[TWD x Resident Evil] — Chapter 565 - Overturning Old Assumptions

Leon settled back into his chair.

His mind kicked into high gear.

Pushing open the door to this new world had overturned everything he thought he knew.

The most important realization: converting others into Mutants wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Before this moment, Leon had always kept his reservations about it. He'd told himself that stripping away another person's free will was an extreme measure. Inhumane, even.

So he'd avoided it unless his back was against the wall. Had even practiced abstinence out of fear of accidentally infecting his women.

For unstable elements like Eugene and the priest — or growth-oriented individuals he had no time to properly bring around — direct conversion was the clean answer. He didn't go easy on them just because they happened to be protagonist-group material.

But for people like Chris and Jill, those who already had real capability and whose values aligned closely with his own, Leon had preferred a different approach: binding them through shared interest and ideological alignment. Better to have them contribute wholeheartedly than to hollow them out.

But now.

To hell with free will.

If every single person he converted could awaken bizarre, unpredictable abilities through the virus,

And if every one of those abilities stacked and fed back into him as the Progenitor,

Then what the hell was he holding back for?

The right play wasn't building cliques and factions.

It was converting every last person under his command into Mutants.

Absolute loyalty.

Formidable physical conditioning.

Immune to Walker attacks.

Immune to the low-grade Walker virus.

And on top of all that, whatever freak mutations might emerge along the way.

Before the collapse, a force like that might not have meant much.

But this was the apocalypse.

In this environment? That was an invincible legion. The kind that could sweep the entire world.

And as the Progenitor, he would keep getting stronger. More Mutants under his command meant more power flowing back to him. Eventually he'd reach a point where he simply couldn't be killed, with an ever-expanding toolkit of capabilities.

This was the correct use of the virus. This was what true evolution actually looked like.

Leon leaned back, fingers tapping a slow rhythm on the armrest.

That said.

This couldn't be rushed.

He couldn't exactly sprint out to the yard and start yelling for everyone to line up and get bitten.

That would spark a riot in about thirty seconds.

The problem was self-inflicted. He'd framed things badly early on, let everyone settle into the assumption that conversion was something to be feared. Reversing that overnight would backfire, especially with Chris and Jill's crowd. Their sense of justice ran hot. The moment they figured out they were being turned into virus-controlled mutant monsters, they'd flip on the spot. Some of them might go straight for their guns.

He needed an approach that looked clean. Legitimate. Something that made them want it.

Let them see the benefit. Wrap it in packaging they'd accept with a smile.

His thoughts drifted down to the Underground Laboratory, William and Rebekah.

Weren't they already researching fruit trees as a delivery vector? A safe version of an enhancement serum?

What if he quietly mixed his own control source into those so-called "enhancement fruits"?

Everyone eats the fruit. Everyone gains power. Everyone walks away convinced they've become super soldiers.

But in reality, they'd already been silently folded into his Mental Network. Absolutely obedient Mutants, every one of them. And the conversion would be gentle enough that there'd be no struggle, no screaming, no suspicion.

It was practically a perfect plan.

It also had to stay buried from everyone.

Leon turned that over for a moment. It was a conspiracy, and he didn't love running that kind of game on his own people. Maybe he'd keep it in reserve, a last resort if the open rollout hit a wall.

The logistics were easy enough. He came and went from the lab freely. Slipping his fluids into the mix would take about thirty seconds.

He rubbed his chin.

First, he needed time alone with William. The risks still weren't confirmed. He had to be certain there'd be no complications before any of this moved forward.

---

3 days later, Ashley had fully recovered.

To test the range and limits of his shared-ability system, Leon decided to run an experiment.

Two armed Patrol Squad members stood on either side of the main gate.

Leon walked over.

He fixed his gaze on David, the young Black man on the left.

He focused.

Connected.

David's internal voice came through.

Wonder if there are any spare ribs left tonight. Better not finish my shift and find nothing left.

Leon shifted his gaze to the white squad member on the right.

Rosita's jeans are really tight today. That ass is something else, shame she's with Abraham. Big guy's not someone to mess with...

Leon frowned and cut the connection.

These guys had nothing running upstairs except food and women.

People in the apocalypse. Their desires were always this blunt and simple.

But it proved the point. Within his field of vision, he could tap into anyone's surface-level thoughts whenever he wanted. He'd also worked out something new: his own mental energy could share the load, absorbing part of the strain himself, which made the draw on Ashley far lighter. Repeatable, instead of burning her out in one shot.

Ashley was a small horse straining against a heavy cart. He was a high-output engine. He could run this all day.

---

Leon stepped out through the hospital's main entrance, still turning it over in his head.

Jill was coming toward him from the direction of the Administration Building.

She'd changed into lightweight tactical gear, a handgun riding at her hip. When she spotted him, she picked up her pace.

"How's Ashley?" she asked.

"She's fine. One good sleep and she'll be back to normal." Leon watched her.

Jill nodded. "Good."

"By the way — Chris sent me to ask. Where are we heading to explore today? We can't keep eating without pulling our weight."

Leon looked into her eyes. Sharp, direct, carrying that edge she never turned off.

A mischievous impulse rose in his chest.

He wanted to see what was actually going on inside the head of this always-sharp, always-composed female officer.

He focused.

Locked onto Jill's pupils.

Ability activated.

Jill's crisp, no-nonsense voice came to life inside his head.

This man really is my type.

Too bad he's drowning in women. The way Ashley looks at him, practically melting right there.

A bunch of girls fighting over the same man. Boring.

Though with that build... he'd probably have some serious stamina. God. What am I even thinking.

No. I have to maintain my image.

Leon's expression locked up.

He stared at the perfectly composed woman in front of him. The corner of his mouth twitched.

This woman's head ran a lot wilder than he'd given her credit for.

Jill caught his expression and frowned.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" She reached up and touched her cheek.

➤ Next: Meeting Wesker