Chapter 4: The Train Incident
Outside Raccoon City, in the Akeley Mountains, a man in a white robe, barefoot, slowly appeared in the dark, dense forest.
His skin was pale and bloodless, and his split chest was sewn with a few lapels, resembling pajamas.
Blue patterns were woven into the white robe on his arms and shoulders, and a blue gemstone necklace pendant hung around his neck.
His flaxen hair flowed over his shoulders, his blue eyes, and his youthful appearance made it impossible to tell if he was male or female, at times feminine, at times ferocious.
His cold face suppressed the rage of vengeance, and this man was James Marcus, one of the founders of the Umbrella Corporation, who should have died ten years ago!
Before his death, due to an accident, a sample of the T-Virus Leech Queen entered his body.
He was then brutally killed and thrown into the sewer, but the powerful vitality of the Leech Queen virus brought the dying Marcus back to life.
After ten years of dormancy, forbearance, and recovery, Marcus had finally evolved into a powerful life form.
He had rejuvenated, gained a long lifespan, was difficult to kill, and possessed extremely strong healing abilities throughout his body; even being riddled with bullets would not cause any fatal injuries.
Moreover, he had gained the ability to manipulate leeches, a power that was exactly as Marcus had envisioned.
He had successfully evolved into a new human by relying on the T-Virus Leech Queen.
It was just a pity...
Because he had fused with the Leech Queen, the Marcus who was alive at that moment was not the real Marcus.
The true Marcus had died ten years ago; what was still alive was merely the Leech Queen, who had inherited Marcus's memories.
Due to the hermaphroditic nature of leeches, the Marcus who was still alive at that moment had an ambiguous, neither-male-nor-female appearance.
But no matter what, whether it was Marcus or the Leech Queen, the long-accumulated wrath of vengeance had to be unleashed.
So, no matter whose body it was at that moment, Marcus would retaliate against the Umbrella Corporation with furious vengeance!
And the first step...
was to release the T-Virus from the Leech Queen to attract the attention of the Umbrella Corporation's people and that old immortal Spencer.
Marcus planned to set up an ambush at the Cadre Training Institute to completely eliminate everyone from the Umbrella Corporation and push all responsibility for the virus crisis onto the Umbrella Corporation, thus perishing together.
And the facts proved that, although Marcus later failed, his actions indeed played a role in fanning the flames, creating a butterfly effect that truly led to a global virus leakage crisis, ushering in an era of worldwide Resident Evil preparedness.
"Heh heh...
"Spencer, you old immortal, you want to steal my painstaking research results for free.
I will let you know how severe the consequences of stealing things are.
Oh... and my two good students, William and Wesker, two shameless bastards!
"You actually betrayed me and defected to that old, useless Spencer.
Now... I will take back everything I've lost."
"Alright... my good children, it's your turn now.
Go and devour the beasts of the Akeley Mountains to your heart's content, and let them spread the virus throughout the city.
Now, the real revenge plan is about to begin!"
He let out a wild laugh.
In the dark, dense forest, Marcus's figure spread his hand, and from the sleeve of his white robe, black masses slowly began to emerge, all leaping towards the forest at a very fast speed, making them difficult to spot or catch.
And these were Marcus's good children.
A group of Mutated Leeches, controlled by the Leech Queen within his body, had mutated all the leeches by the lakes and streams of the Akeley Mountains.
These leeches were only the size of a fist, but their mouthparts were extremely sharp, capable of draining an adult's blood in an instant.
Moreover, they possessed flea-like jumping abilities and incredible speed, allowing them to quickly surround and eliminate their prey.
And each of these Mutated Leeches contained varying amounts of the virus, which could highly likely infect wild beasts, turning them into a group of terrifying and disgusting creatures.
Then, by relying on these beasts to attack passersby, the virus could successfully spread into the city, and it could also attract Umbrella personnel in Raccoon City to investigate.
It was simply a win-win situation!
At that moment, Marcus only needed to frequently release the leeches to attack beasts, and then let the beasts attack people, and that would be enough.
"Heh heh... Hahahaha... What a wonderful feeling."
Just thinking about that old immortal Spencer, and the two bastard students William and Wesker, soon dying by his hand, and the Umbrella Corporation collapsing, Marcus couldn't help but burst into a wild laugh.
This pleasure of impending successful revenge made him incredibly content...
...Within Raccoon City...
May 25, 1998.
"Beep beep beep..."
"Beep beep beep..."
"Good afternoon, citizens.
Milina will bring you today's news.
The Umbrella Corporation has developed a new medicine today.
This medicine can treat common cold symptoms, is more effective than ordinary drugs, and is even cheaper.
"According to data, tens of thousands of people have already resolved their illnesses by taking this medicine, and they feel much healthier than before.
Next are the feedbacks from enthusiastic citizens.
Come... Sir, how do you feel after taking the new medicine?"
"Oh, Miss Milina, you are even more beautiful than on TV.
