"Allen, I ran into Enrico a few days ago," Robert said, his tone uneasy. "He warned me that I should leave this city as soon as possible."
Allen raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Did he tell you why?"
Robert shook his head slowly. "No… but the way he said it—he sounded dead serious. I don't know what's really happening in this city, but something about it doesn't feel right. Do you have any idea what's going on, Allen?"
There was a hint of worry in his voice now. The thought of Enrico's warning weighed heavily on his mind, stirring his fear for his wife and daughter. Deep down, Robert could feel that if he didn't act soon, their safety might be at risk.
Allen exhaled softly. "This is… complicated to explain, Robert. But I can tell you this much—it's gotten really serious. The more you know, the more danger you'll be putting your family in," he said calmly, though there was weight in his tone. "All I can say right now is that the city's in bad shape. I suggest you get your family out of here before it's too late."
Robert frowned, his expression tense. "Does this have anything to do with the rumors—about an infectious disease, monsters, and cannibals in the northern part of Raccoon City?" he asked. He'd heard plenty of frightened talk from customers lately—people buying guns and ammo like their lives depended on it.
Allen nodded. "Yeah, it's related. The R.P.D. is doing everything it can to handle the situation, but things are getting worse. It's a kind of new virus—something like rabies, but it spreads through bites." Allen's eyes met Robert's seriously.
"I understand," Robert replied after a long pause. "I'll get my wife and daughter out of the city as soon as I can. But as for me… I can't just walk away. There are still people here who need help. I'll try to take as many as I can with me."
Allen watched him quietly. Robert had that same stubborn, righteous heart as Barry and the other heroes Allen had met.
But unlike in the game's cruel fate—where Robert Kendo was forced to shoot his infected wife, then his daughter, before taking his own life—Allen knew this world would be different.
He smiled softly at Robert, a calm, reassuring smile. A smile that, somehow, carried the weight of hope.
"Why are you smiling like that, Allen? Ah, never mind," Robert said, raising an eyebrow as he noticed Allen's sudden mysterious grin. From his point of view, it was kind of weird—Allen just smiling like that out of nowhere.
Well, not that it mattered much. Robert was a perfectly normal guy, after all—so there's no way he'd be charmed by Allen's smile anyway.🤪
Allen then stood up and began picking through the weapons that might be useful for future missions, eventually choosing the ones he found suitable. Then his eyes landed on an SMG—Heckler & Koch MP5.
"Wow, you have this?" said Allen as he started testing the weapon. Yeah, this was his favorite gun from the games he used to play in his previous life.
"Hmmm, you've got good taste, Allen. This is a Heckler & Koch MP5. Well, a lot of people are after this one, and it wasn't easy for me to get," said Robert with a grin.
"Yeah, it's a great weapon," Allen replied while trying out various shooting stances and positions. He also didn't forget to buy several rounds for the grenade launcher.
Meanwhile, Ada and Rebecca were already picking out the weapons they wanted to buy. Rebecca decided on an Uzi, finding it the most suitable for her since she was a medic. As for Ada, she chose both an Uzi and a British-made AWM sniper rifle.
"Well, so what's the total for all this?" Allen asked, ready to pull out his checkbook.
Robert then said to Allen, "You don't need to pay this time—it's on me," he said. Yeah, he knew Allen and the girls would definitely be facing danger in the future, especially judging by the kind of gear they were buying—it was clear they were preparing for war. At the very least, he wanted to help, even if it was just by giving them free weapons.
"Come on, old man, don't start with that charity talk. You know you're gonna take a hit if I walk out without paying, and trust me—I'm not the kind of guy who needs a senior citizen discount." Allen said jokingly.
"You ungrateful brat, at least give this old man a chance to look cool!" Robert said, trying to smack Allen on the head — but of course, Allen dodged with ease.
"Easy there, old man," Allen said with a smirk. "You know it's not good for guys your age to get worked up like that. Gotta watch that blood pressure — wouldn't want you to pop a vein and give me extra paperwork at the hospital, hahaha."
Meanwhile, Rebecca and Ada couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous banter between the two men.
....
Meanwhile, at the R.P.D., Allen finally spotted Kevin talking with one of the senior officers, Marvin.
"Hey, Kevin, Lieutenant Marvin," Leon greeted the two officers.
"Oh, hey Leon, what's up?" Kevin asked.
"I just wanted to let you know the medical supplies for tomorrow's mission have arrived. We just need to distribute them to the officers before deployment," Leon said.
"Thanks for the update," Kevin replied.
"Good work, Leon. Oh, and don't forget to check the equipment for tomorrow's mission," Marvin added, glancing at the rookie in front of him.
"Equipment?" Leon repeated, a bit confused.
"Haha, you're probably wondering what Marvin means by that. Don't worry, I'll show you later—you're definitely gonna like it," Kevin said, already knowing what Marvin was referring to.
"Well, alright then. You should check it out with Kevin later. I've got to go report this to Chief Brian," Marvin said before leaving the area to head to Brian's office.
"Alright, Leon, I think we should check the equipment you'll be using tomorrow and make sure everything's in good condition and ready to go," Kevin said to Leon.
"Okay," Leon replied, a bit curious about the gear for tomorrow's big mission.
When they entered the Raccoon City Police Department's armory, Leon was taken aback. The so-called "equipment" Marvin mentioned turned out to be heavy weaponry — night vision helmets, military vests, grenades, assault rifles, LMGs, SMGs, grenade launchers, RPGs, and even a few miniguns neatly arranged in the room.
"Kevin… are we going to war or something?" Leon asked, slightly shocked.
"Huh? You don't know the details of tomorrow's mission yet?" Kevin replied.
