61: Chapter 61 Live Broadcast to the Whole World (Part Two)

...

"I am James Shade, captain of the U.S.S. Special Forces under the Umbrella Corporation. I am currently at the Umbrella Corporation's underground Hive Base in Raccoon City, coordinates 34°N, 118°W..."

Lin Fang concisely began to reveal the Umbrella Corporation's "T-Virus" and "Project Apocalypse" to the public.

The evidence was substantial; nothing was more illustrative than the background behind him.

Project Apocalypse.

The mastermind Isaac intended to use the T-Virus to conduct a Great Purge of humanity on Earth. He and the company's high-ranking executives would remain in stasis at the bottom of the Hive Base, awakening only after the purge was complete to achieve his goal of global domination.

As a show of respect, Lin Fang also revealed that Isaac was currently in stasis at the deepest part of the Hive Base.

This was destined to be a night of madness!

Evan's heart felt like it was about to jump out of his chest. No one could remain unaffected by the words of the man calling himself James. The image of the living dead infected by the virus was his worst nightmare; he would rather die for real than turn into such a thing.

The dead returning to life?!

Evan knew very well that this was an epoch-making invention, but even more so, a key to hell. This terrifyingly infectious virus was leaking onto American soil; the thought made Evan's breath hitch.

He hoped it was an April Fool's joke.

But it wasn't. That disgusting zombie proved it; no one could survive with only half a head.

"The T-Virus can infect all living organisms—rats, cockroaches, and underground crawlers. It is highly likely, no, infected creatures are already outside..."

Hearing the words on the screen,

Times Square, already in a state of panic, fell into utter chaos. The cries of children and gasps of shock intertwined. Once a virus that could adapt to the environment leaked, it would be everywhere.

Even drinking a sip of water would carry the risk of infection.

"I knew this company was no good. Biochemical experiments, genetic weapons—Umbrella is a terrorist organization!"

Evan and his companions didn't do anything drastic, but one of them slammed the table in resentment and cursed loudly, "These acting bitches!"

"Bitches!!"

"James and these people are heroes," Evan sighed before calming down, saying firmly, "We have to do something."

"That won't be easy,"

another person said with a bitter smile, pointing at the emblem on the table.

On the table where they sat was a red and white umbrella icon with the word "Umbrella" printed below it. In other words, the coffee shop they were sitting in was also a property of the corporate giant, Umbrella Corporation.

A chill ran through them all.

—

Just as Lin Fang was preparing to show the global audience the Lickers still being cultivated, the live stream was cut off without warning.

A girl's voice rang out from the monitor screen, carrying a warning:

[Please cease your actions.]

It was the Red Queen, the supercomputer managing the Hive.

Lin Fang realized that she was created by the villain Isaac as a tool to achieve his goals.

Raine emptied her magazine directly at the monitor. "You electronic bitch! Let me use my MP7 to clear your pipes!"

[This is meaningless.]

The Red Queen's voice came from the speaker of another monitor.

"You bitch killed three of my teammates!"

[Shutting me down will cause the base's main power to go offline. I cannot allow the T-Virus to spread out of the Hive, so I took some necessary measures.]

Raine said angrily, "You could have just told us the truth! Why didn't you do that?!"

[Because...]

The Red Queen seemed to glitch.

Lin Fang knew what was happening. Valuing human life was the Red Queen's core directive, but she had another directive: protecting the company's security.

Therefore, the live stream was shut down.

From this perspective, compared to Xiao Hei, this Red Queen was far inferior. Her thinking and speech were rigid; her level of intelligence was clearly not high, just a weak AI managing the base.

"I can't restore communications,"

Kaplan said after checking for a moment, "unless we shut down the Red Queen."

"It's enough."

Lin Fang waved his hand. He decided to leave first. If the upper echelons of this world weren't a bunch of omnivorous pigs, they must have realized the gravity of the situation by now.

If, unfortunately, they really were a bunch of pigs, that would be fine too; then the world would belong to him alone.

Why did it feel like this outcome might be even better?

...

The lowest level of the Hive Base.

"Wesker, it's not time yet!"

Isaac was awakened from his stasis pod. After putting on his formal suit, his sharp gaze turned to a burly white man with slicked-back blonde hair. "Give me a reason, quickly."

"Boss, there's a small situation. Your conspiracy has been exposed."

"By who?"

Isaac's face darkened. Aside from Wesker executing the plan, the other company executives were all in stasis. Even the Clones acting as his substitutes on the surface didn't know about this.

"The whole world,"

Wesker said in a low voice, wearing sunglasses. "Someone broadcasted Plan One live to the entire world. People in Raccoon City are evacuating, and the surface Umbrella Corporation is facing collapse."

Thud—

Isaac staggered a few steps and slumped into a chair. Because of the bio-chip, he knew Wesker wouldn't lie to him.

A moment later,

when Isaac calmed down, he quickly checked what had happened. Seeing the special ops team captain reveal his location, a flash of relief crossed Isaac's eyes.

It hadn't reached the absolute worst point yet.

But how did this James know all this?

It didn't matter anymore. He was finished, and the company was finished!

Isaac watched the few people walking inside the Hive with intense murderous intent, then pressed a red button on the console.

"Red Queen, terminate the Alice Project. Open all airlocks and kill them all!"

[Sir, I do not recommend...]

"Security code 3407286. Execute command!"

"Wesker, wake up all the company executives. If they want to be buried underground, then grant them their wish."

"..."

After giving the orders, Isaac sat back in his chair with a complex expression, staring blankly out the window. Under the illumination of the projection lamps, he could see the same scenery underground as if he were outdoors.

Blue sky, white clouds, and a clear sky for miles—what a wonderful world.

But Isaac knew it was currently night.

He once read an ancient story from the Central Continent. A general named Xiang Yu led his army across the Zhang River, then ordered his soldiers to sink the boats for the return journey and smash the cooking pots.

These brave soldiers cut off their own retreat, which allowed them to emerge victorious in the subsequent battles.

He decided to be like Xiang Yu.