Unable to Communicate

Unsurprisingly, the Red Queen completely ignored Ethan.

Based on the impression from the previous films, this AI should have developed self-awareness. However, with the release of the final chapter of the sixth film, it seemed like a very obedient AI, doing everything according to pre-set programs, with even its moments of madness being just an illusion.

This made things particularly difficult for Ethan. If it was just following pre-designed programs, then communication was impossible.

"Red Queen, I know you can hear me, so stop playing dead and come out and talk... Otherwise, these people here will shut you down completely."

Everyone had already entered the room outside the Laser Corridor. James originally wanted Kaplan to hack the Red Queen's program to open the passage to the Main Control Room.

But after seeing what Ethan was doing, he reached out and stopped Kaplan, preparing to observe the situation.

Seeing that the Red Queen still wasn't responding, Ethan had no choice but to say to Kaplan beside him, "Since the Red Queen refuses to come out and negotiate, let's find someone else to talk to." He then asked, "Kaplan, can you hack into all of the Hive's control programs? We'll go to the lower levels to talk to the real person in charge."

"Lower levels?"

"The real person in charge?"

This statement contained a lot of information, leaving everyone stunned. Only Kaplan asked with a confused look, "Aren't we already on the lowest level?"

Ethan pursed his lips, "Things are more complicated than you think, and the Hive has more secrets than you realize."

He stomped his foot, producing a dull thud. "The spot we're standing on right now is actually an Elevator. I need you to hack into the Hive's control program and send us to a lower level."

Kaplan understood Ethan's meaning. He first turned to look at the captain beside him. Seeing James nod at him, he agreed, "Alright, I can give it a try. If that part of the program really exists, then activating this Elevator shouldn't be difficult."

However, before Kaplan could do anything, a Little Girl Projection, projected through a hidden device, suddenly appeared before everyone.

"Who are you? I've searched almost every database I can access, but I haven't found any personal information about you."

Ethan was not surprised by the Red Queen's sudden appearance. His previous words were meant to force the Red Queen to show herself. Whether the Red Queen had truly developed self-awareness or was strictly following orders, she couldn't allow Ethan and the others to enter the lowest levels.

That's where Umbrella's biggest secret was hidden, and also where the true bodies of all of Umbrella's high-ranking officials were located.

To be honest, when he first watched the movie, he was completely shocked by this unbelievable plot twist. Now, he was quite grateful for this plot point; otherwise, he wouldn't have had any way to force the Red Queen out. He would have had to go into the Main Control Room, pull the motherboard, and then have Kaplan help hack into the Elevator control program.

"That's not the most important thing. Since you're willing to come out, first explain to these people what happened in the Hive."

The Red Queen ignored Ethan because he didn't have the authority to command her. Ethan just shrugged and called out Alice. The absolute protagonist of this series, she was like a visiting tourist this time, with no presence throughout. If Ethan hadn't suddenly called her, everyone might have forgotten that she was an Umbrella Corporation security officer.

"You have an Umbrella Corporation ID, so you can make the Red Queen answer the questions you want to know."

Ethan's words immediately made the bewildered Alice understand. What happened next was still similar to the original plot. With the help of projected demonstrations, everyone understood exactly what was being researched in the Hive and what had happened.

"So you cannot shut me down. That would release all the infected individuals I have contained."

The Red Queen used this sentence as her final summary. She had already known the mercenaries' purpose for coming and was prepared to kill all of them.

Unexpectedly, Ethan suddenly got involved, causing her plan to be completely derailed before it even began. She was now calculating whether Ethan had deliberately sabotaged her plan or if it was all a coincidence.

"Sorry, this is our mission. We must shut you down. However, for safety, perhaps we can come up with a proper solution."

Ethan had already thought of this, so as soon as James finished speaking, he immediately chimed in, "The solution is simple. The Red Queen cooperates with us to release the temporarily contained zombies little by little, and we will be responsible for completely eliminating them."

The Red Queen had already explained how to kill the zombies, simply and directly: a headshot.

There were only a few hundred researchers in the Hive at most. It seemed like a lot, but if the Red Queen cooperated and opened the rooms one by one, for the experienced mercenaries who already understood the situation, it would be not much more troublesome than target practice.

The most terrifying thing about zombies is people's lack of understanding of them, their horrifying numbers, and their contagiousness. Leaving contagiousness aside for a moment, even if someone unlucky got bitten, Ethan still had the Antiviral Serum in his hand.

