Bella pushed open a heavy iron door and discovered an elegant, beautiful interior with fresh air. It was hard to imagine this was underground. The indoor lighting simulated sunlight with ample illumination. Four man-sized cultivation chambers stood in the center of the room, each containing flowers she couldn't name.
A
Vibrant petals, delicate stamens, fragile stems—judging by her aesthetic standards, the flowers in the cultivation chambers were already quite perfect. They just seemed incongruous in this underground laboratory setting.
She wasn't a botanist and couldn't identify the flowers enclosed in the chambers. Considering the nature of this underground facility, she suspected these were the Stairway to the Sun they'd discussed earlier.
Surely the researchers weren't just killing time by growing flowers for fun?
She could sense a strange and powerful life force emanating from the flowers.
"What is this? I hope you don't mind telling me," she said, looking toward the shadowy corner of the room where a tall man stood.
The man emerged from the darkness. He had a slender build and wore a black trench coat over a tightly fitted combat suit. His blond hair was meticulously groomed, not a strand out of place. Even indoors, he wore expensive sunglasses perched on his nose.
Bella found that he looked exactly like the photo Chris had shown earlier. She spoke again. "Mr. Albert Wesker, is this the Stairway to the Sun?"
The blond man shook his head with a soft laugh—elegant, yet cruel.
"Just give me two more years and my research would be complete. I went to such lengths to divert BSAA's attention to the Middle East, but you still found me. Are you new? So young... what a pity you'll die here."
Bella understood. "I saw a damaged Tyrant in Israel. You sold it there? You deliberately framed East Slavia?"
Albert Wesker smiled contemptuously, neither confirming nor denying.
Bella put on a very righteous expression. "I'm placing you under arrest, Mr. Wesker."
Wesker pointed a finger at her. "So young and naive. I quite like your vigor."
The next instant, he suddenly accelerated, his form like a great bird as he covered a dozen meters between them in a flash. He extended his left hand, five fingers sharp as knives, clawing viciously at Bella's throat.
So fast! Aside from vampires, this was the first time in the real world Bella had encountered someone this fast. This speed far exceeded human limits.
She focused her full attention, dodging to the side while extending her right hand lightning-fast to grab his wrist.
He didn't slow down at all, sinking his waist and bending his elbow to strike fiercely at her throat.
Bella stepped back, identified the direction of his attack, and used karate techniques to push his elbow strike outward. Simultaneously, using the force generation method from Savate, she leaned back, raised her right leg, and kicked hard at Wesker's abdomen.
In the blink of an eye, they traded seventeen or eighteen blows.
Both grew increasingly surprised.
Israeli Krav Maga, Sambo, Systema, Savate, karate, judo—though she didn't know 127 fighting styles like Batman, thanks to the Golden Apple's training, Bella had learned the basics of most mainstream martial arts. Now she cycled through seven or eight different styles, trying to take Wesker down quickly.
But no matter how she changed techniques, he relied on rich combat experience to keep up, looking for opportunities to counterattack.
This was completely different from sparring with Natasha. Bella lacked life-and-death combat experience. Technique alone couldn't suppress Wesker.
Through his sunglasses, Wesker's eyes flashed an unnatural crimson. He was utterly shocked. Some random woman could block his attacks? Then what was the point of researching bioviruses?
His offensive grew fiercer, but Bella was like a reef—no matter how he attacked, she responded effectively and counterattacked with exquisite precision.
In terms of ruthlessness and combat experience, Wesker had the edge. But in technical refinement, he couldn't match Bella.
Wesker's mindset shifted from mockery to caution to treating her as a mortal threat. This wavered his composure slightly, but fortunately his will was truly iron-strong, allowing him to respond calmly.
Bella didn't want to fight him head-on. No longer concerned about whether gunfire would attract enemies, she found an opening, feinted, then flipped backward to create distance. While airborne, she drew her pistol and fired three shots at Wesker.
Wesker twisted his waist, swung his arms, and leaned back, dodging the bullets lightning-fast as they grazed past his body.
While leaning back, he also drew his pistol and fired three rounds at Bella.
"Shit!" Bella hadn't anticipated this at all. This guy was that strong? Didn't Chris say this was his old enemy? This "old enemy" could probably take Chris out in one exchange!
She used similar movements to dodge the bullets. Seeing that neither was injured, they both looked dumbfounded.
Wesker's composure shattered. What was happening? Some nobody had these skills? He roared, "I am a god! A god!"
Bella was equally frustrated. She'd thought he was just some businessman or ambitious schemer. Where was the "cunning and ruthless" description? Who could have guessed his combat power was this high?
He thought she was a nobody. She thought he was an ordinary person. Both their mindsets were off-balance.
Bella's Mind Blast failed for the first time. His will was incredibly strong, and his cells erupted with some special energy that formed a cocoon-like defense around his brain. He broke free from the Mind Blast in barely a blink of an eye.
"What was that? A psychic? A mutant? You'll make an excellent test subject!" Wesker's eyes turned blood-red—clearly furious.
"What are you? You have no idea how vast this world is!" Bella fired repeatedly while incorporating the Assassin Brotherhood's brutal techniques.
Palms, fists, elbows, knees, plus her pistol—Eagle Vision didn't just let her see far. Combined with superhuman neural response speed, it made her observation of minute details at close range incredibly sharp.
Wesker likewise relied on his battle-hardened experience to keep up with her, even using his virus-enhanced physical abilities to trade blows.
Bella raised her pistol. He slapped her wrist. She smoothly bent down and swung a punch. Wesker leaped up, his body briefly suspended like a bird, then raised his gun to aim at her head. She rolled to evade.
Gun kata hadn't been developed yet, but their combination of firearms and close combat already showed some of its nascent form.
Bullets flew wildly. Their fists and feet occasionally struck walls and furnishings, demolishing them like a wrecking crew. Worried about damaging the Stairway to the Sun, they tacitly charged out of the room.