"Low-temperature freezing?" Christine frowned. She realized she was being led by the nose, a situation that had never occurred before. Everything was out of her control.
"That's one aspect, and another is disinfection. Eliminating all bacteria and parasites. I didn't have your treatment when I first experimented, and the disinfection wasn't perfect, so there were some flaws," Eddie said with a hint of melancholy.
"Is that why you always bring two female bodyguards with you every day? I thought you couldn't live a day without women." Christine finally understood. There were side effects, but they were acceptable. Looking at the man in front of her, she suddenly felt a pang of sympathy.
"Exactly, you're right. My side effects still need improvement, but the members who follow me have all evolved very well, without any flaws. You rest for a day, get some sun; it will be good for your recovery. Then we will proceed with the second enhancement," Eddie said, pushing Christine out of the laboratory. He then took Jessica to another room.
A day's time allowed Christine to feel the immense power that the virus brought. This strength made her somewhat infatuated. However, Christine, with her exceptional self-control, quickly sobered up. She understood that power was merely an added bonus; what truly concerned her was the change in her appearance.
Previously, there were subtle crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, which added to her mature charm. After the enhancement, her mature demeanor remained, but the age-revealing crow's feet were gone, and her skin seemed to have improved.
Christine was also well-versed in biology, and this approach struck her as very curious and novel. For eternal youth, a fifty-year term was not at all excessive. She finally understood Alex's words: why she said that once you've tasted the sweetness, you wouldn't leave even if asked to; no woman would refuse.
"Hmph, what an interesting man. Is this Spencer's dream, that old man? What a ridiculous old man, his own dream unfulfilled, instead surpassed by a junior. Eddie, I'm becoming more and more interested in you." Christine stood on the deck, watching the sunset.
Soon a day passed, and Christine once again stepped barefoot into the freezing chamber. The cold temperature gradually lulled her to sleep, and she remembered Eddie's reminder: she must imagine her perfect self in her mind.
The virus had no self-awareness but possessed immense shaping capabilities. Relying on human will, it could transform into incredible appearances. If one thought of herself as very beautiful, the virus would shape her to be very beautiful.
If a delinquent thought of himself transforming from a man to a woman, the virus could also accomplish this reversal, without even needing minor surgery.
The reason why the virus would cause humans to mutate into various monsters was precisely because the human body contained a large number of bacteria and parasites. It would take a long time to eliminate these bacteria, while the enhancement was a very brief, instantaneous process.
This is also why, after Spencer used Alex's serum, he could go from being in a wheelchair to standing, but could not gain superhuman strength. That was a tampered serum; of course, it was impossible for Spencer to have any chance of becoming a god. Becoming a ghost, however, was possible.
In another room, Annette was studying data. She had a bold idea, so she came to find her husband.
"Husband, what do you think about enhancing the baby with the virus before she's born? I wonder if it's possible?" Annette already knew the child in her belly was a daughter; determining the child's gender was a simple matter.
"Too risky. We don't have the relevant technology, so let's not. In fact, as long as both parents are strong enough, the child born will also inherit their advantages; their genes have already changed." Eddie shook his head and refused. Using his own child as a lab experiment was impossible.
"I was just thinking. I want the child to be better," Annette said, gently stroking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Don't overthink it. If you have time, help me research the characteristics of electric current. After this, I have an even better idea. Electric current is the first step; at least it will make you all safer." Eddie had a bold idea!
Chapter 389: Spencer, Forsaken by All
One day, Christine would willingly give her all, and as for safety, that was never a concern.
Another month later, at a military base on Iceland, Christine used her connections to launch a satellite, jointly produced by Emma and Alexia, into space.
The cost this time was borne by Eddie himself, who also opened local medical welfare channels, exchanging inexpensive and practical medicines with a Senator.
The pretext was the development of the aerospace industry. Artificial satellites and rockets were not uncommon; companies with sufficient capability could achieve them. However, relatively speaking, it cost tens of billions, with virtually zero return, serving no purpose.
A single satellite could not bring more benefits. Purely for satellite phone communication, that only indicated the boss was rich and generous.
In April, Spencer was preparing to submit an application for resuming operations. The International Court responsible for prosecuting Umbrella for alleged biological weapons development received detailed information, including evidence of Umbrella's clandestine dealings with defunct terrorist organizations.
There was also a video and evidence of human experimentation, including a list of Albert Wesker, William Birkin, and others, meticulously exposing the North American Branch's research process to an appalling degree of detail, along with a list of the Atlantic Ocean Branch's research institutes.
It is worth mentioning that Eddie's name was also on the list; as a former Umbrella researcher, he did not escape.
Spencer, realizing something was amiss, fled immediately. He was furious, wondering which traitor had sold him out! He had already started having Alex pressure Eddie to hand over funds to support the immortality project.
However, in the blink of an eye, this problem arose. With irrefutable evidence, Umbrella was quickly found guilty, its assets frozen indefinitely, and all commercial activities halted. An arrest warrant was also issued for Umbrella CEO Spencer.
