Eddie, meanwhile, was hiding in a snowdrift, chewing on biscuits synthesized in the lab. Seeing Sienna's envious gaze beside him, he handed over the compressed biscuit he had been eating, "Here, you can have it. You owe me, and when we get back to the Federation, you'll have to pay me back."
"I'm not saying I can't pay you back; I'm just worried you won't be able to handle it." What kind of person was Sienna? A woman capable of manipulating countless elites and Senators, dealing with men was her specialty.
"He can handle it; you can't. You wouldn't be able to take it," Jessica said flatly.
These words seemed to make the atmosphere instantly awkward. Sienna looked at Eddie with a strange expression, then at Jessica. She seemed to have figured something out; these two definitely had something going on. "Hmph, whether that's true or not, we'll only know after trying."
As the two bantered, the mud monster, which had been bombarded by dense rockets and grenades, turned into a pile of flesh and mud. Flames burned, incinerating it into ashes.
It proved a saying: no matter how powerful a bio-weapon, it cannot contend with steel. Flesh and blood always have limits; before sufficient evolution, encountering steel still means retreating three paces.
"It's over just like that?" Sienna asked, somewhat disbelievingly.
Caroline walked over, took the compressed biscuit Eddie had been eating, and began to eat it herself, occasionally grabbing snow to swallow and replenish her lost energy. Her expression was extremely natural, as if this was a perfectly normal thing, which made Sienna's beautiful eyes flash with a bright light.
"There must be some secret between these two!" Sienna thought to herself, deciding to uncover their secret. She had a strong feeling that exploring this secret would benefit her greatly.
The Marine Corps was about to enter and search the facility when they heard that the facility's self-destruct device had been activated. Alfred was also persuaded by Chris and escorted back to the Western Federation by Leon.
As long as he insisted he was innocent, no one could convict him.
With his sister Alexia safe, Alfred's heart settled. He was, after all, a genius with an IQ of 180, and he knew how to handle things. Moreover, he believed his sister would never let anything happen to him.
Eddie had two fewer women by his side. Sienna saw this but didn't ask. This was a taboo; there was no need to ask. Knowing too much could sometimes inexplicably damage relationships. It was most important to feign ignorance appropriately.
Having just dealt with a large number of bio-monsters, and even repelled a strange woman who could control plants, the facility was now self-destructing. This greatly displeased Neil, who was in charge of the operation.
Displeased or not, he still had to arrange for personnel to evacuate. They couldn't conduct a search and would have to wait until after the facility exploded to search further.
Everyone quickly boarded the transport plane. Rachel, with her subordinates Parker and Sheila, came to the plane where Eddie was. "Handsome Doctor, do you mind if we catch a ride?"
Eddie, in turn, quipped, "Of course, no problem. If you want to have coffee or watch a movie at two-thirty in the morning when we get back, I'm available."
Rachel gave a light laugh, "That won't be necessary; I'm not interested in late-night movies." This was a polite refusal. In a public setting, she couldn't be too distant nor too intimate. A lukewarm relationship wouldn't make people suspect they had an unspeakable secret.
"Finally, we can leave. This damned place is unexpectedly cold. When I get back, I want to eat a real burger, with a few beautiful women for company, and have a few drinks to calm my nerves," Eddie said, half-jokingly.
"I'm afraid you won't have time for that. The Veronica Virus that appeared this time is terrifying. If a corresponding vaccine isn't developed in time, the entire world will become a purgatory. That will be up to you, Dr. Eddie," Rachel said with a smile.
"I knew I'd be so unlucky. I can't even have a daydream," Eddie said, exasperated.
As the plane took off, the Umbrella Antarctic Research Facility, covered in ice and snow below, suffered an earth-shshattering explosion. The mushroom cloud produced by the explosion was no less than that of a deployed nuclear bomb.
The mutated monsters and giant ants hiding in the facility were all burned to ashes by the scorching flames. The fire continued to burn, releasing a special gas. All organic matter there was consumed by the fire, and all computers storing Veronica Virus data were destroyed.
The Western Federation fought for so long, expending a great deal of manpower and resources, only to end up with a single corpse infected with the Veronica Virus. No other evidence was obtained.
Although the mission failed, it was an unavoidable outcome. It was impossible to send soldiers into a self-destructing facility to search for elusive evidence, as that would result in even greater losses, a consequence the commander could not bear.
In the Pacific Ocean, a submarine was rapidly heading towards the Drake Passage between Latin America and Antarctica. After crossing the Southern Ocean and entering the Pacific, a brief voyage would take it into the Atlantic, eventually reaching an ocean liner docked on the West Africa coast.
Alexia woke up, clutching her head. She only remembered feeling weak all over, the unstable virus causing her to lose control of her movements, and some kind of suppression. She couldn't recall what had happened.
