Spencer Mansion was the place that Leon and the rest of the STARS members entered earlier.
Having been placed in a separate team that had to enter alone, Leon couldn't help but curse under his breath. He was injured before even reaching the mansion and now he had to explore this alone because he couldn't connect to anyone.
'I can't contact Rika or the advance team. Is there a problem with my communication?' He thought to himself as he kept on walking around, his handgun held tight in his hands.
The mansion was pretty large considering its location in Arklay Mountain. The corridor was connected to many rooms, which all seemed empty at first glance.
Leon didn't want to explore any more after the first two empty rooms he visited. It was a waste of time and energy. Nothing useful could be gained by staying inside the mansion and the team members had a limited time to find the hidden laboratory.
'Underground, right?'
Based on the information shared between the STARS members, there should be an underground lab hidden in this place. There was suspected to be B.O.W hidden there too, which was the reason for this investigation.
Leon scoffed at that information.
In the underground? Then what the hell was the creature that attacked him earlier? Was that not a B.O.W created by Umbrella Corporation? Did they lie?
'Whatever,' Leon thought. He couldn't do anything but finish his job. 'No information is perfect. There will always be a flaw.'
He knew the basic floorplan of the building. He didn't know what kind of secret the place was hiding, but that didn't matter to him. All he had to do was follow orders from the leader of STARS.
Leon looked at his watch and frowned. There were traces of people in the corridor and rooms, but he had not encountered anyone so far, nor could he contact the members of the team. They must be deep underground by now.
Moving slowly with his handgun ready, Leon approached the end of the corridor and looked at the door at the end of it. The light in this area was very dim and the entire place gave off an eerie feeling. He didn't feel good being alone here.
'Let's go.' He took a deep breath and opened the door.
Stairs leading underground. The air smelled foul and Leon almost vomited.
'Ugh...' Leon frowned and shook his head. "This is disgusting."
A long hallway was laid before him, leading into the unknown darkness of the place. There were many rooms along both sides of the corridor and they looked empty and dark, like they were waiting to swallow him.
'Damn. I have a bad feeling about this place.'
Taking another deep breath to calm his nerves, Leon stepped forward cautiously. The stench grew stronger as he moved closer and the sound of dripping water echoed through the silent halls.
Many cables and wires were connected to the wall, and the lights on the ceiling were weak, flickering and barely lighting up the place. It made him feel uncomfortable, as though someone was watching from behind.
However, Leon knew that it was only an illusion created by the fear and paranoia he felt. He had been trained well to not get carried away by emotions during a mission.
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. No matter how many times he looked around him, there was nothing there but emptiness and darkness.
He checked the room on his right and left, but there was nothing inside them except some broken machinery. No one was present in those rooms.
'What is this place?' he thought to himself. The rooms had been used as living quarters, judging from the furniture. But now everything was covered with dust and cobwebs.
Footprints were also found everywhere. They must have belonged to the advanced team, but something was strange.
"It's not organized," Leon muttered.
He could see the signs of struggle in each footprints. They weren't walking calmly, they were running and trying to survive.
'Shit.' Leon frowned as he realized what that meant. 'Something is happening.'
Leon hurried his step and ran to the last door. There should be a laboratory behind that, and that was where everyone was supposed to be heading to. He hid behind the shadow of the door and peeked through the gap between the frame and the wall.
There was a long table at the center of a spacious room with several doors on the far end.
Glass tubes stood tall in rows along the wall opposite to where Leon stood, containing various kinds of creatures within. From humanoid creatures to dogs, alligators, and giant spiders. There were even some kind of lizards with spikes and sharp teeth.
And in the center of it all...
A monitor with a small girl in a red dress on it.
Her face and figure was blurry and distorted but it seemed she was talking to someone. Leon could hear her faint voice from where he stood.
"...-s... ...-king..."
The voice was very small and Leon could not understand her words. However, it seemed like the person was having a conversation with someone. With a blond-haired man with black coat covered in blood.
"..." Leon narrowed his eyes when he saw him.
He was no stranger to Leon.
The man's hair was disheveled, his face looked tired but his eyes showed a strong determination.
His clothes were covered with dried bloodstains and dirt, and he wore no gloves, revealing his bare hands which were covered with scars.
'What's going on? Wesker?'
For some reason, Wesker was talking to the girl in the monitor while being surrounded by bodies.
Leon's eyes widened upon seeing the scene. He held his breath and looked closely, trying to confirm what his mind had registered. It was unbelievable to see so many corpses lying on the floor like trash. The sight was horrible and gruesome.
All of them belonged to the advanced team. Their limbs were torn apart, and their bodies were crushed beyond recognition. The smell of rotten flesh was thick and nauseating. The smell of decay hung heavy in the air, making him want to vomit again.
'Shit, shit.' Leon cursed in his mind as he stared at the scene before his eyes.
His mind was confused and shocked. The whole thing seemed unreal to him.
At that moment, the monitor flickered and the girl seemed to look straight at him. Their eyes met and he felt his heart beat faster.
'Is she looking at me?' Leon thought as he stared at her. The girl's face was covered in shadows but she had long hair and bright eyes.
She looked like a young girl, but there was something eerie about her appearance that sent chills down Leon's spine. Like a ghostly apparition, the girl's image became clearer until it resembled that of a real person.
"It- it's seeems there is an- an intruder."
Wesker turned his head to the side, looking straight at him with his red glowing eye. His face was devoid of emotions and he looked tired, as though he had been through a war or a battle.
"Ah..." A soft sound escaped Wesker's mouth in realization, "You survived, Leon."
Feeling shiver down his spine, Leon immediately knew it was a bad idea to stay. He immediately bolted out of the door, leaving behind Wesker and the laboratory.