A Journey Alone

"Alright, let's set off then."

Henry had just gotten up when Alice stopped him. "No, I'll go by myself."

Henry, who had just straightened up, paused, staring blankly at Alice. This woman, who had just left that Hell city, was pointing to the Mecha hanging in the Mecha -suit area nearby. "If you wear that, you'll be too conspicuous."

"Actually, you could wear less conspicuous gear..." Henry didn't say this aloud, but instead brought up the favor he owed. "Don't you need my help?"

Pointing to the map of Umbrella on the screen, Alice said firmly, "You've already helped. And I have a feeling that I'll have to find this journey myself."

Is this some kind of journey to find one's roots? Henry certainly didn't object to the suggestion that would save him some trouble. Otherwise, he would still have to take care of the elderly on East 49th Street and coordinate with Alice's actions; if a conflict arose between the two, it would be troublesome.

However, having only partially repaid the favor, Henry felt uneasy. "Then... do you need some equipment, funding, or logistical support?"

Henry walked straight to the edge of the Mecha area and displayed a cryogenically preserved wire mesh suit. "This is a reinforcement suit that enhances the wearer's mobility and protects against bullets of a certain caliber."

"Materialized with shape-memory metal, it has a certain degree of elasticity and is easy to put on and take off. More importantly, this enhanced suit can block body heat, allowing the wearer to become invisible in thermal imaging cameras."

"Some super soldiers tried the old version and gave it a good review. Although some flaws were pointed out, these have been addressed in this new enhanced version of the suit."

Even the most hands-on person wouldn't reject a good set of equipment and tools. So Alice, with the look of a curious child, went up to examine the close-fitting enhanced suit, and even touched it herself. The cool, smooth touch of silk had none of the stiffness of "metal." When she cupped it in her hand, the sleeves slid down her back like water.

Henry watched Alice's amazed expression with satisfaction and continued to explain the advantages of the enhanced suit. "The entire suit weighs only two hundred grams, which is quite light. It's not much different from ordinary light summer clothing."

"It doesn't absorb water, and it's quite easy to wash. Just rub it a few times in a basin, and the dirt will be gone. Then hang it to dry for an hour or two. Even if you don't let it dry, just shake it off and you can wear it directly without any problem. It won't feel damp."

"Furthermore, based on feedback from the previous user, I added a zipper closure at the crotch for easier access to the restroom. It's much more convenient than having to figure out how to remove the entire suit while in the bathroom. It's incredibly frustrating when you're in a rush and can't tear it off."

"This new enhanced suit also features a degree of camouflage. It can simulate natural skin tone and also use Optical Camouflage for invisibility. However, without the camouflage and gloves, this invisibility function can look quite frightening."

Henry went on and on about the practicality of the suit, but Alice only focused on one point. "You mean this enhanced suit is bulletproof? Really?"

Without much explanation, Henry simply took a Semi-automatic pistol and a rifle from the armory beside him, one firing 9mm round-nosed bullets and the other 7.62mm pointed rifle bullets, and placed them in front of Alice. "Try them yourself."

"How far should we stand?" Alice asked because the standard distance for testing bulletproof equipment is generally fifteen meters. The closer the distance, the greater the power of the bullet, and sometimes inferior bulletproof equipment can be penetrated, failing to demonstrate its bulletproof effect.

Henry waved his hand. "Suit yourself, you can shoot at close range if you want."

Without a word, Alice picked up her pistol and fired! The distance to the enhanced suit was less than a hand's width. At that distance, let alone hitting a human body, even hitting a concrete wall would leave a dent.

Alice was certain the pistol's power was not an issue based on the recoil she felt. However, when the bullet struck the reinforced suit, which was simply hanging there without any support, it didn't even generate enough force to make it bounce back up. It was as if the bullet's kinetic energy was simply absorbed.

Stunned and skeptical, Alice switched to a rifle this time. Three shots were fired in quick succession, but the enhanced suit only swayed slightly, like a gentle breeze. "What's the principle behind this? It's amazing!"

"This is an application of Isu Energy Technology from the First Era, primarily deflecting kinetic energy. It disperses the kinetic energy of a bullet hitting the enhanced suit outwards, reducing its destructive power."

"Lower! No wonder you said that it can't defend against anything above a certain caliber."

"What If...? you encounter 12.7mm heavy machine gun bullets like those from a.50 caliber machine gun, this reinforced suit, while offering some protection, won't completely shield you from harm. Forget about weapons like RPGs. As for grenades, that's a matter of luck."

"Can I try?" Alice asked eagerly.

"Go change in the changing room," Henry said, pointing towards the bathroom. The changing room was on the outside, also with a door separating it from the outside.

Alice excitedly grabbed the enhancement suit and ran to the changing room. A moment later, she came out wearing only the suit. The elastic metallic fibers made the suit cling tightly to the curves of her body.

Although her nipples weren't prominent, her fit and healthy physique in her early twenties was so enticing that her curves alone were enough to make anyone drool.

Alice, dressed in her enhanced suit, is quite different from Alexei. That super soldier of the Red Empire was already adept at wielding superhuman strength, while Alice only briefly used the power enhanced by the T-virus when fighting the Nemesis.

However, having also been affected by the Antiviral Serum, the T-virus in her body had long been cleared, and she had regained normal physical abilities. Now, wearing the enhanced suit, she felt that unusual surge of energy throughout her body, as if it could erupt at any moment.

Henry noticed the strange expression on Alice's face. "This enhancement suit can roughly double your muscle strength. It's not that you can't go even higher, but because your bones, ligaments, muscles, and other tissues are still the same."

"If the strength increase is too great, it can cause injuries such as fractures, ligament tears, or muscle strains. But even with only a doubling of the strength, improper exertion can still lead to self-injury. So you need to train yourself to get used to it and learn to control it." Alice, who had been quite satisfied with her appearance, looked at herself from left to right, then suddenly looked at Henry with a strange expression. "You like seeing women like this? Is that why your clothes are designed to be so form-fitting?"

The Kryptonian, upon hearing this, covered his head in speechless disbelief. "Big sister, these are undergarments; of course you need to wear other clothes on top. Who told you to run around dressed like this?"

"But if we use that Optical Camouflage stealth feature, wouldn't that mean we can't wear anything on the outside?"

"Well, that's true. But simulating skin tone and Optical Camouflage serve the same function, just different uses. I was just mentioning it; I didn't mean you should actually wear that around everywhere."

Henry then produced two more machines, each about the size of a toaster. "These are new Support Mech that can be used as reconnaissance aircraft, security escorts, and information advisors. They can also act as master keys to hack into electronic devices."

"You can use it to infiltrate when you're conducting reconnaissance work without exposing yourself. I think it's very practical; otherwise, if the Umbrella Corporation knows what you're doing, they'll be on guard and might even shift their focus."

"There are many more functions inside, which you can search for yourself later. There are two types: floating and land-based. The floating type has Optical Camouflage capabilities, and it's best not to use it in front of people."

"Land-based ones have fewer restrictions; to outsiders, they're like electronic toys. But their applicability isn't as good as floating ones. Which one do you want to use?"

The floating type is actually a new form inherited from the Little Duck and Sparrow Drone, while the land type is inspired by the Spider-Mech. Its functions far exceed those of the old machines that were built before.

Judging from Alice's difficult choice, she doesn't seem to be considering functional aspects, but rather which look she prefers...