This was a play orchestrated by Eddie himself, reporting his own name and not even sparing himself. His laboratories, which conducted research on common and incurable diseases like cancer, would more or less be implicated within Umbrella.
A bill for a 100,000 yuan "grand massage," then reporting himself and getting arrested, ultimately incurring a 500 yuan fine. He didn't even have to pay the bill, spending only 500 yuan to enjoy a 100,000 yuan package. How incredibly clever!
Eddie's problem was not serious. He was merely on the list but had not participated in the experiments.
Rather than trying to extricate himself, it was better to openly admit it, lest he be implicated by a cornered Spencer. Then, he could have Alyssa, who was keen on being a journalist, use the news to clear his minor blemishes. Perfect!
At the same time, on Tortuga Island, Alex killed all of Spencer's core personnel and had the butler Stewart take a portion of the scientific researchers loyal to her to Sabiti Island, a small former Tsarist island.
It was an uninhabited place, not even discoverable or marked on maps, located in the Pacific plate, near the Bering Sea in the Arctic Ocean.
There, her team would establish a brand new research facility to serve as a backup island.
Alex acted this way entirely because she discovered she was pregnant and no longer wanted to wait, desperately wishing to return to her husband's side.
Alex's charisma and stunning beauty had garnered her a group of loyal followers. Abandoning them would be a waste. It was better to find a place to settle these people and simultaneously build a hidden base.
As for conducting T-Phobos experiments, Alex had not done any. With her husband Eddie, she was merely utilizing Spencer's resources to conduct related research for the third stage.
Spencer, in his European castle, almost spat blood when he heard that Alex had run off with almost half of his resources. He had never imagined that Alex, who had seemed so honest and loyal, and whom he treated as a daughter, would betray him! And take his resources with her, including money, equipment, and some experimental raw materials, all of which were extremely difficult to obtain.
Even Spencer would have to expend considerable effort and pay a price to acquire these raw materials, yet Alex had simply packed them up and taken them away.
The people responsible for transporting the supplies were the three members of Wolf Team. The once six-person Wolf Team now had three members pregnant and preparing to be mothers. Only VECTOR and others remained in service, occasionally earning extra money as mercenaries.
These three were very loyal to Eddie, as they had witnessed his journey from having nothing to becoming a global entrepreneur. Following such a successful person was undoubtedly the best choice, and there was no need to worry about being discarded once no longer useful.
"Damn it, send people to find her, track her down, that damned woman, how dare she deceive me! I will turn her into an experimental specimen!" Spencer was in a fit of impotent rage, like an internet troll, only able to curse ineffectually without achieving any real impact.
The butler, Patrick, could only listen quietly. He offered no comments on Spencer's actions. "Understood, master."
Cough, cough! After his furious curses, Spencer himself was so enraged that he coughed incessantly. He had now lost almost everything. His entrusted subordinates had left one by one. All of this happened after the Raccoon City incident. Now he was left with only two loyal people: his butler Patrick and Colonel Sergei.
"Arrange for me to concentrate all resources at the Caucasus Branch. Have Sergei focus entirely on research. Other branches should undergo layoffs and asset sales, converting them into as much money as possible. Also, have Christine stop the TG project and transmit the data to me."
"The French Branch should use its remaining resources to research Hunters for sale. Establish a factory at my outpost in the Indian Ocean in advance. Focus all efforts on producing Hunters for me." Spencer coughed for a long time before finishing his words intermittently.
What Spencer didn't know was that Alex had also called Christine before leaving, and the latter was also preparing to flee.
Chapter 390: The French Branch Under Attack
There was still some time before bankruptcy, and this period was merely a prolonged struggle. It was all futile. The Western Federation was also causing trouble behind the scenes, making Umbrella's situation even worse. A large, global pharmaceutical company that had dominated for half a century was finally facing its demise.
During this time, following Spencer's instructions, Umbrella's internal employees began to frantically sell off the company's assets. From individual bioweapons to mature industrial chains, everything was sold off.
In particular, mature production lines were purchased by many organizations in volatile regions. With these things, launching a counterattack became incredibly simple.
This situation led to further global instability, and bioweapons, which had previously only appeared vaguely, began to emerge in large numbers.
The cost of a Hunter was less than twenty assault rifles, yet it yielded a greater effect than twenty rifles. They were effective and obedient, cheaper and more practical than Tyrants, and invincible in warfare.
Spencer's goal was to throw the whole world into chaos, thereby diverting attention. As for whether it would lead to irreversible destruction, that was beyond his control. After one dies, who cares if the floods rage? As long as it benefited him.
However, soon, a mercenary group appeared in France, raiding the Umbrella French Branch, which had already begun layoffs.
This attack was not for killing, but for seizing the bioweapons inside. These armed individuals were mercenaries, hired by Morpheus to plunder the Umbrella Corporation, which was already universally condemned.
The seized bioweapons belonged to the mercenaries; Morpheus only needed the data.