The terrifying numbers could also be managed with the Red Queen's help, by opening one room at a time and releasing two or three. For areas where there were more concentrated numbers, like in the Elevator, they could maintain a safe distance first.

So, clearing out these zombies wasn't difficult. The key was whether the Red Queen would cooperate.

"Wait, I have another question... How did the virus leak?"

Alice thought of another aspect. If there was a continuous source of leakage, shouldn't they eliminate that hidden danger first? But the footage the Red Queen played next made everyone turn their attention to Spence.

Spence had already stealthily moved to the periphery of the crowd at this point. Upon hearing Alice's question, he immediately turned and ran. His memory had recovered earlier when the virus test footage was played, stimulated by the images. He had already realized the situation was extremely unfavorable for him and had been looking for an opportunity to escape.

Unfortunately, Ethan had been secretly watching this guy. He had only run a couple of steps when he felt something hit the back of his knee. His legs immediately gave way, and he fell face first with a solid thud.

The sudden event caught everyone off guard, but no one blamed Ethan. In fact, the two mercenaries closest to Spence even nodded at Ethan in thanks, then dragged the wailing Spence back. Getting hit by an arrow behind the knee wasn't much, but the fall had knocked out his front teeth directly. He looked a bit miserable with a bloody face.

However, after seeing the Red Queen's footage of what he had done, no one showed any sympathy for his plight. Everyone wished he would suffer more.

"So, this guy caused everything?"

The truth was revealed, and the culprit had been caught. It seemed like things were over? Ethan just gave a cold smirk and then poured cold water on the situation: "The truth? This is just the truth Umbrella wants you to see..."

He paused, feeling that saying it this way wasn't quite right.

"No, these so-called truths weren't even prepared for you. In Umbrella's plan, you were all dead people."

The Red Queen turned her gaze back to Ethan again. "Who exactly are you? You seem to know a lot."

"Of course, I know more than you think. For example, I know you originally intended to kill all of us using the laser emitters in the Main Control Room passage."

Everyone's attention was once again focused on the virtual projection. Seeing that the Red Queen not only didn't deny it but also asked Ethan how he knew, they once again suggested just shutting the Red Queen down. This AI was simply untrustworthy.

"If you shut her down, not to mention the pile of zombies that were researchers, how do you plan to eliminate the monsters in the B Dining Hall?"

Captain James was exasperated by Ethan's rhetorical question. The specific data on those monsters had also been released by the Red Queen earlier. Although those things weren't impossible to kill, they were extremely dangerous, and he didn't want all of his team members to die here.

"We should deal with those monsters first."

The B Dining Hall was not far away. If the Red Queen suddenly released those monsters, they might be completely wiped out if they were caught off guard.

"Red Queen, you should have a way to directly kill the frozen Lickers, right?"

The Red Queen still ignored Ethan. It was Alice who gave the command: "Answer his question!"

"Yes, I can." The Red Queen answered very quickly. What caught Ethan's attention during this exchange was the Red Queen's attitude towards Alice. It seems there's a restriction in the Red Queen's core programming that makes it obey Alice's commands.

"Red Queen, kill all the Lickers!"

Confirming Ethan's guess was Alice's next action. Almost the moment Alice made the request, the Red Queen complied.

"Alice, have the Red Queen take us to the lower level."

Now even the others noticed something was wrong. Although Alice was an Umbrella employee, she was just a security guard responsible for The Hive's main gate. To put it nicely, maybe a security manager; to put it bluntly, just a doorman.

Why would the central AI of The Hive obey Alice's commands?

Recalling Ethan's earlier statement, 'That's just the truth Umbrella wants you to know...', things seemed to be getting more complicated.

James was now facing a choice. Should he stick to his professional ethics, complete his mission, and ignore everything else?

Or should he continue to explore the truth?

While he was still hesitating, Ethan dropped an even bigger bomb: "If you can't make a decision, let Alice 'herself' talk to me."

Unfortunately, this time the Red Queen not only didn't respond to Alice's command, but it even disappeared directly. At the same time, besides the door leading to the Main Control Room which remained tightly shut, the door leading outside, which had been securely closed, suddenly opened on its own.

Everyone was a little stunned, only Ethan understood in an instant.

"Be careful, the Red Queen has released all the zombies."