"How can this be? Now that we're in danger and some team members have died, you're trying to pin the blame on me, the overall commander? That's too ridiculous. Besides, where do people not die during missions? Not to mention S.T.A.R.S, even ordinary Raccoon City Police Department officers sometimes die while on duty."
Facing the accusation, Wesker mercilessly retorted.
He didn't want to be led by Enrico's nose, so he decided to strike first and assert his dominance.
However, Enrico's goal was not to shirk responsibility.
"How could this be…?"
"Captain Wesker, your words just now were a bit too severe. I never thought that way. I'm only asking because I want to know, besides our S.T.A.R.S, is there no one else who knows about the monsters in Akeley Mountains, monsters researched by Umbrella Corporation? After all, this Mansion Villa has been abandoned for at least several years. Has no one explored this place during these years?"
Shaking his head, facing Wesker's questioning, Enrico quickly stated that he didn't mean that, and then continued to play dumb and ask.
Confronting Wesker face-to-face was not a wise idea; he needed to use sarcastic, indirect verbal attacks.
This is why Chris's approach earlier was the most foolish.
After all, Wesker's position was above theirs, so a direct confrontation would not give them an advantage.
Of course, the naive Chris's expression was also very confused and puzzled at the moment, as if the atmosphere was very wrong.
It was fine just a moment ago, so why were Enrico and Wesker, these two captains, fighting each other now?
From Captain Enrico's words just now, even a fool could tell he was subtly mocking Wesker with sarcasm.
"Hmph…!"
"Perhaps it was a virus leak. Before the serial murders in Akeley Mountains occurred, who among you noticed that there was a Laboratory hidden inside this Mansion Villa?"
To this, Wesker still replied coldly.
But Enrico pressed his advantage, a triumphant smile appearing on his face as he said, "So… the Umbrella Corporation researching viruses actually happened a long time ago, didn't it? Perhaps… their purpose in establishing Umbrella Corporation was simply to research viruses, and it's even possible that Umbrella Corporation achieved its current status by relying on the power of viruses. What do you think of this speculation, Captain Wesker?"
Slowly, Enrico voiced his speculation.
But Wesker remained unconcerned, his expression unchanged.
He admitted that Enrico, the old police officer, was very smart and alert, but it was useless.
Whether he guessed correctly or not, it had no effect on him or the Umbrella Corporation.
"Perhaps… What exactly do you want to say, Enrico?"
Perhaps he was tired of arguing with Enrico, Wesker's tone gradually turned cold as he directly questioned him.
Wesker was angry, though only on the surface, but this was exactly the attitude Enrico wanted.
"Nothing…"
"I just want to say, since Umbrella Corporation has been researching biochemical viruses for a long time, then… Captain Wesker, who once served as an Umbrella Corporation researcher, how could you not know about biochemical viruses? Captain Wesker, are you truly unaware, or are you deliberately concealing something? Are you covering up Umbrella Corporation's inhumane crimes?!"
Seeing the time was ripe, Enrico directly questioned him loudly.
Especially the last sentence, Enrico showed no regard for their superior-subordinate relationship, but rather sternly rebuked him with the attitude of interrogating a criminal, like a clap of thunder.
As he spoke, Enrico even took out the black and white photo he had found earlier.
It was a group photo of Umbrella Corporation researchers, and the man on the far right, almost without needing any identification, could be recognized as Wesker himself, as his dark sunglasses and cold expression were not so easily imitated or changed.
Meanwhile, listening to Enrico's questioning, Chris, who already had strong objections to Wesker, immediately retreated a few steps, maintaining a safe distance from Wesker.
Chris had only suspected Wesker's humanity before, and felt nothing about Umbrella Corporation's inhumane actions, but he dared not suspect that Wesker was an Umbrella Corporation operative, or even that he had participated in biochemical virus research.
This made the naive Chris feel a chilling terror.
If Wesker really was an Umbrella Corporation operative, then everything that had happened must have been orchestrated by Wesker.
But… what was Wesker's purpose?
"It seems you've shown your true colors, Enrico,"
"But what I never expected was that your little trick was just to frame me. This is too childish. Chris! Don't be fooled by him, Enrico is the one from Umbrella Corporation. He's trying to sow discord between us, and that photo is fake. The real evidence is with me!"
Facing Enrico's questioning with the photo evidence, Wesker did not appear flustered, nor did he reveal any weaknesses.
