At the research station, inside the freezer room on the first floor of the experimental building, lay the block of ice that had almost cost the exploration team their lives, with a 'biological sample' frozen inside.
Numerous researchers, dressed in down jackets, gathered there, their faces serious as they gazed at the ice block, seemingly trying to guess what the creature was just from its appearance.
Of course, Rebecca, an undercover Umbrella employee and an expert in chemistry and biology, was also present.
They could only see the faint outline of the creature within the ice block, not its full form.
However, just by looking at it, they knew this creature was massive and possessed multiple claws, bones, tentacles, and limbs.
It gave them an unsettling feeling.
As for Dr. Sander, the head of the research station, with his hands clasped behind his back, he looked at the ice block and calmly addressed the researchers: "Everyone."
"This is a creature that the exploration team excavated at great risk to their lives. Can anyone tell me what species it is?"
"..." The researchers remained silent at first.
After a few seconds, a researcher, supporting his right elbow with his left hand and stroking his stubble, frowned and said, "From its general appearance, it looks like an arthropod, but..."
He trailed off, not finishing his sentence.
"But it's neither bilaterally symmetrical nor radially symmetrical," Rebecca interjected.
She then walked around the ice block once and continued, "Almost all terrestrial animals are bilaterally symmetrical, and humans are the best example.
As for radial symmetry, most of those creatures live in the ocean, like starfish, and asymmetrical animals are also mostly found in the ocean..."
At this point, Rebecca pointed at the ice block and looked at Sander, saying in a low voice, "It's clearly an asymmetrical animal, yet it possesses many characteristics of terrestrial animals."
Then she crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head slightly, saying, "The species inside the ice block... is very strange."
"Why don't we take a tissue sample?" another researcher suggested.
"That's certainly an option," Sander seemed to agree wholeheartedly with this idea.
"No!" Rebecca immediately rejected the idea, "Doctor, we can't be sure of its condition. What if it contains some kind of virus?"
"Hmm..." Sander was a bit conflicted.
But in the end, he shook his head and said, "The original purpose of establishing our research station was to study the strange creatures beneath the Antarctic ice sheet.
Moreover, we have many excellent pieces of equipment. If we can't even extract a sample for analysis, then what's the point of establishing this research station?"
Upon hearing their supervisor's words, the other researchers, driven by their scientific curiosity, also nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Rebecca's expression darkened, and she said nothing further.
She knew she was viewing the ice creature from the perspective of an Umbrella employee, as there was a possibility of an anomaly within it.
But the other researchers, including Sander, were 'zealous' scientists seeking the truth.
Having finally unearthed a unique creature, and with the research station possessing top-tier research equipment, they naturally wanted to extract a sample to analyze what kind of formidable being was inside the ice block.
However, special matters should be handled by a more professional and efficient 'department'.
Since gentle persuasion wouldn't work, she decided not to waste any more words and prepared to notify the company later to dispatch Umbrella's Helljumpers to directly retrieve the ice block.
"Buzz—"
Just as most people agreed to extract a sample for study, the lights in the freezer room suddenly flickered a few times, dimmed for several seconds, and then returned to normal.
Immediately after, everyone felt the entire experimental building tremble slightly.
It seemed the blizzard was indeed exceptionally severe.
However, Supervisor Sander didn't seem to mind. Instead, he waved his hand, turned, and walked out.
He said, "Everyone, prepare the disinfection equipment, protective suits, and other apparatus. We'll proceed with sampling in half an hour."
"Yes, Supervisor," the researchers also left the area.
Rebecca, who was the last to leave, paused by the sliding door, turned her head, and watched the unknown creature in the ice block for a few seconds before stepping out.
"Whoosh—" The sliding door closed behind her.
The lights in the freezer room automatically turned off. Although a few dim red lights remained on, the area still appeared unusually dark.
— — — — — — —
...
Inside the research station's corridor;
Rebecca, clutching her down jacket, was hurrying towards her dormitory, preparing to report the situation here to Serena.
Just as she rounded the corner, Rebecca saw Jame, hands in his pockets, leaning against her dormitory door.
"Jame!" Rebecca jogged up to him and said urgently, "The ice block the exploration team brought back, I think there's..."
"I know," Jame interrupted Rebecca, his expression even more serious than usual.
He said in a low voice, "But the research station has lost network and communication."
"What?" Rebecca's brow furrowed tightly as well, "Is it because of the blizzard?"
"Yes."
As he spoke, Jame pointed towards Rebecca's dormitory, signaling that she should go inside first to talk.
"Understood," Rebecca immediately grasped his meaning.
She entered the password, opened the door, led Jame into her dormitory, closed the door, and after tossing her down jacket onto the bed, she said, "Jame, can we really not contact Serena or Fire Spirit?"
Jame shook his head.
He pointed out the dormitory window and said calmly, "Unless we have a telegraph, we'll be cut off from the world until the blizzard ends."
(Staring at Rebecca) Also, while you were studying that creature, I asked the people who helped the exploration team.
They actually received some kind of signal during their routine external exploration and went to the source of the signal.
Besides finding that frozen creature, they also discovered some kind of large... 'artificial structure' buried under the ice and snow."
"Structure?" Rebecca exclaimed.
After all, discovering an artificial structure in Antarctica would definitely be considered an anomaly in Umbrella's eyes, not to mention finding an unknown creature nearby.
Immediately after.
"Jame..."
Rebecca tentatively asked Jame, "Sander wants to extract a tissue sample of that creature. If it's an anomaly, I can't be sure if it's truly dead.
But most people at the research station follow Sander's lead, and the security guards are all armed. How can we stop them...?"
"No problem," Jame rotated his neck and stretched his arms, preparing to leave and instructing her, "Rebecca, don't reveal your identity for now. I can take control of this place by myself."
"This... Don't you need my help?" Rebecca asked, still a little worried.
"No, you're a talent the Doctor is focused on; there can't be any mishaps," Jame calmly refused.
"Beep—beep!"
However, just then, the entire research station blared a piercing alarm, along with a security guard's panicked warning: "That creature in the freezer room has broken out of the ice!"
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