Pandora's Box

The Selection Dungeon, a veritable "hodgepodge," wasn't solely home to Umbrella Corporation's virus research.

America's Blackwatch Troops subsidiary, Gentek Corporation, had secretly held the "Red Light Virus host" in Hope Town for years, developing a more controllable "Black Light Virus" and even creating super-soldiers through human modification—none of this was a secret among America's true upper echelons.

Other secret bioweapons labs, rising by feasting on Umbrella Corporation's legacy, had also achieved notable results.

For example: the special infected—Boomer, Hunter, Smoker, Charger, Spitter, Jocker, Witch, and Tank.

(For specific images, search: the eight special infected from the Left 4 Dead game series.)

Another example: the Middle East Research Institute, which developed a bioweapon virus surpassing the limits of human mobility (the Zombieland Saga series).

Unfortunately, none of these "research results" had even a little bit of effect on extending lifespan.

The powerful "Elder Vampires" naturally looked down on their "achievements."

As long as something remained within the realm of carbon-based lifeforms, it couldn't stir up much trouble in the face of information-based firepower saturation.

Thus, Meng Yi's "invitation to immortality" received widespread acclaim.

The "Elder Vampires," despairing in the face of death, saw a glimmer of dawn and rushed to throw themselves into Meng Yi's arms.

The Blackwatch Troops, armed with bioweapon modification tech and large-scale modern fire support, slaughtered every last mangled Infected on Raccoon City's surface—earthworms had to be sliced lengthwise, eggs shaken until the yolks broke.

Regular Zombies?

Precise headshots—get lost!

Special Infected?

Machine-gun suppression—get lost!

"B.O.W. Tyrant"? Lickers? Tank?

Tank main cannon saturation, missiles, rocket launchers carpeting the ground—get lost!

The hyper-efficient Blackwatch cleared a safe passage to the entrance of The Hive beneath Raccoon City, and the Underground Train Track was restored to service.

Without regard for cost or loss, they spent a fortune airlifting train materials and assembled them with extreme efficiency. This shows just how strong Blackwatch's execution was, and how the "Elder Vampires" couldn't wait.

Meng Yi slept a full day and night, but his drained mental energy still hadn't recovered.

Time waited for no one—the "Young Vampires" came knocking in groups, leaving Meng Yi no room to continue resting.

"Chairman Bai, representatives from twenty-seven consortiums, led by the Morgan Consortium, are waiting for you in the reception room."

Artificial Intelligence · Red Queen spoke with a soft intonation.

She was about to wake Meng Yi when his self-set "biological clock" rang first.

"Hmm. Let them keep waiting. They're the ones coming to us now."

"I'll wash up first. I'll see them in the reception room in half an hour."

Meng Yi's unfocused pupils sharpened. He raised a hand and rubbed hard at his dull, lusterless face, speaking flatly.

"Yes."

"Oh, and notify Alicia Marcus to go to the lab."

"Yes."

Getting up, showering, shaving, dressing—all in one smooth motion.

Aside from the bloodshot eyes and the lingering exhaustion, Meng Yi had restored his appearance from a week ago. Draped in a white coat, he entered the reception room.

After being left waiting for nearly half a day, the Young Vampires showed no anxiety or anger.

Instead, their faces were plastered with smiles as they warmly greeted "Chairman Bai." This shows how excellent their composure was.

True heirs of major financial conglomerates, educated in elite circles, might indulge in racing, partying with celebrities, or wild debauchery.

But they clearly knew who could be offended and who couldn't.

Moreover, before leaving, their elders had repeatedly warned and instructed them, so these Young Vampires dared not act out in front of Meng Yi.

Meng Yi nodded slightly, acknowledging the Young Vampires, then looked towards the pitch-black computer screens, meeting the gazes of the "Elder Vampires" hidden in the darkness.

"I'm not one for red tape or pleasantries—let's skip the formalities."

"I know why you're all here, and you know it even better."

Hearing this, the young capitalist jackals kept their mouths shut. From a speaker in front of one dark screen, an aged voice emanated.

"Chairman Bai gets straight to the point—good!"

"We're all busy, and we've paid no small price to get here."

"How does Chairman Bai plan to prove that he possesses 'life-extension technology'?"

At these words, heavy, rapid breaths emanated from many dark screens.

The Elder Vampires suppressed their urgency and waited patiently for Meng Yi's answer.

Another round of Firefly vs. Tyrant, or a Wesker clone vs. Tyrant "exhibition match"?

That couldn't happen.

The Elder Vampires wouldn't commit without seeing the goods.

If they couldn't witness "life extension and longevity" with their own eyes, the Young Vampires' current humility and courtesy toward Meng Yi would be met with the Elder Vampires' absolute, two-sided ruthlessness when they threw their punches.

Meng Yi shook his head with a faint smile and said with a flat intonation, "Doesn't matter. Let's go to the lab. I'll perform a surgery right now and let you all witness it with your own eyes. How about that?"

"Good!"

"Chairman Bai, that's generous!"

"Straightforward!"

"Let's do it!"

Twenty-seven Young Vampires disinfected, donned biohazard suits, and followed Meng Yi into the lab he'd used a few days ago.

Live-streaming equipment, routed through military satellites, transmitted the feed without delay to the Elder Vampires scattered across the land.

Meng Yi pointed at the old woman lying on the operating table and explained with a flat intonation, "Her name is Alicia Marcus. Most of you should know her father—one of the three founders of the Umbrella Corporation, James Marcus."

"That guy. I know a bit about him."

Someone answered.

"I heard Marcus's daughter had Progeria. Thought she was dead already, but it turns out she's still alive."

Someone revealed more inside information.

Meng Yi raised his palm, took the tool handed over by Dr. Isaacs, and strolled casually to the operating table.

"Alicia Marcus, suffering from Progeria, is only in her twenties, but her physical condition is nearly equivalent to someone in their seventies or eighties."

"Today, I'll cure this so-called 'Progeria' and let you all see how an old woman returns to her youth."

The Gene Modification surgery began.

The Young Vampires stood in a neat row, silent as scarecrows in a wheat field, with no one complaining of hardship or fatigue.

The Elder Vampires canceled their health regimens, their eyes fixed unblinkingly on Meng Yi's movements.

First time's awkward, second time's familiar.

With practice making perfect, Meng Yi performed the surgery a second time and completed it in just seventeen hours.

Fusing the castrated version of the "Longevity Gene Type 1," the loose, sagging skin of Alicia Marcus on the operating table became smooth and delicate, restoring her to her prime.

And she looked even younger than her actual twenty-seven years, appearing only seventeen or eighteen.

"I? This! Oh my god!"

"Uncle Bai, you! You..."

After the anesthesia wore off, the awakened Alicia exclaimed, breaking the seventeen-hour silence.

Meng Yi nodded, picked up a laser pointer, and aimed it at the real-time medical monitor displaying Alicia's physical state.

"Everyone, I know you can't read the data, and you don't have the patience for a long-winded explanation."

"To make a long story short, the relevant body data will be given to your juniors one copy each later. Take it back and have someone look it over slowly."

"Alicia Marcus has returned to her youth. Her cell telomeres have extended by a certain margin, raising her theoretical lifespan limit to two hundred years."

"!"

"Two hundred years!!"

"Oh my god!"

Having stayed awake for seventeen hours straight, the Elder Vampires should have been exhausted, but instead they were brimming with excitement.

Witnessing a miracle with their own eyes, they went completely wild!