I look up and feel a familiar tension rise in my chest. The distant whirring of helicopter blades grows louder, resonating through the air like a sinister warning. When I turn my head toward the sky, I see them: hundreds of black helicopters, aligned in tight formation, their dark silhouettes standing out against the dusky sky. They advance methodically, like a swarm of wasps, and each one carries metal capsules beneath its belly, suspended by sturdy cables.
I squint, recognizing the familiar shape of those capsules. They resemble Umbrella's standardized containers, the ones designed to transport infected creatures. "They're planning to release bioweapons..." I murmur, feeling my anger build. "Not on my watch."
Without wasting a second, I extend my arms and summon a swarm of creatures. A thousand raptors burst forth from my factory, forming a massive cloud of beating wings. Eagles, falcons, crows— they all fly together, their eyes piercing through the night, ready to swoop down on the aerial targets. Alongside them, an equal number of bats emerge, dark and silent, gliding through the air currents like shadows. But that's not all: I also summon a thousand V4 wasps, their shrill buzzing filling the air, ready to sting and tear apart.
The helicopters continue their advance, unaware of what awaits them. But in an instant, my airborne army descends upon them.
The raptors strike first, diving at the rotors, hitting with deadly precision. Their sharp beaks and claws sever the cables holding the capsules, causing them to crash down into the streets below or, in some cases, explode against buildings. The bats follow, clinging to the cockpits, piling onto the windshields, obscuring the pilots' vision. The helicopters begin to sway dangerously, the pilots losing control under the relentless assault.
Then come the V4 wasps, fast and agile, slipping through open windows, stinging the pilots with their powerful stingers. Some helicopters veer sharply off course, muffled cries of pain echoing as the wasps inject their deadly venom.
The helicopters, once in a rigid and menacing formation, are now in complete disarray. Several of them lose altitude, their rotors clogged by feathers and the bodies of the raptors. A few explode mid-air, releasing bursts of fire and metal as the capsules are pulverized at the same time.
The city, already plunged into chaos, is now the scene of a true aerial carnage, my creatures chasing down Umbrella's helicopters, sending them crashing to the ground like broken toys. In a matter of minutes, the once crowded skies clear, leaving behind only flaming wreckage and shredded capsules littering the streets.
I methodically make my way through the streets of Raccoon City, destroying every surveillance camera I come across, as if dismantling an invisible network spun by Umbrella to monitor and control the city. It's a task of cleanup, raw and precise. Every street corner, every alley, I recover the creatures Umbrella has released here. Hunters, Lickers, and even a few stray Cerberuses. They didn't even bother to send new creations, as if the city was just a simple arena for their already seen experiments.
But something grips me as I move forward. The sheer number of corpses is staggering. Bodies of civilians lie everywhere, some turned into zombies, others torn apart or burned. Despite all my preparations, my strategy, I estimate that at least 80% of the population has perished. Whether by the hands of the infected, bioweapons, or simply the violence of the chaos. I feel a weight pressing on my shoulders. It's as if I've failed, despite all my efforts.
Then, I come across a body that makes me feel a mix of regret and guilt. Carlos Oliveira. He's lying on the pavement, his body riddled with bite marks, his clothes in tatters. The back of his skull is pierced by the sting of one of my V4 wasps. The fatal sting is evident, and I realize, bitterly, that it was one of my own creatures that ended his life.
"Damn, I completely forgot that Umbrella also sent in the UBCS mercenaries to pretend to clean up the city..." I think, my gaze heavy. Carlos wasn't supposed to end like this. I gently pick up his body and carry it to a burning building. I can't even bring him back as one of my zombies, he's suffered too much. But I can at least give him some semblance of respect by letting him burn in the flames, a symbolic cremation for a man who deserved better.
As I turn away, my gaze catches a furtive silhouette, a quick movement in the distance. I feel my instincts flare up, and a cold rage rises within me.
Nikolai Zinoviev. That bastard is still alive, while a guy like Carlos is dead. I see him, phone to his ear, and I move like a shadow, listening carefully to his conversation. I see he's dressed in civilian clothes; that's probably how he avoided the leeches.
"I've found quite a number of civilians fleeing towards an abandoned factory," he murmurs in a calm, icy voice. He speaks as if human lives are just commodities. "I'll give you the coordinates if you can offer me a better payment." His voice is mechanical, calculating, each word measured to maximize his profit. He waits for a moment, listening to the response from his interlocutor, before continuing, "Alright, I'll send the files right away. As for your other problem, I'm not going near that guy, he's a monster. He's already eliminated most of the bioweapons."
I feel my heart tighten at his words, my rage rising a notch. This bastard is willing to sell out information on civilians, and he's avoiding me like the plague because he knows I'm an obstacle. His interlocutor says something I can't make out, but I catch one word: "NÉMÉSIS."
Nikolai chuckles softly, a sneering and detached laugh. "Pfff, ridiculous. The modified tyrants known as Nemesis are useless. He took one out easily and neutralized another while it was undergoing a rapid mutation. He also has control over other monsters, and his body has plant-like abilities. So get some napalm ready." His voice is full of disdain and certainty, as if he thinks he's figured everything out.
Then, he hangs up, cold, unyielding. I move even closer, the threatening shadow of a predator about to pounce on its prey.
He doesn't even have time to react before I appear next to him. He turns his head, and for a brief moment, I see pure terror in his eyes. Nikolai, always so cold and calculating, is utterly stunned. His arrogance melts away like snow under the sun when he realizes who's there, so close to him.