May I have your number?
I have a super large swimming pool at my house, I think... *cough cough*, sorry... The new medicine's trial is indeed good.
After taking it, I feel great, especially in that aspect; I'm much better, and the time has even extended by nearly two hours.
I think you should understand what I mean.
Oh... Shit! Damn it, you rude security guards, I'll walk myself, don't touch my body!"
In front of a retro coffee shop, an old television was broadcasting today's news.
Unlike China, unless there was something exceptionally major, news in the US generally only reported on state-level affairs, and Raccoon City was no exception.
Watching the flirting host and live audience on TV, Javier suddenly felt bored.
Even Rebecca, who was busy skipping work nearby, was pursing her lips around a straw, repeatedly sipping the coffee in her cup.
She slumped over the table, oblivious to the news on TV, staring blankly at the potted plants outside the coffee shop, having completely evolved into a lazy person.
"Sorry...
"That was just an accident.
Here's another breaking news story."
"Reports indicate that the number of missing persons and murder cases in the Akeley Mountains on the outskirts of Raccoon City has been increasing frequently lately.
The victims' bodies show clear signs of gnawing and tearing, suggesting large animals, but also suspected to be the malicious acts of some cult organization.
However, the police have not yet found any useful clues, and everything is still under investigation."
"Therefore, until the true culprit is caught, Milina reminds all citizens watching TV to please close your doors and windows at night, do not wander around unnecessarily, and especially do not go to the Akeley Mountains alone, to avoid providing unnecessary trouble for the police.
Thank you for your cooperation..."
And with the last piece of news, Javier's thoughts were interrupted.
He clearly remembered that the Resident Evil storyline began at that moment.
After the missing persons and murder cases appeared in the Akeley Mountains, it meant that the plot was gradually beginning, and the long-dead Marcus was about to resurrect at that moment to begin his revenge plan.
Including the zodiac Train Incident, the most famous event in Resident Evil history, everything would begin to unfold, which made Javier slightly nervous.
And not just Javier, Rebecca, who was beside him, was also drawn to this news.
For the past few days, missing persons and murder cases had been occurring frequently, but the police had not yet found the culprit, which frustrated the justice-minded Rebecca.
Were the Raccoon City police really that useless, unable to find the murderer for so long?
If this continued, who knew how many more people would die?
Thinking of this, Rebecca suddenly had an idea: since the Raccoon City police were so useless, why not have her S.T.A.R.S elite police investigate?
If she successfully found the culprit, the residents of Raccoon City would surely look at her with new eyes!
After all, this was a major case that the police had been stumped on for nearly half a month! Thinking of this… Rebecca smiled slightly, then stood up and slapped Javier hard on his backside, saying with a giggle, feeling very clever:
"I've decided!"
"We can't keep being so decadent, Javier. How about we partner up and go to the Akeley Mountains to investigate the case just reported on the news? If we solve it… the police department will definitely praise us, and we might even get promoted and a raise immediately!"
Rebecca spoke with conviction,
but Javier quickly rejected her with a scornful look. What kind of joke was that… going to the Akeley Mountains to investigate at this critical moment? That was like an old man eating arsenic, rushing to his death!
At this point in time,
apart from the Mansion and the Cadre Training Institute in the Akeley Mountains, although the outside was just a bunch of virus-infected zombie beasts, not worth worrying about, if they happened to run into Marcus, who was busy poisoning the mountains, they would truly be dead. At night, the Leech Queen's abilities were still very strong. He and Rebecca, two rookies, would be completely going to their deaths and would quickly be wiped out!
Therefore,
Javier decisively rejected Rebecca, this little girl's absurd idea. Even if they had to investigate, they would have to wait a few more months and drag the other S.T.A.R.S members along as cannon fodder to be a cushion. At this moment, the beginning was very important, and Javier absolutely did not want to change the plot's development due to the butterfly effect.
"No!"
"Leave the police's matters to the police. It's enough for us to do what we're supposed to do. What if you steal their credit and the police department resents you? S.T.A.R.S just needs to handle our own responsibilities. If the police department truly can't handle it, the chief will order S.T.A.R.S to investigate. So, there's no need to rush, just focus on patrolling the city!"
"Also, Rebecca, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. As your partner… if I find out you secretly go to the Akeley Mountains to your death… bah! If you secretly go to investigate, I'll tell Captain Enrique about your unauthorized actions and have him order you grounded for a month!"
Facing Rebecca, this little girl's bold idea,
Javier scolded and refused without hesitation.
There was nothing he could do. Javier knew Rebecca's nature. At this moment, she was in her rebellious phase, bold and unafraid of trouble. Simple verbal warnings would definitely not work. Even if he refused, this girl would definitely try to investigate secretly. So Javier had to threaten her.
And the threat of being grounded for a month,
seemed to be big enough for Rebecca. After all, this lively and bold girl would definitely not be able to endure the punishment of not being allowed to go anywhere for a month!
