...
Hearing those words, Alyssa immediately hugged Allen even tighter. She slowly pulled one of his hands closer to her face before pressing a gentle kiss against it.
She truly cherished the warmth of his touch—it always managed to calm her down.
Being close to Allen made her feel safe, as if no matter how chaotic the world outside became, nothing bad could happen to her as long as he was near.
"Can you promise me that you'll follow soon after I leave?" Alyssa asked softly. She already knew about the evacuation schedule Allen would probably carry out soon if the situation in the city continued to get worse.
"I promise," Allen replied as he moved closer and wrapped his arms around the petite reporter, pulling her into a warm embrace.
However, at the same time, while the two were still busy embracing each other—
"Hey… are you two done being all lovey-dovey yet?" Ada said as she approached them.
She was wearing a thin red dress that tightly hugged her body down to her hips, walking gracefully in high heels while carrying a plate of food before casually sitting down beside Allen.
Alyssa, hearing that, could only click her tongue in annoyance, clearly irritated that her affectionate moment had suddenly been interrupted by Ada.
Still, she didn't say anything and simply got up from Allen's lap before turning her attention back to the news playing on the TV.
Ada, seeing Alyssa react like that, merely smiled sweetly, obviously pleased that she had successfully interrupted their intimate moment. She then turned her gaze toward Allen.
"You need to eat. Why do you always forget about your meals?" Ada said, her eyes briefly drifting toward Allen's lap.
Alyssa, watching how quickly Ada slipped into her spot and sat on Allen's lap the moment she moved away, became even more annoyed.
"Seriously… what a sly girl," Alyssa muttered.
But Ada, hearing that, only stuck her tongue out playfully at Alyssa while scooping up spoonful of food to feed Allen.
"What are you now—my mother?" Allen replied, though he still opened his mouth and let Ada feed him lunch.
Ada simply smiled.
"Well, if you're my baby, then you're definitely a very big and spoiled one," she teased while continuing to feed him.
"So what now, honey? You've seen the news on TV, right? Things are getting serious. Are we leaving now?" Alyssa asked, wanting to know more details about the evacuation plan for them.
"Hmmm… let's wait a little longer before you all leave," Allen replied calmly. "I don't want Umbrella to start targeting you the moment you leave the city because of their suspicions."
Allen continued speaking while opening his mouth again as Ada fed him another bite of food.
"The Black Rose team has already prepared several safe escape routes. When the time comes, you'll all be able to leave the city safely."
Hearing Allen's explanation, Alyssa simply nodded in understanding.
After Allen finished discussing that matter with Alyssa, Ada suddenly seemed to remember something. She picked up another spoonful of food, preparing to feed Allen again.
"Allen, I need to tell you something," Ada said softly.
"Hmmm? What is it? Something important?" Allen replied.
"This is about Simmons. Lately, he's been trying to contact me several times. He told me the Federation is preparing to move—they're planning to hunt down Dr. William in order to obtain the G-Virus from him."
"Oh?" Allen responded calmly. "Looks like that man is finally getting desperate. He's already willing to deploy troops and turn Raccoon City into a full-scale operation."
"Yeah, maybe it's because I ignored all his messages that he ended up acting like this," Ada said, sounding rather amused as she talked about just how desperate Simmons seemed now.
Allen simply smiled, clearly finding the situation rather amusing and wanting to laugh a little after hearing that.
He then opened his mouth again, letting Ada continue feeding him.
As he continued eating, Allen glanced toward the calendar hanging nearby.
The date was displayed clearly:
September 24, 1998 — the same day as the major football game scheduled to take place later that afternoon.
Almost immediately after noticing the date, his phone suddenly buzzed with a new message notification.
It was from Katherine.
She had invited him to attend the event and even attached photos of several VIP tickets, clearly trying to make sure he wouldn't refuse.
Allen typed a short reply.
[Alright. I'll come later. Wait for me.]
