"So, we're playing the hero before we even have our license plate Gerald? Follow me" she got up and paid for her coffee, I didn't even have time to drink something. I just followed her. An awkward silence settled and after almost 10 minutes of walking, we arrived next to a police car with Joseph Frost at the wheel. I remember that he is the first to die in the Alpha team devoured by the Cerberus or zombie dog. I hope I can help him and save most of the STARS members, I don't know how yet but I'll find a way.
He's a nice guy with some pretty impressive feats of arms like dismantling a drug trafficking ring from the inside in less than a month or solving a hostage situation with only two throwing knives. He thinks I have a drug cover to help Jill in her various affairs in Racoon city. "Hello Joseph, how are you? You didn't wait too long" Jill asked.
He smiled as he looked at us before continuing. "No, normally you should have arrived in 20 minutes, and alone. By the way Gerald, Marvin told me that you want to join us. I can't wait to see you at work".
I smiled, he really is a good guy. Fucking Wesker, wait I'll throw you a party at the manor. "Don't worry Joseph, I'll outdo myself and surprise you all" I said before shaking his hand and getting in the back while Jill got in the front.
The rest of the trip was quick because Joseph activated the siren and we arrived in 5 minutes in the parking lot of the police station. We went into the room behind the kennel to go back up the east corridor of the police station on the ground floor.
I still walk behind Joseph and Jill as she goes through the office to hand the bag of drugs to a police officer before continuing on her way down the hall. Nothing to do with the games, it's absolutely huge.
My god, it's really beautiful but a bit of a mess with the various statuses here and there. We go upstairs, then through the library before emerging into the famous corridor that brings us closer to the STARS office.
I stay in front of the office door as it's a restricted area and I hear Jill talking to Chris. "Chris, can you pass me the analysis kit and also your key for the training room. Rebecca, can you follow me please?"
"No worries, Jill, here. Do you want me to come with you for a little sparring?" Chris says, laughing a little.
"Very funny, Chris, I'm going with Gerald to judge his condition, he said he wanted to take the test to join the unit and since there's a session the day after tomorrow, I'm going to judge first if he's fit, are you coming Rebecca? »
"Right away, Jill" I hear Rebecca's small, thin voice as footsteps signal me that they are about to leave. Jill and Rebecca walk through the door with Chris and Barry on their heels as they both give me a strange look.
They both know that Gerald frequently uses heavy drugs so I can see in their eyes that he is waiting for my reaction to Rebecca's blood sample.
Too bad for you, I am completely clean thanks to the system on the other hand, is the G virus in my blood detectable? System? I say in my head.
DING
The host need not worry, all present and future special characteristics will be undetectable.
"Hello Mr. King, can you hold out your arm for me?" Rebecca asked with a slight smile.
No worries, Miss Chambers, you can just call me Gerald" I said. Holding out my arm, she took the equivalent of a small dose before putting it in her famous mixer and waiting for a chemical reaction. However, as the system had planned, no reaction.
"You can call me Rebecca too, Gerald" she smiled at me before turning to Barry and Chris, holding out her hand. "Now, you two, $50 each, I'll take you" she asked them.
I'm sweating profusely like Barry and Chris before bravely stepping up next to Rebecca because I definitely know what the bet was on. "Rebecca, I think you should have waited until I left with Jill before claiming your due" I said with a little spite in my voice
She looks at me and doesn't seem to understand, fortunately, my friend Joseph comes to the rescue with Enrico and Wesker. "Rebecca, if Gerald ever manages to join the STARS, he must be able to trust each of his teammates, right? » asked Joseph
« Yes, that seems logical, but why are you telling me that Joseph? » I will excuse her, she only turned 18 this year.
"Very simple Rebecca, now that you are asking for a bet right after his blood test which is clean as we can all see, it means that Chris and Barry both bet that he would have drugs in his blood and so he might doubt Barry and Chris. Do you understand?" Enrico said.
"Yes, chief. Sorry Gerald, I lacked tact" she told me while bowing slightly.
"And you two, guys, you don't have something to say, after all, even if he is not part of the unit, he helped us on quite a few investigations during this year." Wesker said while looking at Barry and Chris. The worst part is that he really seems like a good captain, luckily I knew the games because the memory of the old Gerald almost idolizes him.
"Sorry Gerald, for our lack of respect" Barry and Chris told me.
"It doesn't matter, if you doubted me, it means that my disguise was ingenious enough to fool you, no hard feelings, Jill, shall we move on to your test?" I said before walking back to the library with a relaxed step.
After the library, I followed Jill but I don't know where the weight room is, plus all the rooms are much bigger than in the game. We finally arrived in front of a room where there is a dumbbell symbol.
When I entered the room, I was stunned, a large gym with various weight benches, a few treadmills, ropes hanging from the ceiling and a small training course with ropes connected to logs on the sides, I'm not surprised that Jill and Chris are so successful in fighting the various critters, they've overtrained.
"So, what do you think?" she asked me with a smile on her face.
"Okay, I'm jealous of your training equipment, so where do we start?" I asked while in my head, I asked the system for an update on my body.
