Agreement

The negotiations in the conference room continued.

"Control of the ground buildings?"

After hearing Leon's proposal, Dr. Melpha raised an eyebrow and spoke:

"As far as I know, the CDC's ground buildings are mainly exhibition halls, with a reception hall, an office area, an underground parking lot, and a public cafeteria responsible for visitors' dining needs."

"They're all common decorative structures. In times like these, what use are they?"

Leon shook his head slightly, looking into the female doctor's eyes, a faint smile on his face.

"Don't underestimate them, Dr. Melpha. You've overlooked an important detail."

"As America's top research institution, the Atlanta CDC is a key national protection target. Not just the underground research facility, but even the exhibition halls, underground parking lot, and public cafeteria on the ground all have protective measures that ordinary buildings can't match."

"It's like a large military fortress."

"Before entering here, I already observed it in advance."

"All the exterior glass of this building uses advanced, high-strength bulletproof glass."

"Only close-range high-explosive bombs, tank shells, or heavy weapons like rocket launchers can shatter it. Ordinary gunfire is useless against it."

"It looks like there's little defense here, but there are only two real entrances and exits: the main door of the exhibition hall and the underground parking lot."

"And both of those places are fitted with heavy armored bulletproof doors."

"So, as long as the doors are closed, for zombies that can only use their teeth, this place is an impregnable fortress."

Leon was pleasantly surprised by this; the situation here was even better than he had expected.

Just today, he had not only rescued the genius researcher Dr. Melpha but also found an incredibly sturdy fortress base—it was practically a dream start.

"Do you mean to let the people outside live here?"

Dr. Melpha bit her lower lip and squinted as she asked: "There are no separate rooms on the ground, no beds for resting. They're empty and exposed, not suitable for ordinary people to live in."

Leon waved his hand dismissively.

"Doctor, I know the conditions up there are very basic, but compared to the wild where you could die at any moment, it's safe enough up there. It's connected to the water and power supply below, so you can use hot water and appliances. Just those two points alone make it a paradise."

"Besides, basic conditions aren't a big deal. As long as we humans still have our hands, we can create everything we need."

"In a world like this, as long as you can survive safely, what more could you ask for?"

Dr. Melpha lowered her head slightly, not agreeing to Leon's terms. She was silent for dozens of seconds, then spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice:

"There's something I originally planned to tell you later."

"But since you intend to set up the settlement here, I think you should know about it now."

"Please go ahead, Dr. Melpha. I'm listening."

Leon thought for a moment and could roughly guess what Dr. Melpha was about to tell him.

Huh!

Dr. Melpha let out a breath, exchanged a glance with her husband, who had been silent all along, then looked into Leon's eyes, observing his expression, and spoke with some difficulty:

"Mr. Castor, the truth is, after the zombie virus spread across the world, all of us humans have already been infected."

"Among us, some people are killed by the virus in the very first stage and mutate into zombies. Some are eroded by the virus, their bodies gradually weaken, and then they're killed by the virus and turn into zombies."

"The last group of people look exactly the same as before, and the virus doesn't affect their daily lives. But when they die, the virus immediately takes over their brains and turns them into zombies."

"Every human still alive is a carrier of the zombie virus."

After Dr. Melpha finished speaking, the entire conference room fell silent.

Dr. Jenner reached out and held his wife's hand, glancing uneasily at Leon.

Leon's face showed no reaction. He picked up the coffee on the table, took a sip, and said calmly:

Heh, I knew it was this.

"Is that so?"

"That's about what I thought."

"You... you already knew!"

Both Dr. Melpha and her husband were very surprised.

Heh, I know more than you think.

Leon grinned and spoke:

"You might not realize this."

"The outside world is more chaotic and dangerous than you imagine."

"In the past month, I've seen countless dead people. Some died by accident, some were killed by zombies, and some were killed by humans."

"But without exception, they all got back up."

"From that point on, I roughly guessed it."

Listening to his account, Dr. Melpha was silent for another dozen seconds before finally speaking again:

"In that case, our agreement can be finalized."

Dr. Melpha's voice was solemn and grave. She stood up and extended her right hand toward Leon.

"Mr. Leon Castor, all surface building control rights go to you. You can share our electricity, water, food, and all other resources. I will seriously consider any request you make."

"But at the same time, you must ensure the normal operation of the CDC, guarantee our research progress, and meet every condition required for the institute's experiments."

"This is not a cooperation of interests."

"This is a promise."

"For the hope of humanity."

Leon's expression also turned serious. He stood up, extended his right hand, and shook Dr. Melpha's.

"Thank you for your trust."

"I will do everything I can."

"For the hope of humanity."

--

The next day, June 11th.

After reaching the agreement with Dr. Melpha, Leon suddenly felt a bit lost, as if he had no immediate goal.

Although the CDC urgently needed diesel and gasoline to generate electricity, they could still hold out for about another month. This matter didn't seem as pressing as he had initially thought—it wasn't Leon's top priority.

The task that needed to be completed most right now wasn't that.

After thinking it over, Leon concluded that, indeed, it had to be recruiting talent.

He was alone right now. No matter what he did, he would be hampered. One person's efficiency was too low to handle any major projects.

But recruiting talent wasn't an easy thing either.

Based on his past life's understanding and the memories of the original Mr. Leon, Americans valued personal rights like human rights and freedom the most. They weren't easy to manage.

They'd go on strike at the drop of a hat and stage protests every few days.

For the sake of these things, they might even fight you to the death.

So managing talent was a technical skill.

Everything is hard at the start. He was just a young man in his twenties—how could he convince others to submit to his management?

He wasn't a high-ranking official, a king, or a president. He didn't have the authority to rule over others.

As he thought, Leon suddenly slapped himself.

Damn it, I'm here to save people, not to beg them. Why do I have to put myself in such a lowly position?

I've been a wage slave for too long; my spine can't even straighten up anymore.

Things that come easily are never cherished. For something like this, people have to come begging you before they'll be willing.

With that shift in thinking, Leon's inspiration gushed forth. All kinds of great ideas flashed through his mind.

He rushed into the ground base's office area and found a computer.

Power on, type, print—all in one smooth motion.

Gradually, a stack of unique doomsday recruitment notices appeared in Leon's hands.

A smile tugged at his lips. A problem that had troubled him for a long time was finally solved.

Leon decided to start his own venture, to become the Boss himself, turning all the humans in this world into his employees, his harvest.

He decided to control the survivors in the form of a company, making them join him in protecting themselves and protecting humanity.

Since my name is Leon Castor, let's just call my company the Umbrella Corporation.

Humanity's umbrella—that's not bad either.