Infinite: Starting from Resident Evil

"You're only allowed to drink beer now. Don't forget we have serious business to attend to," Tifa said, glaring at him and emphasizing each word.

Barrett paused for a moment, but seeing that Tifa seemed genuinely angry, the hot-tempered burly man surprisingly didn't argue. Instead, he thought, "Beer is fine too, at least it's not juice."

At that moment, Marlene, having finally calmed her racing heart, rushed towards Alice.

"Sister Alice, you haven't come to see Marlene in so long." Marlene snuggled against Alice's chest.

“Because my sister has things to do!” Alice liked Marlene very much, pinched her nose, and continued, “Just like you, you have to go to school during the day.”

“But when Uncle came last time, was he very free during the day?” Marlene asked.

"No, when I have free time, I also help your sister Alice take care of the flower garden!" Shen Ye said, taking the wine that Jesse handed him and taking a big gulp.

Then, he almost spat out the wine in his mouth, and looked at Jesse with a puzzled expression.

"Don't worry, it's just strong liquor, nothing weird added." Jesse covered his mouth and chuckled, then carried the tray back to the bar.

"If you don't like it, just throw it away. I'll make you a Starfall Canyon." Seeing Shen Ye frown, Tifa turned and walked towards the bar, but halfway there, she turned back to Shen Ye and said, "Please sit down, I'll be right there."

Shen Ye nodded and pulled Alice and Marlene to sit opposite Barrett.

Barrett looked at the wine Shen Ye had placed on the table and couldn't help but lick his lips, but remembering that Tifa, the organization's biggest benefactor, was already angry, he held back.

"From what Tifa just said, it seems you wanted to see me about something?" Shen Ye asked, holding his wine glass in both hands.

Although Barrett was so drunk that his tongue was practically slurred, he still maintained a certain level of sobriety. Only after listening to Shen Ye's words did he remember his purpose.

"Have you ever heard of an avalanche?" Barrett and his group were in a rather secluded corner, with only a table and no one else around, so Barrett glanced around before speaking in a normal tone.

"I've heard a little about it." Shen Ye nodded.

Alice, who was whispering with Marlene, looked up at them. Having grown up in Midgar and frequently interacting with Turks, she knew quite a bit about them.

"So, what do you think of what Avalanche did?" Barrett continued to ask.

Upon hearing this question, Shen Ye was momentarily at a loss for words.

He knew, of course, that Avalanche was a reaction against the Shinra Corporation’s relentless exploitation of life on the planet, and that it was actually a good thing. However, he couldn’t quite approve of what Avalanche had done, especially the series of things Barrett did after leaving Avalanche.

That's too extreme, even more extreme than real-world extreme environmentalists.

For the sake of their so-called ideals, they are even willing to sacrifice the lives of ordinary Midgar citizens, which is no different from the Shinra Corporation's exploitation of ordinary citizens.

However, Shen Ye also knew that Barrett and the others did this for the sake of the planet, so that life on the planet could continue to thrive. So after a moment of silence, he still couldn't think of a reply.

Seeing Shen Ye fall silent, Barrett was not in a hurry, he just looked at Shen Ye.

After a while, Shen Ye sighed slightly, took a sip of wine, and said, "I don't object to what Avalanche did."

Upon hearing this, Barrett's eyes lit up and a smile appeared on his face.

“But…” Shen Ye suddenly added, “I don’t support it either.”

Barrett's expression instantly returned to normal.

"Why?" Barrett thought for a moment and asked.

“It’s very simple. For the citizens of Midgar now, everything depends on Shinra and the Mako Reactor’s continuous supply of cheap electricity. Just like this bar, without the cheap electricity provided by the Mako Reactor, the costs would always be high,” Shen Ye said.

“That’s true.” Tifa, who was delivering the wine, nodded when she heard Shen Ye’s words: “I’ve heard from others that electricity bills used to be very expensive.”

"So you mean you support the Shinra?" Barrett asked again.

“No, that’s not it.” Shen Ye shook his head: “Actually, I also can’t stand the way Shinra Corporation exploits the planets. It’s too ruthless.”

“It’s because we’ve been exploiting them too much,” Barrett sighed. “Midgar can’t even grow weeds anymore.”

“That’s why we rebelled against Shinra’s rule,” Barrett added.

"So how do you plan to resist?" Shen Ye asked knowingly.

Barrett glanced around. Although there were still no outsiders nearby, he lowered his voice and said, "We've decided to destroy the Mako Reactor in Midgar."

“That’s a bit difficult, just based on your words alone.” Shen Ye shook his head: “Your strength is too weak.”

"That's why I wanted to ask you, would you like to join Avalanche?" Barrett said, "to fight to save the planet."

This question did not surprise Shen Ye; he knew Barrett would eventually ask it.

"At the moment, I have no intention of joining any organization." Shen Ye neither directly refused nor directly agreed.

Sure enough, Barrett was very dissatisfied with the answer. Just as he was about to ask why, Tifa patted him on the shoulder.

