Imperium of Man Terra Aeterna Season 01: Rise of Humanity's War Machin

"Oh, fine," said Reuel, realizing this wasn't the time for jokes. He quickly scanned the area, alert.

Sure enough, not a single zombie appeared along the way. The route indicated by the Red Queen was still clear.

Once they reached the designated location, they opened the underground tunnel door. One by one, everyone jumped down.

Reuel followed. As soon as his feet touched the tunnel floor, he checked the surroundings—still clean, no signs of danger.

Dim red light from emergency lamps stretched along the narrow corridor. Reuel took the lead, and the team moved forward cautiously.

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire echoed from ahead.

"ZOMBIES!" shouted James, and everyone rushed forward.

Jack and several others were already exchanging fire with zombies coming from the opposite direction. Gunshots rang out, filling the corridor.

One of the zombies managed to crawl out from behind a safety mesh and grabbed Jill Valentine.

Without thinking, Reuel lunged forward and kicked the zombie square in the chest. The force of the kick was brutal, launching the zombie back with crushing impact.

Internally, Reuel muttered,

"Damn... Emperor Mankind's combat experience really is useful. It wasn't in vain that I inherited all his memories and techniques, even though I started out as just a regular human."

Jill was still catching her breath, realizing just how close she'd come to being bitten.

She looked at Reuel, gave a faint smile, and said, "Thanks, Reuel."

"You're welcome, my wife. I'll always protect you," Reuel replied with a cheeky wink.

Then he turned to Alice, who was watching from a distance.

"I'll protect this wife of mine too... Alice."

"Bastard," Jill growled, gritting her teeth.

Alice simply sighed and ignored him. Her eyes remained focused, her trigger finger relentless—shot after shot pierced zombie skulls with deadly precision.

"This net's not going to hold them much longer! Move through here, now!" James shouted, slicing through the chaos with sharp authority.

Waves of zombies kept pouring in. Everyone kept firing nonstop. Reuel continued smashing zombie heads, aiming for clean headshots as accurately as possible.

Alice, with her awakened combat power erupting, became the center of the battlefield. In her red dress, she leapt onto the wall, kicked a zombie, then twisted midair and fired off a deadly shot.

She looked like a storm made flesh—graceful, lethal, and untouchable. In Reuel's eyes, she wasn't just beautiful. She was a goddess of death dancing among the undead.

"Climb the pipe now! Don't waste time! We're running out of time!" Reuel shouted while continuing to shoot, his voice nearly drowned in—

"Jill, get on the pipe now!"

Reuel ran toward Jill Valentine, immediately lifting her up and pushing her upward with both hands under her ass. For a split second, he even gave it a squeeze.

Jill hissed as she felt her butt get groped.

"You perverted hooligan!" she snapped as she climbed up the pipe.

Once Jill was up, Reuel helped push one of the mercenaries next, leaving only Alice and Rain.

As Rain Ocampo approached, Reuel shouted,

"Little brown-skinned girl, hurry! Get up that underground pipe!"

As soon as Rain got close, Reuel grabbed her from behind, once again pushing her upward with his hands on her ass.

"Damn… this girl's ass is nothing but meat," he muttered under his breath.

But Rain heard him. Once she was up, she turned around and flipped him the bird.

"Bastard. That hard-headed girl never shuts up," Reuel grumbled.

"Reuel, Alice! Get up here, now!" Jill shouted from above.

"Alice, come on!" Reuel pulled Alice and ran closer.

"Up now!" he yelled, then lifted Alice and shoved her upward. Again, his hands pressed against her ass as he launched her onto the pipe.

Alice looked down at Reuel, her cheeks flushed. She wanted to protest, but didn't know what to say.

Reuel looked up for a moment, holding his breath. In the rush of adrenaline, a flicker of memory crashed into his mind—the memories of the Emperor of Mankind, his past identity as Neoth. Back then, he and Erda were instructors for a shadow organization—the early seeds of the Hashashin.

Maybe, he thought, the world had once birthed a legend that would later be romanticized as Assassin's Creed.

That instinct from the past ignited his muscles. He wanted to test that ability again.

