"You handle the Marcus situation. If my old friend has truly resurrected, help me give him a proper welcome," Spencer said before controlling his wheelchair and leaving the room.
"I know what to do, Chairman, please rest assured." Sergei respectfully bowed his head, only looking up after Spencer had left, his eyes becoming incredibly sharp. "It seems there's something to do. Heh heh, interesting, let me see what kind of ghost it is!"
Back in his room, Spencer received a call from Alex. "Chairman, Tricell's inspection team wants to visit Raccoon City for an inspection. I can't make a decision."
"Let them come, but limit the personnel. Also, I'll give you the resources; use my clones for physical enhancement experiments." Spencer quickly made a decision. He couldn't delay any longer, otherwise, by the time the immortality serum was researched, he would already be dead.
"Is it Eddie's method? Hmph, he does have some talent. If he could be transferred to my team, it would accelerate the project's research progress," Alex said casually, her tone seemingly disdainful, but in reality, she missed her boyfriend.
"He has other uses. You just continue your research. That's all for now; is there anything else?" Spencer did not agree. For Eddie, he had another purpose.
Alex was only trying. Success would be joyful, but failure wouldn't be a loss. To be Spencer's trusted right-hand, she possessed absolute rationality. Longing was fine, but overly revolving around a man was not her strong, mature style!
Chapter 46: Tricell Inspection Team! Claire?
"I haven't found your friend. She's just missing; we can't declare her dead," Eddie said to the beautiful bartender Cindy at the bar.
"Thank you. Let me buy you a drink. Lately, thanks to your S.T.A.R.S., the Arklay Mountains have returned to peace, and we can go play in the mountains again," Cindy smiled sweetly, truly exuding a pure, youthful vibe.
"No, I don't think it's time yet. There are still some things left unfinished over there. Recently, the police station has also partnered with Umbrella to test the local flora and fauna to prevent similar incidents from happening. It's best not to go if you don't have to; the animals there have become very aggressive," Eddie said, taking a beer.
"Such a thing is still happening! Thank you so much, otherwise I might have been in danger. You're such a good person!" Cindy laughed. Just for that sweet smile, she was worth escaping the hellish Raccoon City.
"I'm just doing what I can. Don't go to the Arklay Mountains if you don't have to recently. By the way, Cindy, do you have any dreams?" Eddie asked casually, actually thinking about other things. What should he do next?
"My dream? I want to open a bar. I think watching customers drink and chat is the most interesting thing," Cindy said, somewhat wistfully.
"Haha, so you want to be a bar owner! A beautiful bar owner like you will have many people lingering!" Eddie laughed.
"No way!" Cindy was a little embarrassed by the compliment.
"But Eddie, can I ask you a favor?" Cindy asked again.
"What is it?" Eddie nodded.
"I have a friend who is a nature conservationist in the Arklay Mountains. She has deep knowledge of botany. I'm very worried about her safety. If possible, could you please tell her not to stay in the Arklay Mountains? It's too dangerous there," Cindy brought up another so-called friend.
"What's her name? I'll help if I get the chance," Eddie nodded.
"Becca Woollett! She's very knowledgeable in design, and she knows a lot about plants, but she has a bit of a hot temper," Cindy smiled sweetly.
"So that's why she ran off to the mountains to be a nature conservationist, I see. If I go to the Arklay Mountains, I'll look for her. Thank you for the beer. If anything happens, you can call me anytime. I'm leaving now!" Eddie picked up the beer and chugged it, just as a call came in.
Eddie's identity was special, and the S.T.A.R.S. could rest at home when not on duty, normally undergoing training for deployment in dangerous attack cases.
"Hello, miss me?" Eddie answered the phone and teased.
"You're really overthinking it. Is that how you call your friends?" Annette pretended to forget what happened before and greeted him openly.
"Haha, not saying anything means you agree, I get it. Is there anything? I know you only call me when you need something," Eddie seemed to think of something and kept laughing.
Annette seemed to remember something, which made her a little annoyed. If it weren't for the favor of the serum enhancement, she would have pulled out her gun and given him a peanut to try. "I'm going to meet Tricell's genius researcher. The company intends to start a collaborative project, and they want me to talk to them."
"And then? What does that have to do with me?" Eddie asked, puzzled.
"I'd like to invite you to the discussion. Do you have time?" Annette said, with a hint of expectation in her voice. She didn't know why, but she preferred being with Eddie. Perhaps it was because they were friends; due to her obsession with academics, she had almost no other friends.
