DOTM: Chapter 286/287

Chapter 286: Searching for Virus Samples

As Ethan's mental power and magic grew stronger, small spells like Mage Hand became increasingly effortless to use. The range of control expanded, and he could now perform more complex actions rather than simply picking up small objects.

Snapping the chain of Sherry's pendant and retrieving it was now just a thought to him. Even the pistol that Annette immediately pulled out was casually snatched by Ethan.

"Ethan?"

Leon wasn't sure what to do. Should he stop Ethan? But he also knew his own combat strength was no match for this mage, who could probably take him down with a wave of his hand.

In the end, his sense of justice won out. Leon didn't back down despite the overwhelming difference in power. He stood firmly in front of Ethan.

"What do you want?"

Ethan played with the pendant in his hand, then quickly unlocked its mechanism and removed the G-virus sample hidden inside.

This occurred right in front of everyone, making them realize that the pendant Sherry had been wearing all along had held such a secret.

"What is that?"

"G."

One letter was enough for everyone to understand what it was.

Annette's face turned extremely grim. She couldn't understand how this man knew that secret. Even worse, she had lost her weapon. Fortunately, the young police officer seemed to have an overly strong sense of justice and probably wouldn't allow this man named Ethan to simply take the sample.

Another person had their eyes on the G-virus sample—Ada. Just as she was thinking about how to obtain it, she saw the sample in Ethan's hand suddenly vanish.

It disappeared into thin air. At that moment, everyone was watching the terrifying virus sample, but no one saw how it vanished.

"I have the G-virus. Now I just need the other viruses you've collected in your lab."

"You already have G. What do you need the other viruses for?"

Annette shielded Sherry behind her. Though she wasn't a good person, she still cared about her daughter's safety. In this unfavorable situation, she hoped Sherry wouldn't be harmed.

As for Sherry… she didn't quite understand what was happening, but the big brother who had been protecting her suddenly seemed like a bad guy? So she hid behind her mother, glaring at Ethan with angry eyes.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not taking your things for free."

Adults wouldn't believe such words, but they had some effect on a child. At the very least, the anger in Sherry's eyes lessened slightly, although she still looked at Ethan with obvious hostility.

Meanwhile, Leon remained standing firmly in front of Ethan, trying to understand his intentions.

"Ethan, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"I want to collect virus samples for research."

"Virus… research…"

Hearing those two words, Leon thought of the city above that had turned into hell.

"Can't you see that these things only bring disaster?"

Ethan nodded. He agreed with that statement. The bio-viruses researched by Umbrella indeed only brought disaster, because their essence was the creation of biological weapons.

And weapons, by nature, only brought destruction. That was their original purpose.

"I'm different from Umbrella. I just need the viruses to improve myself, or rather, to evolve." Ethan clarified that he wasn't from Umbrella. He was speaking to Annette, who still held considerable hostility toward anyone associated with Umbrella.

Leon wanted to say more, but Ethan waved his hand, signaling him to stop. "You can't convince me, because I know what I'm doing and I'm firmly walking my own path. The only way to stop me is to defeat me… and with all due respect, you don't have that ability."

"Even so, I have to stop you."

Just as Leon was about to raise his weapon, something cold pressed against his head. He knew what it was, and only then remembered that Ethan wasn't alone. The woman named Selene was with him.

"No need to be so agitated. I just need to take some virus samples. Once I get what I want, I'll leave this world. Even if a disaster breaks out, it won't have anything to do with you."

Ethan signaled Selene to lower her weapon. The series of events had left everyone on edge. Claire and Robert also raised their weapons, as if a firefight could break out at any moment.

It was clear that, aside from Ethan and Selene, the fate of everyone else would not end well under intense gunfire.

Annette realized this. She might not have noticed that Ethan was completely unafraid of the situation, but she was worried her daughter might get hurt. So she decisively gave in.

"Alright, I'll take you to get those samples."

The G-virus was what she valued most, and it was already in Ethan's hands. The remaining ordinary viruses meant nothing to her.

Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, she didn't mind handing those over, as long as Ethan kept his promise not to harm Sherry.

Annette chose to compromise. Leon, although he wanted to stop her, was powerless. He could only follow along gloomily, wondering what Ethan's true intentions were.

"You really don't need to worry. I've researched similar viruses before and even made them into cigars and cigarettes. Smoking one every day was refreshing and boosted mental power."

Leon felt like Ethan was messing with him. How could viruses and cigars possibly be compatible?

"It's a shame I ran out. Otherwise, I could have given you some."

"Never mind. I don't want to turn into a monster."

"Monster?" Ethan corrected Leon's misunderstanding. "Not all viruses are harmful. When used correctly, they can improve the human body, like various vaccines."

Using examples from the other person's worldview made persuasion easier. Ethan also emphasized that only by understanding viruses could one develop vaccines or antidotes more easily. Did they really think that after such a massive viral outbreak, the areas outside Raccoon City would be completely safe?

Even though Raccoon City was located in a remote region and the U.S. was sparsely populated, it couldn't be ruled out. More importantly, Umbrella still existed intact, and who knew how many more of these things they were hiding?

