Anime Crossover: The Small Workshop System's Aggressive Feeding

Page 59

Deputy Mayor Stephen Verus nodded in response, his gaze sweeping over Jill and the others with scrutiny and a hint of barely perceptible anxiety.

[Ha, even the deputy mayor has been alerted.]

Jill sneered inwardly.

Umbrella's roots in Raccoon City run deeper than anticipated. Those damn bureaucrats, they're quick on their feet.

The office door opened.

“Come in,” Elons’ voice came from inside, devoid of emotion.

Jill went in first.

The office was large and luxuriously decorated, with several strangely styled paintings and animal specimens hanging on the walls, giving it a morbid atmosphere.

Elons sat behind his large desk, his arms crossed in front of him, staring at the five people who walked in.

Deputy Mayor Stephen Verus followed him in and naturally stood next to Elon's desk.

"Director."

Jill spoke, her voice calm.

“Valentine, Redfield, Bolton, Chambos… and Vickers.”

Elons slowly read out their names, as if confirming something.

"I'm so glad to hear you've returned safely." He deliberately emphasized the words "so glad," which, combined with the fake smile on his face, seemed particularly jarring.

"But what about the others? Captain Wesker? And Joseph and the others... What exactly happened at the mansion and the Zodiac Train?"

Deputy Mayor Verus cleared his throat and continued, "Yes, Agent Valentine. We need an explanation. Not just for the police department, but for all the citizens of Raccoon City."

His tone was very bureaucratic.

"The communication outage last night, along with the explosions heard in the mountains... have caused panic among the citizens. There are also rumors of terrifying monsters appearing in the suburbs. We need to understand the situation as soon as possible, issue an official statement, and reassure the public."

[Is it about stabilizing morale? Or stabilizing Umbrella's heart?]

Jill looked at the two men in front of her, who were singing in unison.

She took a step forward.

"Director, Deputy Mayor."

"Our mansion in the Arklay Mountains was attacked."

Elons raised an eyebrow.

"Attack? What attack? Terrorists?"

"Not human."

Chris Redfield interrupted in a deep voice.

"It's...zombies, just like in the movies."

"Zombies?"

Deputy Mayor Verus frowned, an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Agent Redfield, watch your language. This is not the time for jokes. Don't try to bring movie scenes into real life; this isn't Hollywood!"

“We’re not joking, Deputy Mayor.”

Jill replied, her tone resolute. "The mansion is full of...inhuman creatures. Like the zombies in the movies."

She began to recount the story they had agreed upon beforehand.

"A mutated canine, extremely fast and highly aggressive."

"There are also giant spiders that can crawl on the ceiling."

"Even... some infected humans turned into slow-moving zombies who only knew how to attack the living."

She deliberately omitted more impactful and targeted bioweapon names like Tyrant and Hunter, and made no mention of any Umbrella Corporation logos or documents.

"The mansion's interior was complex, like a maze, and full of deadly traps."

"Our team suffered repeated attacks during the exploration, resulting in heavy casualties."

Barry Bolton lowered his head at the opportune moment, emitting heavy breathing, in sync with Jill's description.

Rebecca clenched her fists, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Elons listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously stroking the tabletop.

"You mean... Spencer Mansion has become a monster's lair?"

His tone was skeptical.

"Yes, Director."

Jill answered affirmatively. "We suspect that it might be a secret...biological laboratory of Umbrella."

"laboratory?"

Deputy Mayor Verus pressed further,

"Whose lab is this? Have you found any evidence?"

“We found entrances to some underground facilities,” Chris said.

"But the defense system inside has been activated, and there are more monsters, making it more dangerous."

"As for the evidence..."

Jill shook her head.

"The scene was too chaotic; most of the data and equipment were destroyed in the fighting and explosions."

"explode?"

Elons immediately seized on that word. "The explosions in the mountains last night, were you the ones who did it?"

"It's the mansion's self-destruct system."

Jill replied that this was the most risky step in their plan.

"The situation is critical. In order to prevent the monsters inside from escaping and threatening Raccoon City, we have activated the self-destruct program."

"Who authorized you to activate the self-destruct program?!" Elons' voice suddenly rose, his body leaning forward abruptly, his hands braced on the table, staring intently at Jill.

The atmosphere in the office instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Deputy Mayor Verus's expression also changed as he looked at Jill and Chris.

[Indeed, we've hit the nail on the head.]

Jill met Elons's gaze.

"Communications were down at the time, and we couldn't contact headquarters. Captain Wesker was missing, so I took temporary command on site."

"I believe that destroying the mansion is the only option to prevent a greater disaster from happening."

Her voice wasn't loud, but she didn't back down.

"The only option?"

Elons repeated these words, a cold smile curving his lips.

"Or is it to cover up something you don't want us, or rather... something you don't want certain people to know?"

His words were pointed and carried a strong sense of threat.

"Director!"

Barry Bolton couldn't help but speak, his voice trembling with emotion. "We lost so many brothers! We barely escaped with our lives! How can you say that?!"

"I only care about the facts!"

Elons slammed his hand on the table, making everything on it jump.

"And the safety of Raccoon City! The information you brought back is vague! Monsters? Labs? Self-destruction? This sounds like a B-movie horror movie!"

"We need concrete evidence! People to be held responsible! Not these damn stories!"

Deputy Mayor Verus quickly tried to smooth things over:

“Chief, Agent Valentine and his team have just been through a dangerous situation, and they might still be emotionally unstable. Should we…”

"I'm very stable, Deputy Mayor."

Jill interrupted him.

"Everything we've said is true."

Elons stared at Jill and the others for a few seconds, then leaned back in his chair, seemingly suppressing his anger for the time being.

"Ok."

He waved his hand.

"You all go and rest first."

"Write a detailed report and submit it as soon as possible. No detail should be overlooked!"

"remember!"

His tone turned stern. "About what happened in the mansion, especially those monsters, not a single word is to be revealed to anyone without my permission! Understand?!"

“Yes, Chief,” Jill replied.

The five people turned around, ready to leave the suffocating office.

As Jill reached the door, she stopped and looked back.

Elons was picking up a cigar from the table and slowly lighting it when Deputy Mayor Verus leaned close to him and whispered something.

The falcon in the glass case still gazed ahead with its cold, artificial eyes.

Jill turned around, pushed open the door, and went out.

The light in the corridor was a bit too bright.

She clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white.