Infinite Progress, Starting with Arasaka

"Hey, Chris, the Director's orders are in. We have to leave as soon as possible. Something's happened!"

Speaking with a heavy Russian accent, a burly man in dark combat gear waved at the two of them.

Realizing what was happening, Chris rushed out of the shooting range. As soon as he entered the combat preparation room, he saw a group of Umbrella security guards gathered around an LCD TV, watching an emergency news report from Raccoon City, Colorado:

"Yesterday, an acute, highly contagious disease was suspected in the northern district of Raccoon City. Cases of 'Cannibal Disease,' characterized by severe coughing and spitting blood, have begun to appear on a large scale. Patients are showing extreme cravings and impulses for flesh and raw meat. Confirmed cases at the city hospital are increasing rapidly. Residents of the city are advised..."

On the screen, the live reporter's voice was extremely fast and urgent. The situation in other parts of Raccoon City was unclear, but the northern district, with scenes of looting and arson in the background, was clearly in a terrible state.

"Protesters are targeting Umbrella, the city's largest corporation, claiming that a leak from Umbrella's biopharmaceutical laboratory caused this outbreak..."

"Currently, Umbrella's chief researcher in Raccoon City, Dr. William Birkin, is reportedly missing..."

"Fuck! That's the same damn virus from the mansion..." Pushing aside the guards, who were as burly as bears and clad in high-tech combat gear, Chris stared intently at the news on the monitor and muttered.

"...Jill, damn it! Damn it... I need to see Russell. I have to leave now!"

With that, Chris went to the personal equipment case temporarily assigned to him and began to gather his gear and combat suit, a special anti-stab and anti-bite Umbrella combat suit with an identification system and fluorescent markers.

Just as Chris was about to move, Vera's voice, tinged with annoyance and exasperation, suddenly sounded from the preparation room's speakers.

"U.S.F Security Mobile Unit, Teams 4, 5, and 6, you will accompany Chris."

"That bastard William Birkin, he's probably gone too far. He's gone mad, and he wants to drag everyone down with him? And the board of directors, how much of my money have they embezzled without my knowledge?!"

"Deploy immediately! Dig out the secrets of Raccoon City before the board destroys the evidence. I can now announce in advance that California and US Umbrella are separating from Paris headquarters. In case of emergency, act at your discretion, prioritize the mission, and no reporting is necessary."

"Chris, do what you believe is right."

Chapter 028: Operation Begins

Beep... Beep...

Chris had departed.

"Tsk, Chris cooperating with Umbrella to return to Raccoon City and take on Umbrella, and Jill will likely join them too. I wonder what expression those S.T.A.R.S. survivors will have when they see Chris leading Umbrella's mobile unit to save them... It's truly abstract."

Vera walked to the floor-to-ceiling one-way glass window and looked down at the industrial park below.

Sunlight streamed down, dancing on countless silver metal surfaces. Rows of modern industrial factories were neatly arranged, square and straight. Occasionally, trucks with the Umbrella logo shuttled along the roads, following predetermined paths like silver ribbons weaving through the park.

A convoy of heavy-duty multi-purpose transport vehicles emerged from the underground parking lot of the U.S.F Security Forces training base and sped towards the inland direction of Colorado.

With her left arm crossed and a few fingers propping up her cheek, Vera quietly watched the U.S.F convoy disappear from view.

"It's a carnival," she murmured.

Turning, Vera walked over to activate the projection screen, sat down, and leaned back in her chair. While watching the Umbrella surveillance feed of Raccoon City slowly load and display, she picked up the integrated service phone and dialed.

The Raccoon City incident was undoubtedly a carnival.

A carnival where Umbrella stumbled, and everyone else feasted.

Despite Umbrella Corporation appearing to be a powerful, monopolistic enterprise with a very positive international image before the Raccoon City incident, their medicines, medical equipment, and technological reserves were all world-leading. But Vera didn't believe others weren't coveting it.

Especially before she joined Umbrella and pushed for its transformation, Umbrella's true source of profit came from unknown high-tech military technology, life engineering, and biological weapons – secret industries.

Many were top-secret projects that couldn't withstand scrutiny or be made public.

In the past, everyone was on equal footing, and no one was entirely clean. They all kept to their own business. But now that Umbrella had detonated its own mine, would other friendly competitors, like their biggest rival, Travis Company (Tricell), just watch without kicking them while they were down?

As for expecting vampires on Wall Street or politicians in Washington to offer a helping hand, it was more realistic to believe Vera herself. Jehovah, give me money!

Now, Vera would also join this feast of division.

Oh, you say Vera is also part of Umbrella?

She wouldn't be for long.

From now on, please address me as the Chairman and CEO of Militech!

"Hello, Mr. Simmons, are you interested in investing in Militech?"