After sending the message, he turned the phone around and showed it to Ada and Alyssa.
"Katherine invited me to the game," he said casually. "Do you want to come too? She included tickets for you as well."
Ada nodded without hesitation, a faint smile forming on her lips.
"Of course. I'm free today anyway. Sounds like a good way to relax."
Alyssa, however, shook her head gently.
"I can't," she replied apologetically. "I'm pretty busy today. I need to finish a report about the outbreak and the situation in the city."
Allen understood immediately and didn't push her. With everything happening in Raccoon City, Alyssa's work as a reporter was more important than ever. In his mind, he briefly considered inviting Rachel instead.
As for Karena, Michaela, and Svetlana, Allen knew they would need to stay behind to watch over the apartment and keep things secure. With Umbrella, the Federation, and unknown forces all moving in the shadows, leaving the residence unguarded was not an option.
...
Later that afternoon, Allen set out for Warren Stadium along Ennerdale Road in the southern district, accompanied by Rachel and Ada. This area was considered relatively safe, located far from the northern part of the city where zombies had begun to roam freely. Even so, Allen kept a handgun on him at all times. He had no intention of letting a repeat of last night's chaos catch him off guard again.
When they arrived at the stadium, it was already crowded with people. Thousands of civilians had gathered as if nothing serious was happening elsewhere in the city. To most of them, the incident in the north was nothing more than another sensational rumor—after all, the news had framed it as nothing more than a violent cannibal cult causing trouble. Panic hadn't truly set in yet. Besides, it was the end of summer vacation, and people wanted to enjoy themselves while they still could. On top of that, today was the final football match: Raccoon City versus a team from Florida.
More than five thousand spectators were already inside, and the number was expected to grow even larger once the game began.
"Allen! Over here!"
A sweet voice called out to him from a distance, accompanied by an enthusiastic wave. It was Katherine.
Allen smiled when he spotted her and walked over, with Ada and Rachel following close behind.
"You finally made it! Hurry up, the game's about to start any minute now," Katherine said cheerfully. She hooked her arm around Allen's, pressing it firmly between her breasts as she pulled him along without hesitation. "Oh, by the way, do you guys want to grab some soda and popcorn first?"
"Sure," Allen, Ada, and Rachel answered almost in unison.
"Hehe, alright then. Let's get some snacks first—my treat this time," Katherine said brightly.
As they made their way through the stadium concourse, they suddenly ran into a familiar figure.
"Dad!" Katherine exclaimed. "Let me introduce you. These are my friends."
The man was none other than Mayor Michael Warren—Katherine's father.
For a brief moment, Michael looked surprised. His daughter rarely brought friends along like this, especially a man. But the moment his eyes landed on Allen, understanding dawned on him.
"Hello," Michael said with a polite smile. "I'm Michael Warren, Katherine's father. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Haha, I'm Allen. The pleasure's mine, Mr. Mayor," Allen replied smoothly. "Katherine talks about you a lot. It's nice to finally meet you in person."
"Oh? So you're Allen," Michael said, chuckling softly. "My daughter talks about you quite often as well."
He then exchanged greetings with Ada and Rachel, maintaining a courteous demeanor throughout.
"Well then," Michael continued, "since my daughter has invited you, you should all head inside once you're done buying food. The match will start soon."
As he spoke, Michael glanced at Katherine, his smile looking slightly forced. Beneath his calm exterior, there was clear tension. With the city's situation worsening by the hour, his mood was far from relaxed. The burden of responsibility weighed heavily on him, and deep down, he had already begun to lose hope for Raccoon City's future.
In his heart, he knew the truth.
The city is on the brink of collapse—and he certainly has to think now about how to escape before everything falls into chaos and it's too late.
They soon took their seats in the VIP lounge together with Katherin, her father, and several bodyguards assigned to the mayor.
"Hey, Allen, do you want to place a bet on who's going to win this match?" Michael said casually.
