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New York, Fifth Avenue.
Atop a row of skyscrapers, a study unknown to the world overlooked this concrete jungle.
This place and the bustling, impetuous world outside the window seemed to exist in two completely different dimensions.
Thick Persian carpets swallowed all footsteps, and the air was filled with the mellow aroma of cigars and the dry scent of old scrolls.
On a wall of mahogany bookshelves, rare and unique volumes from ancient times to the present were displayed, each worth a fortune.
Trant sat behind a massive office desk.
There was only a sleek black portable terminal on the desk, glowing with a faint light.
His fingers were subconsciously and gently stroking the warm golden amber ring on his right thumb.
A woman in a grey professional suit, with an exquisite but expressionless face, appeared silently before the desk like a ghost to deliver a report.
"Sir, an emergency report from the'Sanctuary' Medical Center."
She respectfully handed over another terminal she held in her hand.
Trant took the terminal, his gaze falling on the screen.
It was an extremely complex analysis report regarding gene sequences.
Countless twisted helical diagrams and jumping data streams formed a portrait of life that Mortals could not comprehend.
[Test Subject: Noah]
[g-virus cell Fusion rate: 97.4% (Stable activity)]
[Abnormal gene fragment detected...]
[Match result: t-veronica virus (Alexia mutant strain)]
In Trant's eyes, deep as an ancient well, a ripple finally appeared.
veronica.
Alexia Ashford.
The woman hailed as a Genius, who was ultimately consumed by her own Genius.
The virus she created possessed the power to reshape life forms almost like a deity, but it also came with devastating destruction to the host's sanity.
It was an uncontrollable, violent evolution.
The report continued further down.
[Analysis: The g-virus within the test subject's body has maintained an absolute dominant position over the past two years.]
[It has greatly delayed and suppressed the erosive mutation of the t-veronica virus.]
[This peculiar symbiosis and antagonism have unexpectedly created an unprecedented, slow, and stable Fusion environment.]
[The g-virus is'screening' and 'completing' the genetic defects of the t-veronica virus, transforming its violent power into a nutrient that can be gradually absorbed by the cells.]
A smile slowly curled at the corner of Trant's mouth.
He looked up at his assistant.
"When was he infected with the t-veronica virus?" His voice retained that dull yet magnetic quality, betraying no emotion.
"According to the combat video records sent back by Young Miss Ada Wong from the Antarctic Base," the female assistant's voice was devoid of emotion,
"while fighting the final form of Alexia Ashford, Mr. Noah adopted a tactic of trading injury for injury, forcibly tearing off the target's wings.
In that process, the blood of the perfectly fused t-veronica virus within Alexia's body... seeped into his wounds."
"So that's how it is."
Trant murmured to himself. He placed the terminal casually on the desk and leaned back into the large leather chair, which let out a slight creak.
He closed his eyes as if savoring an exquisite delicacy.
"What a little fellow, constantly bringing surprises..." His movement of stroking the ring quickened slightly.
"Does he himself realize this yet?"
"According to the physiological data and psychological assessment reports submitted by the Alpha Training Base," the female assistant replied,
"Mr. Noah is unaware of the second mutation within his body. He likely attributes the occasional subtle changes in his body to the subsequent Fusion reactions of the g-virus."
"Very good."
Trant opened his eyes.
A light, as if admiring a work of art, flickered in those eyes.
The resilience and evolutionary potential of the g-virus, the nobility and reshaping ability of the t-veronica virus.
These two creations at the pinnacle of viruses had actually achieved a bizarre harmony within an Eastern boy's body.
This was no longer as simple as one plus one equals two.
This was a brand new possibility leading to the future.
He pondered for a moment before speaking again.
"What's the situation in South America?"
"Everything is proceeding according to plan. Major Jack Krauser and Agent Leon S. Kennedy have already met up with Mr. Noah and entered the target area."
"Mm."
Trant stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the city below that resembled a chessboard.
"The target of this South American operation is Manuela Hidalgo, a pathetic girl injected with an Elementary t-veronica virus. This is truly... too interesting."
There was a hint of playful amusement in his voice.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of reaction his body will have when he faces a virus of the same origin..."
Trant looked at his own blurred reflection in the glass window and said softly.
"I also hope our Mr. Wesker will like this'surprise' I've sent him..."
...The murky river water emitted a fishy smell mixed with rotting water plants and silt.
The three had just waded across the river, their combat boots making a "squelch" sound as they stepped onto the soft soil of the opposite bank.
The South American rainforest was like a giant, sweltering steamer.
The air was so humid and hot it felt like water could be wrung out of it; every breath felt like inhaling a ball of scalding cotton.
Jack Krauser took off his tactical gloves, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and shook his hand.
His signature silver slicked-back hair was now a bit limp from the moisture, but it still maintained its meticulous style.
Leon also unbuttoned the top button of his combat uniform. His blonde hair was soaked with sweat, and a few strands stuck to his cheeks, making him look somewhat bedraggled.
Krauser's gaze fell strangely on Noah, who was walking at the rear.
This Asian man from the BSAA had been acting a bit strangely since they entered the rainforest.
In an environment hot enough to boil someone, his forehead remained dry, and his breathing was as steady as if he were taking a stroll in an air-conditioned room.
"Not a single person," Krauser whispered, his sharp gaze scanning the deathly silent village ahead. "It's too quiet here, unnervingly quiet."
Dilapidated wooden houses leaned haphazardly, their walls covered in dark green mold and moss. Some doors were wide open, revealing pitch-black interiors like the gaping maws of monsters.
Not a single human voice could be heard in the entire village, nor was a living creature to be seen; only the annoying chirping of insects hissed tirelessly in every corner.
The hot and humid climate caused visible waves of distorted heat to rise from the mouth of the dried stone well in the center of the village and from the cracked mud ground.
Leon's gaze was drawn to the wall of a nearby wooden house.
That wall was covered with papers.
He stepped forward and found they were all missing person notices.
Most of the papers were yellowed and curled from the humidity and sun, and the handwriting on them had become blurred, but those black-and-white photos were still striking.
The photos were all of young girls.
Most of them had long hair, with the innocent and brilliant smiles typical of that age on their faces.
Below each missing person notice, their names, ages, and the clothes they were wearing when they went missing were noted.
In the age column, almost every single one was "17 years old."
Leon frowned and pursed his lips.
Just then.
A sharp "crackle" of static suddenly came from a tall wooden pole at the village entrance.
At the top of the pole was a rusty tin loudspeaker.
After a brief burst of noise, an emotionless male voice, sounding as if he were reading from a script, came from the loudspeaker, sounding exceptionally eerie in this deathly silent village.
"...Emergency notice. Currently, the number of missing young women in this area has reached a cumulative total of fifty. If the numbers recently reported from surrounding villages and towns are included, the total still tends to continue rising..."
The broadcast paused for a moment and then continued in that mechanical tone.
"Local police have issued the highest level of serious warning to all families with girls of the same age group. Villager, please lock your doors and windows, and do not go out alone at night..."