"You… here… so late… for what? I… was… sleeping," Frandika Soya's hoarse voice came haltingly through her collar.
"Business. I need to borrow your warehouse," Li Yexing said.
"What… you doing… in my… warehouse?"
"Trade secret."
"No… borrow… okay?"
"Guess," Li Yexing grinned, his Glock twitching like it might fire.
The chainsaw girl looked at him and his crew, her pale face helpless. She slung the chainsaw over her shoulder, her collar's flat voice saying, "Wait… I'll… get… keys."
Once Soya went inside, Lilith tugged Li Yexing's sleeve.
"Who's… that woman?"
"A friend… maybe?" Li Yexing scratched his head, unsure.
"Li Yexing… cheating?" Lilith asked, her blank face hiding a jealous glint in her red eyes.
"No way, Lilith, don't overthink," Li Yexing swore. Sure, this body had been with women before, but Frandika Soya? He barely touched her… probably.
Soya returned, dressed in a dark purple gothic lolita outfit, black stockings, small boots, keys in one hand, chainsaw in the other. Her dead-fish eyes stared at Li Yexing.
"Move," her collar rasped.
Li Yexing stepped aside. Soya marched past, ignoring him. Lilith glared at her, ready to pounce. Soya shivered, feeling the silver-haired girl's stare.
"What's with you and her?" Kelly whispered to Li Yexing when Lilith wasn't looking.
Chris wasn't into gossip, but Norman, despite his cold face, inched closer.
'Nosy bald bastard', Li Yexing thought, shaking his head. "Nothing complex. Just work buddies. Friends, I guess."
Kelly wasn't satisfied but stayed quiet under his glare.
Li Yexing didn't know much about Frandika Soya, Roples' cleaner. She disposed of bodies—or turned the living into them. A gruesome scar circled half her neck, like her head was reattached. It silenced her, so she wore a collar with a mic to amplify her artificial voice. At work, she wore oversized boots, a white coat, a doctor's cap, and a mask. Off-duty, she was a gloomy goth girl.
She hit his old-world strike zone, but the original merc Li Yexing found her flat and unappealing, barely glancing at her.
Seeing Lilith glare at Soya's back, Li Yexing stifled a laugh.
"Speed up. No time for nonsense," Chris snapped, glaring. "We're still being hunted."
Soya's home was a small part of the massive warehouse, once a workshop, long abandoned. Li Yexing didn't know its full history. Soya was its cleaner before he arrived in Roples.
She led them to the main gate, unlocked it, and pushed it open, revealing a maze of containers.
Kelly flinched, pointing. "All… corpses?"
Soya gave her a scornful look.
"Some are empty, others hold other groups' cargo," Li Yexing said, patting Chris's shoulder. "Good enough?"
"Plenty," Chris replied.
"Great. Let's set the stage before it catches up."
"What… you doing… here?" Soya asked.
"Dealing with a pain-in-the-ass guest," Li Yexing said. "Take Kelly and Lilith and go."
"I… don't trust… you… messing… my warehouse."
"Tch, what's your deal? My rep in Roples is solid," Li Yexing grumbled. "Listen, take them. I'll pay you ten grand after tonight."
He was broke, but he'd bluff for now.
Lilith grabbed his arm. "Lilith stays to help."
Li Yexing started to refuse, but Chris cut in. "She should stay."
Li Yexing glared.
"She's safer with us. If the Nemesis finds us without her, it'll switch targets. You, me, and that shaky security guy can't hold it," Chris said. "Plus… she's a strong BOW. We need her."
Li Yexing wanted to argue, but Lilith's stubborn gaze made him relent.
"Fine," he said, grudgingly.
"Don't worry," Chris said. "She's tough. I won't let her get hurt. I promise."
Soya stared with dead eyes, thinking something, then said, "Don't… wreck… too much," and left with Kelly.
"Satisfied?" Li Yexing ruffled Lilith's hair roughly, visibly annoyed. She just smiled faintly.
"Let's do this," Chris said, checking his magazines. "Set traps. Take it out here."
Li Yexing shook his head. "Unrealistic."
Joking? Jill needed a railgun to kill a Nemesis in Raccoon City. Li Yexing eyed the containers, wondering where Chris got the balls to think positioning could beat a top-tier BOW.
"Even if we can't kill it, we stall until backup," Chris said. "No more talk. Start."
…
Roples' military vehicles rolled through, loudspeakers ordering citizens to stay indoors. After brutal losses, the army gave up fighting the Nemesis head-on, waiting for BSAA and UN backup. Gangs split up, tracking it from a safe distance, reporting its position. The city's fires dimmed, everyone waiting for the dust to settle.
The Nemesis, or "Suitor" BOW, hefted its machine gun, hunting its princess, "T-Lilith." Following traces, it reached a warehouse with an open iron gate, like an invitation. Lacking its own will, driven by orders, it entered.
Containers lined the warehouse, footprints and traces scattered. Without hesitation, it followed the densest trail, heavy steps echoing between tightly packed containers. The gaps barely fit two abreast, narrowing its path. Tracking the signs, it turned right—and its leg hit something.
A tripwire.
A grenade exploded, shrapnel and heat slamming it. The Nemesis stumbled, off-balance.
"Now!" Chris shouted.