Alice didn't answer Duncan's question. Instead, she asked, "Shouldn't you tell me who you are first? Why should I answer your questions?"
Duncan had appeared out of nowhere, and his slightly commanding tone rubbed her the wrong way. She had never liked being told what to do.
Duncan paused, then nodded and introduced himself. "I'm Duncan, a shareholder in the Umbrella Corporation. If I remember correctly, you're an employee. Your ring may have proof of your identity."
Only then did Alice tuck the shotgun under her arm and free both hands to remove her ring. The gesture confirmed that she really had lost her memory.
The ring was fake, as was Alice's marriage. Engraved on its inner band was the message, "Protect the company's assets."
All of this seemed to confirm Duncan's story. Alice looked up and handed him the ring. "What you're saying sounds true, but why can't I remember any of it?"
"You probably can't remember because the defense mechanisms affected you. You inhaled anesthetic gas with side effects, so your memory should come back after a while."
Duncan took the ring. He didn't sound very confident; he wasn't sure when Alice would regain her memories, either.
Still, he knew that Alice was a very useful clone. Keeping her close as a bodyguard would be ideal.
"Since you haven't regained your memory yet, why don't you stay with me for now? Once you remember, I'll arrange a new job for you."
Alice froze for a long moment, like an old computer processing a complicated problem. At last, she gave him a clear answer. "All right."
Just like that, Duncan gained a capable subordinate. He then asked Alice a few more questions.
Alice had woken up in a hospital with no memory. She seemed to have suddenly passed out in the mansion, then someone had taken her to the hospital. She didn't know who had brought her there.
Alice could recall very little, so she wasn't able to offer Duncan much help.
Seeing that the sky was growing darker, Duncan didn't want to linger. He went to a nearby supermarket to grab some food, then returned to the warehouse.
Underground Hive Base.
Steve and the others were being attacked from all sides by the base. Three Special Operations Force teams had entered the Hive and were attacking them alongside the bioweapons lurking underground.
But Steve and his companions were no ordinary people. Each of them had exceptional skills.
Steve was a Super Soldier, with extraordinary combat abilities in both close-quarters and surprise engagements.
Natasha was even more formidable. Her spy skills gave her a greater advantage in an ambush inside such tight quarters.
As for Tony, he had money—and cutting-edge technology at his disposal. Once his scanning system was online, he could see through obstacles and lock onto targets. The enemy couldn't penetrate his armor, either; even a whole bundle of cluster bombs exploding in his face wouldn't leave a scratch.
In the end, all three Special Operations Force teams were wiped out. The bioweapons hadn't managed to hurt the trio at all.
Dr. Isaac, hiding in the Sanctuary, lost his composure and knocked over his wineglass. His usual calm was gone. Watching the three of them tear through his forces on the screen filled him with frustration and resentment.
Steve's shield wasn't particularly thick, yet it repeatedly stopped bursts from submachine guns and assault rifles. It had even withstood a bomb exploding at close range without showing the slightest damage!
Every punch and kick sent a person flying several meters.
When he threw his shield, it bounced off the wall instead of getting stuck in it. That made no sense at all!
And what kind of power source did that robot use, to keep fighting for half an hour straight?
Natasha looked the most normal of the three, but her skills were beyond anything an ordinary person could manage. Her agile movements and endless supply of gadgets made her just as effective against soldiers and Cerberus as the other two.
Tony and the others were almost at the room housing Red Queen's mainframe, yet Isaac's strongest backup, Nemesis, still hadn't arrived from Raccoon City General Hospital with his weapons!
Useless!
A bunch of useless fools!
When the last light representing a Special Operations Force soldier disappeared, Isaac hurled the whiskey on his desk away, venting his fury.
The plan should have been foolproof. Instead, a moment of carelessness had landed him in this mess, and he deeply regretted it.
Isaac's face grew darker as panic overtook him. He pulled two vials of green liquid from a hidden compartment in his desk drawer and set them on the desk...
This was America!
Bang!
Captain America's Free Fist smashed into the head of a Cerberus that had leapt out at him. Its hard skull cracked under the blow. The Cerberus hit the wall, then slid down to the floor under gravity. A little strange fluid seeped from around its bulging eye sockets.
"Is this the passage leading down?" Steve's heavy breathing came through his gas mask. The T-virus had made the bioweapons' defenses absurdly tough. Even he had to land a full-force blow to the head to kill them.
The constant punching was taking its toll, even on a Super Soldier.
Natasha was breathing even harder. The gas mask made it difficult to breathe, and they'd come all the way down the stairs to Level Seventeen. Just getting down here had nearly killed her, and she'd also had to watch out for bloodthirsty Cerberus lurking in the dark.
If those virus monsters bit or scratched her, the chance of dying without a vaccine was one hundred percent. This mission wasn't important enough to justify sacrificing her life. She didn't want to die here!
They had reached the lowest level of the Hive that was open to the public, where Red Queen's motherboard was located. They only needed to cross the glass corridor ahead to reach Red Queen's computer room.
Tony had hacked into the computers along the way and stolen more in-depth data. The small room beyond the corridor housed the elevator platform leading down. Taking it would bring them to the Sanctuary, their target.
"This must be the Laser Corridor Duncan mentioned. I've already gained control of Red Queen, but to be safe, we should take the passage beside it."
The only thing beside it was a steel-plated wall. The Laser Corridor was the only passage here.
A laser component popped out of Tony's wrist. He used its high-temperature beam to rapidly cut a hole in the metal wall beside them.
Through the hole, they saw the complex, enormous laser system hidden behind the wall.
Tony didn't hesitate. He smashed all the large components that emitted the lasers, rendering the Laser Corridor useless.
"We can go!" Once he'd confirmed that the laser system could no longer be used, Tony called for Steve and Natasha to follow and took the lead.
With another laser assembly, they cut a large hole in the metal wall. They had explored half of the Hive base.
Before you continue