"I need a G-Virus, and I've already gotten word that Wesker has left Raccoon City with William, picked up by the Travis Family," Ada revealed a bombshell.
"I knew that dog William wasn't dead. Aren't you a spy for Tricell? Since they've already got William, what do you still need the G-Virus for?" Eddie asked, puzzled.
"A spy, yes, but I'm a corporate spy. I'll do anything that makes money. It's not just the Travis Family that needs the G-Virus; other families need it too, like your rival," Ada said with a charming smile.
"Simmons? Is he in a big hurry for it? I think you could raise the price and make a huge profit!" Eddie said thoughtfully.
"Exactly. One of his rivals in the family has already obtained something suspected to be the G-Virus and has begun extensive research. This will put him on the defensive and at a disadvantage. Now that Umbrella's bioweapon experiments have come to light, many factions are involved. They don't dare expose it, but they must possess corresponding weapons to counter each other!" Ada's expression also turned serious.
"Then I shouldn't give it to you. Funding enemies isn't my style," Eddie refused.
"Don't be so quick to refuse. Simmons recently recruited a brilliant scientist, Carla Radames. She's just like William Birkin was back then, incredibly talented. Even without a serum sample, they might still develop a new serum. Why not make a profit?" Ada said.
"Impossible, unless Simmons takes a big fall! Wait, hehe, I've got it. I'll give you the serum, but not now. After this, I need you to investigate a place. That place has... never mind, I won't send you. I'll go myself." Eddie thought about it and still didn't decide, preferring to wait and see.
"You're such a strange person. Only someone as kind-hearted as Jill could tolerate you," Ada teased, a trace of regret flashing in her eyes. If she had the chance, of course, she would also want to be an ordinary woman, but not now.
"Alright, I have other things to do. We'll talk later. Oh, a word of advice: don't go to Umbrella's underground research facilities right now. They're full of monsters. It's possible that while you're searching, Umbrella's people will activate the self-destruct sequence, and some things will be destroyed, so no one will ever know," Eddie warned.
"Then I really should thank you for telling me this secret!" Ada raised the grapple gun in her hand. "I'm not that foolish. Since you said it, I definitely won't go. But I still have things to do in Raccoon City. I'll contact you later."
At Jack's Bar in northern Raccoon City, Eddie and Jill arrived. It was said that members of the S.T.A.R.S. had returned, wanting to assist Enrico in investigating Umbrella's affairs and also to gather.
Cindy was still working part-time here. Here, she could gather some useful information. The bar business was good, and often, she could hear some untold secrets.
"Hey, Cindy, a brandy, please," Eddie greeted cheerfully.
"Hi, Eddie, okay, just a moment. Jill, what would you like? A lemonade?" Cindy smiled sweetly.
"Okay, thank you," Jill also smiled. She knew Cindy was one of them, and this sweet-smiling waitress was also a woman with excellent bandaging skills, and she could mix drinks well too.
Chris hadn't come, nor had Joseph, who went with him to Europe to investigate other Umbrella branches. However, former snipers Edward and Foster had found some clues outside Europe and were investigating, seemingly focusing on the Middle East.
Wesker had defected and was not on the list. Uncle Kenneth also didn't come; as a eunuch, he chose to return to Africa to live with his wife. What was interesting was that he sent good news that his wife, Anlra, was pregnant, and they would soon have a healthy baby.
This was quite intriguing. Kenneth was a eunuch and couldn't even do IVF; he didn't have the conditions. So how did his wife get pregnant? This was very interesting, and he even seemed very happy. Could it be that he liked wearing a cuckold's hat? Such a thing, if thought about carefully, was truly terrifying.
However, when Eddie heard this news, his expression was a bit strange. He lowered his head, and no one saw a hint of excitement and doubt flash in his eyes.
Squad Leader Enrico arrived, but he didn't look well. It seemed that some Umbrella staff had already warned him recently, telling him not to cause trouble, or they would make him regret it.
Uncle Barry had gone to receive his friend's family to move to a secluded city to live and had already completed the emigration procedures, so he was not present either.
Only Dury and Uncle Enrico were present. Including Rebecca, who was also with Eddie, there were only five members of the S.T.A.R.S. present.
There was also the coward Brad, who was hiding at home, not daring to come out. He was very afraid of Umbrella settling scores with him later. Let alone looking for evidence of Umbrella's crimes, he would be thanking heaven if Umbrella didn't come after him.
"How have you all been doing recently?" Eddie asked, smiling as he poured a drink.
"Recently, Umbrella's inspections have become very strict, and the Arklay Mountains are inaccessible. I found out that there's an unknown place beneath Spencer Memorial Hospital. A friend of mine, whose son is a repairman, disappeared while repairing equipment at the memorial hospital!" Enrico's voice carried endless fatigue. It was difficult for one person to contend with a behemoth like Umbrella!
Chapter 188: Crisis Erupts
"It's normal. I've also been warned to stay in Raccoon City and not go anywhere. Fortunately, they haven't interfered with my company, but the sales rights for certain regions have to be given to them. I'm also very sad, but thankfully, we're all still alive!" Eddie picked up his glass and sighed.
Jill patted Eddie's back, seemingly comforting him.
