4 PM, deep beneath Raccoon City.
A row of people in biohazard suits stood in front of a steel door, holding precise instruments and constantly monitoring the data displayed, as if their lives depended on it.
The data line on the instrument was like a flat road, without the slightest fluctuation. This straight line extended until the people in biohazard suits scanned every corner and every crevice of the door. From beginning to end, the data showed no changes.
This finally relieved the tension of the person holding the instrument. He let out a long breath, gestured to the people behind him, and shouted.
"Safe, no leaks. The door can be opened."
After he finished speaking, the people behind him immediately began to operate like cold machines. Some of them connected their instruments to devices next to the door, through which they could bypass the Base's intelligent System and control the door's opening and closing.
More people raised their firearms and moved to the front. These were the advance personnel; they were to scout the internal situation and clear all obstacles for the Base's restart. They knew very well what kind of obstacles they might face.
"Alright, everything is ready." The person responsible for opening the door gestured to the Officer in charge, who, upon seeing the signal, walked to the advance personnel.
"You know what you're dealing with, so I think you should know what to do."
His tone was very serious, even like cold steel. But the advance team didn't care about his tone; they cared more about what he said, because it concerned their lives.
"OK! I'll repeat it to you: no matter who you see, whether they are alive or dead, shoot them immediately. Shoot them in the head; it's the only way to kill them."
"Protect your teammates, and don't get injured by anything inside. If something unexpected happens to you, report it to me immediately, understand? If you don't want to die, if you don't want to become those monsters! Now, answer me, do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes, Officer!" the advance team replied in unison. No one would take lightly words that concerned their own lives.
"Very good, two more minutes. Check your equipment. As soon as the door opens, depart." The Officer dropped this sentence and turned to walk away. He went into a small tent and connected to a communication device inside. At this depth underground, only such a special signal device could establish contact with the outside world.
"Officer, everything is ready. We can now open the Hive," the Officer said seriously. Soon, Raymond's voice came from the other end.
"Very good, you can start there. Everything will proceed according to the planned schedule. Also, report the situation to me every half an hour. I will be waiting for your news."
"Understood, Officer!" The Officer hung up the communication. When he walked out of the tent again, the door had already begun to slowly open.
A deep darkness emerged from behind the door, making him instantly feel a chill to his bones, an Alien Species of coldness.
He shook his head, driving this feeling out of his mind. Then he gave the order to the fully prepared advance team.
"Depart!" At his command, the advance team silently walked into the darkness. The Officer watched their backs intently until he could no longer see them, then he withdrew his gaze. At this moment, a sense of unease enveloped his heart, making him feel that something was bound to happen.
He had felt this way before, on the battlefield in Iraq. And that time, his best friend and brother died in a terrorist attack. As a Soldier, he didn't believe in God, but he did believe in the ethereal concepts of fate and premonition.
He worried about his subordinates; he had trained each of them himself. But he couldn't stop this operation because of a premonition, because he knew what this operation represented.
If they succeeded, they could rise to the next level, becoming Umbrella's most elite combat personnel. But if they failed, both his subordinates and he would die, and die terribly. Therefore, this operation had to proceed, no matter what he had a premonition about.
However, things might not be as bad as he thought. So far, the news from the advance team had been good. Although there were a few zombies blocking the way, they posed no obstacle to the elite Soldiers.
The advance team proceeded unimpeded, penetrating deep into the vicinity of their predetermined target. This situation made the Officer breathe a sigh of relief. Their predetermined target was the first external access point of the underground Base. As long as they could contact the Hive's central computer, the Red Queen, through it, they could basically control all aspects of the Base.
However, at this moment, a scream suddenly came through the earpiece. Then, intense gunfire continuously erupted. This made the Officer's heart tighten, and he quickly shouted.
"What's happening? Report back to me immediately. Do you hear me? Answer immediately."
However, no one answered him. What came through the earpiece were almost entirely chilling sounds of tearing and chewing. This situation meant only one possibility, a possibility the Officer least wanted to see.
