"Hey, Ada, wait…"
"We haven't even gotten on yet, why are you running so fast?"
Javier stopped Ada, who was about to leave. The goofy White Wolf was by his side. Javier didn't say he wouldn't take this free ride.
If he had to wait for Leon and the United States Government's helicopter to arrive again, it would probably be noon. He couldn't wait that long.
Moreover, Javier still wanted to get the amber fossil sample from Ada for free. How could he let Ada easily sell it to Wesker?
At the same time, Javier stopped Ada and called out to Luis, who was not far away. This trip to Spain,
Besides plundering wealth and obtaining Plaga parasite samples, the most important thing was to take Luis, this talent, away. Javier hadn't forgotten this plan of his.
"Luis!"
"If I just saved your lives, Leon, Ashley, and the Merchant don't need to repay me, but you do."
"In return, you have to come with me. I need your help. You should know that a large part of my reason for coming to Spain was because of you."
Stretching out his finger, Javier spoke directly and frankly to Luis. Now Luis was free and still alive. If things developed normally, he might be introduced to the United States Government by Leon and continue his research in biology or Plaga parasite.
Or he might abandon everything he had learned and return to this place that once nurtured him, living quietly in the lakeside cabin until he died of old age.
And these two scenarios, were what Javier did not want to see, so Luis, this talent, had to come with him.
Luis, who was called by name, looked confused. He didn't quite understand what Javier was up to. He was still a cynical young master.
Although he owed Javier a favor and was genuinely grateful for everything Javier had done, this did not mean he had to obey all of Javier's arrangements.
He also had a life he wanted to live, unless the other party could give him a reasonable reason.
"I have a private team…"
"It's the kind that specializes in dealing with biochemical viruses. After this incident, the eyes of global superpowers like the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and China will gradually focus on the Plaga parasite, including the local Spanish government. At that time, the Plaga parasite will not be sealed underground but will be fully exposed."
"So I need an expert who understands the Plaga parasite very well to help me. I need you to continue helping research the Plaga parasite."
"To research how to isolate this Plaga parasite. Therefore, I invite you to join my team. I can provide you with suitable equipment and financial compensation."
"And if you don't plan to join my team, trust me… even if you don't want to, you will be forcibly taken away by the local government or the United States Government. One is freedom; the other is no freedom. You can choose one yourself."
Javier saw the confusion and concerns in Luis's heart, so he decided not to keep him in suspense and explained very directly.
The best way to win people's hearts is with a sincere attitude, not deception—
"…"
Hearing Javier's explanation,
Luis fell silent. At the same time, he looked back at Leon, Ashley, and the others behind him.
Indeed… everyone was smart. After a little thought about this issue, Luis understood.
Even if he didn't want to continue researching the Plaga parasite and chose to retire, even if Leon wouldn't reveal his whereabouts, as long as the United States Government wanted to, he would still be found. This was unavoidable. Luis certainly didn't think he was that popular.
However, currently, he was the only surviving expert in Plaga parasite research. In a sense, he would indeed attract a lot of attention—
Even not just the United States Government, it was very likely there were other forces.
After all, just as Javier said, the Plaga parasite incident would definitely not be buried and sealed away. On the contrary, this incident was merely a performance for the Plaga parasite to truly appear on the world stage.
After this incident, the Plaga parasite would begin to spread like a virus throughout the world, and it would be impossible to stop it, because governments around the world knew the effects of this thing.
Just like the atomic bomb created by the United States back then, when a powerful supernatural weapon appears, the first thought of people is definitely not to curb or seal it,
but to want to control it themselves. Isn't the atomic bomb now an essential weapon in the hands of various superpowers?
Was it restricted?
It was restricted, but only in name… And biochemical viruses and the Plaga parasite were the same.
Just like a cracked egg, it would attract countless flies. It was simply impossible for it to be sealed here, and as the father of the Plaga parasite, Luis naturally could not remain aloof.
So, from the beginning, he had no free choice. The only way for him to continue living was to continue researching the Plaga parasite and bring benefits to others. This was his purpose.
And Javier's appearance was the person who gave him relatively freedom, because Javier could guarantee that he would not force Luis to conduct research like various governments. How to research depended entirely on Luis's ideas.
And this alone,
was indeed very attractive—!
"…"
"Then my compensation requirements are very high. Can you afford it, Javier?"
Luis, realizing this was unavoidable, smiled slightly at Javier and smoothly brought up the matter of compensation.
After all, it was fine for Luis to do research, but as a cynical young master, Luis had very high demands for certain equipment and environments, and it wasn't pro bono research.
He also needed to gain some financial satisfaction; after all, his preferred cigarettes and vintage leather jackets and shoes were quite expensive, and sometimes he liked to drink some whiskey and red wine, the expensive, aged kind.
Therefore, Luis could accept helping Javier's team, but only if the other party could provide a decent environment.
However, no matter how Luis looked at Javier, he didn't seem wealthy. After all, mercenaries in movies usually don't have much savings.
They might even be heavily in debt. If Javier's so-called team was some small workshop, then sorry… even if Javier saved his life, Luis would not agree!
However, what Luis probably didn't know was,
Javier was actually waiting for him to say that. As long as Luis brought up compensation, it meant that the matter was settled.
If it was settled, Javier didn't care about the money. He had stolen so many antiques from Salazar Castle, was he still afraid of not being able to hire a biological expert like him?