"You're going? Then who will help William research the G-Virus?" Eddie was a little confused. It seemed that since he appeared, Annette and William's relationship had rapidly deteriorated.
"Daniel Fabron. He used to have a good relationship with William. This time William invited him to research together, so he doesn't need me," Annette's voice was cold.
"Why would he choose an outsider instead of you?" Eddie was a little curious.
"Because he's a scumbag. He killed my friend's family. I don't want to discuss him anymore. Are you coming or not?" Annette's voice became irritable. She didn't want to discuss this topic.
"No problem, I'll be there on time. Send me the location and time, I'll head over now." Eddie nodded. He was also a bit tempted. Tricell was not a good company either. Its strong background and advanced technology were second only to Umbrella, and in the entire biological world, Tricell had always been hidden behind the scenes, a very mysterious force.
"No need to rush, the time is two days from now. Oh, I have something to ask you, I'll tell you then." Annette finished speaking and hung up the phone, frowning as she looked in the direction of the lab.
William had become fanatical about the G-Virus research. He began to distrust Annette because she had spoken favorably of Eddie on several occasions.
And the ostracized Annette was also very unhappy. She, too, was drawn to William by her dedication to research, which was very similar to his. Now that she was excluded from the core research, how could she be happy!
Svetlana stood behind Eddie. "You seem to be very popular with women!"
After hanging up the phone, Eddie laughed, "It's not that I'm popular with women, but in this world, women can hold up half the sky. All the geniuses I've met are women. What can I do? I'm also very desperate."
These words were a bit of a compliment, and Svetlana curved a proud smile. As a strong woman, she clearly enjoyed hearing herself praised.
At the S.T.A.R.S.'s base, Chris was frantically practicing with firearms. During the mission at the abandoned sanatorium, he felt for the first time how important marksmanship and combat skills were. In a confined environment, with monstrous creatures, only close combat could be most effective, while marksmanship was crucial for long-range survival.
Eddie arrived at the base to pick up his girlfriend, Jill, from work. "Hey, Chris, holidays are coming up, do you have any plans?"
After spending some time together, Chris had already let go of his resentment about Eddie becoming Jill's boyfriend. "No, I'm planning to find a part-time job. I need to earn some tuition for my sister."
"You have a sister? Why haven't I heard about her? Is she in elementary school?" Eddie tossed him a bottle of mineral water.
"Certainly not. My sister is a university student named Claire. She's very capable. I teach her how to use firearms and fight whenever I have time," Chris said proudly.
Chapter 47: The Incredibly Arrogant Excella!
Chris indeed had a sister named Claire; this point hadn't changed. It was just unknown whether Chris's teammate and Claire's boyfriend attributes had changed. These two hidden fantastical states truly sent shivers down one's spine.
"We're leaving. Let's have tea sometime. But if you really have time, I plan to ask you to do something, and I'll give you appropriate compensation," Eddie laughed.
"What is it?" Chris asked. He wouldn't turn down money. As long as it wasn't illegal, he could do it.
"I'll tell you after I've handled it. Don't worry, it won't delay your plans. We're teammates; you just have to trust me," Eddie didn't say it outright, but wanted to plan thoroughly first.
Jill walked out, chatting and laughing with Rebecca. "Darling, sorry to keep you waiting."
"I didn't wait long. Let's go. Chris, if there's any news, I'll let you know immediately," Eddie made a phone gesture.
"Okay, I'll wait for your call," Chris nodded. If there was money to be made, he would definitely make it.
"What were you two talking about?" Jill smiled.
"We were discussing some rather important matters. I have something to ask him for help with. Don't worry, I'll handle it. It's a holiday, do you have any plans?" Eddie didn't elaborate, but changed the subject.
Jill, being intelligent and understanding, didn't press further. She was a very smart woman who knew to give each other some personal space. "I'm going shopping with Rebecca. If you have something to do, go ahead and be busy. Oh, Rebecca will be staying in our apartment for a while."
"Will this be too much trouble for you two? I'm really sorry," Rebecca apologized, feeling a bit awkward about disturbing a couple.
Eddie waved his hand. "It's fine. The new apartment is big enough for everyone, no problem. We're friends, and you and Jill are good friends, so it's even less of an issue. I'll go take care of some things now. Don't wait for me for dinner tonight."