"Shortly after the space gate was activated, the engineering department began constructing a forward base for us, ensuring that we have a place to rest while on standby."
Ada paused intentionally at this point, holding a controller, and played more holographic intel for the investigators, including Leon, as she continued, "Yesterday, the Ernie 004, having completed its assembly, successfully ascended and provided us with a wealth of aerial images. It revealed that Earth 04's surface seems to have fallen into some sort of dead silence.
Cities like Moscow, London, and New York, once capitals and major cities, suffered complete nuclear annihilation and were razed to the ground.
The residual radiation detected by Ernie 004's sensors suggests that a global-scale nuclear war broke out on Earth 04 five to ten years ago.
Even so, it doesn't make sense for the entire world to be dead silent. Cities and regions that weren't targeted by nuclear strikes should still have many survivors.
But the desolation in Iceland suggests that the true cause of Earth 04's dead silence is far more than just a nuclear war.
After repeated photography and comparison by the Ernie 004 crew, we discovered that there was a large thermal reaction in Sana'a, Yemen, but it quickly dissipated and disappeared.
In twenty minutes, the Silver Gull will transport us to the eastern outskirts of Sana'a." As Ada explained the mission, she pulled up an aerial view of Sana'a using the controller.
"After dropping us off, the Silver Gull will remain cloaked, circling at high altitude, while we proceed on foot into the unknown city, gathering as much intel and as many clues as possible. Any questions?"
Ada looked around at each investigator.
After waiting a few seconds and seeing no one raise any questions, she dismissed the holographic images, placed the controller on a nearby table, and gave the order, "Everyone, prepare yourselves. Dismissed."
"Yes, ma'am," the investigators responded, standing up.
Ada grabbed her off-white trench coat and was the first to leave the small meeting room.
Leon watched the door, lost in thought.
"Kid, don't go after the Chief. You'll just get yourself scolded," one of the investigators teased with a laugh.
Leon snapped out of it and smiled, "No, I just worked with the Chief last year and was impressed by her determination. I was just thinking about the thermal sources."
"Sure, I believe you," the investigator replied with a slight shake of his head, gathering his notes and belongings before heading out.
Leon put on his dark brown leather jacket, picked up his personal items, and stepped into the semi-open hallway outside.
Whoosh—!
A cold wind swept through the construction area and into the hallway, prompting Leon to zip up his jacket.
Zzzip—
Humm—
Passing by a group of Hextech robots welding frames, he marveled at the convenience and efficiency brought by technology.
When he first joined the company, the "bulletproof suit" that Instructor Krauser showed them was already eye-opening. Now? Bulletproof clothing is standard issue for the intelligence department, like his work pants and leather jacket, which also have bulletproof capabilities.
The company's rapid technological advancements have also accelerated material updates and improved cost efficiency.
Their department's custom bulletproof clothing features a thin layer of non-Newtonian fluid, easily withstanding close-range shots from 6.2mm caliber conventional bullets.
Though the company's standard-issue combat suits for elite units "only" resist 9mm rounds at close range, when fully equipped, their protective capabilities are absolute.
Leon walked through the newly built cafeteria, bypassed a restricted construction area, and finally arrived at an equipment prep room labeled 012.
Inside, several logistics personnel in mechanical exoskeletons were busy transporting light equipment crates or using convenient tools to sort ammunition and magazines.
Leon first removed his leather jacket, placed it on a nearby bench, and approached the counter with bulletproof glass and a safety barrier, saying, "Leon S. Kennedy, employee number A-00153, here for a reconnaissance mission."
"Please wait a moment."
The staff behind the counter typed on a physical keyboard, verifying Leon's information, then turned and called out loudly, "A-00153!"
Upon hearing this, a logistics personnel member paused what they were doing and retrieved an equipment crate from the storage room, bringing it through the safety door to Leon.
They placed it on the ground, unlocked it, and opened the lid. The logistics personnel then assisted Leon in assembling and donning the mechanical exoskeleton.
In no time, Leon, now equipped with sufficient supplies and ammunition, put his leather jacket back on and added a seemingly thin stealth cloak.
After picking up his custom AMWS rifle, he thanked the logistics personnel for their help and left the equipment prep room.
Stepping into the dim afternoon light, he headed straight for the large, vertically aligned heliport. There, he quickly spotted the Silver Gull, a uniquely designed transport aircraft that was much larger than a Black Hawk assault vehicle.
Shortly after, all sixteen investigators, including Leon and Ada, had boarded.
The pilots closed the side doors, sealing the cabin.
Ground crew members jogged to a safe distance, knelt, and raised their right thumbs, signaling readiness for takeoff.
Seeing this, the pilots responded in kind, raising their right hands before starting the Silver Gull's two nuclear fusion engines.
Roar—!!
The powerful airflow generated at startup swept across the area, tousling the ground crew's hair.
The Silver Gull slowly ascended, reaching the designated altitude, then tilted its wing engines to prepare for acceleration and activated its stealth mode, disappearing from sight.
Inside the cabin;
Roar—Roar—!
Seatbelt secured, Leon, seated on the right side of the cabin, deeply experienced the sensation of being forcibly "dragged down."
Everyone else in the cabin wore similar expressions of discomfort, as the Silver Gull continued accelerating, carrying them to a near-Earth orbit 200 kilometers above ground before quickly heading to Sana'a, Yemen, 8,000 kilometers away.
Fortunately, the oppressive sensation didn't last long. Once Leon and the others could no longer feel significant vibrations, the sensation of their "souls flying away" finally disappeared, replaced by a sense of weightlessness.
Had they left Earth?
