'Cargo'

Time: February 6, 2007, late night.

Location: Manhattan Island, New York.

Southwest corner of Central Park, one of the suites in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

The camera angle is in front of a giant floor-to-ceiling window, offering a perfect view of the New York nightscape.

"Swish—" The sound of water from the shower in the bathroom echoes from the room.

Shortly after, the sound of running water stops abruptly, and the lights in the room are turned on by someone.

The reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window shows William, wearing a bathrobe, his physique much more robust than six months ago.

After a refreshing hot shower, William walks around the spacious bedroom and sits on the sofa in front of the TV.

"Hoo—"

Much of the fatigue has been relieved.

He picks up the wine glass on the low table, pours some red wine, swirls it, and takes a sip.

Then, he looks forward, watching the dark screen and falling into thought.

The reason the Athabasca Protocol was smoothly signed was not solely due to Umbrella's substantial assets or its dedicated containment force.

There was another important factor.

Russell.

This surname held considerable influence in Europe.

If he had transmigrated as an unknown nobody, no matter how much money he had, he would only be seen as a nouveau riche in the eyes of various countries.

Historical ties ensured strong support from Commonwealth nations, and the accession of smaller countries with weaker military strength meant that even if the USA wanted to object, they wouldn't dare to incur public wrath.

After all, William's intentions were clear:

"If any country has a difficult Containment Object, I'll help you solve it, free of charge."

"If the cooperation is pleasant, I'll even invest a bit to boost your economy."

"It's a win-win for everyone."

For most countries worldwide, this was a good thing.

For the USA, which craved hegemony, especially in its most powerful state ever, Umbrella was essentially a 'competitor'.

But now that a common enemy of all humanity had appeared, the USA had to take it seriously. Moreover, the USA also had the famous Area 51 in Nevada.

Therefore, the signing of the Athabasca Protocol was a natural progression.

As for dispatching experienced UBCS to train special forces in various countries, William saw no reason to refuse.

No matter how much they learned, the UBCS's expertise in dealing with humanoid creatures would not be revealed.

Umbrella's primary method for dealing with Containment Objects was technology that surpassed the current era.

Before those weapons were gradually revealed to various countries, he needed an absolute 'deterrent'.

A deterrent wasn't as simple as nuclear weapons; William needed something like an aircraft carrier that could give his troops global combat capability.

If they had to respond to a suddenly appearing special Containment Object, or if the containment force encountered a powerful enemy, reinforcements could arrive within minutes.

William didn't consider conventional aircraft carriers; the USA wouldn't allow him to purchase them anyway.

Guns, planes, tanks, even missiles – the USA wouldn't say much.

But aircraft carriers were strategic weapons. One must remember that the USA's current military standing was supported by carrier-centric fleets.

The moment William dared to ask to buy or build one, the USA would undoubtedly obstruct him both openly and covertly.

If pushed too far, the USA would become adept at tearing up agreements.

Available for purchase, but impossible to obtain.

Fortunately, the aircraft carrier William needed was an 'Aerospace Carrier'.

That is, a carrier powered by Nuclear Fusion, capable of breaking free from gravitational constraints and traveling into space.

The concept of a global force was the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, or for short...

ODST.

Or Helljumpers.

As soon as Troy Base was completed, William had instructed Wang Zhaofeng to lead an engineering team to one of Canada's northernmost provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Due to the area's remoteness, the Umbrella engineering team established a secret base there, stockpiling vast amounts of materials and equipment.

This was in anticipation of the day Halsey might have a flash of inspiration and realize the Aerospace Carrier technology.

Coincidentally, after drawing Herendine not long ago, the base could finally be activated ahead of schedule.

After the long and tedious United Nations General Assembly concluded, William did not choose to return to Halifax City.

Instead, he planned to stay in New York for a few nights.

After all, according to Marvel's "tradition," and as the benefactor who saved Marvel from the brink of bankruptcy.

William had been invited by the head of the film and television department to make a cameo appearance at the filming location of "Iron Man" a month ago.

But William was busy dealing with a pile of things back then, how could he have the leisure to film?

Now that the first anomaly had been contained, all departments were running smoothly.

Halsey also mentioned that she was debugging the latest individual soldier systems for UBCS and USS, and it was expected to be completed in three days.

Roughly calculating, William did have a few days of free time.

So, he decided to visit Marvel's headquarters and see how the comics about the settings for the UBCS and USS forces were progressing.

If there were any good ideas, he wouldn't mind investing some money to stir things up.

A "ding-dong" knock came from the door.

"Hmm?"

Interrupted from his thoughts, William stood up, walked out of the bedroom, and into the living room, asking with some confusion:

"Hunk, is there something at this late hour?"

"Boss, there's cargo delivery at the door," Hunk's voice came from outside.

"Cargo?" William was even more confused.

"Click-" The sound of the door opening.

Immediately after, the double doors of the presidential suite were opened.

Hunk and several Alpha members were standing behind the door, and in the center of this group...

was a 'lady' wearing a white dress.

???

The floors above and below William's suite had all been booked by him for Hunk and the other Alphas to stay in.

As for the USS sent by Andre, they were hidden near the hotel, secretly ensuring safety.

Although the USA would absolutely not allow any accidents to happen to William on American soil, the Alphas still wouldn't let their guard down.

But how did this woman get through layers of security?

Rewinding a few minutes;

Outside William's suite door, four Alpha members were on duty.

The room directly opposite was converted by an Alpha into a temporary monitoring room.

Several laptop computers were placed in the living room, their screens displaying various corners of William's suite, leaving no blind spots.

One computer even showed William's physical details.

In fact, several months ago, Halsey's special chip had been implanted in William's body.

This chip could monitor physiological conditions, locate him, and perform other functions 24/7.

Hunk and several Alpha members were sitting here, monitoring.

Suddenly, an Alpha member wearing headphones stood up and said to Hunk in a deep voice:

"Lieutenant, the USS downstairs wants to send up a piece of cargo."

"Cargo? Al..."

"Beep-beep-"

Just as Hunk was about to order everyone to be vigilant, a notification sound rang from a computer directly connected to Troy Base.

The communication was connected.

Andre's figure appeared on the computer screen.

"Colonel!"

Seeing the old, sturdy man, the Alpha members, who had been sitting in a relaxed posture, all stood up and saluted.

"At ease, soldiers."

"Yes!"

"Lieutenant." Andre, on the screen, looked at Hunk and asked:

"How is the boss's condition? Has he fallen asleep?"

"Reporting, Colonel, the boss has not yet gone to bed."

"Hmm, very good. You sign for the cargo and deliver it to the boss."