried her face in his chest, her voice choked with sobs as soft whimpers escaped her.
Marvin walked over, his tone full of relief and lingering fear. "Lear, this little girl ran back to tell us that you'd been attacked. We immediately rushed to the scene to back you up, but all we found was wreckage. We couldn't find a thing."
"Thank God, we all thought you'd been killed in the line of duty." Elliot spoke up as he followed behind Sherry, relief evident on his face.
Lear held Sherry gently, soothing her in a soft voice. "It's alright, I'm back in one piece, aren't I?" He hadn't expected Sherry to depend on him so much. After a pause, he stepped aside to introduce her. "Come, let me introduce you. This is Aunt Jill."
"Hey now, who are you calling 'Aunt'?" Jill gave Lear a helpless little shove and smiled as she stepped forward, gently patting Sherry's head. "Little girl, don't listen to him. Just call me Sister Jill."
Just a moment ago you were calling me 'kid' every other sentence, and now you want her to call you 'Sister'? But he didn't dare say it out loud.
Jill shot Lear a look. "I get the feeling you're thinking about something that would make me very angry."
"No, definitely not!" Lear denied it flatly, his head shaking like a bobblehead.
Sherry looked up from Lear's arms, glancing shyly at Jill, and whispered, "Sister Jill." Hearing this, Jill's smile grew even warmer.
At that moment, Marvin stepped forward and offered his hand to Jill, speaking solemnly. "Jill, welcome back to the team."
"Thanks, Marvin. Though I'm sure Irons crossed my name off the list a long time ago," Jill replied with a bitter smile.
Marvin shook his head and took a polished police badge from his waist, handing it to her. "Irons? Who cares about that stupid pig anymore? We don't believe a single word of his nonsense. Right now, we are officially welcoming you back to the force, Officer Jill."
Jill held the police badge, silent for a moment, before a look of relief washed over her face. "Thank you, Marvin," she said softly.
She then clipped the police badge to the side of her belt, right next to her pistol.
(Translated by yourtl.app)