You Have Been Conscripted

"Phew—"

William, dressed in a white T-shirt and blue jeans, raised his right hand to shield his head from the sunlight and blew out a breath.

"My God, it's really hot."

Minos Island was only four degrees away from the equator and had high temperatures all year round.

For a rich young man like William, who had been born at a high latitude, it was practically torture.

"I don't think it's that bad. This place is great~"

Halsey, standing nearby in a white camisole and denim shorts, was completely unaffected by the blazing sun.

Her face wore a pleasant expression, as if she were full of yearning and anticipation for the tropical island.

"You?"

William wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked the youthful, energetic female genius up and down.

Her current tanned skin could indeed effectively resist ultraviolet rays.

Moreover, ever since the Megan scandal, Halsey seemed to have started paying more attention to her appearance. From time to time, she would even show off her impressive figure in front of him.

Having such a beautiful "view" beside him was a good thing... probably?

Under the escort of Hunk and the other Alpha operators, the two arrived in front of the USS and UBCS waiting beneath the airfield.

The soldiers on the island were dressed in summer uniforms.

The USS wore black short-sleeved shirts and combat trousers...

They absorbed heat like crazy, but there was nothing to be done about it. The USS's overall style was gray and black.

The UBCS had it much better. They wore white-and-gray short-sleeved shirts with dark green combat trousers.

The soldiers' skin was also deeply tanned, creating a sharp contrast with the Alphas who had just gotten off the plane.

The USS officer at the front, wearing a black beret, came before William, saluted, and respectfully said:

"Allen Kent, commander and person in charge of Minos Island, reporting to you."

"Mm."

William stole a glance at the rank insignia on Kent's chest, then smiled and said, "Thanks for your hard work, Major.

"You've been waiting here for nothing for three months. Don't hold it against us, haha."

"No complaints, boss." Kent maintained his rigorous attitude as he said:

"During this time, my men and I have just finished drafting the training plan. Once those little Spartans adapt to the environment, we'll begin training."

"Not bad." William nodded in satisfaction.

He looked at the gathered Alpha operators and children, then calmly ordered Kent:

"All right, Major. Take us to the base's conference hall. It's time to let these children learn about their destiny."

"Yes, boss."

After saluting William, Kent had a group of soldiers stationed on the island escort William and the others to the conference hall inside the base.

Although the island's sand could not be directly used for concrete construction, how could the Umbrella Engineering Team be a bunch of freeloaders?

With Umbrella's powerful logistics department as well, the source of the building materials was settled in no time.

The Minos training base had clean concrete floors, sparing the cleanliness-obsessed William from an invasion of sand.

Inside the training base's conference hall;

The hall was distinctly black and white, with the Red and White Umbrella logo printed on the platform's floor tiles—a typical Umbrella-style interior.

William stood directly behind the lectern, while Halsey sat beside him on a chair that had been brought over.

Kent and several USS operators stood around the platform, guarding the safety of the two Olympus directors.

As for the fourteen children who had been secretly brought there, they sat scattered across the tiered seats, which could accommodate a hundred people. There was no order at all.

This had been Halsey's suggestion.

Rather than having soldiers order them to sit in neat rows, she had let the children choose their own seats.

Of the fourteen children, seven sat in the back, six were scattered around the middle, and only one sat at the very front.

That sole child was John.

Halsey was somewhat surprised to see that someone had actually dared to sit in the first row.

She then stretched out her left foot, having slipped off her sandal, and lightly tapped William's trouser leg with her big toe before whispering:

"All right, you can start your speech."

"Mm." William nodded slightly.

He looked at the group of bewildered children and said calmly, "You don't know why you were brought here, why Umbrella possesses military forces, or the answers to many other questions.

"You're allowed to ask one question now. I'll answer it depending on the circumstances.

"Go ahead. Ask."

After saying that, William looked at the children with a kind smile.

Halsey, sitting nearby, watched John intently, the corners of her lips slightly raised. She seemed certain that John would ask a question.

"Sir."

Sure enough.

The moment William finished speaking, John raised his hand and asked, "I want to know if you're going to do anything to hurt our parents?"

"Oh?" William asked with some interest, "You don't want to know why you were brought here?"

"No, sir, because you're going to tell us." John answered calmly.

"Child, you have courage." William was not surprised in the slightest by his response.

After all, the John of the future would become Umbrella's very own Master Chief.

William did not continue speaking. Instead, he activated the projector.

It began playing videos of the children's clones living happily with their biological parents.

After watching them, all the children, including John, were dumbfounded.

William gave them no time to react before saying in a deep voice:

"You should all be familiar with Dolly the cloned sheep. Those people who look exactly like you are your clones.

"In theory, you're people who shouldn't exist.

"Understand?"

After hearing those words,

some of the children began to sob quietly. A very small number had resentful glints in their eyes, while most remained confused and bewildered.

However, because of the USS glaring menacingly before them, the children did not dare to cry out loud, nor did they dare attempt to resist or escape.

The projection continued.

Next came combat footage from Athabasca, as well as footage of the grotesque and terrifying Safe Containment Objects.

After seeing the videos, the timid children all shut their eyes. Some even hid beneath the tables.

Only John dared to keep watching. Curiosity appeared on his tender face, along with a faint eagerness to fight them.

"Ahem!"

William cleared his throat and put on a deliberately stern expression as he said loudly, "You've all seen them. These monsters really exist.

"Didn't you want to know why you were brought here?

"Fine. I'll tell you.

"From this moment on, you've been conscripted into Umbrella!

"You'll undergo specialized military training!

"You'll be forged into the most powerful warriors to have ever existed!

"You'll become the Guardians of Earth and humanity!

"You...

"will be humanity's final line of defense.

"Major!"

"Yes." Taking the hint, Kent immediately ordered the USS, "Soldiers! Take these brats to see their dormitories!"

"Yes, Major."

The USS operators hurried forward one after another, each dragging a child out of the conference hall.

"No! Let me go home! Let me go home!"

"Mom... save me..."

"Don't touch me! Get away!"

The scene descended into chaos.

Before long, the once-raucous conference hall contained only Halsey and William.