"Good evening, Nikolai," I say with a predatory smile, grabbing his throat with a firm hand. His eyes widen, and I see pure panic spread across his face. His lips twitch, searching for words to defend himself, but his voice remains trapped in his throat. For the first time, this manipulative, unscrupulous man finds himself facing someone he can neither manipulate nor buy, and it terrifies him.
He tries to raise his hands to fight back, but I tighten my grip, lifting him slightly off the ground. "How does it feel, Nikolai, to realize that you're the one who's going to be outmaneuvered this time?" I say, letting my voice carry a chilling satisfaction.
I think for a moment; I could just snap his neck, but I figure it's better to get some information out of him. However, the smug look he gives me, thinking I won't kill him, irritates me, and I don't want him among my subordinates.
"You know, Nikolai. Snapping your neck would be too gentle, so I'm going to give you a death straight out of antiquity," I say as four vines emerge from my back, grabbing each of his limbs.
I slowly spread my vines, listening to the screams of pain from this bastard until I hear the tearing sound of skin giving way as his left arm detaches first, followed by his right leg. I give a sharp pull, ripping off his two remaining limbs, looking at his lifeless body with satisfaction before rushing toward the fallback point I provided Jill and Lisa.
I ride the G-lion through the devastated streets of Raccoon City, my body swaying with the feline grace of the creature beneath me. I could go faster on foot, but after running around for four hours, I prefer to conserve my energy a bit. The lioness's fur is smooth and firm under my fingers, and she moves with incredible agility, leaping over obstacles and gliding silently through the alleys.
Twenty minutes later, we arrive at the other end of the city, and the scene before me is a true battlefield. My fallback point, an abandoned factory, is under siege. Shards of broken glass, concrete debris, and burning car wrecks litter the ground. At the center of this chaos, a giant Nemesis, in a mutated and colossal form, looms over the building, crushing everything in its path. It must easily stand over five meters tall, with thick, rugged skin bristling with bony protrusions. Its bulging muscles swell grotesquely, and its eyes burn with a blind rage.
I see my STARS colleagues scattered around it, fighting to draw its attention and give it as little room to maneuver as possible. Wesker is at the forefront, running and dodging the monster's titanic blows, trying to divert its focus. Jill, Chris, Barry, and Joseph fire with all their might, their bullets ricocheting off its skin like raindrops, doing nothing but further agitating the beast. The giant Nemesis roars, its massive arms smashing the ground with force, sending waves of debris in all directions.
Oscar, my faithful giant elephant, is lying on his side, his flank deeply gashed, his normally tough skin marked by burns and scratches. His wound is severe, but I can already see it slowly starting to heal. His breathing is heavy, and he struggles to get up. My men are quickly moving the civilians, escorting them through a secure passage into the factory, where they can take refuge.
I pull out my King Phone, my mind already in strategic mode, and call Wesker Jr. and Marcus. My voice is cold and resolute, cutting through the surrounding chaos.
"Get all the liquid nitrogen we have in stock," I order without hesitation. "I've got a massive problem that needs freezing."
I hang up and look around, searching for something to draw the monster's attention. A few meters away, a burning car rumbles, its windows shattering from the heat. I easily lift it, feeling the scorching metal under my hands, and hurl it with all my strength toward the giant Nemesis. The metal carcass cuts through the air and slams into the creature head-on, producing a thunderous explosion on impact.
The shock of the flaming car makes the giant Nemesis turn its head, its wild, crazed eyes locking onto me with intense focus. For a brief moment, everything seems to pause, as if the world is holding its breath. Then, it roars in fury, its massive jaws opening to let out a guttural cry that makes the air around us vibrate. Its rage is palpable, tearing through the silence of the night.
While Wesker quickly falls back to regroup with the other STARS members, I feel something primal awaken inside me, a force that rumbles and pulses beneath my skin. My muscles contract and slightly tear, but this isn't just an aesthetic transformation. My skin thickens, becoming almost scaly in places, marked by dark lines and bulging veins. Thick vines emerge from my back, writhing and twisting like serpents ready to strike, adding to my monstrous appearance. My size expands, reaching three meters in height, my arms growing massive and powerful, with black, sharp claws emerging from my fingertips. Bony spikes appear along my forearms, ready to pierce through anything that stands in my way.
I let out a beastly roar, a cry that comes from the depths of my being, resonating with such force that it seems to tear through the air around me. The giant Nemesis stops for a moment, surprised by the ferocity of the sound, before stepping back and charging toward me, its colossal mass crushing everything in its path.
It charges, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground, and I brace myself to meet it, my vines rising around me like menacing tentacles. The impact is brutal, our titanic bodies clashing with a force that pulverizes the debris around us. I can feel the raw power of the Nemesis, its thick, scaly skin absorbing the blows I land on it, but I don't back down. I strike back, my claws digging into its shoulders, my vines wrapping around its arms, trying to restrain it.
It growls and struggles, swinging its massive arms with overwhelming strength, striking my chest and pushing me slightly back. Yet, I maintain my grip on it, my muscles and vines tightening to hold it under control. Each blow it lands on me is like a sledgehammer, and even with my transformation, I can feel the impact rattling my bones.
Despite my increased power and size, I quickly realize that this monster is harder to control than I expected. It contorts, its muscles bulging and veins pulsing beneath its grayish skin. Its movements are unpredictable, its strikes hitting like cannonballs, and it manages to free one of its arms, punching my jaw with a blow that makes me stagger. I retaliate by driving my claws into its chest, vines coiling tightly around its legs, trying to throw it off balance.
(Note: Hi there, for the last part, it was just an impulse since it's been a while since I had him use his mutation abilities. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^^)