Ada's back quickly disappeared from the sight of the two.
Jill withdrew her gaze and said to Aiden in dissatisfaction, "You should have tried to persuade her to stay a bit more. It's too dangerous for her to be alone."
"Don't worry, she's not an ordinary woman. She'll take care of herself." While speaking, Aiden took off his gun holster, pulled out a rifle and some ammunition, and handed them to Jill.
"We need to go find Brad," he added.
Jill had no choice but to nod, took the gun, and left with Aiden.
Since Jill and Brad had previously talked on the phone and shared their locations, and Jill was very familiar with Raccoon City, it wasn't difficult to find him. It didn't take much time before they met up with Brad at the designated location.
It was in front of a bar.
Seeing Jill and Aiden appear together, a smile squeezed out of Brad's tired face. "That's great. You're both safe."
When he had talked to Jill earlier, he'd heard noise from her side and had been worried about her safety. Now seeing Jill intact in front of him, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Looks like you haven't been doing too well these past few days, Brad. Your face has gotten thin and changed." Aiden stepped forward and patted his shoulder. Although their relationship wasn't as close as with Chris, they were still acquaintances, so he threw in a casual joke.
Brad gave a bitter laugh. "I haven't gotten any rest these past two days. That monster in the black trench coat kept chasing me."
Although he was usually timid and afraid of trouble, being able to become a member of the S.T.A.R.S team meant he was still quite capable. He managed to survive being hunted by the Nemesis for two days and nights.
Maybe it was because it couldn't kill him that the Nemesis changed its target to Jill.
"Do you know why that monster is hunting us?" Hearing Brad mention the Nemesis, Jill frowned and asked.
"I'm not too sure either." Brad shook his head.
At this moment, Aiden suddenly said, "Guys, even though I know you have many questions, this isn't the place to chat."
He pointed at the zombies surrounding them, separated by obstacles, staring at them like hungry wolves.
Jill nodded. "Aiden, you're right. We should find another place. How about we have a drink first?"
She glanced at the bar behind Brad and then pushed the door open and went inside.
There were still a few survivors inside the bar. When they saw the three walk in, they were startled at first. After realizing they were human, they relaxed and put away their weapons.
The three walked past the survivors and approached the bar counter. Jill casually took a bottle of whiskey and three glasses, poured the drinks, and placed them in front of them.
Aiden picked up his glass and smelled it but didn't drink. He really couldn't handle the unique aroma and taste of foreign liquor.
Jill, on the other hand, was much bolder. She downed the entire glass in one go. Immediately, a flush rose on her face under the effect of the alcohol.
But she clearly had a decent alcohol tolerance. She poured herself another glass. This time, she didn't chug it but took a small sip.
Although Aiden really wanted to tell her that drinking in this situation might cause trouble, he also knew that Jill hadn't been doing well these past few days. A little alcohol might help her de-stress.
Sure enough, the tension in Jill's brows eased considerably. She looked at Aiden with somewhat dazed eyes, her thoughts unclear.
At this point, Brad, who had also finished his drink, began telling Jill some of what he knew about the Nemesis. Especially how every time he encountered it, he could hear it shouting "S.T.A.R.S" from its lipless mouth. He speculated that the monster was specifically targeting him and Jill.
"Damn it, I never should've joined S.T.A.R.S," Brad cursed after finishing.
Jill didn't respond to her old friend's complaint immediately. After finishing the remaining whiskey in her glass, she said, "It's too late to say anything now, Brad. We can only face it."
She then looked at Aiden and said, "Aiden, you heard what Brad said. You must leave us."
"You're worried about dragging me into this?" Aiden asked.
Jill nodded. "I don't want you to be in danger because of me."
"If I were afraid of danger, I wouldn't have come to find you, Jill." Aiden shook his head and poured the liquor in his glass onto the ground. In the end, he didn't drink it.
Aiden's words touched Jill deeply. Her gaze became even more blurred, and a surge of longing welled up in her heart. But after glancing at Brad beside her, she regretfully shook her head.
This impromptu drinking session didn't last long before ending. The three of them composed themselves and prepared to leave the bar.
Before leaving, Jill tried to persuade the survivors to come with them, but no one agreed.
The survivors' reasoning was simple: the outside was full of man-eating monsters. Rather than risk going out, it was better to stay and wait for the military's rescue.
Jill didn't insist. After leaving them some bullets, she and Aiden left the bar.
Not long after leaving the bar, they began looking for a building that was either tall enough or sturdy enough, because only buildings that met these two criteria could support the landing of a rescue helicopter.
Jill and Brad had spent many years in Raccoon City and were very familiar with the terrain. They quickly settled on a target not far from the bar: a large warehouse building that met both the height and sturdiness requirements.