"Close the door, close the door!" he yelled, wanting to close the Hive's entrance as quickly as possible. But the guys responsible for the door hadn't reacted to his command yet when several Shadows lunged out of the door.
The Officer saw these Shadows, and at that moment, it was too late. Death quickly swept in, accompanied by an even greater fear.
Half an hour later, Raymond, his face ashen, put down the communicator. He knew all too well what losing contact with the people who opened the Hive meant. It was something he, and indeed the entire Umbrella high command, did not want to see. However, no matter how unwilling they were, it had happened. He could only report it now, hoping to find a solution before the situation worsened.
Soon, he arrived alone at Umbrella's top-floor conference room. There, a group of old men stared intently at him; they had already received Raymond's report. Now they needed to know exactly how dire the situation was.
"Speak, Raymond. How is the situation?" The old man sitting at the head of the table spoke the moment he saw Raymond enter. His voice was unhurried. But it made Raymond's entire back break out in a cold sweat. Although he knew it was just a holographic projection, he still couldn't control himself.
Oswell E. Spencer, one of Umbrella's founders, and the only one still alive. He held supreme power over the entire company, resorting to any means, including bloody and ruthless tactics. Many people knew about these tactics, and precisely because they knew, they were so wary and fearful of this old man.
Because they knew they couldn't reach that level, that devilishly vicious level. Although he had now withdrawn from Umbrella, he always had the final say at the most critical moments.
"We have completely lost contact with the Hive. Half an hour has passed. According to estimates, it can be confirmed that the thing we least wanted to see has erupted," Raymond said tremblingly in response to Spencer's inquiry.
After hearing his words, Spencer fell silent. The surrounding group of guys began to discuss.
"Stop this incident; once it erupts, we're finished."
"Maybe we can contact the U.S. Army; they can help us solve this problem."
"Where are my security forces? Tell them to establish a defense line immediately. We've invested so much money; is it all just going down the drain?"
Each voice represented one of Umbrella's most powerful individuals, and at this moment, they almost all had the same idea: stop the development of the situation, stop this terrible biohazard crisis. However, their opinions were too numerous, to the point of being completely uncoordinated.
For a moment, the entire conference room was as chaotic as a marketplace; it was impossible to imagine how lofty and arrogant these people usually were, who were making such noises.
However, this noise did not last long, because Spencer spoke again.
"Enough, I know what to do."
As soon as he spoke, all sounds immediately ceased. Everyone, whether the holographic projections or Raymond standing there, quietly looked at him, like subjects facing their monarch.
Spencer enjoyed this feeling, but he knew this was not the time for indulgence. He looked at Raymond standing below him and said in a calm tone.
"Raymond, I remember you still have weapon projects that were transported out after the Hive outbreak, correct?"
"Yes, sir!" Raymond searched his memory and then confirmed.
"Very good. Since the biohazard crisis has erupted, Raccoon City is beyond saving. Raymond, I want you to immediately transfer the research personnel stationed in Raccoon City. They are our most valuable asset and must be taken out of Raccoon City before everything becomes irreversible!"
"I understand, sir, I will arrange it immediately!"
Watching Raymond's respectful demeanor, Spencer nodded. He continued to instruct.
"Umbrella paid a huge price when building Raccoon City. Now that Raccoon City cannot be saved, we must try our best to recover our losses. Raymond, I authorize you to initiate the Goddess of Vengeance project. Test this weapon in the impending Raccoon City experiment."
"You will be fully responsible and must record all data for this weapon. It is your guarantee of survival. If anything goes wrong with it, you can probably guess your fate!"
"Yes, sir. I understand!" Even with Spencer speaking to him like that, Raymond only nodded and bowed in agreement. In front of Spencer, he dared not have any other thoughts.
"Very good, you still have some use after all. So, there are two things I must remind you of, and these two things you must accomplish."
"Dr. William and our new friend, Mr. Zhou Yi."