Once Alice was up, Reuel took a few steps back, bracing himself. He drew a deep breath, then sprinted up the wall—scaling vertically with impossible speed and precision.

His hand shot up, grabbing a metal pipe jutting from the wall. His body swung with controlled momentum, then leapt to the horizontal pipe and climbed onto the platform where the others were waiting.

His movement was nearly silent. Efficient. Clean. A dance of the body shaped by thousands of years of experience.

All eyes turned to him.

Even Jill whispered, "…when the hell did he learn to do that?"

"You're still a good man," Alice suddenly said.

"Of course. If I weren't, how could I ever deserve to be your husband?"

Alice couldn't respond. The man kept teasing her—but strangely, she didn't feel disgusted. Instead… it was warm.

"Climb slowly, watch the pipe joints," Reuel ordered. He knew, in the first Resident Evil movie, this pipe had snapped and fallen. He didn't want that happening here.

Reuel crawled behind Alice. From that angle, he couldn't avoid the view of Alice's firm, tight ass.

Suddenly, all the disgust he had toward zombies vanished—replaced by a far more... alive sensation.

Alice knew Reuel was staring at her from behind. But she couldn't do anything; she was stuck in a narrow pipeline.

"There's a loose section ahead. We might not be able to cross together," Matt shouted from the front.

"Two at a time is fine, just go slow, should be safe," said James.

"No. One at a time. If anyone tries to pass, they'll fall," Reuel corrected sharply.

Matt went first, followed by Jill. Reuel and Alice remained at the back, covering the rear with their weapons.

The two of them—Reuel and Alice—were sharpshooters. Every zombie that showed up dropped instantly from a clean headshot. In seconds, two corpses fell.

They looked at each other. Silent. But clear: there was an unspoken challenge—who was faster? Who was deadlier?

Once the whole team had crossed the pipe, Reuel gestured for Alice to go ahead. He followed after, firing backward as he crawled.

"Reuel, get over here!" Alice called from the platform across.

"On my way!" Reuel answered, crawling quickly to the far side.

When they arrived, they found a laboratory room. Reuel felt an eerie sense of familiarity—and he knew exactly who they were about to meet.

Matt stood frozen, embracing a woman in a white lab coat.

"That's Matt's sister," said Jill from behind. Her voice was flat. "And she… is going to be killed by his own hands."

"If one day I turn into a zombie too… you have to kill me. I don't want to become a disgusting creature like that." Jill's voice was quiet but resolute.

Reuel wrapped his arm around Jill protectively, holding her as if the world could collapse at any moment.

"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, that won't happen to you."

"Thank you." Jill returned the hug, her arms circling tightly around Reuel's waist. For the first time, it seemed like she was no longer rejecting this bastard's place in her heart.

What had happened today was too much—too fast. And it left Jill Valentine slightly shaken.

"Matt, are you okay?" Alice asked, her eyes on the man who stood frozen.

Matt gave a small nod, though his eyes were burning with rage.

"I'm fine now. But I swear… I'm going to kill everyone in Umbrella. Every last one of them."

Reuel was just about to respond when—

CLANG!

An explosion echoed in the distance. It had a metallic ring to it—sharp and deeply unsettling.

"Licker!" Reuel snapped. His face went rigid. "Everyone, move! Now!"

Everyone caught on immediately. The Licker. That monster in the tank they had seen earlier—it was loose.

It didn't take long before they all sprinted toward the station floor. James and Jack were in front, opening the door cautiously, guns raised, eyes sweeping every corner.

"Shit… Monster. Licker in Dining Hall B!" Jack's voice rang from ahead.

Screams, gunfire, and the sickening sound of flesh being torn filled the air. The fight had begun.

The Licker was far faster than expected—its tongue lashed like a spiked whip, tearing apart anyone who got too close.

"Reuel, over there!" Alice shouted, pointing down another corridor.

Reuel turned—and his eyes widened. Six—no, seven zombie dogs were sprinting toward them.

Fuck. Weren't those dogs supposed to be in the animal lab? Why the hell were they in the station now? Reuel thought. This didn't match the timeline of the first Resident Evil film.

"James! Use the bazooka!" Reuel yelled loudly.