Instead, he calmly explained, while shouting to Chris, who was nearby, not to easily believe Enrico, the Bravo Team captain.
As he spoke, Wesker even pulled out a confidential document from his Pregnant and threw it to Chris, as if it truly contained important evidence that could prove his innocence.
Coupled with his calm, unruffled expression, this made the naive Chris's expression freeze.
What the hell kind of play was this?
True or False Monkey King? Or Infernal Affairs?
The acting was too realistic.
Captain Enrico's genuine emotions, his indignant expression, made him seem truly like a righteous hero.
And Wesker was even more outrageous, remaining calm in the face of danger, his expression unchanged, even somewhat confident, like someone who was truly wronged.
This left the inexperienced and naive Chris in confusion again.
While he was righteous and unwavering in his conviction, and usually very intelligent, he truly had no way to see through Wesker, this Oscar-winning actor, at the moment.
Although he was at odds with Wesker, he couldn't wrong a good person based on personal feelings, especially not at this critical moment.
Therefore, the hesitant Chris still tore open the confidential document Wesker had thrown over.
Inside were several documents and several photos.
"Name: Enrico Marini, Position: Umbrella Corporation Researcher, Currently serving as Bravo Team Captain of the Raccoon City Police Department S.T.A.R.S. Dangerous individual, must be monitored at all times… This person is the culprit behind the virus leak and intends to personally destroy the remaining evidence to conceal Umbrella Corporation's virus research…"
The documents were densely filled with descriptions of Captain Enrico's identity, and one of the last photos surprised Chris even more, because the photo was identical to the one Captain Enrico had just held in his hand.
However, among the five Umbrella researchers, Wesker on the far right had been replaced by Enrico himself, and the photo looked very real, not at all like a forgery.
In contrast, Enrico's photo, due to its age, was already somewhat blurry.
This reversal caught Chris off guard.
He didn't know who to believe.
He wanted to believe that Captain Enrico wasn't the mole, but he couldn't ignore the items in his hand.
Yet, believing Wesker… made Chris feel a knot in his stomach.
He could only retreat and distance himself from the two, vowing not to trust either of them until he truly saw the truth.
Seeing Chris's quick retreat, Enrico was extremely annoyed, not understanding what Chris had seen, and secretly cursed that bastard for possibly believing Wesker's fabricated evidence.
Meanwhile, a slight smirk played on Wesker's lips in the distance, as if everything was within his grasp.
This situation had long been within his expectations; he just hadn't realized it would be so entertaining.
The confidential document in Chris's hand was not a fabricated prop, but "real" evidence!
It was just that this evidence did not align with the true situation.
Because the document bore the personal stamp, signature, and token of the Chief Brian of the Raccoon City Police Department, as well as Umbrella Corporation's identification.
Most importantly, the data was sufficiently fabricated, with other photos showing Enrico in a white lab coat researching viruses in a Laboratory, and even candid shots of Enrico in his police uniform secretly contacting other Umbrella Corporation personnel, all extremely realistic.
Furthermore, just in case, Wesker had also used his authority to unilaterally alter Enrico's record information at the police department, including information within the Umbrella Corporation.
If one were to investigate, they could indeed find a person named Enrico Marini in the Umbrella Corporation database.
Because from the very beginning, Wesker had already prepared this move.
He planned to leave Umbrella Corporation and Raccoon City after obtaining Tyrant combat data, but his sudden disappearance would certainly arouse suspicion.
Therefore, he prepared this scapegoat, and the scapegoat, naturally, was Enrico.
As the Bravo Team Captain of S.T.A.R.S, Enrico's position was only one step below his, making him very suitable for the role of an Umbrella Corporation mole.
So this time, Enrico's accusation truly played right into Wesker's hands.
Although this evidence was fake and would eventually be exposed, Wesker didn't care; being able to fool them for a while was enough.
For example, at this moment, the naive Chris was indeed stunned.
Wesker didn't require all S.T.A.R.S members to side with him, but he would be very satisfied if no one trusted anyone else.
Don't ask how Wesker managed it.
As the branch director of Umbrella Corporation's Cadre Training Institute, Wesker's position within Umbrella Corporation was not much inferior to, and perhaps even higher than, that of the biological genius William.
Therefore, he had great authority, and altering information was not difficult for him.
As for altering police department information, it was even simpler, because Chief Brian Irons of the Raccoon City Police Department was a true greedy pig, appearing amiable to outsiders but secretly a selfish, extravagant fellow.
