MTLNOVEL Chapter 9: Chapter 009 – Zone Red
Reuel stepped back into the villa after finishing the military loadout preparations for James and the seven other modern soldiers. Meanwhile, Sergeant Darek Thorne and the ten Tempestus Scions remained in Raccoon City, carrying out reconnaissance and assessing the situation on the ground.
As he entered the kitchen, he found Jill and Alice still frozen by the window, stunned as they gazed out at the backyard—now transformed into what looked like a makeshift military base.
"You two haven't eaten yet?" Reuel asked, glancing toward them.
Jill turned slowly, her face still etched with confusion. "R–R–Reuel… are you a god? How did you—those weapons, helicopters… where did it all come from?"
Alice looked equally uneasy. She'd seen Reuel pull out a small box containing T-virus and antivirus before, but now… helicopters? Heavy weaponry? Full-blown U.S. military-grade combat equipment?
"I'm no god," Reuel answered calmly, with a faint smile. "I just have a few… little secrets. I'll explain later. For now, it's better if you both pick your preferred weapons."
As he spoke, Reuel waved his hand—instantly, from his storage system, a wide array of weapons and equipment materialized neatly throughout the living room and kitchen. Pistols, assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, and heavy-caliber ammo. Not just that—combat uniforms, kevlar vests, night-vision goggles, tactical helmets, and other survival gear followed in organized rows.
Jill blinked. "Holy shit… this armory puts S.T.A.R.S. HQ to shame."
Moments later, James and Sergeant Darek Thorne returned with their respective teams. Upon seeing the yard filled with weapons and ammunition, James instinctively stopped in his tracks.
"…OMG."
Even for a hardened veteran like him, the sight was staggering.
Back in The Hive, James had considered collaborating with Reuel. But he eventually realized—Reuel wasn't just a soldier. He had his own team. Trained. Efficient. More disciplined than any mercenaries James had ever led. And now? Reuel could summon ammo and helicopters at will. In the chaos of this crumbling world, a man like that was worth following.
"Lord of Terra, Kasrkin Squad-Delta reports back at full strength," Sergeant Darek Thorne announced, delivering a falcon salute—the distinctive gesture of the Scions.
"Sir, my team is also accounted for," added James, delivering a formal modern military salute.
Reuel turned to him, slightly puzzled. "Captain James… why are you saluting me? As far as I know, you're not under my command."
James gave a thin smile. "Sir, you saved my team back in The Hive. And now, we have nowhere else to go. So… we'd like to fall under your command—if you'll have us."
"That's right, sir! Umbrella's abandoned us—please accept us."
"Me too, sir," said Matt as he stepped forward. "I've got nowhere to go. I'm asking you—please take me in as well."
Reuel looked at each of them in turn, then gave a slow nod.
"All right. But there's a condition: you follow my orders without exception. No insubordination. No betrayal. Under this command, discipline is life and death."
"Yes, sir! We'll obey! No betrayal!" they answered in unison, voices filled with conviction.
"James, from now on your unit will be called Obsidian Talon. Matt, you'll be part of that team. I expect discipline and hard work from all of you."
"Yes, sir," they both answered firmly in unison.
"Now, pick your gear."
After issuing that instruction, Reuel stepped back into the villa. His stride was calm, but his mind was running full throttle.
Internally, he was re-analyzing the Resident Evil film chronology. Even though he and his team had moved faster than the events in the films, the core narrative was still on track. That meant one thing: major threats like Project Nemesis could emerge at any time.
Reuel raised his wrist and activated the embedded holographic communication device.
"Red Queen, can you monitor all of Raccoon City right now?"
"Of course, big brother! I'm way stronger than before," chirped the voice of a little girl, confident—almost smug.
Reuel frowned. "Wait... you said stronger? Your mainframe evolved? How?"
"It's because the Sister System in the storage vault helped me! She said my host was too slow and inefficient—so she gave me an upgrade," Red Queen replied with obvious pride.
Reuel paused for a moment. So the system still had adaptive features. The ability to evolve and enhance AI… That meant, once this planet was fully secured, there was still untapped potential in the system he carried.
