Jill

This special banquet was just meant to boost goodwill, laying the groundwork for recruiting an interdimensional vanguard from the police in the future.

The police were closer to everyday life than the military, while still packing a punch. When exploring new worlds, they could gather more leads if they encountered a modern society like the Marvel Universe.

Rather than training people, it was better to recruit them directly. Duncan thought the squad formed by the Raccoon City Police Department was excellent. They were even stronger in combat than the ordinary soldiers trained by the Umbrella Security Company. The squad had been assembled by the chief of the Raccoon City Police Department to fulfill a dream he'd had in his youth, and every member was an elite.

Most importantly, the squad members had spotless backgrounds. As long as he could talk them around, their loyalty wouldn't be a problem.

He'd originally planned to use Clone Soldiers, but their combat ability and ability to adapt in the field had both suffered considerably due to cost-cutting.

The Clone army in Star Wars, with its hundreds of thousands of Clone Soldiers, consisted of people who had truly lived through the entire process of growing from embryos to children and then adults. Their education was real, and their skills were committed to muscle memory.

But Umbrella Corporation's Clones were rapidly matured with the T-virus and then implanted with partial memories. Their combat ability wasn't very good, and whenever they had to handle problems that called for flexibility, they became rigid and unimaginative.

They even had to spend some time thinking before they could answer simple addition problems with numbers under a hundred. They could only be used as scouts and cannon fodder.

Precisely cultivated Clones required two to three years to raise. At that rate, he might as well use ordinary people who'd already received training.

After exchanging business compliments with the police chief, Duncan walked to the center of the hall and, as was customary, delivered a few opening remarks for the party.

Holding up the glass of wine in his hand, he took a deep breath. Facing the police officers who had fallen silent, he said, "Tonight, forget your worries and let loose! You're the vanguard protecting the citizens of Raccoon City. Tonight, you're the stars!"

The sound system in the banquet hall started up. The soft lighting gave way to flashing colored lights, and the music playing was all from the Marvel Universe—music that had never appeared in Resident Evil.

Taking a page from Tony's many parties, Duncan watched as the officers, who'd been a little reserved at first, gradually loosened up under the influence of music and alcohol. They quickly started joking around with their colleagues.

Americans were always especially devoted to parties and banquets. Some people might not like loud music, but once they were immersed in the atmosphere, few could avoid being swept up in it.

Duncan stayed in a corner of the hall, leaving them to enjoy themselves. He was one of the few who disliked noisy places, and his presence would only make the officers feel uncomfortable.

Dancing, music, and alcohol—the three ingredients of happiness.

The officers sampled everything. The top DJ brought in from New York knew exactly how to control the mood, keeping them immersed in the party atmosphere.

At one point, the police chief noticed Duncan standing all alone in a corner, drinking by himself. Perhaps worried that Duncan was unhappy, he came over and dragged him into a bit of dancing and conversation.

Duncan humored the police chief for a while, then made an excuse to use the bathroom and escaped. When he returned to the hall, someone had taken the spot where he'd been standing. It was a woman.

Jill raised her glass to Duncan and took a sip of wine before smiling faintly.

In truth, she was deeply reluctant. The chief had sent her, the department's leading beauty, to keep the benefactor company. He hadn't said it outright, but he'd made his intentions clear enough. His hints disgusted her.

But she had no choice but to go along with it. Being a police officer was a great job, and she didn't want to lose it.

Jill Valentine. Duncan had always thought she possessed a wild beauty, like a leopardess you'd be wise not to provoke.

Although she was smiling, Duncan could see the strain and reluctance beneath it. Perhaps the chief had been trying to be clever.

Since she'd been sent his way, he couldn't very well turn her down. It was a good chance to try talking her into joining Umbrella Corporation.

Duncan walked over to Jill, picked up a glass of wine from the table, and gestured for them to clink glasses.

Clink!

The faint collision of their glasses barely registered over the cheerful music filling the hall.

They drained their glasses.

Duncan shouted his name: "Duncan!"

"Jill! Jill Valentine!" Jill gave her name too, then added, "Thanks for the party. We're all having a great time tonight!"

The music was too loud, making this a terrible place to talk. Duncan looked at Jill, jerked his thumb toward a small door behind him, and shouted, "Want to step outside for some air?"

Jill considered it. From the corner of her eye, she saw her teammate Peyton watching them. He made a discreet hand signal, and only then did she agree to step outside.

Duncan, who'd never received any professional training, didn't notice Jill's little gesture. Even if he had, he wouldn't have thought anything of it.

The two left the party together and walked out to the hotel balcony. They set their glasses down on a small table without having finished their drinks.

Many people liked to chat and enjoy the breeze on hotel balconies, so hotels provided small tables and chairs there.

Away from the noisy party, Duncan and Jill stood on the balcony and let the breeze wash over them. The low-alcohol fruit wine still left a faint warmth in their veins, and as their bodies began to radiate heat, the nighttime breeze felt even more pleasant.

Looking out at the lights that still shone across Raccoon City, Duncan broke the ice. "Did you enjoy the party tonight?"

Jill, enjoying the faint chill of the evening breeze, hadn't forgotten the chief's instructions to keep their benefactor happy. She smiled and teased him, "If I say I enjoyed it, will there be another party this good?"

"There's never too much partying, because a party means life is peaceful. Peace depends on stability, and peace and stability together make happiness. Nobody wants that simple happiness to end." Duncan spoke in a thoughtful tone, his words concealing a question that invited her to ask more.

The angler's bait sank into the water. Jill was like a fish taking the hook: her professional instincts and ever-present wariness compelled her to ask, "I don't quite understand. Who wouldn't want a peaceful life?"

The fish had taken the bait. Let out the line gently; there was no need to rush.

Duncan shook his head and took a deep breath, then exhaled. His thoughtful tone changed, and he looked at Jill with a smile. "Let's talk business. Would you be interested in working for Umbrella Corporation? Umbrella is desperately short of security officers with sufficient professional expertise. To prevent the last crisis from happening again, we need a more mature security team!"

The application to recruit more security personnel had already been approved jointly. Umbrella Corporation was a multinational monopoly, so any expansion of its armed security forces had to be approved by the relevant departments in each country.

The preliminary review had just been approved two days ago. Umbrella Corporation's limit on the number of armed personnel it could employ had been raised from one hundred thousand to one hundred and fifty thousand.