To be honest, all the investigators aboard were experiencing this for the first time—their first time riding the still-experimental Silver Gull, and their first time in outer space.
"Hey! Look out the window."
Hearing a colleague's alert, Leon turned to look out the porthole.
What should have been the beautiful, blue Earth was instead shrouded in "gray dust."
The dust, debris, and soil from nuclear explosions had entered low Earth orbit, blocking sunlight from reaching the ground and causing Earth's temperature to drop drastically. Some areas no longer had the green of trees and plants.
Leon had mixed feelings about the scene and was eager to find out what had really happened on Earth 04 through this investigation.
---
Primary Universe Date: November 14, 1996.
In Sana'a, a desert city, it was an early morning with insufficient light. From an aerial view, the city exuded a strong exotic atmosphere, ideal for those who enjoy exploring different environments and cultures.
Unfortunately, this desert capital, once a tourist destination, had become a neglected, decaying ruin.
On the eastern outskirts of Sana'a;
The pilots of the Silver Gull kept the aircraft at a height of about 20 meters above the ground, slowed down, and deployed the landing gear.
Once the engines rotated to a vertical position, the Silver Gull maintained its hovering stance and then landed on a flat desert area.
The side doors opened.
The long-prepared investigators quickly exited the cabin, fanning out and keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.
Leon, equipped with holographic glasses and an air filtration device, temporarily detected nothing unusual nearby and saw no signs of life.
Roar—!
As the cabin doors closed, the Silver Gull took off again, kicking up a swirl of sand.
Once the Silver Gull was out of sight, the area returned to silence.
"Everyone, stay alert," Ada ordered over the communication channel. "Although the images from Ernie 004 show that Sana'a wasn't hit by a nuclear strike and radiation levels are within safe limits, we still can't be complacent. Pair up, spread out in eight teams, each maintaining about a kilometer of separation, and begin your investigation."
After the communication ended, Leon, using the visual aids provided by his holographic glasses, confirmed that his partner was the colleague he had spoken with earlier in the meeting room.
They were designated as G1 and G2.
"Finally, remember that our mission is reconnaissance. Avoid contact or conflict with potential unknown forces unless absolutely necessary."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Move out."
With the conversation over, Leon activated the optical camouflage of his stealth cloak and advanced toward the city six kilometers away with his partner.
Since this mission was a routine investigation and reconnaissance, unlike last year's infiltration of Minova, Leon and his team hadn't "borrowed" any weapons or equipment from the Hunter Unit.
Besides, their gear was top-notch, among the best Atlas had to offer.
A few minutes later.
Leon and his partner arrived at an abandoned village.
There were signs of people fleeing in panic, but after investigating and testing, Leon and his partner found that the flight had occurred at least seven years ago.
This meant that in the past seven years, no one had visited this place until now.
After sharing the intel, Leon and his partner moved on, continuing toward Sana'a.
With the mechanical exoskeleton enhancing their speed and strength, they quickly crossed the desert and reached the city wall on the outskirts of Sana'a.
Finding a breach, they entered the city, only to be greeted by a grim sight—bodies strewn across the ground.
The clothing on the bodies was
intact, as if their lives had been snuffed out in an instant, similar to what they had seen around Iceland.
Leon crouched next to a body wearing children's clothing, then looked at a female body not far away, which seemed to have been running toward the child before suddenly dying and collapsing.
He sighed silently and continued with his partner toward the location where the thermal source had been detected.
But first, they each released a pulse scanner (a magnetically levitated metal sphere).
As the holographic screen displayed an increasingly detailed map, Leon and his partner avoided many detours and soon arrived at one of the areas where the thermal reaction had occurred.
It was a small public square surrounded by derelict vehicles and dilapidated shops, along with more "corpses."
However, these "corpses" hadn't decomposed, as if they had just died.
?!
Seeing this, Leon and his partner immediately began investigating.
As they approached, they noticed more details, such as the bodies' eyes being sunken inward and the veins appearing to have burst outward, causing the skin to crack.
The partner crouched beside a corpse, took out an instrument for a quick analysis, and reported the findings, "The white spots on the skin resemble burns caused by high heat, but determining the state of the internal organs would require an autopsy. Still, it feels strange. If it was high heat, why aren't there any burn marks on the clothing?"
"I'm not sure," Leon replied, equally puzzled.
After uploading the intel they had gathered, Leon made his report, "This is Team G. We've found a large number of human corpses with unusual causes of death."
"Team B here."
"Team E encountered the same situation."
The communication channel buzzed with responses from other teams.
Hearing this, the partner, who had just put the detection instrument back in the storage bag, shook his head, "Looks like the thermal reactions Ernie 004 captured were probably caused by these poor souls."
"Possibly," Leon agreed, adding, "Most of the bodies seem to have fallen in the same direction, suggesting they were trying to flee from something."
"This is Team A," Ada's voice came over the communication channel. "We've discovered a hidden entrance in the area with the highest concentration of bodies. Judging by the time of death, it seems Sana'a had a shelter base underground that fell not too long ago."
"Damn, we're too late," the partner lamented.
Beep—!
Suddenly, dense red dots flashed on the mini radar displayed on the holographic screen, rapidly approaching Leon and his partner.
!
Without hesitation, Leon and his partner raised their guns, aiming in the direction of the incoming red dots.
But when they judged that the red dots were now within visible range, they saw, through the holographic screen, a group of vaguely humanoid silhouettes.
Ghosts?
Before Leon and his partner could get a closer look, the "ghosts" ignored the optical camouflage of their stealth cloaks and charged directly at their position.
"Open fire!"
"This is Team G! We've been compromised! Engaging what seems to be supernatural enemies!"
___________________
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