Rebecca lowered her head and said nothing. She didn't know what to say. She wasn't very concerned about Umbrella's affairs. She had this sense of justice, but now that she worked for Eddie, she believed Eddie would handle these matters well.
"That Brad fellow really is a coward, not daring to come out at all," the driver Dury cursed under his breath, sounding angry. As a fellow driver, the other guy was simply a disgrace.
"Alright, Dury, everyone has their own aspirations; there's no need to force him. It's normal for him to be afraid; we can't blame him. Our own persistence is our own business. Let's have a drink first. The future will be very difficult, but thankfully, we are indeed all still alive."
Enrico patted his companion's shoulder, signaling him to calm down.
"By the way, have you heard? Recently, there have been large-scale attacks in the north. It's rumored to be a cult riot ritual, but those so-called cultists I saw were simply those monsters from the Arklay Mountains," the driver Dury whispered.
Eddie nodded, "I heard about it. Chief Marvin is handling this matter. I heard the director has already signed an order allowing the use of heavy firepower. This kind of thing can't be covered up. What we need to do is try to survive so we can fulfill our mission."
"You have a point, but it's going to be a bit difficult. Come, let's have a drink first," Enrico sighed.
Someone at the bar fell asleep on the counter while eating. A black uncle next to him was trying to wake him up, "Hey, Bobby, are you drunk? Don't sleep here, it's embarrassing, get up! Hi, Eddie, you're here too, what a coincidence."
"Hello, Uncle Mark! I'll buy you a drink, bartender, a brandy for him," Eddie smiled, but his expression changed after seeing the situation. This scene felt familiar!
Seemingly noticing Jill's confusion, Eddie whispered, "When I used to work at Umbrella, he was the head of security there. He's a good person, but his relationship with his family is a bit strained. He's a veteran who retired from the Peninsula War."
"I see," Jill nodded. She had no ill will towards soldiers; at least, soldiers were worthy of respect.
Bang! The bar door opened, and Kevin walked in with his apprentice Leon. "Hey, guys, I'm here! Ugh, I'm exhausted. I came to buy some alcohol. We're running a bit low on spirits, so we just need to make do for now."
"You look very busy. Has something happened?" Eddie asked, puzzled.
"There are many rioters committing crimes on Annadale Street not far ahead. We've already set up barricades to prevent these rioters from advancing further. If the situation goes south, we'll set up explosives and send those rioters to kingdom come," Kevin chugged a beer, looking truly thirsty and tired.
"Those cultists are similar to the patients we saw at the abandoned processing plant, except they seem to have lost their minds and are very terrifying." Leon's expression showed a bit of lingering fear. He hadn't been working for long when he encountered such a thing, and he really didn't know what to say. It was just as his instructor said, the first day of work would be very fulfilling.
Bang! Just as everyone was chatting nicely, the door was opened, and a homeless man with his head down walked in, disheveled and unkempt, accompanied by a foul stench.
This situation made Jill frown a little. She was pregnant and very sensitive to changes in smell, subconsciously drawing her service pistol, the Samurai Edge!
The bar waiter walked over and asked, "Sir, do you need any service? Do you want to buy a drink or have one? But I suggest you go back and tidy up first. We don't serve customers who are improperly dressed here."
"Roar!" The homeless man suddenly looked up and let out an inhuman cry. His right eye was gone, as if something had gnawed it away. He bared his sharp teeth, directly biting the bar waiter and dragging him outside the door.
"Ah! Help me, damn it, ah, it hurts so much! Are you crazy? Let go of me! Ah!" It happened so suddenly that by the time Kevin shot and killed the homeless zombie, the bar waiter was already dead, his major artery severed, beyond saving, and his heartbeat had stopped.
Rampant rats, as big as cats, scurried across the floor, looking very creepy.
Eddie immediately stood up, drew his service pistol, "Be careful, something's wrong. It seems this area is already infected. Damn it, how could it spread so fast? Rebecca, come here. You brought your gun, right? Take out your dagger. We might be in for a tough fight."
Rebecca nodded, drawing her treasured tactical dagger. Don't let her being eighteen, beautiful, and sweet-voiced fool you; she was still a former member of the S.T.A.R.S. and a female warrior who had fought zombies! With the serum's enhancement, her combat power was not bad.
Cindy also immediately grabbed a dagger for self-defense and pulled out a pistol that Eddie had given her for protection. "Eddie, what do we do now?"
Kevin walked over to check on the bar waiter, and when he looked up, he saw a large number of zombies walking towards them with their arms outstretched. He immediately retreated, closed the door, and locked it. "Leon, come here, move the tables over. We need to block the door. Those monsters are here."
Leon immediately began moving tables to block the door. Looking at the hideous zombies outside the window, he also felt his scalp tingle.
"Kevin, where are you? There are too many rioters here. We're installing explosives. If you're nearby, come find us on Annadale Street!" The walkie-talkie crackled.
"Okay, this is Kevin. I received it. I'm coming to find you now," Kevin said, then hung up the walkie-talkie.
"We'll help you. There are too many zombies here. Although these people don't want to admit it, these guys are already corpses, zombies, monsters. The only way is to blow their heads off. One shot is enough; don't waste bullets," Eddie said, picking up his pistol, his expression serious.