"You really are in contact with him. You haven't fallen in love with him, have you? This isn't like you, Ice Queen!" Christine teased, her beautiful eyes sparkling. She wouldn't be loyal to Spencer; what loyalty could there be to a company that manufactured inhumane bioweapons?
"Stop talking about irrelevant things. Think about it. Let's leave it at that for now." Alex intended to hang up the phone after speaking.
Christine quickly said, "Wait, do you have time recently? You can find him, and the three of us can talk. I'd like to see what capital he has to try and recruit me."
Alex pondered for a moment on the other end of the line, then said, "No problem, I'll call you once I've confirmed."
Alex thought this suggestion was good too; at least she would have a reason to see her little husband. It had been a long time since they last met, and she missed him a bit. Women were just that emotional, always willing to silently give.
Christine, however, scoffed in her office. She was merely curious, not necessarily interested. The reason she accepted Alex's proposal was simple: the Umbrella ship was sinking, and she didn't want to go down with it. She still had many good years ahead of her.
Chapter 385: Interested in the Immortality Project?
A month later, Eddie, along with Jessica and Lisa, secretly infiltrated France. Currently, Umbrella's French Branch, located on the outskirts of the romantic city, had been quarantined. It seemed that the French authorities no longer relied on Umbrella due to the rise of Tricell Pharmaceutical and Mysterious Pharmaceutical.
Even if Umbrella collapsed, the authorities wouldn't have to worry about employment issues. As long as everyone had a job, a company's collapse was just that—a collapse, with no impact.
Umbrella was currently a mess; too much contact with it would easily turn one into a mess as well.
Eddie easily snuck in, wearing a stylish tracksuit. This was a stealth suit that Emma and Katherine had jointly replicated from Wolf Team's VECTOR, utilizing the principle of light to a certain extent to conceal oneself. Its effect was weaker during the day but very effective at night.
The French Branch remained heavily guarded. Even though Umbrella's stock continued to fall, many employees still came to work there. It was still a long way from collapsing; for ordinary people, as long as they were paid on time, they didn't care about much else.
A helicopter, after flashing its lights and receiving confirmation, landed on the rooftop helipad.
A pristine white high heel was the first to step out of the helicopter. The tall and beautiful Alex, wearing high heels, stepped onto the floor, instantly exuding a queenly aura. Her inherent aloofness combined with the confidence brought by viral enhancement made her appear unapproachable.
When Alex arrived at the office, Eddie, Jessica, and Lisa entered through the window, apparently not taking the usual route.
"Aren't you afraid of falling to your death? This is on the thirtieth floor; a fall from here would be instantly fatal." Christine smoked a cigarette, her high heels still propped on the desk, looking incredibly languid.
"Coming directly from outside is faster. If there's an elevator, why take the stairs?" Eddie walked to the sofa, poured himself a cup of coffee, and also poured one for his wife, Alex.
"Thank you." Alex smiled sweetly. Being able to see her husband again was truly a joyous occasion.
"Alright, what advantages do you have that can entice me to help you?" Christine lowered her high heels from the desk, adjusted her collar, and entered the formal negotiation phase.
"What do you think is the purpose of developing viruses?" Eddie asked first.
"To develop bioweapons, to create unconventional weapons that thermal weapons cannot compare to. Although there are other uses, no one would know about such things." Christine's pretty face was taut, her expression refined, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on her delicate nose, making her appear intellectual and elegant.
"It seems you don't know Spencer's true intentions. What do you think Spencer developed the Progenitor Virus for? It was to extend life. Have you seen the data on the Progenitor Virus?" Eddie tilted his head back, and the persuasion officially began.
Christine nodded, "Of course, I've seen it. The Progenitor Virus originated from the Ndipaya Tribe in Africa. It's a flower used to enhance strength, and it's extremely toxic; almost only one in a billion people can withstand it."
"The information you saw was the censored version Spencer gave you. It seems he didn't trust you. The chief of the Ndipaya Tribe could only be elected after consuming the Stairway to the Sun. Besides gaining superhuman strength, their speed would also increase, and their lifespan would be greatly extended. Living for two hundred years wouldn't be a problem, without showing any signs of old age." Eddie began to explain.
A gleam of light flashed in Christine's beautiful eyes. "Alex, is this true?"
Alex nodded, "That's right. I've researched the Progenitor Virus. Actually, before that, you can look at what's on this disk."
Christine took the disk and played it on the computer. It showed a man in dark skinned, clearly Albert Wesker. He had specifically come to the branch before to exchange resources with her, which allowed Christine to better control the branch and prevent her useless husband, Henry, from coveting her.
Otherwise, how could the Alpha Parasite, the branch's most important research achievement, have fallen into Wesker's hands?
In the video, Wesker moved with incredible agility, leaping across walls and rooftops, punching zombies away with his bare hands, and even tearing Lickers apart. His combat power was clearly not something a human could possess.
