Helena raised her gun on instinct, only to gape as the Zombie Dog slammed into an invisible wall, was charred black, and crumbled to ash!
More dogs charged in, every one of them smashing into the electromagnetic barrier and erasing itself!
A few tried flanking, but still crashed into some unseen wall, literally knocked senseless, without ever spotting the obstacle.
"What's going on?" Helena was stunned; this defied everything she knew.
"Electromagnetic Field theory," Eddie explained. "High-speed electrons release tremendous force; these dogs are running straight to their deaths."
"Feels like we've landed in the Middle Ages—monsters and wizards. Deborah was this shocked too?" Helena asked.
Eddie grinned. "Nope. Deborah adapts fast—she's a happy little pig now: eat, drink, nap, then play."
While a few pros shepherded a rookie across Tall Oaks, Simmons got word: President Benford was alive and well.
He was convening a meeting in The Pentagon—because the C-Virus ravaging Tall Oaks had come from Simmons's own lab, and plenty of his people had already been arrested.
The Family had installed an interim leader to steady the ship and negotiate with Benford's camp.
All of it was Simmons's idea—none of it involved them.
Any fool could see the score: he'd been discarded; Simmons was now a sacrificial pawn!
Fury blazed in him—those detestable Family Elders really thought a mere agent had no counter-moves?
The verdict came swiftly: the current Security Adviser "Simmons" was an impostor, a clone. The Western Federation expressed regret for failing to spot the security breach and vowed tighter safeguards henceforth.
Each side took a step back—Zhang Fei defecates in public, Lü Bu's horse costs fifty taels! Wrong script: Family and Benford's team will cooperate nicely.
Simmons, standing on an Aircraft Carrier, roared the order to sanitize Tall Oaks—with a nuke.
He commanded a thrust into South Africa to find a stable foothold, then settle accounts with the Western Federation and Eddie at leisure.
By now Eddie had led Helena to the Church; survivors huddled inside, but none were the ones they sought.
Left of the Church stood an Ancient Manor, said to have been left by some long-forgotten immigrant nobleman.
In these terrifying hours no one risked venturing out; Zombie Dogs and rotting zombies still prowled the grounds.
As they pushed the manor door, a huge stone dropped from the lintel.
It shattered into rubble two metres above Eddie and clattered harmlessly aside.
Helena jumped—who had rigged that trap?
A familiar figure knelt half-erect in the great hall.
He rose slowly as Eddie entered, a long scar running down his left cheek.
"Eddie, you finally came," Krauser said, a dagger still in his right hand.
"Oh? Working for Simmons again?" Eddie asked, curious.
Krauser shook his head. "Nikolai hired me. The kid's not with me—he's back there."
"Nikolai grabbed him? What's so special about the kid?" Eddie asked.
"Nothing. Nikolai just wants to make your rescue harder." Krauser stepped aside and tripped a switch; behind the mural a passage opened.
Chapter 612: Helena's Resolve
Helena frowned. "Eddie, do you know everyone?"
Eddie nodded, heading for the stairs. "That's Krauser—ex-Navy SEAL. Crippled by bioweapons during the Javier op in South America."
Helena understood; she knew Federation higher-ups cared nothing for lives—only a handful kept any humanity.
The virus had left Krauser crippled, and he'd been drummed out of the army.
He'd served the Federation valiantly, only to be discarded without even basic support.
Krauser grateful to the Western Federation? He'd sooner kill them than thank them.
Helena merely nodded to him, but Krauser sneered. "Tch. Woman."
With that he left, dagger in hand; his only job had been to hand over the hostage safely—mission done.
Eddie stepped into a room where a typical blonde, blue-eyed White Woman was tied to a chair. "You're Patricio's wife?"
The woman nodded, gasping once the tape was pulled from her mouth. "Yes—please, save my child, I beg you!"
Still pretty, she was ready to sacrifice everything for her child—that's motherhood.
Eddie shrugged. "Another group snatched your kid; they're downtown. Citizens have turned into monsters. Ever heard of Raccoon City? Welcome to it."
The woman broke down, staring at phone footage of living hell.
During her captivity she'd seen monsters crawl past and heard human screams—all like a horror film come alive.
"Quit bawling. Instead of grieving, figure out how to stay alive. Kid's gone? Have another," Eddie offered, ever the unconventional comforter.
What kind of consolation was that? Did feelings count for nothing?
Helena rolled her eyes, yet in this mess it was the pragmatic choice.
"If your child were taken, would you give up? Not even try?" the woman sobbed.
Eddie snorted. "I'm not like you—I can still save people. Your kid's probably dead. The kidnappers turned into monsters long ago. I'm here to rescue, not to comfort. Keep whining and I'll get rough."
"Then kill me!" she screamed, broken by the news of her child.
"Kill you? I don't do that." A swift chop to the neck knocked her out. "Pick her up—move."
Hilda stepped forward, slung the unconscious woman over her shoulder and carried her out.
Helena had the odd feeling they weren't rescuers anymore—they were kidnappers.
"Let's go. If things go south, the Federation might launch Missiles," Eddie said calmly, leading the way.
Far off, Krauser glided through the air on newly grown wings; he had mastered the Dominant species Plaga within him.
Once fully controlled, the parasite delivered formidable power.
Only downside: it left him a eunuch—otherwise, not bad.
Perhaps the stronger the creature, the harder it is to reproduce.
Eddie was a rare case—already beyond human limits, yet still virile.