"…"
"Javier, I hate you, you guy!"
As expected,
after Javier rejected her and even discovered her little secret, Rebecca immediately frowned, puffed out her cheeks, and cried out in displeasure. At the same time, her fair little hands suddenly began to furiously twist Javier's armpit, dealing him painful true damage!
The two of them slowly started bickering in the coffee shop.
However,
those few months passed quickly.
Soon, it was July again.
During these two months, many things happened in Raccoon City, the most notable of which was a series of serial killer incidents that kept people's attention. In just two months, several extremely brutal murder cases were discovered in the Akeley Mountains, including the outskirts of Raccoon City.
The victims' bodies were savagely gnawed, dismembered, and completely devoured, leaving only a pile of internal organs and blood. The horrific methods led the police to speculate it was the work of some large dog and a cult killer's provocation.
And besides that,
the lakes and streams in the Akeley Mountains also began to suffer frequent pollution, with many virus leaks already reaching Raccoon City's sewers along the river. Furthermore, the Cadre Training Institute and the Mansion's auxiliary Institute in the Akeley Mountains were all destroyed by the wildly retaliating Marcus, and many researchers were completely turned into zombies, beginning to cast a terrifying atmosphere over Raccoon City.
But due to the Umbrella Corporation's prior knowledge,
they understood that it was due to a virus leak and felt guilty. Therefore, they dispatched a large number of soldiers and bribed the police to help them keep the secret, still fabricating the frequent murders in the Akeley Mountains as terrorist attacks, and then secretly handling the cases as quickly as possible to prevent the virus leak from being exposed. The residents of Raccoon City also naively believed that these terrifying events would quickly pass…
But unfortunately—
the returning Marcus felt that such revenge was not satisfying enough and decided to make things even bigger.
At this moment,
a special express train, the "zodiac," sponsored by the Umbrella Corporation, was traveling from Raccoon City to the Akeley Mountains. This train was specifically arranged by the Umbrella Corporation to recover the virus and research data from the Cadre Training Institute. The virus leak incident, of course, meant the Umbrella Corporation could not take the blame themselves, so while recovering the leaked virus, they also had to destroy the remaining virus evidence from their Institute.
But Spencer, the CEO of the Umbrella Corporation, was unaware.
This train was a death train. After learning that the "zodiac" train was specifically sponsored and dispatched by the Umbrella Corporation, Marcus had been waiting for a long time on the mountain top of the Akeley Mountains. He wanted to completely destroy this train related to the Umbrella Corporation, kill everyone, and expose the Umbrella Corporation's virus leak to the public.
Just as Spencer, that old Undying, had once conspired with his two scoundrel students, William and Wesker, to expose his T-Virus human experiments, Marcus also wanted to expose the scandal of Spencer's Umbrella Corporation causing the virus leak to the whole world—!
And this matter,
was the most famous zodiac train incident in Resident Evil…
Chapter 5 S.T.A.R.S
Akeley Mountains,
On the dark mountaintop,
thick black clouds rolled above, and thunder rumbled loudly, signaling an impending storm. But even in such conditions, a figure stood at the summit of the mountain, spreading his hands wide, wantonly embracing the baptism before the storm's arrival.
This person was Marcus—
He had received news that the Umbrella Corporation would send an express train tonight to the Cadre Training Institute in the Akeley Mountains to completely seize all his virus research data and destroy everything there. Now that the virus leak incident was irreversible, the Umbrella Corporation would absolutely not allow its scandal to be known by the general public.
However,
Marcus would not let the Umbrella Corporation's people succeed so easily. Since they had exposed the scandal of his human experiments to the company's high-ranking officials, he would now use their own methods against them, similarly exposing the Umbrella Corporation's scandal of causing the virus leak.
"Buzz…"
"Beep beep beep — — — —!!!!"
A clear buzzing sound came from the railway in the Akeley Mountains. A black express train with the Umbrella Corporation logo was speeding along the tracks. Its yellowish lights barely illuminated the dark and dim environment of the Akeley Mountains. The piercing whistle drove away the wild beasts near the tracks and also attracted Marcus's attention.
His prey… had arrived!
"Phew…"
"It's really dark, what a hassle. I didn't expect to still be cleaning up this mess in the Akeley Mountains so late. Didn't they say there have been large man-eating beasts appearing in the mountains recently? Tsk! I wish I hadn't come."
"Heh heh, don't say that. Although the work is troublesome, the salary is still quite substantial. Besides, this train isn't bad, fast and stable. It's about to rain heavily outside, and we're drinking hot coffee inside the train, it actually feels pretty good."
Inside the train,
a large group of prominent figures looked at the weather outside and couldn't help but start complaining. These people, all in suits and with refined appearances, were all researchers sent by the Umbrella Corporation, not ordinary passengers. Although this work was very troublesome, the Umbrella Corporation's generosity made these researchers willing to go through fire and water. After all, it was just about recovering virus research data and destroying evidence.