Following the destruction of Raccoon City in 1998, Leon S. Kennedy participates in a special programme and undergoes training with Major Jack Krauser after agreeing to become an agent for the United States government. Six years later, in 2004, Leon is sent by the president to rescue his kidnapped daughter, Ashley Graham, from a village in rural Spain with the remote assistance of Ingrid Hunnigan. Soon after arriving, Leon finds his escorts brutally murdered by the villagers, who are being controlled by the parasite Las Plagas and have pledged themselves to the Los Illuminados cult. Searching for Ashley, Leon meets Luis Serra, a scientist on the run from the cult whom Ingrid confirms once worked for the Umbrella Corporation. Leon and Luis are captured by the village head, Chief Bitores Méndez, who injects Leon with a Plaga parasite. After escaping captivity, the pair separate.