"You all look very surprised."
"Wouldn't any normal person react this way?"
Claire was actually the quickest to recover. Maybe it was because she was easygoing, or perhaps she had already seen too many strange things today, and her tolerance had improved.
Leon also quickly came back to his senses. His gaze toward Ethan was still odd. He really wanted to say, "Aren't things like mages just fictional?" But thinking about the fireball Ethan had released earlier, he couldn't bring himself to ask.
He suspected in his heart that Ethan had used some kind of special illusion trick, but for now, he accepted the self-proclaimed title of "mage."
"Don't worry about it too much. Being a mage is no different from being a policeman, a gun shop owner, or a university student. It's just an identity."
That was what he said, but Leon and the others didn't quite see it that way. What they were more concerned about was something else.
Ethan, a person of unknown origin with powerful and mysterious abilities, claimed to be a mage. What about the other person? Selene had appeared alongside Ethan, and it was clear they knew each other. Could this woman also be a mage?
"I'm not a mage."
Selene saw several people looking at her at once and shook her head, denying their assumption. As for her identity as a vampire? She didn't want to reveal it. In human society, being a vampire wasn't as well-received as being a mage. If she blurted it out, Leon and the others might treat her the same way they treated zombies and other monsters.
"Shouldn't we continue with our previous plan?"
Ethan kicked the Tyrant's corpse at his feet. This thing actually had great research value, but unfortunately, his storage space wasn't large enough to hold the entire Tyrant. Collecting some samples was enough for now, as it was just one of the many T-virus products.
"Oh, you're right."
Now wasn't the time to dwell on Ethan's identity. They were still trapped in a city full of zombies and various bio-monsters. What they should be focusing on was how to escape this place.
As for Ethan's identity, they could probe it gradually. After all, asking a few questions while on the move wouldn't hold them up.
The police station had already been thoroughly searched. All usable supplies had been collected and distributed among the bags everyone carried.
Robert Kendo carried a large bag. As a gun shop owner, he felt that his reflexes and combat ability were weaker than the younger ones, but his strength and stamina were decent, so helping to carry supplies was no problem.
The large bag he carried mainly contained clean water, food, and all the ammunition they had found.
As for weapons, each person chose according to their preferences. For example, besides the service pistol still holstered at his waist, Leon also carried a .44 caliber Desert Eagle. This large-caliber handgun had drawbacks such as being bulky, having a slow rate of fire, and strong recoil. It was mostly used for hunting large animals or as a collector's item, with limited practical combat use.
But after encountering monsters like the Tyrant, Leon felt it was necessary to carry a large-caliber handgun, so he immediately took it when he saw one.
"Too bad it's not .50 caliber."
Ethan wasn't entirely sure how much more powerful that caliber would be, but he felt Leon wouldn't get many chances to use the weapon—especially while moving alongside him.
"Did you use a fireball just now?"
Ever since Ethan introduced himself as a mage, Sherry, who had previously been wary of him, had become very curious. Her eyes stayed on him constantly, and as soon as she found a chance, she asked the question she had been holding in.
"Yes."
"Can you use other magic?"
"More or less."
"Can mages really do anything, like in the stories?"
Ethan looked at Sherry. She was still a child, and he really wanted to humor her like any other child, but when he looked into her eyes, he could tell that despite her age, she was very clever. She must have something she wanted to ask for.
What would Sherry want from him? Ethan guessed it immediately. Nothing more than help finding her parents, protecting them, and if something had happened to them, hoping he could restore them safe and sound.
Finding them wouldn't be difficult. Restoring them safe and sound... that was.
Ethan didn't dwell on it for too long and decided to shatter the girl's fantasy right away.
"Mages are not omnipotent. While magic itself may be limitless, a mage's power is not."
Sherry was young, but that didn't mean she couldn't understand. At twelve, she had enough comprehension.
"So, you can't help me find my mom and dad?"
Ethan paused, then gave the little girl a promise.
"If possible, I will help you find them."
