A faint "beep" stirred Li Yexing. He opened his eyes.
*Ugh, unfamiliar ceiling… not that overused trope.*
He vaguely recalled what happened. Pressing his abdomen, pain shot through.
On the bed, he glanced around. Clean white walls, sunlight warming him through the window, flowers on the sill—real or fake, he couldn't tell. A white blanket covered him. Beside the bed, a silver-haired girl napped in the sun.
Li Yexing smiled, gently stroking her hair. She stirred, rubbing against his blanket, then blinked sleepily at him.
"…Yexing?"
He smiled. She stood, revealing a casted leg. Leaning on crutches, she limped to the door and called, "Yexing's awake."
A burly man in a heavy coat entered—Chris. "How you feeling?"
"Fine. Won't die," Li Yexing replied. "Where am I?"
"Hospital, not far from Roples. Our logistics team said Roples' facilities couldn't handle your and Lilith's injuries, so we airlifted you here," Chris said.
"How long was I out?"
"Three days. You missed vital organs but lost a lot of blood."
"Lilith's leg?"
"Fractured. It'll take time to heal."
"What happened after I passed out?"
"Nothing much," Chris said. "Backup took you and Lilith out. Tech team grabbed the Nemesis sample and sanitized its path. They confirmed no further biohazard risk in Roples. They started pulling out yesterday."
Li Yexing hesitated. "What about… Lilith?"
"What? She's your girl. Why ask me?" Chris said.
Li Yexing froze.
"The mission was to secure the dangerous BOW in Roples. Bio-terrorists, pissed off by local forces, released it, causing heavy casualties. To prevent further damage, I, with local merc Li Yexing and Lilith, fought hard to kill the BOW, stopping the crisis," Chris shrugged. "That's my report."
"Huh? What about Kelly? Didn't your informant sell us out before entering Roples? Will BSAA buy that?" Li Yexing asked, shocked.
"Kelly said her intel was wrong, misled by her organization. She's under BSAA protection, heading to the UK."
Li Yexing stared, conflicted. This upright man lied to his superiors for him.
"Don't look at me like that," Chris said. "I'm not letting her off. I'll monitor you both. If you or she cause trouble, I won't hold back."
"No problem. Honestly, you going this far… I'm…" Li Yexing met Chris's eyes. "Really grateful."
"Save it. BSAA covered your hospital bill. Kelly left five million bucks, told me to make sure you care for the kid."
"I will. She doesn't need to worry."
'So, what, I got the mother-in-law's approval?'
"That's it. I'll stay a few days, then leave Itonia. We got big intel…" Chris paused. "Know Oswell E. Spencer?"
Li Yexing didn't answer, but his grim expression told Chris enough.
"We might've found Spencer's hideout," Chris said.
"Be careful…" Li Yexing said, knowing what awaited. In Resident Evil 5's "Lost in Nightmares" DLC, Chris and Jill enter Spencer's mansion, facing Wesker. Jill, saving Chris, tackles Wesker off a cliff.
"Enough chit-chat. About Wesker—what do you know?" Chris asked.
Post-crisis, Li Yexing didn't want to spoil too much. "Remember your fight at Umbrella's Caucasus lab?"
"Of course. One of my most dangerous missions," Chris said. "What's that got to do with Wesker?"
"He was there," Li Yexing said. "While you stormed Umbrella's last stronghold, he was after Spencer's intel. He released the T-virus there, fighting Sergei while you battled T-A.L.O.S."
"What? He was at Caucasus?"
"Yup. You hit the lab; he hunted Spencer's location. He might've gotten it from Sergei," Li Yexing lied. Sergei was loyal, never betraying Spencer, but he needed to warn Chris about Wesker.
"How do you know all this… Never mind, you won't tell the truth," Chris waved off.
Days later, Chris left. Li Yexing said, "All partings are for better reunions."
Chris probably didn't get the deeper meaning.
Soon, Li Yexing was discharged.
---
Back in Roples, Li Yexing and Lilith stood before his agency. Days ago, a firefight raged here, yet the building stood unscathed. Surprising.
Climbing the stairs, he reached for his keys, then froze. The lock was gone.
Pushing the door open, he saw bullet-riddled walls and shattered glass. Mixed feelings.
Lilith tossed her crutches, smashed her cast with a punch, revealing her healed leg. T-series BOWs recovered fast—she was fine while Li Yexing was still out, but she kept the cast and crutches to avoid suspicion. A leg healed in days screamed "not human." In Roples, no one cared.
Li Yexing glumly cleaned, sweeping glass, papering bullet holes with his late boss's mushroom-hunting magazines. A scruffy old man arrived on a tricycle, replacing the window and lock. Bullet holes? No big deal. Paid, he left.
The room was livable again.
After a bath with Lilith, clean clothes, a cold beer, and a cigarette, Li Yexing sank into the sofa, savoring calm.
Plenty left to do: pay Soya for the warehouse, buy new weapons, deal with gangs and army questions, and handle his own messes.
Lilith sat on his lap, light as air, nuzzling his neck. He set down the beer, wrapped an arm around her waist, and savored the peace.
Problems? Forgotten.
"Nice…" Lilith whispered.