"Ding!" The sound of an elevator arriving echoed, and the elevator doors opened. A tall, burly Umbrella special forces member, dagger in his right hand, immediately elbowed the mercenary on his right side in the head as the doors opened. Then, the dagger in his right hand directly pierced the heart of the mercenary on the left, who had just reacted.
He then let go of the dagger, moved closer to the mercenary whose head was still reeling from the elbow strike, placed his right hand on the mercenary's head, grabbed his chin with his left hand, and twisted forcefully, snapping the mercenary's neck. He quickly retrieved his dagger. "Path cleared. You all stand guard here. Six, Seven, Eight, follow me."
This formidable guy led three others directly into the ventilation shaft. Even though the main route was already cleared, he still chose to ambush from the back, using an unexpected method of attack.
William's laboratory was in the northern part of the underground research facility, which was also the server room area. The eastern side of the underground research facility was the area for researching Hunters, the western side was for cultivating the Tyrant series, and the southern side was the comprehensive area, with living quarters and private laboratories, making it the largest area.
In the center was a tiered hall, blocked by an alloy door one meter thick. Unless opened by a switch, even the most powerful explosives could not blast it open. This was also to prevent internal raids and rebellions.
After opening the door to the northern area, Umbrella's special forces began to advance, engaging in combat with the mercenaries bribed by William. Although the mercenaries' quality was inferior to that of the special forces, they had the help of twenty Hunters released by William to fight back. In the confined areas, the threat of the Hunters was particularly great.
Specially trained team members did not act rashly but relied on cover for counterattacks, not advancing carelessly. This was also to draw fire, creating an opportunity for their captain, Hunk, to push forward and ensure the recovery of the G-Virus.
Just as Eddie was about to follow into the northern area, some Federal Marines emerged from the northeast. Upon sight, they immediately attacked Umbrella's special forces, clearly having received orders to eliminate everyone!
"Interesting, even the Marines are involved," Eddie sneered. Rachel had already told him that General Morgan was hedging his bets, outwardly maintaining medical supply exchanges with Umbrella, but secretly keeping in contact with William and dispatching armed forces to rendezvous with him.
"Are those things that important?" Svetlana suddenly asked, a bit confused.
"Of course they are important. If bio-weapons can be controlled, they are definitely more effective than humans. In certain situations, they can be used as substitute soldiers. If a Hunter carrying explosives rushed into a crowded area and self-detonated! That would be no joke. At least humans can't do that. That's why I say this is a pandora's box; once opened, it can't be closed," Eddie explained.
Facing the sudden appearance of the Federal Marines, Umbrella's special forces were forced to retreat, suffering many casualties.
"This is Lone Wolf, calling headquarters. We encountered a biological hazard mercenary counterattack in the underground laboratory. At the same time, a team of about twenty Federal Marines also appeared in the laboratory. We suspect they are here to meet Dr. William. Requesting reinforcement!" Hunk's assistant, Lone Wolf, spoke into his comms.
"Hold on, I will send people to support you," Sergei said from his office, his expression very playful. Sure enough, those Federal people made their move. Outwardly, they cooperated happily, but secretly, they stabbed each other in the back!
"Send out the Epitaph Team, then release T-03. Let them test its power. Tell Nikolai to collect all combat data. And as for those bribed by William, kill them all, leave no one!" Sergei commanded coldly.
Soon, the Epitaph Team escorted a large canister to Umbrella's underground research facility. Meanwhile, Mikhail, the captain of the biological hazard Alpha Team gathered in the building, felt puzzled, especially seeing that even higher-ranking, better-trained, and better-equipped special forces teams had been dispatched.
In previous missions, even when deployed, only one squad would be used. But this time, Umbrella had assembled all of its biological hazard forces, totaling over three hundred members, ten entire squads, each one not to be trifled with.
Composed entirely of mercenaries and death row inmates, these prisoners were all famous gang enforcers or soldiers convicted by military courts before their imprisonment. None of them were simple individuals. What did they intend to do by assembling so many people?
Chapter 172: The Nightmare Begins, William the Monster
Eddie led Jessica and Svetlana through a secret ventilation shaft. This was another, highly classified shaft, built to prevent unexpected incidents. Like the Mansion in the Arklay Mountains, it was built by that old ghost Spencer out of caution. He never used it himself, but it ended up benefiting others.
Jessica led the way. She could see in the dark. Although not as powerful as her daughter Lisa, she was stronger than a Type-03 Tyrant, almost approaching a berserk Tyrant!
The secret shaft was devoid of anything but dust. After walking for about fifteen minutes, they suddenly heard a shout.
Eddie led the two women to the edge to observe. This was already the northern area, and below, they could vaguely see four special forces members confronting a man in a white lab coat.
"Dr. William, please cease your resistance. We are here to bring you back. Do not resist, we can guarantee your personal safety, and the company will not treat you unfairly," Hunk shouted, holding his tactical submachine gun.
"Unfairly? That's right, you want to take away the G-Virus I worked so hard to develop? There are countless samples outside, why do you have to steal my things, you damn guys! No one can take these things, this is mine, my invention!" The clone William was incredibly agitated. He suddenly pulled out a pistol from his lab coat, intending to preemptively strike.
