Barry was having a headache, he turned and said, "I'm sorry, Eddie, for making you laugh. Please come in. This is my eldest daughter, Moira."
"Hello, Moira, you're very pretty. But next time you want to swear, I suggest you use fruit names instead, like 'banana you tomato.' It's fun and doesn't sound bad, and you still get to express yourself," Eddie said with a smile.
"Oh! That's not bad at all, 'banana you tomato!' You seem like a good person!" Moira burst out laughing.
"Eddie, is there something you need?" Barry poured a cup of black tea and handed it over, smiling silently at the suggestion. Fruit names were certainly much more pleasant than swear words.
"I need some firearm materials for modifications. I was wondering if you had any connections," Eddie said directly.
"Firearm parts? I do have some, but if you need them, I can take you to my good friend, the Tactical Force's weapon supplier," Barry nodded. He didn't actually have a very good relationship with Eddie, but out of respect for him being Jill's husband, he was willing to help. Besides, Eddie was very generous and always bought them drinks.
"Then I'll trouble you," Eddie nodded and smiled.
The three of them went to a shop near the outskirts of the city, a famous weapon store. Unlike typical weapon shops, this owner offered modification services, and the power and feel of the modified firearms were significantly improved.
"Hey, Robert, you've got a big order, you owe me a drink!" Barry shouted loudly before even entering, as if shouting made him seem like a real man.
"Coming, coming!" A middle-aged man in a checkered shirt walked out, looking like a simple and kind uncle.
"Eddie, this is Robert Kendo, our S.T.A.R.S.'s exclusive supplier. Robert, this is our new S.T.A.R.S. member, Eddie Cai. He's a rich man and very generous, so don't rip him off!" Barry laughed as he introduced them.
"Haha, I'm fair to all, young and old. Hello, Eddie, what can I get for you?" Robert laughed.
Eddie also laughed and said, "My friend here needs something; she's more knowledgeable. Svetlana, just tell him what parts you need directly."
Svetlana didn't hesitate, immediately rattling off a series of weapon parts, from pistol parts to submachine gun parts, listing several types, all based on the firearms she and Eddie used.
Robert and Barry immediately knew that Svetlana was also an expert; only an expert would be able to list part names so fluently.
Chapter 63: Emma
"I have these parts, but they're not cheap. For the models you mentioned, I'll need to custom-make them by hand, which will take a few days," Robert said with a frown.
"No problem, I'd like to give you a fifty-thousand deposit," Eddie said without preamble, immediately initiating a transfer.
"Wait, that's too much!" Robert exclaimed.
"It's not too much, and it's also to thank you for taking care of Jill. She told me you taught her a lot about firearms, including how to mix gunpowder. Besides, you get what you pay for. If you're really grateful, just do a good job for me, or treat me to a meal," Eddie said with a smile.
"Absolutely! Barry, go pick up your two little ones. My daughter is an excellent cook. Eddie, you both must stay for dinner. Emma, come out for a moment, go buy some groceries. You'll have to cook a bit extra tonight," Robert said with a smile. It was clear he was genuinely as hospitable as Eddie had imagined.
Eddie wouldn't refuse to make friends with such a person; everyone likes to be friends with honest people. Moreover, he recalled that this owner had distributed his firearms to nearby residents to resist zombies when the crisis broke out, truly a good person. In that environment, guns were life!
A beautiful young girl walked out, with a neat short haircut similar to Jill's, a pretty face, exuding a girl-next-door feeling. "Dad, Uncle Barry."
"Haha, this is my daughter Emma, and this is Eddie," Robert introduced simply.
"Hello, Emma, do you need me to take you to buy groceries? You probably can't carry it all alone, and I have a rather exaggerated appetite," Eddie said with a hearty laugh. Being able to eat was a blessing, especially after certain activities, when hunger struck faster.
"Okay, thank you, Eddie, I'd appreciate that," Emma smiled sweetly, her smile very gentle.
The three drove to the market to buy groceries. During this time, Eddie learned that Emma was already eighteen, a university student on holiday, helping her father at the shop. She was also quite knowledgeable about firearms and was studying engineering.
This surprised Eddie, because ever since he arrived at Barry's house, he felt something was off. In his memory, Moira and Emma should still be little girls, so how could they be eighteen now? This was a bit outrageous!
Outrageous or not, it was the truth. Eddie knew that some things weren't 100% accurate, with minor deviations, but it was harmless.