"Dad… we came here to watch the game, not to gamble," Katherin protested, clearly displeased.
"Sweetheart, this is a national match. A little betting won't hurt anyone," Michael replied with a grin, trying to deflect her complaint. "Besides, betting is a man's hobby, right, Allen?"
"Hm, sure. As long as no one gets hurt, I don't see a problem," Allen answered with a relaxed smile. "So, who's choosing first? You or me?"
"Haha, listen to this, Katherin," Michael laughed. "I really like this guy. Alright then, I'll choose first. I'm betting on the Raccoon City team. I'm quite confident they'll win."
"Well, in that case, it looks like I don't have much of a choice but to bet on Florida," Allen said lightly. He didn't really care about winning or losing anyway.
The match began, and for the first thirty minutes everything seemed normal. The crowd was loud, excited, completely absorbed in the game. Then, suddenly, one of the spectators in the stands began to convulse violently before collapsing.
Medical staff rushed over immediately to secure the area and help the man. However, just as they were lifting him, the spectator suddenly lunged forward and bit one of the medics on the neck.
"Gwahhh—Aahhh!"
Blood sprayed everywhere as the medic screamed in agony. Panic erupted instantly. People began shouting and scrambling to get away, trampling over seats in their desperation to escape. Chaos spread across the stadium like wildfire.
Several football players collapsed on the field, some convulsing, others lying motionless. The referee tried to signal for the match to stop—but before he could even react, he too was attacked.
"Aahhh!"
Screams echoed from all directions. Fear took over the stadium in seconds.
Michael's expression darkened as he witnessed the scene. He turned sharply toward Allen.
"Allen, please look after my daughter for a moment. I'm going to check what's happening down there," he said, standing up quickly. He motioned for his bodyguards to follow him, clearly prioritizing his own safety.
Rachel watched as Mayor Warrant hurried away and muttered under her breath, "Is he really going to leave his own daughter behind and run?"
"It certainly looks that way," Ada whispered back coldly. "What a cowardly and irresponsible father."
Rachel shook her head and glanced at Katherin. "Poor girl… having a father like that."
At least now, Katherin wasn't alone. She was with them—and Allen would protect her no matter what.
Katherin watched her father disappear into the chaos, her expression falling. Her shoulders trembled slightly as the realization set in.
It seems that her father has truly leave her behind here.
Allen then pulled Katherine into a tight embrace. He understood her feelings very well—she looked deeply saddened at that moment.
"Don't be sad, sweetheart. I'll always be by your side. I won't leave you," Allen said softly, trying to reassure her.
Katherine hugged Allen just as tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"You promise you won't be like my father, right?" Katherine asked quietly.
"Of course," Allen replied without hesitation.
While Allen comforted Katherine, Ada and Rachel checked the situation outside, taking down several zombies that had wandered too close. The chaos outside was still intense, so they quickly shut the door and locked it.
"It looks like we're trapped in here for now," Ada said calmly.
"Yeah, it's better if we wait until things outside settle down before we move," Allen replied to them.
They all nodded in agreement.
At that moment, a powerful vibration shook the building, strong enough to make the entire area tremble.
"What was that just now? Was that an earthquake?" Katherine asked, having calmed down a bit.
Rachel shook her head. "That wasn't an earthquake. That was an explosion. Umbrella must have just detonated one of their underground facilities nearby—that's why we could feel the shockwave from here," she said after checking the tablet she was carrying and seeing Sergei activate the facility's self-destruct system.
"Looks like Umbrella really poured a ridiculous amount of money into that facility," Ada commented, sounding impressed. "Even an explosion like that couldn't completely bring it down."
"Well, since we're stuck here anyway," Allen said, glancing at Ada, Rachel, and Katherine, "how about we try to have a little fun while we wait?"
"Have fun?" Katherine repeated. She quickly realized where Allen's gaze was directed. Her face flushed red immediately, embarrassment clearly written all over her expression.