After all, the women in his villa spent more extravagantly than Luis—
"Compensation is easy to talk about, I can definitely satisfy you…"
"And my welcome gift, Luis, you won't be able to refuse. Look at these two books. They are the first edition, authentic novels that were published at the time."
"They are not translated or printed fakes. The Salazar Family collected them in their library. I managed to bring them out to bribe… no… to give them to you as a gift!"
Saying that, Javier smiled slightly, and then, as if by magic, pulled out two thick books from his person.
The outer covers were slightly yellowed by the passage of time, but Luis recognized the Spanish words written on them: Don Quixote—!
It was Luis's favorite novel story from childhood. He had heard his grandfather tell stories about this vintage knight, Don Quixote, countless times.
It told the story of a seemingly foolish fellow who dared to confront various injustices in reality, acting like a knight to uphold justice.
And it was because of this book, that Luis's belief was sustained, allowing him to bravely leave his hometown, Wolf's Valley, after losing his grandfather, to venture out into the world, acting like a knight to do righteous deeds, eventually achieving success and preparing to return home in glory.
Although the subsequent Plaga parasite incident led him astray, this did not affect how the story of this book changed Luis's life.
He had read many novels and classics, big and small, but if asked which book Luis liked the most, Luis would answer without hesitation: Don Quixote—!
This was his white moonlight, and also the warmest memory his grandfather had left him. In the dimly lit lakeside cabin, under the faint lamplight, a stubborn old man with white hair, a pipe in his mouth, would rub each page of the book, vividly describing the scenes of the story to him, a memory still deeply etched in Luis's mind, still vivid.
And now, Luis was naturally very excited to see this novel again, but what was even more exciting was… the year engraved on the back of the novel.
These were the first and second volumes of Don Quixote, officially published in 1605 and 1615 by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the original author of the Don Quixote novel and Spain's most famous novelist and playwright. These were genuine articles.
In 1616, Cervantes, suffering from severe edema, continued to produce two more works with an optimistic spirit before passing away in April. He was buried in a monastery in Madrid.
At that time, the Salazar Family was a prominent noble family, with immeasurable wealth. Given their status, they could easily acquire these upper and lower volumes of the novel for collection, as it was one of Spain's most famous novelists, and his works were naturally very worth collecting.
Luis, on the other hand, was different.
He had no means or connections to obtain these two genuine upper and lower volumes of the novel. Not only were they priceless and unavailable on the market, but he also couldn't afford them… because no one intended to sell them… and even if someone did, he couldn't afford them, they were too expensive!
And now, this treasure could appear in his hands, Luis was naturally very excited, as if holding the holy relic of his idol.
"Cough cough! Alright!"
"No need to explain, Javier. Whether it's a bribe or a gift, I'll take it all. Let's go quickly, I can't wait to properly appreciate this literary masterpiece… cough cough, no, I can't wait to see your team!"
Facing such an attractive bribe,
Luis couldn't resist and quickly agreed. At the same time, he hurriedly patted Javier's shoulder, looking like, "Let's go, I'm in a hurry now."
Luis was already eager to take a fragrant bath, purify his hands with incense, then pull out a cigarette and chilled whiskey to properly read this book, even though he had read it countless times. After all, this was the genuine article, and the sensory experience was entirely different!
As for Luis's incredibly quick change of expression,
Javier was also taken by surprise and could only give him a disdainful look. It seemed this cynical young master was also the same kind of person as himself.
"So,"
"I'm sorry, Leon, this is my answer. Finally, I personally give you a suggestion: go with the Merchant and leave this island on the speedboat by the strait."
"Because if I'm not mistaken, this Island base is about to explode. Although I don't know why, that's the fact. It's important to leave here first!"
Finally,
Javier, who had successfully bribed Luis, turned to Leon, who was not far away, and apologized.
They seemed to always be on different paths because the United States Government itself was not truly righteous, so Javier would not join it.
"Let's go, Ada, and Luis. I'll arrange temporary lodging for you when we get back."
Lightly,
Javier patted Luis's shoulder and boarded the black helicopter with Ada. Of course, the White Wolf was also behind them.
Inside the helicopter sat a pilot wearing a gray pilot's helmet. When he saw Ada suddenly boarding the helicopter with strangers and a dog,
a hint of dissatisfaction appeared on the pilot's face, but it was quickly glared away by Ada's sharp gaze. Then Ada spoke coldly:
"Communication? Is it connected?"
"If it's connected, give me the equipment. I want to talk to your boss personally. The final payment he personally set hasn't been cleared yet…"
Reaching out his hand,
Ada held out her hand to the pilot for the equipment, and the pilot could only give a helpless wry smile. This one's temper was well-known and generally very difficult to deal with.
So he could only obediently hand a black communication headset to Ada. Then he connected to Wesker's communication from the pilot's seat.
"Beep beep beep…"
"Beep beep beep…"
A buzzing current sound came from the headset.
Javier, sitting in the helicopter cabin, quietly watched this scene. Ada would not sell the amber fossil.
This was her principle and bottom line. If she sold it to Wesker, then the Ada in front of him would no longer be the Ada Javier knew.
Luis, next to him, clutched his beloved book tightly, his gaze fixed blankly outside the helicopter cabin.
It was six in the morning. The morning glow of the rising sun slowly emerged from the shimmering sea. Bathed in this warm sunlight, Luis belatedly realized that he had survived a disaster.