"Eddie, you said you used to work at Umbrella?" Emma asked, her expression also a bit odd, because the food ingredients she bought weighed hundreds of pounds, and she had to ask the store for delivery.
All of this was paid for by Eddie; he wasn't that stingy. With money, let alone delivery, if the price was right, the store owner might even send his wife along. This damned capitalism!
"That's right, I used to research pharmacology. I developed a semi-finished product that could cure cancer, but it had severe side effects and could cause death, so it still needs improvement. Once it's fully developed, it will shock the world. Later, you can proudly tell your friends that you have a friend who pioneered a new drug!" Eddie said proudly.
"That's amazing! How surprising, you're so great!" Emma said in astonishment. She didn't doubt his words; Umbrella still had a lot of credibility, after all, it was the company group that invented most drugs.
"So if you have any issues, you can come to me. If you have any injuries or illnesses, you can find me. I can treat some injuries that can't be treated otherwise. Haha, but that's for later. Tonight, I might have to trouble you," Eddie used his boisterousness to cover his embarrassment, because he and Svetlana ate so much.
Emma paused; she felt the man in front of her was truly interesting. "It's okay, it might just be a little late. Thank you today, you're a good person, just like Jill."
"No, no, no, you should say I'm a bad person," Eddie waved his hand; he didn't want to be a good person.
"Why?" Emma was very curious; this man seemed different.
"Good people don't live long, bad people live for a thousand years. I choose to be a bad person," Eddie joked seriously.
Emma and Svetlana both burst out laughing simultaneously. This Eddie was truly too interesting. The woman who became his girlfriend would surely be very happy. Whether she was happy or not, Jill was already pregnant, and that was a fact.
After dinner, Emma even voluntarily gave Eddie her phone number, just in case it might be useful later.
Eddie went to the underground laboratory, pretending to be busy, using the authorization given by Sergei to check employee data. While looking at which employees could be transferred to the Executive Training Center, he was secretly looking for potential talents.
In the private laboratory, Annette had been waiting there early, still in casual clothes, a white lab coat, and ten-centimeter high heels, tall and slender like a model.
"Here, this is what you wanted," Annette handed over a rectangular glass-shaped disk containing data for the G-Virus.
"That fast? It's not actually finished being researched, is it?" Eddie was a bit surprised.
"After seeing the data, it's just a matter of fermentation time. Give me time, and I can make it too. William defected to the Federation military. I don't know what benefits the military promised him, but it's definitely better than Umbrella," Annette said with some sadness.
"Did you actually discover the G-Virus originally?" Eddie suddenly asked, because he had witnessed Annette's talent, which was indeed outstanding.
"No, but I proposed to continue extracting it. Actually, half of it was my idea. Never mind that, didn't you want my help? Now I've given you what you wanted," Annette sighed, pouring a glass of red wine.
"That's not enough, I also need you. I need you to help me, assist me in continuing the research, and together research an eternal serum. Wouldn't it be good to live forever together?" Eddie indeed needed Annette's intelligence, and she was also a great beauty, very mature, and pleasant to look at.
"But Umbrella is still watching, you can't have me!" Annette gave a bitter smile. Umbrella always killed those who betrayed them.
"What I want, I get. I have a way, don't worry," Eddie already had a plan. Poaching talent required professionalism!
Chapter 64: Officially Poaching Annette, the Talent
"What's your plan?" Annette glanced at the man. She was also thinking about how to properly leave Umbrella. If William truly left and defected to the military, then as his family member, she would definitely be hated by Umbrella.
Don't forget, Annette wasn't a good person either. She had conducted countless experiments. Anyone who could work as a researcher at Umbrella and detonate it was not a good person.
"Fake death! I'll arrange proof of your fake death and then get you out. I'm planning to establish a new company to sell drugs, the latest drugs. Drugs that can suppress the continued worsening of cancer, and I already have a lead," Eddie said proudly. Men with families are better at making money.
"Can you actually cure cancer?" Annette suddenly asked. She always felt that during the experiment she observed at Tricell, the man in front of her was intentionally showing off.
"Yes! I hope you can keep this secret. It's not suitable to produce it now. Once it appears, we will be at the forefront of the storm, hated and attacked by everyone. The hatred between companies over profits is huge. We don't need to do this until we have absolute strength," Eddie lowered his head and let out a sinister laugh.
Annette didn't feel fear; instead, she admired Eddie at this moment. Men always needed a bit of intelligence to give women a sense of security.
"Can you tell me the specific plan?" Annette continued to ask.