"You're awake. Now sit still and don't move. We'll decide what to do with you when he gets back." Ada, in high heels, sat in a chair, looking very much like a sophisticated urban lady.
"Who is he?" Alexia asked, still clutching her head.
"My husband, Eddie Cai," Ada openly admitted. This was the first time she had acknowledged Eddie as her husband.
Chapter 351: Queen Versus Queen
"I don't think there's anything wrong with it. What he did makes perfect sense." Ada would never question her man in front of outsiders. That man had saved her many times, and in a world of cold human nature, Eddie could make her feel warmth and a sense of home.
"Heh heh, whatever. What's he going to do with me?" Alexia didn't care at all. Her eyes scanned the submarine. After becoming a normal person, she finally stopped obsessing over power and focused her attention on many other things.
"I don't know. It depends on his arrangements." Ada stopped speaking and focused on looking at the map.
Alexia pouted, "Has the world order changed?"
"The Tsardom of Russia has disbanded. You should update your knowledge. My husband was right; people who don't understand how to revere power, no matter how high their IQ, are still idiots," Ada replied without looking back.
"Disbanded? Interesting!" Alexia's interest was piqued. She took out a disk Alfred had organized. "Can I look at what's inside?"
"Go ahead, but I advise you not to cause trouble. We're two thousand meters under the sea. If anything goes wrong, the pressure of the seawater will crush both you and me into pieces," Ada warned.
"I know. I don't want to die yet. I'll live well until I get my revenge on your husband," Alexia sneered.
"You won't succeed! He was surprised by your intelligence, but also found it foolish. Becoming a monster was truly idiotic," Ada had already guessed something and retorted sharply.
"Monster? That's a whole new realm, that's power, what do you know?" Alexia was displeased. As a genius, what she hated most was others looking down on her achievements and her inventions.
"How foolish. You're not even human anymore. What power? What's the difference between you and those monsters? Alright, I don't want to talk to you anymore. Go reflect on yourself." Ada didn't want to talk to the stubborn person in front of her.
Five hours later, Eddie, Chris, and the others returned to the military airport in the Western Federation. After routine checks, they were cleared.
"We need to report back. See you next time," Leon said, supporting Kevin. Behind them, a helicopter was preparing, and Alfred was also there. As a witness, he needed the Federation's protection.
"I'm leaving too. I'll continue searching for evidence against Umbrella to bring down this company that created such disasters," Chris said, supporting Joseph.
"Will you come to see me, Chris?" Alfred suddenly asked.
Why did that question feel so strange? There was something fishy going on!
"Of course, Leon, you must protect my witness. If anything happens, I'll come looking for you to settle the score," Chris nodded.
"If you want to resolve these disasters, it's best to join an armed force to deal with bio-weapons. Of course, the risks are high. I heard the Pharmaceutical Association is planning to invest in establishing a civilian bio-weapon countermeasures department to assist in dealing with bio-weapons," Eddie suddenly said.
"Then wouldn't joining our Federation Bio-Terrorism Countermeasures Committee be the best choice? Chris, right, you have professional experience fighting monsters. How about joining my squad?" Rachel, the 'Queen of the Ball,' walked over in high heels and invited him.
"No, I don't trust anyone. Organizations controlled by power eventually become corrupt. Wesker once used our entire squad as experimental tools for bio-weapon testing. I will not join any organization unless it can be open and transparent!" Chris said angrily.
The Raccoon City incident was no longer a secret; those who understood would know, and they would also know how shameless that spy named Wesker was.
"That organization is purely a bio-weapon countermeasures organization. The association only provides funding and won't be responsible for anything else. Of course, it's difficult for civilian organizations to carry firearms into other territories; this only happens in turbulent and impoverished areas. If you're interested, you can consider it," Eddie suggested.
This was the so-called Bio-terrorism Security Assessment Alliance, or BSAA for short.
"Why are you suddenly recruiting people?" Sienna asked curiously from the side.
"I'm the boss of Mysterious Pharmaceutical, and I was invited to join the Pharmaceutical Association. I also contributed money. To deal with the mess Umbrella left behind, the spread of the T-Virus poses a huge risk. We can only continue to implement more safety measures, which can be considered benefiting human society. Besides, since I've paid, I don't want my money to be squandered by others in dance halls. I need to find a reliable person to oversee things."
Eddie's indifferent expression revealed a hint of responsibility, giving him a sense of being an unsung hero.
Chris looked at Eddie seriously, "You are a good person, a responsible person. I feel very relieved entrusting Claire to you. I will seriously consider your suggestion."
"No, I'm not a good person. I'm a bad person. You should know that girls usually say that when they reject someone, 'Chris, you're a good person, but we're not a good fit.' So I don't want to be a good person; I want to be a bad person." Eddie waved his hand, telling him to stop with the 'good person' talk; he didn't need it.