However, a team member next to Hunk immediately opened fire, and a burst of bullets almost turned William into a sieve. William, hit by more than ten shots, did not die immediately, but was barely clinging to life, leaning against his experimental table.
Hunk immediately stopped his teammate and walked over to check William's main artery. Through his tactical glove, it wasn't very accurate, but it seemed William was beyond saving. So he stepped forward, took the box next to William, and after confirming it was his target, spoke into his comms. "Commander, we have obtained samples of the G-Virus and Enhanced T-Virus. Please advise."
"How is William?" Sergei's voice came through.
"Dr. William was wounded by us during his resistance just now. He's beyond saving," Hunk reported truthfully. He was a killer, not a doctor.
"Then don't bother with him. Bring the items back. Go to the surface, exit through the sewers. A vehicle will be waiting for you above Memorial Hospital," Sergei's cold voice came through, sending shivers down their spines.
Hunk made a gesture and left with three teammates, carrying the virus sample box. They were currently in the underground research facility. The sewers were a hundred meters above them, and they could only take the elevator to the sewers by passing through the central combat zone.
Exiting from the top of the company building was clearly an irrational choice; fully armed personnel suddenly appearing would cause a major incident. Memorial Hospital, on the other hand, was a private hospital invested in by Spencer, making it easier to control.
Svetlana was also curious about this scene. It seemed Umbrella had established its own tactical unit specifically for murder and plunder. "We…"
Svetlana was cut off by Eddie, who covered her mouth. "Shh, don't speak, just watch the show!"
Svetlana was a bit annoyed, her beautiful eyes glaring at Eddie, showing her anger, before she continued to watch.
They saw the injured William timidly pick up a syringe gun from the table, which contained a light purple serum. Because William was a clone and had undergone a certain degree of modification, his heart was different from ordinary people, which was why he didn't die on the spot.
Filled with hatred for Umbrella and resentment towards Hunk's team, William picked up the serum gun and injected all the light purple serum into his left arm. This was his only hope for revenge. Today, he felt the same plight and emotions as his teacher Marcus did back then, and he, too, would be reborn!
After injecting the serum, William staggered to his feet. His severe injuries had already recovered and he was continuously mutating. In an instant, William passed out, but the mutation continued. When William awakened, he would indeed be reborn with transcendent power, and at that point, he would no longer be human.
After watching the drama unfold below, Eddie released Svetlana. "Alright, we can go now. The prelude is over. When we get back, there should be another big show about to begin."
"What do you mean?" Svetlana asked, puzzled.
"So many words, that's not like you, beauty. You just need to remember this scene: he was a person just now, but who knows what he'll be like later. So don't assume that everyone else who uses the serum will be like us. The only one you can trust is me!" Eddie said, then walked forward.
Svetlana's beautiful eyes flickered a few times. Was he warning her not to act recklessly? And that man seemed to have become even more dominant; she felt like she could no longer suppress him. "Heh heh, I'm really looking forward to your growth."
After walking for ten minutes, the ventilation shaft was wide enough for a normal person to walk upright, but Svetlana and Jessica had to bend over because they were wearing high heels.
Leaving the ventilation shaft, they emerged into a small corridor. Eddie skillfully entered a password, and a passage appeared. This was a brand new passage, entirely made of glass, with sensor lights behind the glass. All of this felt somewhat familiar.
Eddie stood there and observed for a moment. "Do you know what this is?"
Svetlana said exasperatedly, "No, didn't you tell me to talk less?"
"This is a laser passage. If you walk in carelessly, you'll be cut into pieces by the lasers. Isn't that terrifying, beauty!" Eddie let out a sinister laugh.
Svetlana raised an eyebrow. "Would you be willing to let me die?"
"Of course not, I still want you to help me carry on the family line, haha, just kidding." Eddie hastily explained, seeing Svetlana's unfriendly expression. This tough woman really couldn't take a joke.
Jessica, however, sensed something and turned to stand in front of Eddie, facing Svetlana and saying, "You had killing intent just now. You wanted to harm Eddie?" Her clenched fists made a sound of bones colliding, full of power.
Eddie patted Jessica's shoulder. "Don't be nervous, Jessica. Svetlana is one of us; she won't harm me. Right?"
Svetlana uncomfortably turned her head away. Facing those sharp eyes, she felt unable to say anything. This feeling was very annoying. "Hmph, don't trust me. I'm not worth your trust."
"There will always be a day when I can make you trust me, won't there?" Eddie smiled confidently.
Looking at Eddie's confident smile, Svetlana also curved her lips into a faint smile.
Chapter 173: William Mutates, Eddie Acts Like a Thief
"So what do we do now? Pull the power switch to prevent the laser passage from activating?" Svetlana asked. She had an idea but didn't voice it.
"What do you think?" Eddie asked, looking at the passage before them. There were many ways to solve it, but the stupidest was to just walk straight in.
"Grab some monsters, throw them in, and test it out. Even defensive weapons must have a cooldown and recharge time, right?" Svetlana voiced her idea.
"Good idea, but no need. That's what ordinary people would do. Our method is more direct: just blow it up," Eddie said with a smile.