"If possible, you should also collect some samples and hand them over to an organization that can properly handle them."

Given Leon's character, he would definitely give them to the government. If he escaped the horrors of Raccoon City and exposed the truth, he would likely be promoted by higher-ups, trained as an elite agent, and eventually walk down a path of destruction.

Although he felt many things were wrong, Leon had to admit that Ethan made sense. So, for the rest of the journey, Leon was very quiet, seemingly struggling internally with what he should do.

Meanwhile, Annette, who had previously known little about Ethan, learned of his true identity through her daughter and Claire.

"A mage from a parallel universe? What is this, a joke? I really don't want to hear a joke like that right now."

As for the abilities Ethan had demonstrated earlier, she preferred to believe that some major corporation had developed special equipment or created potions that could induce superpowers. She absolutely refused to believe in such unscientific things.

"Science? What exactly is science?"

Ethan had been paying attention to their conversation, so when Annette questioned his identity, he decided to demonstrate.

A fireball formed in his right hand, and a ball of water in his left. These two elements, which Ethan had mastered, could be freely controlled.

"Things considered unscientific by scientists a few hundred years ago have now been accepted into the scientific system. What you consider unscientific is simply knowledge you haven't yet grasped."

Annette's eyes widened. She even reached out and touched the water ball. The sensation was no different from touching actual water. As for the fireball, she wasn't foolish enough to try. The heat radiating from it was enough to keep her at a distance.

"So what she said is true?"

"Of course it's true. What would I gain by lying about something like this?"

There was indeed no benefit. Claims like that were so easily doubted that they had no value, aside from making people think the speaker was insane. Even though Ethan had demonstrated various miraculous powers, most people still found it hard to believe he was from another world.

Annette suddenly fell silent. She seemed to be thinking deeply. Ethan couldn't read minds, so he didn't know what she was considering, but he could sense that things went much smoother afterward. Their progress through the research facility sped up significantly.

Although Annette had reluctantly agreed to take Ethan to collect virus samples, she had initially tried to buy time and come up with a plan.

However, no matter what kind of monster appeared, they were effortlessly dealt with by Ethan or the silent woman. Annette realized that these monsters were nothing compared to Ethan.

And after Ethan emphasized once again that he was from another world, Annette became much more cooperative, even pointing out where the most valuable samples were hidden. This included some irreplaceable accidental byproducts and a sample of the Progenitor virus.

After thoroughly searching the research facility, Annette told Ethan that he had collected all the valuable virus samples. The remaining ones were just ordinary T-virus samples, and he only needed one of those.

"You can state your request now. You've been so cooperative, there must be something you want, right?"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 287: Send a Dream

Ethan always believed that payment should be commensurate with effort. No one would help a stranger—or even a potential enemy—without reason. Considering Annette didn't seem like a warmhearted person, her earlier actions clearly indicated that she had something to ask of Ethan.

She wasn't sure whether she had enough leverage to move or persuade Ethan, so she chose to make a good impression first. Since Ethan wanted to collect all kinds of viruses, she would give him all the samples. The rest would depend on his character.

If it worked, the best outcome would be that Annette got what she wanted.

Even if it failed, she wouldn't lose anything. Even if Ethan didn't take those virus samples, she couldn't bring them with her. Given the current state of Raccoon City, this secret research facility would certainly be abandoned and destroyed.

"You said you came from another world, which means you possess the technology or ability to travel between different universes."

"Yes."

Ethan immediately understood what Annette wanted.

"You want to leave this world?"

Annette was silent for a moment, then nodded firmly.

Ethan wasn't surprised that Annette wanted to leave. He didn't know if she had any lingering attachments to this world, but he was certain that even if Annette escaped Raccoon City, her future would be anything but peaceful.

As a member of Umbrella who helped William Birkin create the G-virus and knew the full development process, anyone with sense could guess what fate awaited her once she got out.

As for whether the government would protect her? Ethan believed it would. Such a valuable researcher would surely be deemed important by government officials, whether for further development of the G-virus or for researching a serum or vaccine. Annette would be a high-value asset.

But being valuable didn't necessarily mean good news. It almost certainly meant that Annette would spend the rest of her life in captivity. She would have no say in the matter, as she was partly responsible for the Raccoon City disaster. It would be easy for the government to fabricate charges and make her bear the consequences.

Freedom? That was laughable.

Even if she escaped the government's pursuit, she might not avoid Umbrella's revenge. Now that she had broken with Umbrella, that so-called conglomerate made up of lunatics wouldn't let her live freely.

In short, Annette was in a terrible situation. Neither side would offer her a good ending. She could give up and die here, but then she had to think of her daughter.

What about Sherry?

She was only twelve years old. Should she really lose both her parents and grow up as an orphan?

Annette had no solution. She had originally hoped to trade her freedom for Sherry's safety, but she doubted that would succeed. Sherry's existence was the best way to control her. She didn't believe those officials were kind enough to give up such leverage.

