A Classic Speech

Rumble!

The steel gates slowly closed under hydraulic pressure. Seeing the gates shut, the citizens gathered at the bridge instantly rioted.

They were agitated and confused, constantly pushing toward the gate and demanding to know why it was being closed.

Those with heightened emotions even threw items at the people standing on the perimeter wall. Natasha, dressed in a beige suit amidst a group of people in black, became a primary target. Several half-empty water bottles were thrown at her, though the aim was poor.

"Give me the microphone."

Seeing the agitated crowd below being held back by Umbrella Corporation security, Natasha beckoned the black captain for his microphone and shouted to the chaotic crowd below.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm! Umbrella Corporation will establish temporary shelters within the city. Please proceed in an orderly fashion under guidance, and we will dispatch combat personnel to accompany and protect your safety. Although I hate to cause panic, I must say..."

Natasha's words failed to calm the emotionally charged crowd below; they only responded with even louder voices, demanding to know why the gates were closed.

Their voices were loud, but they were ultimately no match for the loudspeaker.

"This crisis was caused by the intentional leakage of a virus from the underground Hive laboratory of Umbrella Corporation by corporate spies... The virus is highly pathogenic and spreads through bodily fluids. Those infected will turn into monsters with nothing but an appetite for flesh within 1 to 3 hours. There is no cure, and the mortality rate is one hundred percent. If you want to safely see tomorrow's sun, please be quiet immediately and listen to me finish!"

The volume of the loudspeaker could not suppress the rioting crowd, but the cold and cruel reality that followed chilled their agitated hearts, and they slowly fell silent.

They wanted to keep screaming, but the threat of a one-hundred-percent mortality rate was so high that it forced them to calm down and listen.

Although saying this would cause significant panic among the crowd, Natasha had no other choice. Once the crowd descended into chaos, the cost of restoring order would be far greater.

Seeing that the crowd below had quieted down out of fear, Natasha looked at them again and said, "The virus has a certain incubation period, so if any one of you gathered here is infected, it will cause a chain reaction. No one wants to see that happen, right!"

No one answered.

"Now, follow our instructions. The Umbrella Corporation security force will assist the NYPD in guiding everyone to shelters! We suggest you find the nearest hotel and isolate yourselves as much as possible, or return to your own homes. Those without a place to stay can go to the shelters we have opened. The locations are: Raccoon City Central Hospital, Raccoon City Umbrella Security Corporation campus, Raccoon City Stadium, Raccoon City High School..."

Under Natasha's rapid guidance, the Umbrella Corporation security force and the Raccoon City police reached an agreement to guide the citizens gathered on Meimen Bridge to evacuate.

Most people chose to follow the police and security to the shelters; only a small number dared to face the terrifying zombies to return home, and a small group stayed in nearby hotels.

Food and other daily necessities would be escorted to the shelters by Umbrella Corporation security personnel and then distributed by volunteers. Courageous volunteers could also take up weapons and form supply squads to collect resources within the city.

The hundreds of Umbrella Corporation security members guarding the walls were deployed into Raccoon City. Most were sent to clear out zombies, and some techniques for dealing with the undead were temporarily compiled and taught to every member.

Because of these techniques, the zombie clearing operation went quite smoothly.

Meanwhile, Tony was also searching for the two Lickers that had escaped the Hive.

With the assistance of the Red Queen, they quickly pinpointed the location of the two Lickers acting in tandem through surveillance. After escaping the Hive base, the two Lickers had quietly arrived at a church.

Tony flew not far above the church, and the sensors in his armor had already captured the Lickers resting on the rafters below.

At the same time, there were two other people in a room deep within the church. The sound of a man crying was amplified by the armor's sensors and transmitted to Tony's ears.

"Location sent. Bring the monster bus over; I'll go deal with them first."

Inside the armor's helmet, a small girl in red appeared. The virtual image of the Red Queen spoke: "Bertha Squad is heading to the church."

After gaining control of Umbrella Corporation, the artificial intelligence Red Queen naturally became one of their own. It was now using its computing power to coordinate and arrange the rescue and search in Raccoon City, fulfilling the role an artificial intelligence should have.

Tony controlled his armor to land in front of the church doors. Pushing them open, he quickly locked onto the two Lickers hiding in the dark corners of the church rafters.

The armor's propulsion system activated, and the battle between Tony and the two Lickers began...

Not long after, a six-person squad arrived at the church in a box truck. The corpses of the two Lickers were wrapped in large black bags, stuffed into the vehicle, and hauled away.

The situation in Raccoon City gradually stabilized under command and coordination. A large number of vehicles bearing the Umbrella Corporation logo, loaded with packaged food marked with the Umbrella icon, arrived at various shelters to distribute food to the citizens.

The original Umbrella Corporation still had many usable clone talents. These people did not know they were replicas, and seeing the company change hands did not bother them much; they began to work according to Duncan's arrangements.

First, they had to conduct extensive ideological work among the citizens and release some modified materials.

The tragic state of the innocent researchers killed by the Red Queen's containment measures in the Hive base had to be used to make a point. It might lead to accusations of inhumanity later, but it would make the carefully woven lies more realistic.

"The safety level of Umbrella Corporation's underground laboratory is the highest in the world. It is located 118 meters underground, and every researcher who enters signs various confidentiality agreements. Every researcher who enters the Hive base dedicates everything to life sciences!"

In the indoor gymnasium of Raccoon City High School, the fleeing citizens sat on the basketball court, their eyes fixed on the temporarily erected high platform, watching the bloody images on the screen, trembling in silence.

It was too tragic!

Without any blurring, the miserable state of all the deceased researchers in the underground Hive base was laid bare before the citizens, shocking their nerves.

A female staff member from the publicity department, wearing a T-shirt with the Umbrella logo, stood on the stage, waving her hands excitedly, her eyes full of tears and her performance full of emotion.

"The T-virus was originally a miraculous creation discovered by Umbrella Corporation. We researched it and successfully conquered countless terrible diseases that claimed lives, sparing billions from suffering! But the profits involved ultimately attracted the prying eyes of hungry wolves. Even the highest-security underground laboratory could not avoid the greedy hands of vermin reaching in!"

The speech, which had been excited to the point of near-madness, stopped abruptly here. The female staff member covered her eyes with her hands to wipe away tears, then said tremblingly, "My sister, Bernice Birkin, also worked in the laboratory... I'm sorry."

She continued to wipe her tears, while a photo of a female corpse soaking in water, bearing a resemblance to the staff member, appeared on the projection screen.

Some of the onlookers below were already crying silently, while others hung their heads in silence, all casting sympathetic gazes at the actress-level staff member.

The speech continued.

"She... she was the pride of our family. Being able to engage in life science research at Umbrella Corporation and deliver life-saving drugs to countless families ravaged by disease—I am proud of her. She is a hero in my heart! Everyone who sacrificed in this crisis was a hero to their own family. Let us observe three minutes of silence for those who sacrificed in this incident!"

The indoor basketball court, which had previously had some noisy children, became so quiet you could hear a pin drop as the staff member bowed her head.

At the same time, in several other shelters opened by Umbrella Corporation, the same silence was observed following the speeches.