Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Iron Man.
However, before the armored warrior could respond, a thunderous voice rang out from across the street.
"Hey! Bastard! Over here!"
Jill turned in time to see a rocket speeding toward the Tyrant.
Someone actually brought heavy firepower.
The rocket slammed into the unguarded monster and exploded on impact.
Bathed in firelight, the towering creature staggered—visibly injured.
A second rocket launched immediately from the opposite end of the street, striking the Tyrant again and amplifying the damage.
Flames lit up the entire block. Even the Tyrant—two and a half meters tall and nearly impervious to bullets—buckled under the force, dropping to one knee.
"You okay?" called the man who had fired the rocket, tossing aside the empty launcher and rushing toward Jill and the armored warrior.
He wore the green fatigues of the Umbrella UBCS, his curly black hair bouncing with every step. He had the hardened presence of a soldier trained for crisis.
"Glad I caught up to you. Name's Carlos. I'm here to get you out."
He pointed behind him. "That thing should be down for good. Come on, we've got a subway station up ahead. Umbrella's emergency team has a shelter there. We're evacuating survivors."
"Umbrella?" Jill's relief turned instantly to anger.
"Are you serious? Umbrella caused this nightmare. And now you're claiming to protect civilians?"
The outbreak in Raccoon City had been caused by a leak from Umbrella's underground lab—a virus known as the T-Virus. It enhanced strength and endurance but also broke down the host's body and brain, turning them into flesh-craving monsters.
After the leak, Umbrella didn't just abandon the city—they used it as a test site. The government knew. Some, like Simmons on the defense committee, even pushed to exploit the virus for military use. So instead of sending troops to help, they merely locked the city down and let it rot.
Carlos seemed genuinely confused by her outburst.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about," he said, taking a step back. "Look, you don't have to trust me. But the subway's your only real shot at getting out of this place."
He glanced at the figure beside Jill and froze.
"Wait—what the hell is that suit?"
Only now did Carlos notice the second figure clad in sleek, metallic armor—like some sci-fi actor who'd walked off a movie set and into a warzone.
Jill turned as well. "Yeah... about that. I've been wondering the same thing."
But before she could say more—
Thump. Thump.
The heavy, rhythmic sound of something massive dragging itself across the pavement echoed in the distance.
"Don't worry about me," the armored man—Malrick—spoke calmly, stepping forward. "I'm not headed the same direction as you two."
They followed his gaze. The Tyrant was moving again.
The flames had died, but the monster was on all fours, slowly pushing itself up. The thudding sounds came from its massive hands slamming the ground for leverage.
"No way. Two rockets? He should be a smear on the pavement," Carlos muttered, eyes wide.
"You've never seen one of these things?" Jill asked grimly. "It's hunting something. It has a goal—and it won't stop until it finishes it."
Carlos shook his head. "We need to leave. This thing is unstoppable."
Malrick chuckled. "So, by your logic... it's just a really committed guy?"
"Wait—what?" Carlos blinked. "Loyalty? That's your takeaway?"
But Malrick ignored them. He shrugged off the travel bag from his back and tossed it aside.
Then—he took off.
Jets ignited from his boots and back, propelling him into the sky.
Jill and Carlos stood frozen.
"What the hell?" Carlos gasped.
"That's real?" Jill whispered. "I thought the armor was just for show..."
Her mind flashed back to the earlier burst of light. It made sense now. The technology wasn't just for looks—Malrick was the real deal.
Still stunned, they ducked behind a nearby wall, keeping just enough line of sight to watch what happened next.
"I feel like I'm in an Avengers movie," Jill muttered.
Hovering above the street, Malrick extended both palms toward the Tyrant.
A high-pitched charge-up sound filled the air.
Then—beams of concentrated energy blasted from his hands, slamming into the Tyrant's chest like thunderbolts. The creature reeled backward, smoking holes punched clean through its torso.
The giant swayed... and then crashed to the ground, unmoving.
"Is it over?" Jill whispered, still in awe.
But her relief was premature.
Before she finished speaking, the Tyrant's body began to mutate again.
Its armored coat—resistant even to rockets—crumbled to dust.
The monster's body expanded grotesquely, mutating rapidly like a grotesque balloon being inflated with rage. Within seconds, it had tripled in size.
It no longer walked upright. Its limbs bent like a beast's, claws replacing hands, fins of bone sprouting from its back.
It panted, deep and guttural, like a rusted steam engine on the verge of exploding.
"That form... it's disgusting," Jill said, her voice low. "It's completely lost control."
The parasite inside the Tyrant—originally used to stabilize its mind—was now running wild. Its form had evolved, but its intelligence had dissolved.
Malrick floated above it.
"Alright, you had your turn," he said. "Now it's mine."
Panels opened across his armor—shoulders, arms, waist—each revealing missile pods.
"Fire."
Dozens of mini-missiles launched in sequence, streaking through the air like comets.
The Tyrant sensed danger and leapt with frightening agility, clinging to the side of a building like some monstrous insect.
But the missiles were tracking him.
One by one, they curved mid-air and homed in.
The first hit. Then another. Then the rest followed in a chain of violent detonations.
While the individual blasts weren't as large as the rockets, their precision was deadly.
Each one struck a weak point, hammering the creature down bit by bit.
When the final missile hit, all that remained of the Tyrant was a pile of charred bone slumped against the wall.
It didn't move.
"This time," Jill said breathlessly, "he's really dead."
Her eyes shifted back to Malrick, who still hovered silently in the air—his armored frame glowing against the smoke and fire.
"A walking arsenal," she whispered, awe in her voice.
She had seen her fair share of demolitions, but nothing like this.
The man was dazzling. Unstoppable.
And—Jill had to admit—pretty damn cool.
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