Red Queen and the Stairway of the Sun (Part 2)

"Sir, this is all of Umbrella Corporation's current scientific research progress." Inside the West African Umbrella base, a massive computer screen displayed a vast amount of data—biology, pharmaceuticals, metal smelting, tempered glass reinforcement, and more—mostly high-tech products.

From this alone, it was clear that what Umbrella Corporation had released to the public wasn't even a tenth of its actual data.

In modern society, no single company could cover every business sector. Even Stark, when building his Iron Man suits, had to purchase various specialty metals from outside suppliers.

It wasn't that Stark couldn't develop those materials himself, but a person's energy was limited—he couldn't master everything.

The reason Umbrella Corporation researched all these fields was out of necessity. After all, their true focus was biochemical viruses. If they frequently purchased materials from outside, they would easily be discovered.

This was precisely why Umbrella Corporation had managed to stay so deeply hidden.

For example, metal smelting and tempered glass reinforcement were developed to contain test subjects. Umbrella's subsidiaries used an internally developed metal series called the TG Series.

The TG Series metal was secretly developed by Umbrella. It boasted extremely high strength while weighing at least half as much as other metals of the same grade.

It also had another crucial property: it could evade most metal detectors, allowing it to pass through customs without triggering X-ray scans. This metal had made a significant contribution to Umbrella's secrecy.

Then there was the reinforced glass. Unlike in some movies, where test subjects shattered reinforced glass in a few hits—something that might happen at other companies—it would never occur at Umbrella.

To handle Tyrant-series test subjects, Umbrella's reinforced glass was manufactured in-house, tested repeatedly, and then specially thickened during construction.

All of this stemmed from Umbrella's immense wealth. Some laboratories failed because of limited funds, forcing them to cut costs and scrimp.

If these technologies were released to the public, Umbrella's value would skyrocket. The TG Series metal alone could be used to manufacture weapons, vehicles, and aircraft.

To protect Umbrella—or rather, to further his own godhood plan—Spencer had exhausted every ounce of his energy. But unfortunately, heaven did not comply with his wishes, and his subordinates were all traitors.

Otherwise, relying on the T-Veronica Virus, Spencer might have lived much longer. The fifteen-year fusion period of the T-Veronica Virus was no great obstacle for him.

Whether it was freezing himself for fifteen years or replacing his organs for that long, he could manage it.

After all, even a certain drug lord had supported his daughter for fifteen years.

After leaving Spencer's castle, Shen Fei and Ada arrived at Wesker's secret base. Here, Wesker had stored the data, viruses, and the Red Queen obtained from Umbrella.

Using Wesker's identity, Shen Fei easily rewrote the Red Queen's underlying code and transferred control of her.

He also changed the Red Queen's voice to a girlish version—essentially a "Red Queen." For this, Ada looked at him with a rather strange expression.

At first, Shen Fei didn't understand what that look meant, but he figured it out later—it was the kind of look one gave a lolicon. He found it utterly speechless.

After spending a few days together, the two had grown somewhat familiar. Shen Fei asked Ada if she wanted to change jobs. After all, he was now a billionaire and could offer her a position.

But Ada refused.

Ada was a freelance agent, much like a mercenary—whoever paid, she worked for. At least, that was what Ada herself said. Whether it was true, Shen Fei didn't know, but based on what he knew, it probably was.

That wasn't the reason she refused, though. Her real reason was that she loved this kind of adventurous life, the thrill of walking on the edge of a blade. That was her biggest motivation for becoming an agent.

Ada was very similar to Black Widow, except Ada disliked too much restraint, which was why she hadn't joined S.H.I.E.L.D.

"No holographic imaging system. Looks like I'll have to ask Stark for one." Although the Red Queen was an intelligent system, to achieve the same effect as Iron Man's lab, a holographic imaging system was necessary.

"Taking all this back to New York won't be easy." Looking at the massive shipping container in front of her, Ada asked curiously.

For an intelligent system to fully unleash its capabilities, it required enormous hardware. Beneath Stark's mansion, Jarvis's servers were buried.

Similarly, the Red Queen's various devices, when combined, filled an entire container. This was just the standard configuration; additional performance required external equipment.

"Don't worry, this little problem won't stump me. You like adventure, right? This time, I'll show you what a real adventure is." The container issue was simple for Shen Fei—he could use Pym Particles. Although he had used up his previous supply and hadn't made new ones, he still had Pym Particle darts.

He had a good impression of Ada—one could even say he liked her—but he wasn't about to reveal all his secrets at once.

"It's just a primitive tribe." The place where the Stairway of the Sun appeared was a primitive tribe.

Though the world had entered modern society, primitive tribes still existed in some parts of Africa. In terms of governance, this was the most chaotic region.

Needless to say, just look at Wakanda—capable of creating camouflage force fields with advanced technology, yet their method of selecting a king was still so primitive.

Not to mention, their weapons made from Vibranium were primarily melee-based. A Vibranium hoe—could you believe it?

A detailed understanding of the Stairway of the Sun came from a book Ada had brought from the castle. It was this book that had led Spencer and the others to find the Stairway of the Sun.

Natural History Survey was the title. It was written by an explorer a century ago, documenting his expedition through Africa. The book comprised seventy-two volumes, recording in detail the geography, climate, animals, plants, minerals, population distribution, and customs of the regions he passed through.

However, because some of its content was too absurd, it wasn't taken as fact but rather as an adventure novel.

Coupled with political and wartime factors, the book was now virtually unavailable on the market.

Spencer had come across it because his family was a prominent European house, possessing a complete set of Natural History Survey. After reading the section on the Stairway of the Sun, the young Spencer grew curious. He then invited his then-young friend Edward and the biologist Marcus to go on an expedition, hoping to find this Stairway of the Sun.

In Natural History Survey, the Stairway of the Sun was described as a necessary step for a primitive tribe to select its king. Only those who ate the Stairway of the Sun and survived could become the tribe's ruler, gaining immense power, a lifespan of centuries, and invulnerability to weapons.

This was precisely why the book was dismissed as an adventure novel. To most people, someone possessing such abilities could only exist in fiction, not reality.

But Spencer and Edward were young and dreamers. They wanted this power. Later, they found the Stairway of the Sun there, extracted the Progenitor Virus from it, and that was the origin of Umbrella Corporation.

Shen Fei couldn't help but compare the Stairway of the Sun here to Wakanda's Heart-Shaped Herb—they had similar effects.

If that primitive tribe hadn't perished so early, perhaps it would have developed into a nation like Wakanda.

Viral antibodies were hereditary. For example, Wesker's son was naturally immune to the virus. These people had the lowest chance of failing when consuming the Stairway of the Sun.

"What is this?" Staring at the strange sight ahead—a shimmering, fragmented light floating in the air like countless shards of glass—Ada stopped in her tracks.

"An Anomaly Point."

What Natural History Survey didn't record was that the Stairway of the Sun wasn't a plant native to Earth. It was a plant growing inside a permanent Anomaly Point located in a cave within that primitive tribe's territory.