While Vera was busy 'jumping ship,' discussing with Washington how to distance herself and properly divide Umbrella, on the island of Britain, in the Spencer family's hidden ancient castle.

"Patriarch, the scale of the virus leak in Raccoon City is rapidly expanding. The city's water supply and underground pipelines have been contaminated by the T-Virus, and the situation is out of control. The recovery operation carried out by the U.S.S. forces on the 22nd has completely failed. They've been out of contact for over 48 hours, and the Alpha team has likely been wiped out."

"William Birkin, that ungrateful traitor, injected himself with the G-Virus and has become a biological monster roaming the underground research facility, causing widespread destruction. Unfinished or sealed B.O.W. experimental subjects are continuously escaping into the city."

"The inhibitor and neutralizer we developed are for the T-Virus. The effect on the G-Virus is completely unpredictable. We are under immense pressure from the White House and public opinion."

The Spencer family's old butler reported, his voice trembling slightly.

In modern society, a virus leak of this magnitude and the resulting bioweapon crisis was unprecedented and horrifying!

Even he, as a butler who had served the Spencer family for many years, couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation.

Although Umbrella was vast, with its pharmaceutical business alone worth hundreds of billions of dollars, if the blame for Raccoon City stuck, it would be finished. International condemnation, government intervention and sanctions, forced delisting, dismantling...

Sitting in the high-tech wheelchair specially gifted by Vera, the director of the 'Black Umbrella' department, Oswell E. Spencer raised his old, withered hand. As if not hearing the butler's wavering, he calmly asked, "Have the U.B.C.S. units been dispatched?"

"They were dispatched ahead of schedule."

The old butler's professionalism was impeccable. He immediately adjusted and concealed his emotions, saying, "The first batch of troops is expected to arrive in Raccoon City tonight."

"Since the matter is unavoidable, let's maximize its use to advance the experimental process. Don't they always say their products lack practical combat opportunities?"

Spencer lifted his face, a canvas of wrinkles and age spots from his declining health and long absence from sunlight. A sliver of ruthlessness flashed in his pale blue eyes, a hysterical madness.

If I cannot live to stand, if I am to die of old age, then does Umbrella, founded for my wish of eternal life, still have any value?

"Deploy them all to Raccoon City, collect mutation and experimental data. Perhaps mature B.O.W.s, bioweapons, and biotechnology can impress Washington."

Raccoon City is already out of control anyway. How much worse can it get?

As an observer, the old butler instinctively felt there was something wrong with his master's order. Due to his old age and paralysis in his later years, and his obsession with eternal life, the master's youthful decisiveness had completely vanished...

"Yes."

He couldn't refuse.

After transmitting the secret order to Umbrella's Paris headquarters, the old butler returned, wanting to speak but hesitating.

"Master, Director Russell of Umbrella's California and US region severely questioned the board regarding Raccoon City. Are we... really just going to let this drag on? Director Russell's dissatisfaction could even lead to a split within Umbrella..."

"Drag it on."

Spencer felt both love and hate towards Vera.

If Vera were an ordinary company executive who dared to question him like that at a board meeting, Spencer would have sent the U.S.S. to make her commit suicide by shooting herself eight times.

Unfortunately, he couldn't...

Not at least for now.

With William Birkin's issues, Vera's mastery of cybernetic prosthesis technology and her talent were a lifeline Spencer absolutely could not abandon.

Moreover, Vera was not easy to kill. Her bodyguard team and the U.S.F. security forces included elite veterans who were laid off due to economic collapse after the upheaval in Eastern Europe in '91, as well as former KGB and Interior Ministry personnel, none inferior to the U.S.S.

Coupled with her massive patent rights that brought enormous profits to the company, she could make money and was young, with a large following within Umbrella.

"Just now, our informant embedded in the California branch sent back a message. Director Russell seems to know our secret in Raccoon City..."

After a pause, the old butler continued, "At the same time, she has begun to selectively dig into the company's past hidden secrets..."

"Who?!"

This time, Spencer couldn't sit still.

In the past, he trusted Vera and gave her important responsibilities, partly because she truly had the ability.

On the other hand, she was young, too young. She joined the company late and was part of an emerging faction from outside. She couldn't possibly know the details of many of the company's past dirty secrets, and she herself had no interest in virology, focusing on her own field to lead Umbrella's transformation.

Spencer never thought Vera could know the company's past secrets; those secrets were older than her. So, what made Vera investigate in this direction? What did she know?

"It was a survivor of the Mansion incident, former Raccoon City S.T.A.R.S. member Chris Redfield. He infiltrated the industrial park, posing as a company employee, which made Director Russell suspect William Birkin was making a move, so she met him..."

"Just because of such a minor character?! That's Wesker's responsibility. He's also useless... cough cough cough..."

