Chapter 7: S.H.I.E.L.D. (Part 1)

Bang, bang, bang.

The continuous gunfire immediately alerted Rebecca inside the villa. She quickly instructed Sister Lina to take the others into the basement while she grabbed a weapon to confront the attackers.

When Daniel offered to help, Rebecca flatly refused, citing that he was still just a child. As for the other adults, they were already beginning to panic in the current situation.

Jill and Rebecca knew the villa could be dangerous, but there was no other safe place in Raccoon City. If it were just the two of them, escaping would have been easy. But they couldn't abandon the children.

"I wonder how Rebecca escaped Raccoon City in the original story," Daniel thought as he made his way to the innermost part of the basement, where the armory was located.

He couldn't just hide in the basement and hope for the best. If Rebecca fell, they would all be doomed.

The gunfire outside clearly indicated that whoever was there, they were not friendly.

"Chris, you really outdid yourself." Daniel muttered, looking at the well-stocked armory. The first weapon he picked up was a military serrated knife. Unfortunately, the combat vests were too large for him at his current size.

"First, a gun." With an array of weapons at his disposal, Daniel quickly strapped two leg holsters and two waist pouches onto himself. He then grabbed two automatic pistols, one of which was a Desert Eagle. Normally, a Desert Eagle was too much for an average person, but Daniel was not average.

Next, he picked up an automatic rifle, then loaded up with magazines. Unfortunately, there were no grenades available, or he would have taken a few.

After arming himself, Daniel reached for the weapon he initially wanted—a Barrett sniper rifle. This was his best chance to help Rebecca from a distance.

"Let's see if I can channel my inner sniper." Daniel thought as he carried the sniper rifle out.

When the others in the basement saw Daniel's armed appearance, they were stunned.

Sister Lina wanted to stop him, but the ongoing gunfire convinced her to let Daniel go.

"Damn, what are these things?" Outside the villa, the Wolfpack had intended to stealthily eliminate the S.T.A.R.S. members, but some zombie dogs disrupted their plans.

Even Jill hadn't anticipated encountering zombie dogs here.

Luckily, there weren't many farms around Raccoon City, so there weren't too many animals. Otherwise, the situation would have been even more problematic.

The zombie dogs, although dangerous, were no match for the heavily armed Wolfpack. However, the gunfire exposed their position.

"It's the S.T.A.R.S. girl. She has some fight in her," the Wolfpack's leader noted as they engaged Rebecca. Her file had suggested she would be an easy target, but they hadn't realized what she'd been through in the past day and night.

Surviving those horrors had transformed Rebecca. Despite facing the elite Wolfpack alone, she held her ground.

"Damn, what kind of intel is this? Are you trying to get us killed?" The Wolfpack leader yelled at his superiors, angered by the inaccurate information.

The silence from Umbrella's higher-ups indicated their shock at the current turn of events.

Watching Rebecca being pinned down by enemy fire, Daniel was glad he had decided to step in. He set up the Barrett sniper rifle and took aim.

"It's all on you now." Activating his Surgical Fruit ability, Daniel felt as if he could perfectly understand every detail of the Barrett's capabilities.

Bang.

Focusing all his attention, Daniel's first shot targeted the enemy wielding a heavy machine gun, who was giving Rebecca the most trouble.

Bang.

The moment the bullet hit the enemy's head, it exploded, sending blood and flesh flying. Daniel didn't see this, as he immediately moved after firing.

As expected, the area where he had been was soon subjected to heavy gunfire.

"Those sniper documentaries weren't a waste after all." Daniel had once watched sniper documentaries because of his interest in the Barrett sniper rifle. Though he forgot most details, he remembered the crucial advice: a sniper must move after firing.

"Damn, a sniper? Are you kidding me? How could they miss such important intel?" Losing one of their own, the remaining Wolfpack members hid cautiously, fully aware of the Barrett's power.

Being a sniper required more than just a rifle; it demanded skill and experience.

The sudden sniper fire also startled Rebecca, but it relieved the pressure on her.

"It's me," Daniel called out after the enemy's gunfire ceased.

Bang, bang, bang.

Seeing bullets hit the bulletproof vest in front of him, Daniel was startled. Despite his careful hiding, he was still exposed. If he hadn't prepared thoroughly, he might have been shot. Of course, one might say he was just overly cautious.

Even so, several bullets grazed him, causing minor injuries.

"Thermal imaging. Fall back," Rebecca shouted, explaining how the enemy had found him.

"That's advanced," Daniel realized. His inexperience in combat against trained soldiers was evident.

"The houses here are too flimsy. If it were a solid concrete structure like in China, we wouldn't be so vulnerable," Daniel thought, lamenting the wooden construction of the villa, which provided little cover against heavy fire.

"This time, it's your bad luck." Thermal imaging was indeed tough to counter, especially against top-tier mercenaries. But for Daniel, temporarily controlling his body temperature was possible, thanks to his Surgical Fruit ability.

Once he did, the remaining three Wolfpack members were astonished.

"Disappeared? How's that possible?" One of them exclaimed when Daniel's thermal signature vanished.

"Maybe he moved near a refrigerator. Keep firing."

Bang.

As the Wolfpack fired at Daniel's last known location, Daniel, having relocated, took another shot. Although this one didn't hit the head, the Barrett's power was lethal enough even through body armor.

"Dammit, Four-Eyes is down. Retreat." With two members down, the Wolfpack leader decided to pull back. They were mercenaries, not loyal soldiers, and the inaccurate intel made them suspect Umbrella intended to sacrifice them.

"Wolfpack, what are you doing? Finish them off," came an order through the radio.

"You see the situation. You need to explain why there are snipers here when you said it was just kids and a single S.T.A.R.S. member."

Daniel's first shot's success was partly luck. Thermal imaging didn't show weapons, so the Wolfpack didn't expect a child to be a sniper, leading to their current predicament.

In the original story, the Wolfpack had wreaked havoc in Raccoon City, taking out multiple Tyrants and nearly killing Leon and Claire. Now, they were crippled before achieving anything.

"Fine. You no longer need to worry about this mission. Assist the other units in eliminating the military personnel. You'll be compensated as if all four members were active."

"Understood."

"Are you alright?" After the Wolfpack retreated, Rebecca rushed to Daniel, concerned.

"Just a few scratches. How about you?"

"I'm fine."

"This place isn't safe anymore. What should we do next?" Though the enemy had withdrawn, they would undoubtedly return, possibly in greater numbers.

"Jill hasn't returned yet." Rebecca was at a loss. With the children, any escape plan was risky, and abandoning them was out of the question.

"Eliminate the soldiers and destroy the city council records. Hurry," Umbrella's higher-ups were desperate as the battle in Raccoon City intensified.

"Don't get bogged down. Head to the lab to secure William Birkin and the G-virus," came orders from the military.

"But there are many survivors here," the field commander argued.

"That's not your concern. Others will handle the survivors. Focus on your mission," the radio crackled back harshly.

"Understood."

Hearing this, Jill, who had been approaching quietly, was stunned. She had thought these soldiers were sent to help, but now she realized they were after the virus.

The military's disregard for civilian casualties shocked Jill, but it was the harsh reality.

Simultaneously, a helicopter hovered over Daniel and the others' villa, dropping a massive metal canister.

"You've got to be kidding me," Daniel muttered, dumbfounded.

Not just here, but ten such canisters were being dropped across Raccoon City, far surpassing the original six.

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