Blackwatch: Shit!

Over a hundred capitalist nations across Blue Star Civilization were home to thousands of financial conglomerates, some overt, some hidden, some large, some small.

These "monsters," tightly bound together by wealth, power, bloodlines, and other ties, were the true Behind-the-Scenes Chess Players of the capitalist system.

To name a few familiar ones: America's Morgan, Rockefeller, First Citi, Mellon, Texas...

From energy, military industry, healthcare, and aerospace to food, clothing, housing, transportation, daily necessities, news media, and the internet, the "free" public had every aspect of their lives arranged by these "monsters" monopolizing their respective industries, from birth to death.

America's "Son" conglomerates could only be described as insignificant compared to their "Biological Father."

The Umbrella Corporation had once been one of those "monsters." Even after its dissolution, it still retained considerable influence.

Thousands of capitalist jackals used satellite networks to spread the confidential information from the Umbrella meeting, racking their brains to deploy every rhetorical trick they knew and invite fellow capitalist jackals onto their cake-dividing war chariot.

No one was stupid, least of all the conglomerates that had risen through the bloody consumption of capital.

The sun still rose in the east and set in the west. The world seemed so peaceful.

After three days and three nights of fermenting, the apex predators had discussed and verified the matter from every angle, and finally could no longer suppress their desire for the extraordinary and for immortality.

A clandestine online meeting was convened without a sound.

The participants were almost all elderly people on the verge of death. Even the youngest was over seventy.

Their skin was covered in decaying spots and wrinkles, and IV drips were commonplace.

"Cough cough!!"

After an extremely violent fit of coughing, an old man propped up his skeletal body on one elbow. Greed and ferocity rose in his cloudy eyes as he cracked the dry corner of his mouth and said, "What do you all think about that video file and the claims made by those 'lobbyists'?"

"After verification from multiple sources, there are no signs that the video file was artificially fabricated."

From the darkness came an equally aged voice through an audio device in front of a monitor.

What followed was a long silence.

Finally, someone said, "Our Eastern rivals have an old saying: Better Safe Than Sorry."

Like greedy, cunning Evil Demons escaping Avici Hell, someone made a proposal.

"The Umbrella Corporation is already out of the game. Why don't we go all the way and take their results for ourselves?"

"Impossible!"

Someone immediately rejected it. "Take them? Even if we successfully recovered the technology before the Umbrella Corporation destroyed it, How long would it take to turn that technology into actual results? Would you dare gamble on that?!"

The capitalist jackal who had made the proposal Sighed. "Ah. That's right. I can't afford to gamble, and none of us can."

"We've grown old in the end. Not only have our bodies aged, but our mindsets have become decayed and wavering as well. We no longer possess the decisiveness of our prime."

For a time, all the Dry Bones in a Grave attending the meeting felt the same.

"Bang—!!"

Someone smashed an object in fury, and the crisp sound of porcelain striking the floor interrupted their reminiscence.

"If it wants benefits, give them to it!"

"If it wants status, give it status!"

"If it wants power, give it power!"

"I just want to live! I just want to live!"

"Those useless fools received our help and stood on the Umbrella Corporation's shoulders, yet after all this time, they still haven't produced any results!"

"Just as expected! Just as expected! Only the Umbrella Corporation! Only the Umbrella Corporation!"

"Cough cough cough cough cough—!"

His aged body could not bear such intense emotions. The old man's violent coughs sounded as if they might tear his lungs out, forcing him to lie back down on the hospital bed.

"Phew— Even if we really plan to kill the donkey after it has done its work, we have to enjoy the results first!"

"Agreed."

"Seconded."

"Yes."

"Then it's settled!"

By this point, the meeting had reached a consensus on the general direction.

"What do you all think of that 'Chairman Bai'?"

"That probably isn't his real name. He turned the tide when the building was about to collapse and saved the Umbrella Corporation from disaster. He's a man with schemes, methods, and talent. Perhaps we can truly win him over as one of us."

Would curing their illnesses and appropriately extending their lifespans satisfy these people?

No! Far from it! They would only become even greedier.

The capitalist jackals understood well that scientists were the core driving force behind technological breakthroughs.

Chairman Bai had exposed his possession of extraordinary technology. The people who least wanted Chairman Bai to die were precisely those before him.

No matter what Chairman Bai's identity had been before, his position as the Umbrella Corporation's Spokesperson was now completely confirmed.

Someone echoed the sentiment, then changed the subject and continued, "Hmm, then it's settled. What about the Blackwatch Troops surrounding Raccoon City?"

Several old men who monopolized the military industry sneered. "They're just a bunch of grunts."

"Before withdrawing, let's put Blackwatch to proper use and have them clear out the remaining Infected in Raccoon City."

"First, it will show some muscle to our 'new friend.' Second, it can be considered an indirect gesture of goodwill. Third, we can't possibly go personally to that virus-ravaged Gu Raising Field, can we?"

As soon as those words fell, they drew widespread agreement.

"Old friends, you've thought it through as always."

"It's a Small Matter. As long as a person is alive, they have family, friends, and needs. Only 'gods' have no weaknesses."

A military-industrial tycoon said indifferently.

At their age, they had long grown tired of such hypocritical flattery.

Now, they wanted only health, longevity, and supernatural power!

"We'll have to trouble you gentlemen with rehabilitating our Umbrella Corporation's 'new friend,' then?"

"It is only right."

"No problem."

"A Small Matter."

Several true behind-the-scenes masterminds of "media empires," people of lower status and weaker influence who had been fortunate enough to attend this meeting, accepted the task.

"Who will handle stirring up the Law Department to amend the relevant laws and help our new friend resolve this 'tiny' inconvenience?"

"I will."

"Then we'll leave it to you, old friend."

Someone asked, someone answered. Their casual tone made it sound as relaxed and arbitrary as asking what to eat for dinner.

"Then we'll end things here today. In three days, we'll Dispatched some well-behaved and obedient younger members of our families to make a personal trip to Raccoon City. We'll continue watching through the network then and decide our next move."

"Three days? Fine. Then I'll pay a price and tell the military people to work faster."

Outside Raccoon City in western America, Blackwatch Troops headquarters.

The general in charge of the Blackwatch Troops hung up the phone, his expression as dark as water.

"Shit!!"

"Those brainless pigs squatting in their positions! Those filthy, greedy vampires!"

The general erupted in fury, cursing as he vented his rage.

After a Long Time, once the commotion in the command headquarters had died down, the adjutant Opened the door and walked in.

"General, has a new order come down from above?"

The general's face was flushed red with anger, veins bulging on his neck. His hand gripped the edge of the desk tightly as he said through Gritted Teeth, "We have two days and two nights. We are permitted to use all heavy firepower except high-pollution weapons. At all costs, wipe out every Infected in Raccoon City."

"Shit!! The ones who issued the lockdown order were them. The ones who deployed the experimental virus were them. And now the ones declaring a full-scale cleanup are still them!"

"They change orders morning and night. They simply don't give a damn about the lives of the fine young men Under His Command!"

If that were all, the Blackwatch general would not have been this furious. He could have simply obeyed the order and That's It.

The main issue was the tone those "vampires" used when conveying the order.

For example: "You frontline soldiers only need to fight and kill. We have far more troublesome matters to consider in the rear..."

And another example: "If even one Infected slips through, then we'll see each other in military court."