But obviously, Jill and Brad hadn't considered that "not far" was a driving distance. On foot, it was quite a long way.
Especially under the current circumstances, it took even more time.
By the time they reached the warehouse, several hours had passed.
Of course, most of the time had been spent avoiding zombies. The actual time spent walking was minimal.
Their current position wasn't the front door of the warehouse but the back door, a small iron door that could only fit one person at a time.
The door was locked, but Jill was an expert at picking locks. This was no problem for her. In less than ten seconds, she opened the door.
"You're more talented at being a thief than a cop, Jill," Aiden remarked.
Jill only smiled and didn't say anything.
One by one, they entered through the iron door. Aiden led the way. Just as he stepped inside and hadn't yet seen the surroundings clearly, he heard the sound of a firearm being cocked.
Aiden was all too familiar with this sound. He immediately darted to the side and shouted loudly, "Take cover! Armed personnel!"
Jill and Brad were both elite police officers. As soon as Aiden spoke, they quickly split to the left and right, searching for advantageous cover.
But after the sound of the gun being cocked, no gunfire followed. Apparently, the gun's owner had realized they were human.
"Come out. I won't shoot," a male voice rang out from inside the warehouse.
Aiden turned and gave Jill a look. Then he poked his head out from behind cover and saw a short, fat, middle-aged white man standing beside a truck, holding a pistol with the barrel pointing down, seemingly trying to show he meant no harm.
Even so, Aiden didn't get up. He shouted at the man, "Could you decock your pistol first?"
"You should know how dangerous it is to face a cocked gun at this distance."
"Sure, that's a very reasonable request," the man replied loudly. He then raised his gun and decocked it in front of Aiden, also switching on the safety.
His action embarrassed Aiden a bit. He stood up from behind cover and said, "Sorry, I was being overly cautious."
"Totally normal. I'd be cautious too if I were you," the man replied with surprising understanding.
"Are you here alone?" Jill asked, now out of cover with Brad.
"If it counts as a person, then there are two of us." The man pointed to a truck inside the warehouse. In the driver's seat, a zombie was snarling at them through the window, which made it look a little ridiculous.
"Well, I guess you're not lonely," Jill shrugged. Then she said, "It's too dangerous to be around zombies. Want to leave here with us?"
"Leave here?" the man asked. "How are you planning to leave?"
"We're heading to the top floor. Jill said it's huge up there, with a flat and sturdy rooftop that can fit multiple helicopters," Aiden chimed in. "And it's high enough for rescue helicopters to spot us easily."
"Actually, not only can helicopters land up there, but trucks too. It's a parking lot," the man said. He probably used to work here and knew the place well.
"Even better," Jill smiled. "So, will you come with us?"
The man shook his head. "I don't want to leave."
"Why?" Jill asked. "Are you also waiting for military rescue?"
"I've never counted on them," he said, shaking his head again. "I just want to stay here, in my truck, alone."
There was a flash of sadness in his eyes. Then he turned and climbed into the cargo bed of his truck. As he was closing the door, he said to Jill, "Listen, ma'am, if you really want to go to the top floor, use the stairs. The elevator's full of monsters."
With that, he shut the cargo door completely.
Hearing the locking sound from inside the truck, Jill sighed helplessly. "Why do they always do this?"
"Not everyone has the courage to face danger. Avoiding danger is also a survival instinct," Aiden patted her shoulder. Then, looking at Brad waving at them in the distance, continued, "Alright, Jill, let's go. Brad probably found the way to the rooftop parking lot."
Jill could only nod and walk with Aiden toward Brad.
Brad had found two routes, one was the stairs, the other of course, was the elevator.
Aiden first checked the elevator. It was still working and hadn't been damaged, which surprised him.
He immediately tossed the man's warning out of his mind. If there's an elevator, who would take the stairs?
Jill thought the same. Tonight had been exhausting enough. She didn't want to waste energy climbing stairs. Without hesitation, she pressed the elevator button and took a few steps back with Aiden and Brad.
With a ding, the elevator doors opened, and zombies rushed out.
Because they had stepped back, there was enough space for the zombies to spill out of the elevator. Only after the last one came out did they open fire and kill them, preparing to enter the elevator.
Just as Aiden was about to press the button for the top floor, suddenly, a loud bang rang out, accompanied by a man's scream.
Jill hurriedly rushed out. She was a little worried about that civilian, but she only took one glance and then quickly retreated back into the elevator.
"Close the door, quickly!" Jill shouted anxiously.
There was no need to explain; Aiden also knew what had happened, because he had already seen the figure of the Nemesis.
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