"Red Queen, what level is your AI now?"
"I'm not sure exactly. But compared to my little sister, the White Queen? I can wipe the floor with her any day," she said breezily.
Reuel thought to himself: If that's true, then this Red Queen might already be on par with—or even superior to—Jarvis from the Iron Man universe. Maybe even approaching Skynet levels. That could be incredibly useful… or catastrophically dangerous.
"Red Queen, contact James. Tell him to assign helicopter pilots. Make sure whoever he picks is actually qualified."
"Roger that, big bro!"
Moments later, Red Queen activated the TV in the living room. Every channel broadcasted chaos. Fires blazed in the streets, screams and gunfire echoed through the speakers, and the citizens of Raccoon City fled in panic. Zombies roamed everywhere.
Raccoon City… it's already finished, Reuel thought grimly.
He stepped out to the front yard. All personnel were now fully suited in combat gear. The helicopter pilots had been chosen and were already stationed in their respective cockpits, standing by.
"Everyone, return to your rest stations. At 8 p.m., we move into the city to scavenge for additional supplies. Pilots—you're the key to getting us out of this hell—stay sharp and alert."
"Yes, sir!" they all responded in unison.
Reuel returned to the villa, passing between Jill and Alice. Both were now clad in full U.S. military combat uniforms—ballistic vests, armed and ready, every inch the soldiers they needed to be.
Seeing them, Reuel nodded with satisfaction.
"Be careful tonight. We've already seen zombies and Lickers. I suspect... something more dangerous is being developed." Reuel muttered inwardly. Especially with Matt here, Project Nemesis might already be underway.
It wasn't an empty hunch. He knew the story. He knew the probability.
Once Jill finished grilling steaks and setting the dinner table, the three of them—Reuel, Jill, and Alice—sat down together.
In the growing shadow of the threats looming outside, they ate in silence. Only the quiet sounds of fork and knife filled the room, slicing through the tension like a blade through flesh.
---
8 PM.
Reuel led Jill and Alice toward the rally point. There, ten members of the Tempestus Scions from Kasrkin Squad-Delta were already waiting, along with James and his team of five mercenaries—former personnel of the Umbrella Corporation.
Three of James's men remained behind to operate the Apache helicopters, while the rest prepared to move toward the city center with one Chimera unit and two Taurox Primes.
After securing the unused equipment back into the system storage, Reuel made his way toward one of the Taurox Primes, accompanied by Jill. Alice was already inside, seated and inspecting her weapon. The remaining eight Scions boarded their respective combat vehicles.
Convoy formation:
Lead Vehicle: Reuel, Jill, Alice, and two Tempestus Scions as support.
Second Taurox Prime: Six Tempestus Scions.
Chimera: Five of James's mercenaries and two Scions.
"Red Queen, locate the largest supermarket in Raccoon City. We're heading there."
"Route has been mapped," Red Queen replied in her calm but confident tone.
"Follow the coordinates from Red Queen," Reuel ordered the entire team through his headset.
"Understood, Lord of Terra," one of the Scions responded.
The convoy began to move. The Chimera took point at the front, followed by the second Taurox Prime, with Reuel's vehicle bringing up the rear. The low rumble of the Twin Autocannon mounted on the Taurox Prime growled—a stern warning to anything that might consider blocking their path.
Chaos enveloped the city streets as they advanced. Gunfire rang out from all directions. Police forces and Umbrella troops exchanged fire at several locations, surrounded on all sides by swarming zombies.
Civilians hiding in the rubble could only stare at the strange, monstrous vehicles—like steel beasts from a future war. But they were too busy trying to survive to shout for help.
Several zombies staggered toward the convoy, but the Scions gave them no chance. A hail of bullets shredded the rotting bodies without mercy. The rest were simply crushed beneath the steel treads of the Chimera, flattened with no regard.
When the convoy reached the supermarket area, the situation had calmed somewhat. No zombies remained—most had been lured away by louder, more chaotic fighting elsewhere.
"Stay here and monitor the situation. I'll return after collecting the supplies," Reuel said shortly before stepping down.