This fat pig had long ago reached a "power-money exchange" with Umbrella Corporation.
Even beneath the Raccoon City Police Department, which was converted from the Raccoon City Museum, there was an Umbrella Corporation branch Laboratory, and many prisoners held by the police department were sold by Chief Brian, that fat pig, to Umbrella Corporation as human experimental subjects through human trafficking.
William and his wife, busy researching the G Virus, were one of the main buyers.
In the original timeline, the reports made by Chris and Jill were blocked by this Chief Brian, because he had long been bribed by Umbrella Corporation.
Later, he even temporarily suspended the police licenses of Chris and Jill, forcing them into a long period of supervised leave.
Therefore, it was easy for Wesker to entice such scum, not to mention that Wesker was only altering police officer information, not committing murder.
This was not a big deal for Chief Brian, after all, who would turn down money?
Chapter 21: Old K…?!
And Chris was precisely forced to waver because he saw the capture stamp, signature, and token personally affixed by the Chief Brian of the Raccoon City Police Department.
After all, this stuff was quite intimidating.
He could choose not to believe Wesker, but he couldn't possibly not believe the Chief Brian, could he? Although it was possible that this was also forged, the difficulty of forging it was very high.
The stamp and signature were one thing, but the token was actually Chief Brian's own badge, which the Chief Brian always carried with him.
The fact that Wesker could even obtain this item was too bizarre; even stealing it wouldn't be that easy!
That's why Chris retreated; he neither believed Wesker nor chose to believe Enrico.
Until the truth was clear, both of them were suspects.
Seizing this opportunity, Wesker sneered and produced very direct evidence: a black voice recorder.
He turned it on and played it: "This is Enrico Marini, codename Sheep.
I want to confirm the mission requirements with Wolf's Den one last time.
I need to go to the Mansion Institute to destroy all evidence and use the remaining S.T.A.R.S members to obtain Tyrant combat data, correct?
The mission difficulty is quite high; I want to confirm if there are other methods…"
The voice was very familiar.
Even Enrico's own expression froze in shock.
He hadn't expected his own voice to come out of the voice recorder, and the voice was incredibly similar, even indistinguishable from his own, but Enrico swore he had never said those words, absolutely not!
He was not some Umbrella Corporation logistics handler; he was there to catch the mole.
How had he become the mole now?
As for Chris, his expression also turned even uglier.
The plot twist was too fast; he was truly having trouble distinguishing who the real mole was.
Was it Wesker, whom he disliked, or the very upright Enrico?
In the distance, watching the situation unfold, Wesker's expression grew even more playful.
He hadn't expected things to be this entertaining.
It turned out that orchestrating events and manipulating people's minds felt quite good.
This sense of superiority made Wesker's mood even more joyful.
And the voice recorder in his hand was Umbrella Corporation's high technology.
This kind of thing was beyond Enrico and others' comprehension, especially since it was 1998.
Although voice forgery technology already existed, it was rare to achieve such realism, something only a behemoth like Umbrella Corporation could accomplish.
And Enrico and Chris, being unfamiliar with this, naturally found it difficult to distinguish between true and false in a short time.
So… Wesker continued to add fuel to the fire, determined to turn white into black and make Enrico, this self-righteous fellow, his scapegoat.
"Did you hear that, Chris…?"
"I told you this is Enrico's true nature.
His usual upright and friendly demeanor was all to gain your trust.
And Enrico's secret is something I only recently discovered myself, because I never expected him to be the real mole within Umbrella Corporation, and he even tried to frame me."
"All the evidence above was personally approved by Chief Brian.
He intends to completely wipe out Umbrella Corporation's Institute, which is why he played along and had Enrico bring us to the Akeley Mountains.
This is also why I previously overlooked Umbrella Corporation's atrocities, because I already knew in advance, but I couldn't expose it.
I apologize… for keeping this secret from you."
"Of course, if you still don't want to believe me, that's perfectly fine.
Continue your investigation.
If Enrico truly is an Umbrella Corporation operative, and even a researcher and logistics handler, then his information must be found in Umbrella Corporation's system.
At that time… you will know whether what I said is true or false."
With a serious expression, Wesker, wearing his dark sunglasses, replied.
His words were well-reasoned and logical; anyone else would surely have believed what Wesker said, but Chris… still harbored reservations about Wesker.
Therefore, even if he believed Wesker eighty percent, he did not let down his guard.
Because for some reason…