Ambush

"We're doing just fine at the police department, we don't need a career change!"

Before Jill could respond, a guy with natural camouflage walked out from the corridor behind them.

"Peyton..." Jill whispered his name upon seeing him, though her peripheral vision remained fixed on Duncan.

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

Several snipers in the high-rise buildings near the hotel had their fingers tight on their triggers, aiming from multiple angles at the assassin with the decent stealth talent standing before Duncan.

Duncan was, after all, a high-profile public figure now; preventing assassination was the thing he needed to be most vigilant about in the Resident Evil world.

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

The black man, Peyton, who had appeared before them, was unaware of his situation; he just frowned slightly at Duncan, showing a hint of hostility and wariness.

"Haha!" Duncan chuckled. He didn't ignore the message in Peyton's words and said, "It's just an invitation. Umbrella Corporation is indeed very much in need of elites like your squad members. Many of our capture missions carry high risks, and we need stronger forces to protect the wealth of all mankind."

A smooth remark extinguished the irritation rising in Peyton's heart, but on certain matters, a man could not back down. "Oh! Mr. Duncan, thank you for your recognition of our squad. There are surely people in this world better than us who are willing to serve Umbrella Corporation. We love the Raccoon City Police Department, and compared to protecting Umbrella Corporation's assets, I prefer protecting the safety of the citizens. Thanks for the party tonight, Mr. Duncan. The captain needs Jill for something, so we'll be leaving now!"

Jill gave Duncan an apologetic smile and followed Peyton as he walked away.

After they were some distance from the balcony, Jill said to Peyton with a headache, "You were a bit too blunt. People like him won't like you talking like that."

"What does it matter to me if he likes it or not? If he dares to do anything..." Peyton acted as if he didn't care at all, and emboldened by the alcohol, he made a kicking motion. "I'll 'Boom' and kick his ass!"

"Shit, you idiot!" Jill laughed out loud, but she still felt a bit worried; wealthy and powerful people always had countless ways to deal with ordinary people.

On the balcony, Duncan downed the fruit wine he had brought out, turned to look at the street scene outside again, and didn't take Peyton's words to heart. Watching the sky begin to pale with the first light of dawn, he left the hotel without notifying anyone.

The purpose of this party had been achieved: he had boosted Umbrella's favorability within the Raccoon City Police Department.

Brainless villains always ignore the feelings of the little people, but in every world, the little people are the main components of society.

Returning to his villa, he slept until noon. After lunch, Duncan took a helicopter to check the construction progress of the industrial park outside Meimen Bridge.

From a high-altitude perspective, one could see a large construction site outside Meimen Bridge.

The Raccoon City crisis was already three months ago. After three months of non-stop construction, working in two shifts, the progress was gratifying.

The rectangular industrial park was more than half built. The central transfer hub, which was the important nexus connecting the two worlds, was circular with four entrances: north, south, east, and west.

Dump trucks were moving in and out, the internal structure should have been mostly completed, and many factory buildings near the transfer hub had already been erected.

Once the industrial park was completed, all the factory areas inside would serve the production of industrial robots and the Arc Reactor.

The current progress was already very fast. Tony had been working overtime to draw up the blueprints, and by now, he was likely manufacturing the mechanical parts for the robot assembly lines. Once the factory was built, they could just drive the equipment in, and the assembly line could be set up in less than ten days!

Stark Industries was busy, and Umbrella hadn't fallen behind either. Some conventional pharmaceutical production data and samples had already been handed over to Tony, and they were currently going through the procedures on that side.

Once the procedures were finished, Duncan would dismantle some older production lines and ship them to Marvel for Tony to sell for a while.

Umbrella had also begun to vigorously purchase the materials needed for the robot assembly lines, directly driving up global precious metal prices by quite a bit.

Just this work alone kept Duncan and Tony so busy they couldn't catch their breath, running around everywhere to negotiate business in person.

It wasn't that they couldn't send others, but certain people who felt they had status demanded that Duncan come in person to negotiate.

The public disclosure of Umbrella Corporation's information naturally included the industrial park below.

While this could reduce the prying eyes of hungry wolves toward Umbrella, it would also mean losing the information advantage, allowing some capitalists to see Umbrella's needs clearly and unite to gouge Umbrella.

This group of people was in the extreme minority; they basically had no dealings with Umbrella Corporation, and their businesses didn't overlap, which was why they dared to invite Duncan.

If it were companies that had business dealings with Umbrella, any attempt to make Duncan come over to talk would basically result in the termination of their partnership.

After checking the construction of the industrial park, Duncan was about to leave when his peripheral vision caught a white object flying in from below at an angle.

Boom!

A nearby escort helicopter was hit. Black smoke engulfed the aircraft, its wing snapped, and it tilted and spiraled downward.

Duncan was shocked. The pilot also spotted the attack and hurriedly adjusted the aircraft's angle.

The missile flying from below still hit the bottom of their helicopter. There wasn't an overly violent explosion, but the black and crimson flames from the explosives obscured the helicopter, and shrapnel pierced through, ricocheting inside the cabin.

The glass shattered completely. The helicopter pilot didn't have time to unbuckle his seatbelt and died in the missile attack.

Duncan wanted to save him but was powerless to do so; he could only open a portal and escape the helicopter alone.

In the top-floor laboratory of Stark Tower, a cabinet door storing materials was suddenly smashed open, and Duncan's disheveled figure knocked over a row of mobile toolboxes.

Tony, who was conducting an experiment, was so startled he threw the syringe in his hand, turning around to see Duncan crawling up from a pile of parts in the wreckage.

"Shit?!" Tony immediately dropped his work, pushed aside the rolling cart blocking his way, pulled Duncan up from the floor, and asked, "What are you doing... Huh? You're hurt! Jarvis, get a doctor here immediately!"

Duncan sat on the floor, still feeling lingering fear. He slammed the door of the tool cabinet shut and cursed without restraint, "The helicopter I was in was attacked! I guessed those hell-bound pigs wouldn't be able to hold back, but I didn't expect them to dare to make a move on my turf!"