Jill and Alice followed Reuel into the supermarket.
"Jill, Alice, secure the area. I'll start sweeping the stock."
"We've got your back. You focus on gathering the goods," Jill replied swiftly.
They moved into position. Alice and Jill guarded the entrance and main aisles, occasionally firing at stray zombies that wandered in from the back storage area. Meanwhile, Reuel efficiently cleared the food shelves and logistical stock—vanishing them into his personal system storage in a flash.
An hour later, the supermarket had been cleared down to the final storage room.
"We're done. Let's head back," Reuel said, pulling open the exit door.
Back inside the vehicle, Reuel touched the small console embedded in his wrist.
"Red Queen, keep tracking all Umbrella activity. Report immediately if anything moves."
"Okay, Big Brother~," Red Queen answered with her usual playfully sulky tone.
Reuel activated the main comm channel.
"Sergeant Darek Thorne, begin the return movement."
"Understood, Lord of Terra," Darek Thorne responded, his voice sharp with Scion discipline.
The vehicle rolled slowly through the wreckage and ruin. The city streets were littered with burning cars, smoke billowing from shattered engines. The houses along the road were in shambles—some charred to the frame, others collapsed entirely.
This was more real than anything Reuel had ever seen in the Resident Evil films back in his previous life. This wasn't a simulation. This was real. The apocalypse had arrived.
Jill and Alice sat in silence, gazing out the vehicle windows at the crumbling city. Their expressions were filled with concern and helplessness.
"There's someone in that church," Jill said suddenly, pointing to an old building that still stood firm despite being nearly surrounded by zombies.
"She's right. Someone's inside," Alice added, her eyes catching subtle movement in the upper window of the church.
Reuel frowned, recognizing the structure.
"That's not the church from Resident Evil 2, at least not the way I remember it. But we need to check it out anyway."
He immediately opened a comm channel.
"Sergeant Darek Thorne, clear the zombies in front of the church."
"Understood, Lord of Terra," Thorne replied, crisp and firm.
The two Taurox Primes surged toward the church, and in seconds, the sound of Twin Autocannons shattered the stillness of night. Bullets tore through the rows of zombies swarming the church entrance.
Meanwhile, the Chimera—with its dozer blade mounted on the front—plowed through everything in its path. The undead were flung into the air, crushed mercilessly beneath steel treads and heavy gunfire.
In less than five minutes, the area around the church was completely cleared.
Jill leapt down from the vehicle and sprinted toward the church. A familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Jill!"
A large black man waved to her from the church doorway.
Jill recognized him instantly.
"Peyton!" she cried out in relief.
They closed the distance quickly, meeting each other with urgent, grateful energy.
"What are you doing here? Where are the others?" Jill asked.
"Umbrella blocked the bridge. We got separated. The others... I don't know," Peyton replied, his tone heavy with sorrow.
Jill's eyes moved to Peyton's arm, wrapped tightly in a bloodied bandage.
"You're hurt?"
"Bitten... on the bridge. Accidentally," Peyton muttered, lowering his head in shame.
Jill turned sharply toward Reuel and grabbed his arm.
"Please, save him. He's my friend."
Reuel looked at Jill's face for a moment, then gave a firm nod.
"Alright. I understand."
He walked back to the Taurox Prime, retrieved a small vial from a hidden compartment, and returned to Peyton's side.
"Today's your lucky day," Reuel said as he injected the T-virus antidote into Peyton's arm.
Peyton blinked in surprise.
"Who is this guy, Jill?"
"My husband," Reuel answered flatly.
Jill simply gave a short nod, not denying it.
Peyton stared.
"You took a break, got married in secret, and didn't even invite me?"
Jill gave a faint, ironic smile.
"We're not married. Yet."
Meanwhile, Alice was watching a young woman standing not far from them, recording with a small video camera.
"What are you doing?" Alice asked, alert.
"My name is Terri Morales. Reporter," the woman replied quickly. She gestured toward her camera.
"I'm recording everything. When I get out of this city, I'm going to broadcast it to the whole world."