Meanwhile, Alice had already opened fire. A bullet lodged into one of the zombie dogs' skulls—it exploded instantly. Another one charged her, but she kicked it hard before blasting its head midair.

Reuel shot two more—clean, precise shots straight to the head. Explosions and growls echoed all around them.

On the other side, James aimed at the Licker—

BOOM!

The explosion hit the monster dead on, tearing its body apart. But one mercenary fell too. He had drawn the Licker's attention, giving James the opening to fire.

"Get on the train! Now! Shut the door once you're inside!" Reuel commanded, his voice impossible to argue with.

Everyone rushed into the tram. Kaplan climbed into the cockpit, activating the control system. The train started moving.

Reuel stood in the middle, his eyes scanning the room.

Only a handful of them were left now. In the original version of the film, only two or three survived. Here… not even one was guaranteed.

"Stay sharp. We're not out of danger yet," Reuel said sharply. "Gather in the center. Stay away from the train walls."

The tension was immediate. Weapons raised. Eyes alert.

Then—

Shk-shk-shk… Hrrkkk… ghrkkk…

A revolting sound echoed from the top of the train. A mix of claws scraping metal and the squelching drag of slimy flesh. The noise rose and fell with the train's movement—and it was getting closer.

Three times the shk noise scraped above them. Three creatures. Three Lickers.

Fuck. There was only supposed to be one in the film. Now it's three? What the hell?

"Kaplan!" Reuel barked. "Leave the controls! Get back here now!"

Kaplan leaped from the driver's seat and ran to rejoin the others.

"Rain!" Reuel shouted, pointing to the side door. "Grab that machine gun—hold that position!"

Everyone moved immediately according to orders. Guns up. Fingers on triggers. Breaths held.

"Everyone ready. I'm going to open the door just a little," said Reuel.

"No! If you open it like that, we're dead!" Dr. J.D. shouted in panic. His face was pale, eyes fixed on the ceiling of the train.

"We have enough weapons," Reuel replied firmly. "Once the door opens a bit, the Lickers will try to get in. And when that happens, we take them down. Done."

"Understood," one of the mercenaries replied curtly.

"Open the door," Reuel ordered again.

"Pick one: die now or die slow."

Jill Valentine turned toward Reuel. Her face was tense, but her voice firm.

"Open it—but come back quickly. I don't want anything to happen to you."

Reuel didn't respond, just nodded. His eyes swept everyone inside the train.

"Ready?"

"Ready!" they all shouted in unison.

The door began to open—slowly, just wide enough for a person's shoulders.

A Licker immediately appeared, crawling through the gap. Its skin was raw red, long tongue dragging along the floor.

BRAAAATTT-T-T-T!!!

Rain Ocampo's machine gun roared first, followed by a chorus of other gunfire—

RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!!

The Licker's flesh tore apart instantly. Its body shook under the barrage of bullets from all directions, and within seconds, the creature dropped—motionless.

Everyone exhaled in relief.

"See? Easy, right? That's what you call a monster card upgrade," Reuel said, still watching the door. "Reload. The next one's coming any second."

Alice turned. "Upgrade what?"

Shit. Reuel just remembered—this was the 1990s, and the concept of online monster card upgrades didn't exist yet.

"We'll talk later. Next Licker's here," he said quickly.

As he spoke, the Licker's tongue lashed in—fast and vicious. But the mercs were ready this time. Bullets struck its tongue and body, forcing the creature to recoil for a moment.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the front of the train.

KRRAAAKK!

Reuel knew what that meant.

"Focus here! I'll handle the front!" he shouted.

Without hesitation, Reuel darted forward. There, a Licker was halfway in through the train's roof. Its body was massive—bigger than the last one.

Reuel raised his M4 and fired directly into the creature.

RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!!

Dark blood splattered across the metal walls.

Shit, is this another upgraded version? Wasn't it easier to kill in the movie? Reuel thought.

For a second, he wondered—should I use my Warhammer chainsword from the storage system?

The Licker's tongue suddenly whipped toward him. Long, spiked, and glistening with virus-laced slime.

Reuel reflexively leapt aside. The tongue slammed into where he had just stood, sending a deafening metallic clang through the train.

