Luis chuckled softly, while Leon only gave a slight nod with a faint smile. Without another word, both prepared themselves.
Leon pulled the assault rifle from his back and switched off the safety. "Roger. Let's finish this."
Luis exhaled a stream of smoke, then flicked the cigarette butt to the floor. Drawing a pistol from inside his jacket, he muttered, "Understood… But if Isolde ever finds out about this, she'll lose her damn mind."
Rian glanced over, still carrying Ashley in his arms, the smile on his face unshaken. "Then make sure she doesn't."
With that, they moved out. Their next destination: Luis's research lab, perched high on the mountain—the island's highest point.
The one place that held any hope of saving Ashley… and perhaps Leon as well.
***
"Umm… could you put me down? I'm fine. I can walk on my own," Ashley whispered, her voice barely audible.
They were riding a lift crane slowly ascending toward Luis's laboratory at the mountain's peak. Rian still carried her in a princess hold, as though her weight were no more than a feather.
Ashley's face flushed faintly. At this distance, she could see his features far too clearly.
His skin was pale and smooth, his bright blue eyes faintly visible behind his dark sunglasses, and his jet-black hair spilled like ink across a sky stripped of moon and stars.
Dressed head to toe in black—shirt, trousers, and trench coat—he radiated an aura that was both mysterious and elegant.
Unfortunately for Ashley, all of it only made her heartbeat race even faster, impossible to control.
From the rear right, Luis watched the scene with a smirk, exhaling a lazy puff of smoke. "Well, well… there's the Sir Tristan we know," he muttered with amused sarcasm.
On the opposite side, Leon simply gave a small nod and a faint smile.
"I'll agree to that. Let's just hope Isolde doesn't find out Tristan's been 'entertaining' another woman."
Hearing Luis and Leon's comments, Ashley shut her eyes for a moment, trying to calm the frantic beating of her heart.
Her cheeks were still faintly flushed when she finally whispered, "Please… I can walk on my own. You'll only tire yourself out… like before."
The truth was, Ashley had been aware of this since their trek to the lift. But from the very start, Rian hadn't given her even the slightest chance to walk.
He carried her as if her body were as fragile as porcelain, leaving no room for argument.
And it wasn't as if the journey had been simple. On the way here, they'd had to move constantly while evading and disabling the facility's automated defenses—laser scanners, auto-turrets, and more.
More than once, they were forced into firefights with Krauser's armed loyalists, Ganados equipped with military gear who tried to halt their advance.
Yet through all the chaos, Rian never once let her go. As if to wordlessly declare a single truth: protecting his "princess" was his highest priority.
"No," Rian finally answered, flashing a mischievous smile at her. "If you want the suppressant to last longer, you can't move around too much. Isn't that right, Luis?"
Luis chuckled, flicking the tip of his cigarette onto the metal floor of the lift. "I don't think that's exactly how it works, amigo… But if you're not bothered by it, do as you please."
Leon let out a quiet sigh, his eyes drifting downward to the landscape slowly shrinking beneath the crane lift as it continued its climb.
"Even if we still need to stay sharp…" Leon murmured softly, "for some reason, I feel calmer now. Is it because of Rian?"
The words weren't just offhand—they were sincere. Leon had been watching Rian closely this whole time.
Despite his often relaxed demeanor, Rian was a sharp observer. He read situations quickly, assessed potential threats, and frequently uncovered shortcuts Leon himself would never have considered.
Whenever Leon suggested a route or a plan, Rian always had an alternative—faster, more efficient, and, somehow, it always worked. Even if his explanations for them sounded absurd.
Leon still didn't know who Rian Andromeda truly was… but one thing was certain: as long as Rian was with them, the mission felt possible.
Rian glanced down at Ashley in his arms. "You heard him, didn't you? Besides, carrying a sweetheart like this isn't exactly a burden. Ah… as for trouble? Don't worry. Rian Andromeda can multitask."
