A stunning woman entered, her smooth black hair framing a pale, distinctly Asian face half-hidden by large sunglasses. Her red lips hinted at a smile. A linen coat draped her, revealing shapely legs in black tights and heels, a large black suitcase in hand.
The motel clerk knew instantly—she was a knockout.
Leaning forward to hide his unbuttoned pants, he flashed a "gentlemanly" grin. "How can I help you, ma'am?"
"A room. Clean," she emphasized.
The clerk bristled but handed her a key, skipping the rooms with hidden cameras and jacking up the price. She paid without batting an eye.
As she climbed the stairs, her heels clicked, stirring the clerk. The sleazy man grinned, tossed his magazine, poured juice, and sprinkled in white powder.
Chuckling, he carried the spiked drink upstairs and knocked lightly.
The door cracked open. She'd shed her coat, a red dress hugging her curves. Sunglasses off, her dark eyes studied him, probing.
Suppressing his urges, he offered the juice with a smile. "Complimentary."
"How thoughtful," she said, her smile playful, eyes glinting with mischief.
"Tonight… feels long."
…
At dawn, Li Yexing woke, gently moving Lilith's leg off him. Braving the cold, he dressed and checked the office—Chris was gone.
"Thought he'd sleep till noon. Good," Li Yexing muttered, washing up. Lilith wouldn't wake soon, so no rush for breakfast.
Bored, he lit a cigarette, sat on the battle-scarred sofa, and browsed news on his computer. The "righteous" A Country was waging wars, citing BOW development or bio-terrorism—same as his old world. A video showed a green, lizard-like monster leaping, clawing soldiers. They shouted "Fire!" and "Retreat!" looking pathetic.
"Hunter? Interesting…"
Despite the blurry video, Li Yexing recognized a Hunter α—a T-virus BOW blending reptile and human genes, a tailless, green-scaled lizard with deadly claws. In the games, it could one-shot enemies, a frequent foe.
'It'd get torn apart by Lilith. My girl's tougher.'
He skimmed more news and game releases, then stretched, bones popping. Recent jobs were frequent, though firefights were rare. On vacation, he felt oddly bored.
'Do I prefer dodging bullets with Lilith over slacking?'
He shook off the thought. He wanted a peaceful life for her. In this world, trouble always found him. He remembered burying his boss years ago.
He didn't want that scene replayed with him and Lilith reversed.
Heading to check the fridge, a knock came. Frowning at the dim sky, he wondered if Chris was back. 'Not again.'
Tucking his Glock into his waistband, he opened the door. "Hello, this is the yet-to-be-named agency. We're on Christmas break. For jobs—"
He froze.
A beautiful Asian woman with short black hair stood there, in a coat, black tights, heels, and carrying a suitcase. Lowering her sunglasses, she smiled. "Mercenary, Li Yexing… right?"
Startled but cautious, he wouldn't blurt out names this time.
"Won't you invite me in?" she asked, smiling.
"Uh…" He nodded, stepping aside. She entered with a slight bow.
He knew her—every Resident Evil fan did: Ada Wong, the enigmatic spy from 'Resident Evil 2' , '4','6', and 'Damnation' . She worked for Wesker and Simmons, but her real claim to fame was her tangled romance with Leon S. Kennedy. They met in 'Resident Evil 2' , shared a kiss, and their messy love story haunted every Leon game. He'd sigh, "Women…"
Li Yexing's gaze turned odd.
"Something on my face?" Ada asked, half-joking.
"Nothing, miss. You are…?"
"Ada Wong. Call me Ada," she said, smiling.
Good thing she introduced herself. Calling her name by mistake would've been trouble. Unlike the straightforward Chris, she was dangerous to tangle with.
For a woman with a canon love interest, he wanted distance.
"So, Miss Ada, what brings you here?"
She sat on the sofa, legs crossed, looking up. "I have a job. Lucrative. I hope you'll consider it."
"Normally, I'd think about it…" Li Yexing feigned reluctance. "But it's Christmas break."
"Mercenaries take holidays?"
"We're human too. Work's tiring. I can recommend other Roples contractors."
Honestly, vacation or not, he wanted her gone. Her job screamed chaos.
"That's a problem… This job needs your agency. I don't trust others' skills," she said, sounding unbothered.
"Sorry, no jobs during holidays. New rule," he said bluntly. "If that's all, I won't keep you for breakfast."
Ada didn't budge, her enigmatic smile unnerving him.
"By the way… aren't there two Roples mad dogs?" she said, glancing around. "Where's your cute partner?"
"Sleeping. Why?" Her mention of Lilith sparked unease.
"Just curious. How'd you hide her identity from BSAA?" Smiling at his darkening face, she added, "If BSAA knew the mercenary girl from months ago was a BOW, what do you think they'd do?"
Li Yexing's pupils shrank.