No pause—the Licker lunged at him.

Reuel spun fast and delivered a spinning kick—hard and straight to the ribs.

KRAKK!

The monster was thrown against the wall. A loud crack of bone echoed in the air.

"Shit… I'm really strong," Reuel stood tall, eyes blazing. His body was far heavier than before—over 1000 pounds of muscle and raw power, the result of his initial integration with the physique and combat memory of the Emperor of Mankind.

No psychic abilities had awakened yet, but physically? He wasn't human anymore.

"You're dead now, bastard," he muttered coldly.

Reuel charged, fists raised, unleashing a barrage of brutal punches—again and again—straight into the Licker's head.

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!!

Until finally the creature stopped moving, its head crushed.

Reuel turned, his breath steady. Everyone was staring at him with mixed expressions—part awe, part fear, part pure shock.

"You handled yours too. Faster than me," he said casually. But behind the smile, a creeping tension began to settle in—because he knew this wasn't over yet.

"Are you... still human?" Jill Valentine asked, her voice quiet but heavy with pressure.

"Shit, you almost gave me a heart attack," she added, eyeing Reuel from head to toe like she was trying to reprocess the creature standing before her.

"Reuel, you're a damn cow," Rain muttered with a wry laugh.

"Super soldier? Or god of war?" one of the mercenaries mumbled.

Everyone started throwing out guesses and nonsense. The mood inside the train shifted—from tense to lightly chaotic. But the tension still hung in the air.

"You alright?" Alice asked as she stepped closer.

Reuel tapped his chest casually. "I'm good. Just a bit of light exercise."

As soon as the train stopped, everyone disembarked and took a breather. Some sat leaning against the station wall, checking their weapons, or simply exhaling deeply.

Reuel looked toward the corridor leading to the exit. "There's got to be Umbrella troops out there. Any plan?"

Captain James lifted his head and replied without hesitation, "We fight. We can't keep being corporate dogs."

"Damn right. We're not laying down our lives for that rotten company."

"We get out and blow this thing wide open to the public."

"Expose them! Let the world know."

Voices full of fury started to rise from the mercs one by one. But their faces, no matter how determined, couldn't hide the fear. They knew exactly how deep Umbrella's claws ran in the real world.

"You do realize," Reuel's voice was calm, "Umbrella isn't just a corporation. They're a shadow state. We go topside, they'll hunt us down one by one."

Everyone fell silent. Only the sound of breathing filled the space.

"I've got more bad news…" Reuel finally spoke again.

"What? There's something worse than this?" Rain asked—half serious, half resigned.

"Reuel, don't scare us again," said J.D., eyes still red.

Alice stared at Reuel sharply. "If you know something, say it now."

Reuel looked at them one by one before finally saying,

"The virus... it's already outside. Jill knows. So does Red Queen. The problem isn't just the people in this facility. But tiny creatures—rats and cockroaches."

He took a deep breath.

"They got out. They're carriers. And the virus is already in the city."

Silence. Like the air had been sucked out of the room.

Red Queen's voice echoed from the holographic watch:

"That statement is accurate. I do not monitor small organisms. Disinfection protocol failure."

"Oh God…"

"We're too late…"

"This… this really is the apocalypse," someone whispered.

Reuel stepped up to the watch and asked,

"Red Queen, if surface infection has already occurred, how long before mass outbreak?"

Red Queen answered instantly:

"If even one death from surface infection has occurred, mass and uncontrollable spread will begin within two to three days."

Reuel turned to face everyone.

"We're not safe yet. We get out. We talk plans outside. Here, we're just sitting targets."

He exhaled deeply, then raised his face to the station ceiling.

"System," he whispered in his mind, "deploy ten fully equipped Tempestus Scion units. Location: villa perimeter. Full armament. Let's start tearing this umbrella corporation apart—inside and out."

The system's voice responded inside his head:

"Command received. Ten Tempestus Scion units deployed. Armament: plasma, melta, and conventional weapons. Communication sync codes transmitted to Red Queen."

"A gracious host," the system added with elegant sarcasm.

"Ding—deployment complete. Units on standby in defensive formation, ready to support offensive operations."