Moreover, even if Sherry was genuinely granted freedom, there was no telling what Umbrella's lunatics might do. Without government protection, Sherry could be in danger again.

Annette had reached a desperate impasse, until Ethan emphasized that he came from another world. That's when she began to consider that escaping to another world might be a good option.

Go to another world and live as an ordinary person. No one would know who they were. She and her daughter could start over.

"It's not impossible."

For Ethan, this wasn't a difficult task. It was something he could solve with minimal effort. And he truly couldn't stand seeing a little girl locked up for over a decade and treated like a lab rat.

Of course, from others' perspective, this might be understandable... but why should Ethan consider their point of view? He wasn't on their side.

Hearing Ethan's seemingly willing response, Annette let out a sigh of relief. She didn't know what he would ask for, but his willingness to agree was already a good sign. The worst-case scenario would be if Ethan was totally unwilling to negotiate.

She didn't have time to bargain. She could sense that her difficult life would begin the moment she left Raccoon City. If she didn't resolve this now, she had no idea how to move forward.

"Can you send us away immediately after we leave Raccoon City?"

"No. I need to stay in this world for about a year."

It was true that Ethan came to this world to collect viruses, but he didn't want to waste that year. Now, the energy required to travel between worlds had been reduced to a very low level. Most of the energy was used during the transfer itself. Staying in the current world didn't consume much space-time energy.

In this case, the longer he stayed in one world, the more cost-effective it was. Moreover, time was also a valuable resource to him now.

"A year..."

Annette frowned again but still continued leading the way. She had mentioned earlier that there was a dedicated train within the research facility, which could take them out of Raccoon City and even directly to a nearby town.

"However, it's best not to go there. This is an internal Umbrella train, and the station is also Umbrella property. Everything from equipment to personnel belongs to Umbrella. Going there would be the same as handing ourselves over."

Everyone remembered this point. They only needed the train to leave Raccoon City. As for what to do after that, they hadn't thought it through.

"Just getting out of this hellhole is good enough."

Ethan wasn't concerned about Umbrella's issues, because he had no reason to waste his time and energy on them.

In this world, Umbrella wasn't as powerful as in the movie version. After the biocrisis broke out in Raccoon City and the entire city was destroyed by a nuclear bomb, the Umbrella Corporation quickly fell into decline and was soon completely dismantled.

Before long, Umbrella would go from a world-renowned multinational corporation to a "rat on the street" that everyone wanted to kill. Though many remnants still operated in secret, they could only cause trouble while wearing masks.

In short, the rest of the journey went smoothly. Although deeper into the research facility they encountered stronger mutant zombies and bizarre monsters, let alone Ethan, even Leon and the others could now handle them with ease.

This group had gained rich combat experience along the way. They had a clear understanding of how to deal with any monster they faced. More importantly, with Ethan—the powerful otherworldly mage—watching over them, they didn't need to worry or panic. They could face all dangers with relative ease.

They could even joke around a bit. This casual attitude, as if they were on a picnic or playing a game, made a certain elite agent very uncomfortable, especially since she was still thinking about how to steal the G-virus sample.

But even after boarding the train and returning to the surface, Ada couldn't find an opportunity. Through observation, she had already concluded that Ethan had stored the virus samples in another space—likely a storage spell or something similar. She had no way to deal with that kind of ability.

She was an elite agent, not a mage. How would she know how to crack a mage's magic?

Watching the scenery fly by, Ethan estimated that they were far enough from Raccoon City and asked Annette to stop the train. Next, they would walk to a nearby town. At this point, the problem was no longer how to escape, but how to resolve the lingering issues from before.

No one felt a sense of surviving a great disaster. When Ethan first revealed his powers and led them through countless monsters as if on a sightseeing tour, they had already lost that ever-present fear of death. So, escaping in the end brought no real sense of relief.

It was like watching a mystery movie where you already knew the ending. Naturally, the final reveal lost its impact.

Without the pressure of survival, some unresolved issues could no longer be held back and finally surfaced. This was thanks to Leon's excellent self-control.

"I can't let you take them."

Leon was a police officer. Although the Raccoon City Police Department was essentially defunct, and they were now outside the city, strictly speaking, Leon no longer had the authority to arrest anyone.

However, the matter involving Annette was too significant. He couldn't just stand by and let Ethan take the two of them away.

"I expected this."

Ethan wasn't surprised at all that Leon would try to stop him. He also noticed that Robert, Claire, and the others stood behind Leon in support.

As for Ben the reporter and Ada, who had always acted like neutral bystanders, they quietly stepped aside and remained uninvolved.

"But as I said, you don't have the power to stop me."

Ethan casually snapped his fingers. Annette, who had been extremely nervous, suddenly saw Leon and the others standing there in a daze, motionless, as if they had turned into statues.

"What did you do to them?"

"I just triggered an illusion, trapping them in a hallucination I created... This illusion won't actually hurt them. For them, it's like dreaming."

"A dream? What kind of dream?"

"A dream about how they would have escaped from a Raccoon City overrun with monsters... without my presence or help."

(To be continued.)