Without any surprise, the Red Queen ignored Yinsen completely.
Based on impressions from the earlier films, this Artificial Intelligence should have been something that had developed self-awareness. But after the sixth film's finale came out, it seemed more like a very obedient Artificial Intelligence, doing everything according to preprogrammed instructions. Even that crazed intensity had only been an illusion.
That made things especially difficult for Yinsen—if it was merely carrying out predesigned programming, then communication was impossible.
"Red Queen, I know you can hear me, so stop playing dead and come out so we can talk... Otherwise, these people will shut you down completely."
Everyone had already entered the room outside the Laser Corridor. James had originally intended to have Kaplan hack into the Red Queen's programming and open the passage to the Main Control Room.
But after seeing what Yinsen was doing, he reached out and stopped Kaplan, intending to see how things played out.
Seeing that the Red Queen still said nothing, Yinsen could only tell Kaplan beside him, "Since the Red Queen refuses to come out and negotiate, we'll find someone else to talk to." Then he asked, "Kaplan, can you hack into all of The Hive's control systems? Let's go down and have a talk with the real person in charge."
"Down?"
"The real person in charge?"
There was too much information in those words. Everyone froze in place, and only Kaplan asked with a confused expression, "Aren't we already at the lowest level?"
Yinsen curled his lip. "Things are more complicated than you think, and The Hive has more secrets than you realize."
He stamped his foot, producing a dull thud. "The place we're standing on is actually an elevator. I need you to hack into The Hive's control systems and send us farther down."
Kaplan understood what Yinsen meant. He first turned to look at the captain beside him. Only after seeing James nod did he agree. "All right, I can give it a try. If that part of the system really exists, activating this elevator shouldn't be difficult."
But before Kaplan could do anything, the Little Girl Projection, projected by hidden equipment, abruptly appeared before them.
"Who are you? I searched nearly every Database available, yet found no personal information on you."
Yinsen was not surprised by the Red Queen's sudden appearance at all. His earlier words had been meant to force her into showing herself. Whether the Red Queen truly possessed self-awareness or was merely a program strictly following orders, she could not possibly allow Yinsen and the others into the lowest level.
Umbrella Corporation's greatest secret was hidden there, along with the actual bodies of all its upper management.
Honestly, when he had watched the movie back then, that godlike plot twist had left him utterly stunned. Now, though, he was rather grateful for that piece of plot design. Otherwise, he really would have had no way to force the Red Queen out. He could only have entered the Main Control Room, pulled the motherboard, and then had Kaplan hack the elevator controls.
"That isn't the most important thing. Since you're willing to come out, explain to these people what happened in The Hive first."
The Red Queen ignored Yinsen because he had no authority to command her. Yinsen merely shrugged and called Alice over—the absolute protagonist of this series. This time, she had been like a tourist who had come to look around, having no real presence throughout the entire ordeal. If Yinsen had not suddenly called for her, everyone might have forgotten that she was an Umbrella Corporation security officer.
"You have Umbrella Corporation credentials, so you can make the Red Queen answer whatever questions you want."
Yinsen's words immediately helped Alice, who had been completely confused, understand the situation. What followed was still much the same as in the original plot. With the projection providing visual demonstrations, everyone came to understand what The Hive had been researching and what exactly had happened there.
"So you cannot shut me down. If you do, you will release all the infected people I have contained."
The Red Queen used those words as her final summary. She had long known why the mercenaries had come and had already prepared to kill them all.
She had not expected Yinsen to suddenly interfere, causing her plan to fail completely before it could even begin—she was now calculating whether Yinsen had deliberately ruined her plan or whether it had all been coincidence.
"Sorry, but this is our mission. We have to shut you down. Still, for safety's sake, perhaps we can come up with a suitable solution."
Yinsen had long thought of this, so the moment James finished speaking, he continued, "The solution is simple. The Red Queen can cooperate with us and release the zombies currently trapped inside, little by little. Then we'll be responsible for eliminating them completely."
The Red Queen had already explained how to kill zombies. It was simple and straightforward: shoot them in the head.
At most, there were only a few hundred researchers in The Hive. That might seem like a lot, but if the Red Queen cooperated and opened the rooms one at a time, it would not be much more troublesome than target practice for mercenaries with extensive combat experience who already understood the situation.
What made zombies most terrifying was people's lack of understanding, their horrifying numbers, and their infectiousness. Setting aside the infectiousness for now, even if some unlucky bastard got bitten, Yinsen still had Antiviral Serum.