Body:
- Strength: 95 kg
- Speed: 7.2 m/s
- Resistance: 74 kg/cm²
I quickly write down the data in my notebook before turning to Jill to wait for her answer while I think about the degree of improvement, it seems that it all depends on the actions I take. I used force to subdue the robber, I only ran lightly and I had a small blood sample.
"You will train for an hour here with everything you can, then we will go eat at the cafeteria outside. Afterwards, we will see your different results, if they are not too bad, you will continue to train here until the day of the test, which is the day after tomorrow. See you later, Gerald." She said, activating a clock set to one hour before leaving the room.
"So, we're playing hero now, and you don't even have your license plate yet, Gerald? Follow me," Jill said, standing up and paying for her coffee. I didn't even get a chance to order anything—I just followed her silently.
An awkward silence settled between us as we walked through the streets of Raccoon City. Ten minutes later, we reached a police car where Joseph Frost sat behind the wheel.
I recognized him instantly. Joseph Frost, the first to die in the Alpha Team during the Mansion Incident, torn apart by Cerberus hounds. I clenched my fists. Not this time. I don't know how yet, but I'll save as many of them as I can. Starting with him.
He smiled at us as we approached. From what Gerald's memories tell me, Joseph's a stand-up guy. He once dismantled a drug ring from the inside in under a month and handled a hostage situation with just two throwing knives. He thinks I'm running an undercover gig for Jill—using drugs to stay connected to the underworld.
"Hey Joseph, how's it going? Hope we didn't keep you waiting," Jill asked.
Joseph looked at us, a grin on his face. "Nah. You're actually early. You were supposed to show up in twenty minutes—and alone. Marvin told me you're looking to join us, Gerald. Can't wait to see what you've got."
I smiled back. Damn, he's a good guy. And Wesker… I swear I'll throw you a nice little party at the mansion when the time comes.
"Don't worry, Joseph. I'll give you a show you won't forget," I said, shaking his hand before climbing into the back seat. Jill took the front passenger seat.
The ride to the station was fast—Joseph turned on the siren and we were there in five minutes, pulling into the underground parking lot.
We headed inside, passing through the kennel area and entering the east corridor on the ground floor. I followed Jill and Joseph as she handed off the bag of drugs to another officer before continuing down the hallway.
This place… nothing like the games. It's massive. Beautiful, but cluttered. Statues, old paperwork, police equipment stacked against the walls—it's chaotic in a way that feels real.
We climbed a flight of stairs, passed through the library, and finally reached the corridor leading to the STARS office.
I stopped at the door. It was a restricted area.
From inside, I heard Jill's voice. "Chris, I need your analysis kit—and your key to the training room. Rebecca, you coming?"
"No problem, Jill. You want me to tag along for a sparring match?" Chris asked, his tone playful.
"Very funny, Chris. I'm taking Gerald to assess his condition. He says he wants to take the STARS entry test. There's a session the day after tomorrow, but I'm going to see if he's even fit first. You coming, Rebecca?"
"Right behind you, Jill," came Rebecca's soft voice.
The door opened, and Jill and Rebecca stepped out, followed by Chris and Barry, both of whom gave me... strange looks.
They knew Gerald had been a heavy drug user. I could tell from their eyes—they were waiting to see if I'd flinch when Rebecca asked for a blood sample.
Too bad for them, the system completely detoxed me. Although… is the G-Virus detectable in my blood?
System? I asked mentally.
DING
The host need not worry. All current and future special traits are undetectable.
Nice.
"Hello, Mr. King. Could you hold out your arm, please?" Rebecca asked with a warm smile.
"No problem, Miss Chambers. You can call me Gerald," I replied, offering my arm. She drew a small sample and inserted it into her portable analyzer.
Seconds passed. Just as expected—no reaction.
"You can call me Rebecca too, Gerald," she replied with a grin. Then she turned to Chris and Barry, holding out her hand.
"Alright, boys. Fifty bucks each. Pay up."
Barry and Chris were sweating more than I was.
I sighed, stepping up beside her. "Rebecca… I think you should've waited until Jill and I were out of earshot before cashing in on that bet," I said dryly.
She blinked, confused. Luckily, Joseph stepped in—flanked by Enrico and Wesker.
"Rebecca," Joseph said, "if Gerald's going to join STARS, he needs to be able to trust his teammates. Right?"
"Of course… but why are you saying this, Joseph?" she asked, genuinely puzzled. She was still only 18, after all.
"It's simple," Enrico said. "You placed your bet right after confirming his blood was clean. That tells Gerald that Chris and Barry bet he'd be dirty. Not exactly trust-building behavior, wouldn't you say?"
"Oh… Oh no. Sorry, Gerald. That was insensitive," Rebecca said, bowing her head slightly.
Wesker, ever the calm and composed captain (too bad I know what you really are), looked between Barry and Chris. "You two have anything to say? He may not be one of us yet, but Gerald helped us with several investigations this past year."
Chris cleared his throat. "Yeah… sorry, Gerald. That wasn't cool of us."