Ashley fell silent. Her face turned scarlet, and for the first time since this ordeal began… she was completely at a loss for words.
Moments later, the crane lift finally brought them into a wide chamber. It wasn't a laboratory, nor was it an armory.
This place felt different—like it was hiding something important… but not something made for war.
The room was filled with massive wooden crates. Some were wrapped in thick plastic, others covered with waterproof tarps, as if concealing things the world was never meant to see.
Even through the coverings, Rian could sense it—thermal traces and faint particles drifting in the air. Amber.
At last, Rian set Ashley down, letting her stand on her own. He turned to Leon and Luis, his tone low but serious.
"This place… something's not right."
Leon and Luis nodded. Instinctively, they raised their weapons, holding position. Ashley stayed in the middle—their top priority.
They began moving through the chamber, their footsteps echoing faintly against the industrial lights overhead. But one thing gnawed at all of them: the silence.
No Ganado soldiers.
No sounds.
No movement.
Too quiet.
***
Elsewhere, in a place drowned in silence and dread, the communications facility lay in ruins, lit only by the dim glow of red emergency lights.
Walls and floors were smeared with dried blood, and in several corners, the bodies of researchers lay scattered—victims who never made it out alive.
Through the shadow of devastation, Ada Wong walked with calm, calculated steps, every move sharpened by caution.
In her right hand, she carried a large black case. In her left, a sheet of folded paper—once an origami flower.
A gift from Rian.
For a moment, Ada halted. She leaned lightly against a cracked wall, her eyes fixed on the folded paper in her hand.
Quietly, her thoughts drifted back to the message hidden within it—a warning sharp enough to make her reconsider her mission.
Scrawled inside the origami flower were the words: "Beware the large black case you'll soon acquire. If you intend to use it as instructed by its giver, make sure you erase all research and data on this island."
A brief note from Rian, tucked neatly into the folds of paper, carried more than just caution.
It hinted at something far darker: the possibility of Albert Wesker's insane plan—to wipe the entire island off the map, regardless of who was still on it, including the President's daughter.
At first, Ada had dismissed it as nothing more than the cryptic ramblings of a narcissist who liked to play with words.
But as her heels clicked softly along the blood-stained corridor, the weight of that warning gnawed at her mind.
If Wesker truly intended it, the logic was undeniable. A madman like him wouldn't think twice about sacrificing an island full of lives—all in the name of his twisted vision of human evolution.
But… how did Rian know all this?
How could he be one step ahead of Wesker?
Half of the warning had already proven true—especially the key phrase: "the black case you'll soon acquire." And now, that very case was in her possession.
As for the rest? There was little room left for doubt. Wesker would almost certainly detonate the island, indifferent to who perished with it.
Ada's gaze drifted back to the delicate origami flower in her hand.
"Who exactly is Rian…?" she murmured under her breath, her brow furrowing.
Her fingers tightened around the folded paper, as if searching for an answer in its fragile creases.
"The more I think about it," Ada whispered with a faint, wry smile, "the stranger Rian Andromeda becomes."
Her voice dropped lower, colored with quiet hesitation. "Rian Andromeda… your intel had better be right. Because this time—I'm choosing to trust you."
With those words lingering in the air, Ada resumed her stride, heading toward the research facility's control room.
She fully intended to carry out Wesker's so-called "revised plan." But of course, she had every intention of weaving in her own private adjustments.
In other words, Ada would betray Wesker—but subtly. Even when he inevitably uncovered her duplicity, she knew he wouldn't strike immediately. Instead, he would bide his time, adopting a passive stance… at least for now.
It was all part of avoiding the danger of provoking Wesker too far. She understood all too well how terrifying the man could be—whether in direct confrontation or in the shadows of his intricate schemes.
By playing her role with just the right finesse, Ada could ensure one crucial thing: the survival of not only herself, but also Leon, Luis, Ashley… and Rian.