Christine's beautiful eyes flickered a few times as she watched. "When did Albert become so powerful?"
"He was already very powerful before. After collaborating with William, William developed a special Progenitor Virus variant for him, which gave him this superhuman strength," Alex nodded, though her words still held some reservations.
"Your words seem to be hiding something. Is it because I'm not trustworthy enough? So, your goal is to obtain this virus that can enhance human physical capabilities?" Christine seemed to have discovered something, and her curiosity grew stronger. It had to be said that their collaboration successfully piqued her interest.
"It's fine to tell you. My dream is to create a virus that grants immortality. I also have the capital for this. Currently, I have completed the first target plan and am now developing towards the second target." Eddie finished speaking and stood up.
He walked to the safe, grabbed it with one hand, and lifted it. The three-ton steel safe was raised effortlessly. Eddie even moved it up and down, seemingly using the safe as a dumbbell to exercise.
Christine watched in astonishment. If a top-tier bioweapon did this, she wouldn't be surprised, but Eddie looked like a human and hadn't mutated, which was intriguing. He had clearly been enhanced.
Click. Christine lit a cigarette, suppressing her excitement. She didn't want the other party to see her expression change. She let the hot smoke roll in her throat, calming her emotions.
"Very good. Is this what you wanted to show me?" Christine's expression was indifferent, and her beautiful eyes glanced faintly at the man.
"That's right. What I'm researching is the Immortality Project: stronger, younger, and longer-lived!" Eddie nodded, sat back in his chair, and also took out a cigarette. Alex personally picked up a lighter and lit her husband's cigarette.
"Very good. But why do you think I should join you?" Christine's beautiful eyes flickered, clearly showing some interest. She still wanted to know more.
"Because I have already reached this stage. According to analysis, living for three or four hundred years is not an issue. And there are no side effects. Isn't this worth your participation? Eternal youth, robust health, superhuman strength and speed, no need to fear disease—doesn't this appeal to you?" Eddie's smile was bright and confident.
Chapter 386: The Qualitative Change of the Veronica Virus
"The conditions are simple: for the next fifty years, you can only work for me and join my team. If you continue to enhance, each enhancement will add fifty years. It's that simple, not difficult at all," Eddie said with a laugh, sounding very serious.
Christine chuckled, a hint of playfulness flashing in her beautiful eyes. "Fifty years? That's easy for you to say. Do you know what the world will be like in fifty years?"
"Of course, I know. It will still be my world, and I will still be a top scientist. You're joining a bit late, so it's not excessive for you to work for me for fifty years. You still have three hundred and fifty years of life left; isn't that good?" Eddie explained using variable methods.
Christine just smiled, not refuting, taking intermittent puffs from her cigarette. Finally, she looked up and asked, "Alex, have you also decided to follow this guy?"
Alex, holding Eddie's arm, smiled and said, "He's my husband. Who else would I follow? I believe in him; my husband is the best. I was previously ill, and even at Umbrella, there was no cure. Eddie saved me, and I'm very grateful to him. I love him."
Saving people was the easiest way to gain favor. The hero-saves-the-beauty trope, though old, was still very effective.
This surprised Christine. She never expected Alex to say such a thing. This proud woman disdained lying; at their level, lies were merely something that diminished one's status and demeanor.
The cigarette had burned out. Christine took a deep breath. "I can join your team, but I need to receive the enhancements you mentioned. As long as you don't lie to me, I certainly won't lie to you."
Alex nodded, "Honey, although Christine is very cold, her word is her bond."
"It will take half a month. Are you sure you can leave here?" Eddie nodded, looking at the noble and elegant Christine, feeling a slight stir in his heart. She was a very exquisite beauty.
"I'll make arrangements; it should be possible," Christine replied after a moment of thought. She didn't want to continue sinking with the broken ship that was Umbrella.
Even if selling bioweapons continued to sustain it, it would only be a lingering existence, unless there were more advanced weapon products. For example, the T-ALOS Project, if it could counter an iron torrent, might still be viable.
And Eddie was currently in the ascendant phase of his career. Christine knew that joining now would lead to better treatment in the future. This was an unchanging truth: early investment, early returns.
"By the way, are you researching a combined T+G Virus?" Eddie suddenly asked a crucial question.
Christine nodded without any surprise. "That's right. Currently, Spencer's task for me is to develop a new virus, and the Nemesis project has also been handed over to Sergei."
"Don't you know about the Caucasus Branch?" Eddie's expression was a bit strange.
Christine's eyes flickered a few times, then she shook her head and said, "I don't know. When I had meetings, this branch was never mentioned. If I'm not mistaken, Sergei must be in charge of Caucasus. He's a former colonel from Tsarist Russia, and he's most familiar with that area. Besides, he's not a mere brute; he has some skills."