"Same here," Barry added.
I waved them off with a small smile. "Don't worry about it. Honestly, if I fooled you, that means my act was pretty convincing. No hard feelings."
I turned to Jill. "So, are we doing this test or what?"
We headed back through the library. I followed her deeper into the building, trying to stay oriented—but all the rooms were so much larger than in the game that I was constantly second-guessing myself.
Eventually, we stopped in front of a door marked with a dumbbell icon.
The weight room.
And damn, what a room. Rows of weight benches, treadmills, climbing ropes, a full obstacle course—this place looked like it was made to train superheroes.
No wonder Jill and Chris are monster-killers. This is overtraining with style.
"So? What do you think?" she asked, clearly proud.
"I think I'm jealous of your gear. So, where do we start?" I asked, while opening my mental interface.
Body Update:
Strength: 95 kg
Speed: 7.2 m/s
Resistance: 74 kg/cm²
I jotted the stats down in my notebook. Looks like the virus enhances me passively through activity: physical exertion, danger, biological stimulation (like the blood sample). A good growth curve.
"You're going to train for an hour. Use whatever you like—weights, cardio, obstacle course. After that, we'll grab lunch at the cafeteria. Once we review your results, we'll decide if you're ready to train here regularly until test day," Jill explained, setting a timer for one hour before leaving the room.
I start with a quick run on the treadmill, slowly increasing the speed every 20 seconds. I've just reached 10 km/h, but I still don't feel any fatigue or shortness of breath. I continue running at the treadmill's maximum speed, which is only 14 km/h—it is 1998, after all.
I run for 15 minutes at full speed, but I'm only slightly tired. Then comes the weight bench. I begin with the bench press, immediately loading 50 kg. Just like the system told me, I manage the reps with ease. I reach 20 repetitions without any tension in my arms. I increase the weight to 90 kg and start again.
Now I can feel the weight a little, but it's still quite easy. I do another 20 reps, then put the weights away and move on to other exercises with heavier loads.
I've got about ten minutes left before Jill comes back. Maybe I should try the obstacle course. There's a button at the entrance—I press it and launch myself at full speed.
I jump over a small pit, narrowly avoiding a log coming at me from the right, then weave between the posts forming a mini-maze, where logs shoot out from corners. I'm nearly at the end when I feel a sharp pain at the back of my head, followed by a flash of white. I push through, scale a wall, then grab a rope army-style.
As I land on the other side, a log slams into my ribs. I grimace at the impact but keep going until I reach the end of the course.
I take off my t-shirt and see a large bruise on my ribs—but I watch as it slowly fades before my eyes, like an ink stain in reverse. When I touch the back of my head, I feel a bump shrinking just as quickly.
Five minutes left on the clock. I take the opportunity to check my stats after the training—it should have given them a nice boost.
Body:
Strength: 110 kg
Speed: 12 m/s
Resistance: 120 kg/cm²
My body still feels weak. I remember reading about a boxer with a striking force of 500 kg—and that's just a human. Compared to monsters or firearms, I'm still far from where I need to be.
I'll keep training with Jill and the rest of STARS if I pass the test. After that, I'll spar with each of them, letting them hit me to strengthen my body. Defense is my top priority.
A dog the size of a Doberman has a bite force of about 300 kg/cm². If it's a zombie, it probably bites harder. I don't know whether my defense factors that in or if it works differently.
"System, what exactly does my defense stat represent?"
The host's defense is measured in kg/cm².
If an attack measures 300 kg/cm² and your defense is 120 kg/cm², the remaining 180 kg/cm² is the effective damage.Depending on where the attack lands, the damage sustained will vary.
The host can slightly reduce or increase defense by relaxing or contracting muscles.
"System, how much damage did I take from the logs?" I ask, glancing toward the door to check if Jill is coming.
The host received 90 kg/cm² from the first log due to a hit to the head.The host received 75 kg/cm² from the second log. No modifier applied for torso impact.The host can choose to activate the damage report to be notified in real time of incoming damage.
Activate this function?Yes / No
"Activate the function," I thought.
Before I could do anything else, Jill entered the room, glancing around. Her eyes scanned the course, then landed on me—part concern, part irritation.
"Gerald, did you use the course? Didn't you read the note on the side?" she asked as she approached.
I hesitated. If I said yes, she'd check me for injuries—and finding none, she'd think I was lying.
"No, Jill. I didn't use the course. I just pressed the button out of curiosity, but I didn't go in when I saw logs flying all over the place," I replied with a smile.
She looked me over for a moment, then turned away.
"Alright, I believe you. Come on. You're going to take a quick shower, then I'll lend you a standard uniform and we'll go eat."
She showed me to the laundry room, where I picked out a pair of joggers and a training jacket.
After about ten minutes, I was showered and changed. My clothes were left with the station staff for cleaning. Jill led me outside to eat at the cafeteria with the rest of the STARS members and a few officers, including Marvin.
The meal went well. Apart from Wesker, who made me feel a bit uneasy, everything was fine overall.