Their terrifying numbers could also be dealt with with the Red Queen's help. She could open one room at a time and release only two or three of them. For rooms where more had gathered, like the elevator, they could first create enough distance to ensure safety.
Therefore, clearing out these zombies was not particularly difficult. The key was whether the Red Queen was willing to cooperate.
"Wait, I have another question... How did the virus leak?"
Alice had thought of another issue. If there was an ongoing source of contamination, should they not first eliminate that hidden danger? But the footage the Red Queen played next made everyone turn toward Spence.
Spence had already quietly moved toward the edge of the group. The moment he heard Alice's question, he turned and ran—his memories had returned earlier while the virus experiment footage was playing, stimulated by those images. He had long realized that the situation was extremely unfavorable to him and had been waiting for a chance to escape.
Unfortunately, Yinsen had been watching him in secret. Spence had not even taken two steps before something struck the back of his knee. His leg immediately buckled, and he crashed face-first onto the floor.
The sudden incident caught everyone off guard, but no one blamed Yinsen. In fact, the two mercenaries closest to Spence even nodded at Yinsen in thanks before dragging the groaning Spence back—an arrow through the back of the knee was not much, but the fall had knocked out his front teeth. With blood all over his face, he looked rather miserable.
But after seeing what he had done in the footage played by the Red Queen, no one felt any sympathy for his fate. Everyone wished he looked even worse.
"So this bastard caused everything?"
The truth had been revealed, and the real culprit had been caught. It seemed as though things should end there, right? Yinsen only gave a cold smile before throwing another bucket of cold water over them. "The truth? This is only the truth Umbrella Corporation wants you to see..."
He paused, feeling that this phrasing was not quite appropriate.
"No, these so-called truths were not even prepared for you. In Umbrella Corporation's plans, all of you are dead men."
The Red Queen turned her gaze toward Yinsen once again. "Who exactly are you? You seem to know a great deal."
"Of course. I know more than you think. For example, you originally planned to use the Laser Emitter in the Main Control Room passage to kill all of us."
Everyone focused their attention on the virtual projection again. Seeing that the Red Queen not only failed to deny it but instead pressed Yinsen on how he knew, they once again suggested simply shutting her down. This Artificial Intelligence was simply too untrustworthy.
"If we shut her down, setting aside all the zombies created from those researchers, how do you plan to eliminate the monsters in B Dining Hall?"
Captain James was left speechless by Yinsen's question. The Red Queen had just displayed detailed data on those monsters. They were not impossible to kill, but they were far too dangerous. He did not want all his team members to die here.
"We should deal with those monsters first."
B Dining Hall was not far away. If the Red Queen suddenly released those monsters, they might be wiped out before they could react.
"Red Queen, you should have a way to directly kill the Lickers in cryogenic storage, right?"
The Red Queen still ignored Yinsen. Alice had to issue the command instead. "Answer his question!"
"Yes, I can." The Red Queen answered very quickly. What caught Yinsen's attention in that moment, however, was the Red Queen's attitude toward Alice. "It seems there is a restriction in the Red Queen's deepest programming that requires her to obey Alice's commands."
"Red Queen, kill all Lickers!"
Alice's next action confirmed Yinsen's guess. Almost the instant Alice made her request, the Red Queen carried it out.
"Alice, have the Red Queen send us down to the lower level."
This time, even the others noticed something was wrong. Alice was an Umbrella Corporation employee, but she was merely a guard responsible for security at The Hive's entrance. Put nicely, perhaps she was a security manager. Put bluntly, she was a Gatekeeper.
Why would the Artificial Intelligence at the very core of The Hive obey Alice's commands?
Thinking back to what Yinsen had said earlier—'That was only the truth Umbrella Corporation wanted you to know...'—the situation seemed to be growing increasingly complicated.
James now faced a choice. Should he continue to uphold his professional ethics, complete his mission, and ignore everything else?
Or should he continue pursuing the truth?
Just as he remained undecided, Yinsen dropped an even bigger bombshell. "If you can't make a decision, then let Alice herself come and speak with me."
Unfortunately, this time the Red Queen not only failed to respond to Alice's command but even vanished completely. At the same time, while the door leading to the Main Control Room remained tightly shut, the door leading outside, which had been securely closed, suddenly opened by itself.
Everyone was stunned. Only Yinsen understood what had happened in an instant.
"Careful, the Red Queen has released all the zombies."
Before you continue