The helicopters cut through the night like wounded beasts.
Rotors thundered against the sky, scattering smoke and ash as the city slowly drifted beneath them—burned streets, broken towers, blinking emergency lights that felt more like last breaths than signals of hope.
Nobita sat near the open side door.
The wind clawed at his hair, tugging at his jacket, but he barely noticed. His eyes were fixed on the city below, watching familiar places shrink into distant shapes.
"…So many people," he murmured.
Doraemon glanced at him. "Nobita?"
Nobita didn't look away.
"They don't even know how close they are," he said quietly. "How little time they have."
The system flickered in his vision.
21:14
He exhaled slowly and looked away.
Not now.
Leon, seated opposite, noticed the change in his expression. "You're thinking too hard again."
Nobita gave a faint smile. "When am I not?"
The second helicopter flew parallel beside them—BSAA soldiers packed tight, hackers hunched over glowing tablets, cables snaking across the floor like veins.
Chris's voice crackled through the comms.
"ETA two minutes. Stay sharp."
The city fell away as the helicopters descended toward a tall, modern structure rising out of the darkness—glass, steel, and the unmistakable architecture of Umbrella.
But something felt… wrong.
The helicopters landed hard on the rooftop.
The moment boots hit the ground, one of the hackers cursed.
"Sir—something's off."
Chris turned. "Talk."
The hacker rotated his tablet, projecting data into the air. "Missile launch signal just moved."
Leon frowned. "Moved where?"
"…An abandoned mine," the hacker said slowly. "Deep underground. No network access."
Silence.
"…Then why are we here?" Helena asked.
The hacker swallowed. "Because this building still has command authority. It can redirect, abort, or overwrite launch parameters—even if the missile itself is elsewhere."
Chris nodded once. "So this is the brain. The mine is just the muscle."
Nobita looked at the building's dark entrance.
"…Then we cut the brain."
They moved inside.
The doors slid open with a soft mechanical hiss.
And the smell hit them immediately.
Death.
Bodies were everywhere—Umbrella personnel, security, researchers. Some slumped against walls. Others collapsed near terminals, hands frozen mid-reach.
Shizuka pressed a hand to her mouth. "What… happened here?"
Doraemon scanned the air. "Residual viral energy. Recent."
Chris raised a fist, signaling halt. "Weapons up."
A sound echoed down the corridor.
Footsteps.
A man stepped into view.
Civilian clothes. Dirty jacket. Rifle hanging loosely in his hands.
"Help…" the man groaned.
Shizuka took a step forward. "Wait—"
Chris didn't hesitate.
CRACK.
The sniper round punched through the man's skull.
He fell.
Then—
His head regenerated.
Flesh twisted, bone reformed, skin sealing like liquid.
The man stood back up.
Four eyes opened across his face, blinking independently as blood poured from new sockets.
"…J'avo," Leon muttered.
The creature smiled.
And screamed.
The sound echoed.
Footsteps erupted from every direction.
Chris shouted, "CONTACT—!"
Gunfire exploded.
Bullets are is about to attack these creature then world slowed midair, like pushing through water.
Before anyone could react—
Nobita moved.
He vanished.
The air cracked as he passed Leon, Helena, Chris—faster than the bullets hanging in the air.
Black-and-white lightning tore through the corridor.
One slash.
Two.
Three.
Heads hit the floor before bodies realized they were dead.
The system chimed softly.
Mutation Stabilized.
Targets Neutralized.
Silence.
Everyone stared.
Leon lowered his gun slowly. "…You just—"
"Decapitation prevents regeneration," Nobita said calmly, turning back toward them. "For now."
Shizuka looked at him—awed, scared, proud—all at once.
"…You're getting stronger," she whispered.
Nobita didn't answer.
Because more footsteps were coming.
From every hall.
"Here they come!" Gian shouted.
The corridor erupted into chaos.
Doraemon fired an air cannon blast, sending three J'avo crashing through a wall.
Gian's Ultra Reinforced Air Blaster boomed, flattening enemies against the ceiling.
Suneo's Arc Pulse Emitter crackled, stunning advancing targets.
Shizuka activated her Barrier Cloth, a translucent field flaring as bullets slammed harmlessly against it.
Dekisugi scanned frantically with his magnifying device. "I—I can't find a core! They're too unstable!"
One by one—
The J'avo fell.
The corridor filled with corpses.
Smoke drifted.
Breathing slowed.
The hackers' voices returned over comms. "Control room breached. We're inside."
Chris exhaled. "Good work. Shut it down."
Nobita turned—
—and stopped.
Something glinted among the debris.
A black chest.
Untouched.
He approached it slowly.
The lid opened with a hiss.
Inside—
Two polished shotguns.
Short-barreled.
Lever-action.
M1887 — Dual Set
The system chimed.
INVENTORY AVAILABLE
Nobita stared.
"…Loot," he murmured.
Then—
A sound.
FWOOSH.
The dead J'avo bodies ignited.
Flames crawled over them unnaturally, flesh shrinking, folding inward—
Cocoons formed.
Everyone froze.
Leon raised his gun. "…Don't tell me—"
The cocoons cracked.
Something tore free.
B.O.W.
Multiple.
Deformed.
Screaming.
Bullets hit—
Did nothing.
The creatures advanced.
Slow.
Confident.
Nobita stepped forward.
Calm.
Too calm.
He crossed his arms.
Lightning flickered faintly.
"…I was wondering when you'd wake up."
The system responded.
WEAPON SUMMON: CONFIRMED
Two shotguns appeared in his hands.
Click.
Click.
He spun them effortlessly, resting them on his shoulders.
Gian whispered, "…That's cold."
Nobita looked at the approaching monsters.
"…You had one chance to stay dead."
He smiled slightly.
"And you missed."
The lightning flared.
The hall shook.
And the hunt began.
END OF CHAPTER