William Birkin was colluding with high-ranking US military officials and had betrayed them. Spencer was so angry he started coughing.

"Where is he? Kill him, dispose of all S.T.A.R.S. survivors, and clean up everyone related to this!"

Butler: "Director Russell didn't fully believe his side of the story. She dispatched a team to have him sneak back into Raccoon City to collect evidence..."

"Then let our people clean up the evidence in Raccoon City! Push the blame onto William Birkin. Stall for as long as possible, cough cough..."

The butler quickly handed him cough medicine and water, then withdrew.

"..."

After taking the medicine, Spencer felt much better. In the silence, the news about Raccoon City's 'cannibal' virulent infectious disease continued to play on the television. After a long time, he slid his wheelchair to the window of the ancient castle. Those cloudy old eyes looked through the antique crystal window at the dense forest swaying in the wind beside the castle.

"...Why are you so dismissive of virology? If it were you, with your talent, you could surely make me... Yes, there's still a chance..."

1998/9/25

Raccoon City.

Under the gloomy sky and the incessant wail of police sirens, the brightly lit city was in chaos: collapsed and burning buildings, traffic choked by vehicles, the clamor of broadcasts, fleeing crowds, inhuman howls...

Perhaps even heaven couldn't bear the tragic scene unfolding in the city. After a deafening thunderclap, lightning flashed, turning the dark night sky a ghastly white. A drizzle began to fall, pattering softly.

In a small room, a large pile of strange documents, maps, and photos covered the walls.

Jill Valentine awoke from a faint, chilling creaking sound of bones.

She suddenly opened her eyes, rolled out of bed, and instinctively grabbed the gun on her nightstand, aiming it and warily observing her surroundings.

A few seconds later, illuminated by the dim glow of a desk lamp, Jill breathed a sigh of relief as she recognized her environment.

This was her rented apartment in Raccoon City.

On the wall were the pieces of evidence of Umbrella's illegal biological research she had collected in Raccoon City over the past two months, along with some information about the T-Virus, the culprit that turned people into zombies.

The radio broadcast intermittently relayed messages: Umbrella assuring citizens that everything was under control, the city government advising citizens to stay home and isolate, some programs insisting it was Umbrella's fault, while others persistently defended Umbrella...

Jill put on her boots, got out of bed, and walked to the wall covered with her files and photos, casually pulling off a note.

"Damn it... Umbrella created this disaster, yet the entire Raccoon City populace has to bear it. It gets worse every night... In a few more days, according to my agreement with Chris, I can leave Raccoon City with this evidence and data."

She picked up the note, which contained her observations and experiences from witnessing the biohazard situation in Raccoon City.

"Damn T-Virus."

I thought the nightmare of the mansion was over, but I never expected it to be so long.

Raccoon City had been turned into a living hell by this damned T-Virus. The day before, when she went out to gather supplies, the entire city had already fallen into complete chaos. As soon as she heard the description of the "cannibal disease," Jill knew it was the T-Virus.

Just then, ring ring ring—

A phone call? "Who could it be?" Following the sound, Jill walked over and picked up the Motorola mobile phone from the landline. Beep "Hello? This is Jill..."

"Jill, are you okay?"

"Chris? Is that you." Jill's face lit up with joy. "Didn't you go to Europe? Did you gather conclusive evidence of Umbrella's illegal research?"

"No, long story short, listen to me first. Immediately, I mean immediately, gather all the evidence and documents you've collected, prepare self-defense weapons, and make basic preparations. I've returned from Europe and am departing from San Francisco, about to arrive in Raccoon City...

Your location, your current location may have been exposed. Umbrella is going to destroy all evidence in Raccoon City, and you might be targeted for destruction... In short, transfer first, to the west side of the city. I and Umbrella's forces will enter Raccoon City from the west side to rendezvous with you."

"Wait, what are you talking about? You're with Umbrella's forces?" Jill's voice suddenly rose several octaves.

"It's hard to explain. I'm with Umbrella's forces, but not with Raccoon City's Umbrella forces..."

"Is there a difference?"

"Sigh, Jill, just trust me. Transfer first, be careful, and do it as quickly as possible." Beep! The call ended.

Jill dazedly put down the phone. "Chris, what on earth is he up to?"

Despite her confusion, the bond and trust forged through shared hardships in S.T.A.R.S. made Jill act immediately. She stuffed the documents, photos, copies, and film negatives from the wall into a travel bag. Just as Jill had roughly packed and started checking her phone, police shotgun, and ammunition.

Knock knock.

A knock at the door.

Jill's head shot up. She hadn't ordered any food delivery! Her S.T.A.R.S. companions were basically not in Raccoon City at this time. Her colleagues at the police station were probably all working overtime in this situation.