An Attack

"We're doing just fine at the police department. We don't need to change jobs!"

Before Jill could respond, a naturally camouflaged man came down the hallway behind them...

"Peyton..." Jill murmured when she saw him, though the corner of her eye remained on Duncan.

Duncan turned to look at the man and made a cautionary gesture toward the balcony.

Several snipers in the high-rises near the hotel pressed their fingers against their triggers, aiming at the stealthy assassin in front of Duncan from several different angles.

Duncan was something of a public figure now. In the Resident Evil world, assassination was the thing he needed to be most wary of.

At least thirty professional bodyguards surrounded him to ensure his safety, so he could lead all of humanity toward evolution.

The Black man standing before them, Peyton, had no idea of his predicament. He merely frowned at Duncan, showing a hint of hostility and wariness.

"Heh!" Duncan chuckled. He hadn't overlooked the meaning behind Peyton's words. "It was just an invitation. Umbrella Corporation really is short on elite operatives like your team. Many of our capture missions are highly dangerous. We need greater strength to protect humanity's wealth."

The compliment soothed the anger welling up inside Peyton, but there were some things a man couldn't back down on. "Oh! Mr. Duncan, thank you for recognizing our team. There must be people in the world who are even more capable than us and willing to work for Umbrella Corporation. We love the Raccoon City Police Department. I'd rather protect the safety of the citizens than Umbrella's assets. Thank you very much for tonight's party, Mr. Duncan. Captain needs to talk to Jill, so we'll be leaving now!"

Jill gave Duncan an apologetic smile, then followed Peyton away.

Once they were a little farther from the balcony, Jill said to Peyton with a troubled look, "You were a little too blunt. People like them won't appreciate you talking that way."

"Who cares if he doesn't like it? If he dares to do anything..." Peyton looked completely unconcerned. Taking advantage of the alcohol, he even kicked out with his leg. "I'll 'Boom' him right in the ass!"

"Shit, you idiot!" Jill burst out laughing, though she was still worried. Rich and powerful people always had countless ways to deal with ordinary folks.

On the balcony, Duncan drained the fruit wine he'd brought with him, then turned back to the city streets below. He hadn't taken Peyton's words to heart. As the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon, he left the hotel without telling anyone.

He'd accomplished his purpose in throwing the party: boosting Umbrella's standing with the Raccoon City Police Department.

Villains without a brain never cared about the feelings of little people, but in every world, little people made up the bulk of society.

Back at the villa, Duncan slept until noon. After lunch, he took a helicopter to check on construction progress at the industrial park outside Meimen Bridge.

From above, he could see a vast construction site stretching beyond Meimen Bridge.

The Raccoon City crisis had happened three months ago. After three months of round-the-clock construction, with two shifts working in rotation, progress had been impressive.

More than half of the rectangular industrial park had already been built. At its very center stood the Transit Center, a circular structure with entrances to the east, south, west, and north—a vital hub connecting the two worlds.

Dump trucks came and went. The interior structure was probably already nearly complete, and quite a few factories had been erected nearby.

Once the industrial park was finished, all the facilities inside would be devoted to manufacturing industrial robots and Arc Reactors.

Progress was already incredibly fast. Tony had worked overtime to finish the designs, and was probably making the mechanical components for the robot assembly lines now. Once the factory was ready, they could drive everything inside and set up the assembly lines in less than ten days!

Stark Industries was busy, and Umbrella wasn't lagging behind. They'd already given Tony the production materials and samples for some standard medicines, and the paperwork was still being processed on his end.

Once it was all done, Duncan would take apart a few somewhat outdated production lines and ship them to Marvel, where Tony could sell the products for a while.

Umbrella had also begun purchasing materials for the robot assembly lines in earnest, pushing the price of precious metals around the world up by several dozen percent.

All this work had already kept Duncan and Tony so busy they could barely catch their breath. They had to rush around everywhere and negotiate deals in person.

It wasn't that they couldn't send someone else. It was just that certain people who thought highly of themselves insisted that Duncan come personally before they'd negotiate.

Umbrella Corporation's information was public, and that naturally included its industrial park.

This could reduce the prying eyes of hungry wolves watching Umbrella, but it would also cost them their informational advantage. Some capitalists would see what Umbrella needed and band together to fleece the company.

There were very few people like that. They generally had little to do with Umbrella, and their businesses didn't overlap, which was why they dared to invite Duncan.

Companies that did business with Umbrella and asked Duncan to come negotiate would usually end up having their partnerships cut off.

After looking over the industrial park's construction, Duncan was about to leave when he caught sight of a white object flying up from below and to the side.

Boom!

A nearby escort helicopter was hit. Black smoke engulfed it, and its rotor snapped as it lurched and began to fall.

Duncan was startled. The pilot had spotted the attack too and hurriedly adjusted the helicopter's angle.

The missile flying up from below still struck the underside of their helicopter. The explosion wasn't too intense, but black and red flames billowed out, obscuring the helicopter as shrapnel tore through it and ricocheted around the cabin.

The glass shattered. The pilot hadn't had time to unfasten his seat belt before the missile strike killed him.

Duncan wanted to save him, but there was nothing he could do. He could only open a portal and escape the helicopter alone.

In the top-floor laboratory of Stark Tower, the door of a storage cabinet was suddenly flung open. Duncan's battered figure crashed into a row of mobile tool chests.

Tony, who'd been working on an experiment, was startled into flinging the syringe from his hand. He turned and saw Duncan climbing out of a heap of parts and debris.

"Shit?!" Tony immediately put his work aside and shoved a trolley out of the way. He pulled Duncan to his feet and asked, "What are you doing... Hm? You're hurt! Jarvis, get a doctor in here, now!"

Still sitting on the floor, Duncan hadn't yet recovered from his fright. Furious, he slammed the cabinet door shut and swore without holding back. "The helicopter I was riding in was attacked! I knew those damned pigs would be unable to resist, but I never thought they'd dare make a move on my turf!"