Leon shook his head. "No, no one told me anything about it," he said, realizing his partner Allen had probably forgotten to fill him in. Leon had assumed tomorrow's mission was just about evacuating civilians from the northern area affected by the outbreak and distributing vaccines.
"Ahh, looks like Allen didn't tell you anything about this. That guy's really irresponsible," Kevin said, teasing Allen's usual lack of accountability.
"Well, maybe he just forgot. You know how it is — Allen's been a bit busy lately," Leon replied, trying to defend his partner.
"Hahaha, you're way too serious, Leon. Relax. I'm pretty sure Allen wouldn't mind us talking behind his back. And come on, do you really believe that guy's busy? He's probably just busy having fun with his ladies at home," Kevin said with a laugh, clearly aware of Allen's reputation.
"And if you hang around the bar often enough, you'll definitely see him there — always surrounded by women, drinking like he owns the place. I still can't figure out how all those gorgeous women stick around him, even though he's a total womanizer. Maybe it's the looks, huh?" he added, genuinely pondering it like it was a mystery of life.
"Yeah… maybe it's because he really is good-looking," Leon said, scratching his head awkwardly. He knew Allen's playboy side — it wasn't exactly a secret in this city.
"But even so, Allen's a good guy. Responsible too. When it comes to work, he knows how to be serious when it counts — though, yeah, he does mess around sometimes," Leon added with a small smile.
"Yeah, he's a bit eccentric," Kevin agreed, nodding. "But at least he's reliable — a guy you can trust when it really matters."
"Alright, I guess I should just explain the upcoming mission to you — better to get your mind ready for it," Kevin said, sitting down in the chair nearby. His tone shifted, losing its usual laid-back edge; this time, he sounded serious, and that alone was enough to make Leon frown slightly before sitting across from him.
"So… what's this mission going to be about?" Leon asked.
Kevin stayed quiet for a few seconds, then met Leon's gaze. "This next mission… you could say it's a cleanup operation."
"Cleanup?" Leon echoed, confused. "What do you mean, exactly?"
Kevin exhaled, his hands tightening slightly as he leaned forward. "It means, this time, we're not saving anyone, Leon. You've heard the reports about the so-called cannibals up north, right? Near the Arklay Mountains — the ones hiding around the sewer systems that Umbrella's already sealed off so civilians can't enter?"
"Yeah, I've heard," Leon replied, his brows furrowing. "Even officers are banned from entering that area. Umbrella's got their people guarding the perimeter."
"Yeah, what I mean by a cleanup mission is we have to kill everything in there — the cannibals, the dogs, and any monsters," Kevin said.
"Why do we have to do that? They're still citizens of Raccoon City!" Leon shouted, shocked by the mission details.
"All right, Leon, lower your voice — I'll explain why," Kevin replied, telling Leon to calm down.
"Ah, sorry, Kevin," Leon said, realizing he'd overreacted. After all, Kevin was his senior and Leon didn't know the full picture.
"Have you ever heard about the S.T.A.R.S. missions up in the Arklay Mountains? The incidents — the Umbrella train attacked, rumors that S.T.A.R.S. members were ambushed by some kind of monsters that killed all the passengers, and the mansion filled with monsters that attack anyone who approaches? One of the captains was a casualty in that incident," Kevin explained.
"Yeah, I've heard about it. I've asked Allen a few times, but he always dodges the question — he just tells me to be careful, and if we meet those monsters, shoot them in the head. Allen even suggested we should just shoot the cannibals in the head instead of trying to capture them and bring them to the Raccoon City infirmary for treatment," Leon replied.
Kevin just shook his head. "Yeah, I get why Allen did that," Kevin said. "The guy seems to want to protect you so you don't find out the real truth." He stepped closer to Leon and lowered his voice. "Listen, Leon — if you hear this, keep it to yourself."
And Leon just nodded.
"So the monsters from that incident are real. I nearly died because of them when I was patrolling the Arklay Mountains, and luckily Barry and Enricho saved me back then. They told me to keep quiet about the monsters there and to never get bitten, because a bite can spread a virus that turns you into a cannibal. And the only way to stop someone who's turned and keeps attacking people is to kill them — shoot them in the head," Kevin explained, sharing what he knew.
"They told me this because even if you report it to Chief Brian, he won't investigate it — he might even have you demoted or shut you up so you won't spread the information. And don't trust the mayor either — he and the Chief are working together to cover this up.
But as you know, Leon, the virus or illness that started in the Arklay Mountains seems to have spread into the city. That's why, to stop it from spreading, we're tasked with eliminating any monsters in the northern area so they can't get into town — because the only way to stop them is to kill them." Kevin finished, having told Leon everything he knew.
Leon stood there, stunned and silent, trying to process the new information. "I… I find this hard to believe," he said, though he'd handled several cannibalism cases before and seen victims with wounds so strange he couldn't explain how they were still alive. He closed his eyes for a moment.
Kevin watched him and said, "Believing it or not, you need to be ready, Leon — the next mission will be different from just arresting criminals."
Leon nodded, realizing this was a duty he had to accept.
"Well, since you've heard everything, how about we check the weapons you'll be using tomorrow and run some live-fire drills?" Kevin said, picking up a Light Machine Gun — an M249 5.56 mm — and smiling at Leon. "I also want to see how good you are with a gun, so?," he added.
"Hmm, sure. I guess practicing with the weapons for tomorrow's mission would be a good warm-up," Leon replied. He seemed genuinely interested in the arsenal and wanted to try the guns one by one.
All of the gear in the room had just arrived — ordered by Brian, who was risking his reputation on this operation.
Even though the task came from Sergei to collect combat footage, Brian planned to stage a major firefight; Allen had explained why Sergei wanted that footage, and Brian was also tempted to sell the recordings to the military, believing the military would step in against Umbrella once they saw the tapes.