“Alright, Barrett, let Shen think about it properly,” Tifa said.

Barrett had no choice but to nod in agreement to the opinion of the organization's financial backer.

"Shen, I hope you can think this over carefully, for the sake of this planet and for the future of our descendants," Barrett said solemnly.

"I'll consider it," Shen Ye said with a smile, raising his glass.

…………

Chapter 151! Heart in Turmoil

……

Then, Barrett called his teammates to the bar, leaving only Shen Ye, Alice, and Tifa behind.

Oh, and there's also Marlene being held by Alice. The two of them are talking about something, and they don't even glance at Shen Ye.

Shen Ye finished the wine in his glass and then fell into deep thought.

In fact, he personally prefers to remain neutral.

He didn't want to join either Shinra or Avalanche.

However, if he had to choose one, he would still choose to help Avalanche, because no matter how extreme they are, they still have some conscience compared to Shinra.

Of course, he did think of ways to resolve the conflict during these few days, but relying solely on his own strength, all his ideas and solutions would ultimately remain just that—ideas.

Seeing Shen Ye resting his chin on one hand and holding a wine glass in the other, deep in thought with a frown, Tifa walked behind him, placed her hands on his shoulders, and leaned down to whisper in his ear, "Shen, don't force yourself. We never force others to join us. Just do what you think is right."

"Mm!" Shen Ye nodded, and just as he was about to ask Tifa for another cup of Starfall Canyon, he found himself face to face with Tifa, who was still whispering in his ear.

The two were very close, their noses almost touching and their lips almost touching.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment, and both of them could clearly see the various emotions in each other's eyes.

Perhaps because of the alcohol, Shen Ye leaned forward slightly, and their lips met.

"Ah!" Tifa's heart was thrown into disarray by the sudden kiss, and she did something she regretted... She took a step back, let out a soft gasp, and then covered her mouth, stealing a glance at Alice.

Fortunately, Alice was whispering to Marlene and didn't hear Tifa's exclamation or notice their actions, which reassured Tifa somewhat.

"Ahem... Could you please give me another glass?" Shen Ye coughed lightly, feeling a mix of regret and remorse, but to cover his embarrassment, he handed Tifa an empty glass.

"Wait a minute, I'll bring it to you right away." Tifa's heart was pounding, and she fled from the spot as if she were running away.

Upon reaching the bar, Tifa began mixing drinks for Shen Ye, but her mind was in turmoil, and she didn't even know what she was adding. Her eyes were glazed as she shook the shaker, her thoughts wandering.

She was lost in thought for what seemed like an eternity until a hand patted her shoulder, bringing her back to her senses.

"Tifa, what's wrong?" Jesse asked curiously. "You've been shaking that shaker for a long time, twice as long as usual."

"It's nothing, Jesse." Tifa quickly shook her head, then poured the liquor from the shaker into glasses, put them on a tray, and walked towards Shen Ye.

Jesse watched Tifa's retreating figure and scratched his head in confusion.

"Shen, the wine is here." Tifa walked to the opposite side of Shen Ye and placed the wine in front of him.

Shen Ye picked up the glass and took a sip, then looked at Tifa with a puzzled expression.

"The taste... seems a little off," Shen Ye said, smacking his lips.

Tifa blushed slightly; her mind had been so flustered that even the taste of the wine had been off...

……

Seventh Heaven, the most popular bar for the poor in the Seventh District, often stays open until late at night. However, usually only Tifa runs it, so it can be quite busy. But tonight, with Jesse and the others helping out, Tifa had a rare moment of leisure. She took a glass of low-alcohol drink and sat opposite Shen Ye to keep him company.

After an unknown amount of time, the number of people in the bar dwindled, and even Marlene and Jesse left with Barrett.

Now only the three of them are left in the bar.

After a while, Alice watched the two clinking glasses and ordered a drink. However, having learned from her previous experience, she didn't dare to drink strong liquor and, like Tifa, drank a low-alcohol fruit wine.

Perhaps she really liked the taste of fruit wine, and before she knew it, she had drunk too much. Now she was starting to get dizzy again, saying one minute that she envied Tifa, and the next minute she was tilting her head to look at Shen Ye, muttering things that were hard to understand.

Looking at Alice talking to herself, Shen Ye and Tifa felt helpless. They had tried to persuade Alice, but it was obviously no use.

In the end, Alice couldn't withstand the aftereffects of the fruit wine and fell asleep on the table.

"Alright, we should go now." Looking at Alice, who was fast asleep, Shen Ye knew the event was over. He clapped his hands, stood up, and said.

“Now? Isn’t it too late?” Tifa pointed to the clock on the wall.

“It’s past midnight now, I think…” Tifa hesitated.

"What do you think?" Shen Ye helped Alice up and looked at Tifa.

“You can come and rest at my place. It’s so late now, it would be a hassle for you to go back, wouldn’t it?” Tifa said, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"That wouldn't be a good idea, would it? You probably don't have any extra rooms, right?" Shen Ye asked.