Claire had been holding Sherry's hand the whole time, so she heard the entire conversation. She was a little surprised that Ethan actually agreed to help Sherry find her parents.
"Are you surprised?"
"A little."
Claire thought for a moment. Seeing that the surroundings were quiet and there didn't seem to be any immediate danger, she started chatting with Ethan as well.
"You said you were a passing mage?"
"Yes."
"Where are you going?"
Ethan shook his head. Claire thought he didn't want to answer the question, but then he gave her a shocking reply.
"The 'passing through' I mentioned is a little different from what you understand."
Ethan was never one to hide his identity. It was fine not to mention it before, but now that he had revealed he was a mage, he didn't plan to hide the fact that he was from another world either.
When he introduced himself as someone who had come from another world, even Claire and Leon—who had been walking ahead—were stunned for a moment.
"You can understand the concept of parallel universes, right?"
"I don't know why, but after hearing that you're not from our world, I actually feel relieved."
It proved that their world was still the one they were familiar with. The appearance of monsters was due to a bio-virus, not some complete shift into an unfamiliar world. If a mage could appear, who was to say angels and demons wouldn't appear next? But now it seemed that wouldn't happen.
Since they had already swept through the police station while searching for survivors earlier, there were no zombies left inside. After eliminating the Tyrant, everyone smoothly reached the underground parking garage.
Ethan couldn't figure out the design of the Raccoon City Police Station. Why did you have to go through the parking garage to reach the detention cells? But that was how it had been designed, and complaining wouldn't change it.
Another thing that didn't change was that Leon, walking in front, was nearly hit by a bullet. When everyone raised their weapons, they saw an Asian woman in a red mini dress walk out.
"Sorry, I thought you were those monsters."
Everyone was surprised. They hadn't expected to encounter another survivor. Only Ethan wasn't surprised. Since Sherry was with them, this woman was bound to appear—it was only a matter of when.
"We're not those monsters. We're survivors, and we're trying to escape the city together. You should come with us." Leon didn't take the shot personally. In this environment, misunderstandings like this were understandable.
He saw that the woman was alone, dressed like a civilian, and was a woman. His sense of duty surged once again. As a police officer, he felt it was his duty to protect her.
"I'm Leon. This is Claire, Ethan, Selene, Robert."
"My name is Ada Wong. I can't go with you right now. I'm looking for someone." Ada didn't accept Leon's invitation. She had something she needed to do.
"Looking for someone?" Hearing that meant there was another survivor. Leon immediately perked up. "Who are you looking for?"
"A reporter named Ben. He should be locked in the police station's detention cells." Ada didn't hide her purpose and said it directly.
Maybe she sensed Leon was willing to help, so she just said it. Ethan wasn't sure, agents were always hard to read.
Hearing that the person was still in the police station, likely in the underground facility they were heading to (since the detention cells were also there), Leon immediately decided to help.
"You can come with us. If Ben is still alive, he can try to escape the city with us too."
"Good idea." Ada pointed to a medium-sized truck ahead. "But we need to move that truck first. It's blocking the door."
Moving the vehicle wasn't difficult. The women didn't seem inclined to do it, so Leon and Ethan—being the young men—took responsibility. Leon actually wanted Ethan to move the truck by himself. He believed that with Ethan's ridiculous strength, it wouldn't be a problem.
However, being watched by all the women made him feel a bit embarrassed, so he went up to help. Not that it mattered. He barely applied any force, and the truck was already pushed aside.
The blocked entrance was revealed. After opening the door and heading inside, they found a dark and narrow corridor. Fortunately, no zombies appeared to cause trouble, and they quickly reached the detention cells, where they found the reporter named Ben.
Leon and Ada exchanged a few words with the man in the cell and confirmed that he was Ben Bertolucci. He was a reporter with a lot of inside information. Ada was looking for him to ask about her boyfriend, who had been missing for six months, but Ben didn't give her any answers.
As for Leon's suggestion that they leave together, Ben completely ignored it. He felt safer hiding in the cell.
"You have no idea what's out there."
(To be continued.)
***
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