A Diligent Performance

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to extend my sincere greetings to all the guests present at today's hearing. I believe today is special; this hearing is being broadcast live on television and is being held in conjunction with the United Nations. This is a first on a global scale and holds extraordinary historical significance."

On the podium, a refined middle-aged white man wearing gold-rimmed glasses spoke in a measured tone, drawing the venue into a solemn atmosphere.

Next came a series of introductions for the figures in attendance.

In the front row sat financial experts from Wall Street, former high-ranking officers from the U.S. military, public health experts from the UK, lawyers from France, and even a moderately famous science fiction novelist.

Susan and her team sat in a position that felt like the defendant's bench, forced to wait in agony until it was their turn to speak.

"The experts in this hall and everyone watching this hearing will ensure the impartiality of these proceedings. I now declare the meeting regarding the 'Umbrella Corporation Safety Crisis of several months ago' officially open!" After the chairman finished reading, he began to explain the Raccoon City incident to the public who were unaware of the truth.

Combining the evidence provided by Umbrella Corporation with the information they had investigated, and adding some embellishments, a five-minute video was played.

The content of the video was not much different from what Duncan wanted to convey to distance Umbrella from the incident, but it used a strange tone that made anyone watching instinctively feel that something was wrong.

Especially in the final part: "Out of humanitarianism, Umbrella Corporation is providing hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the victims." When the narrator, a female voice, read "hundreds of millions of dollars," her tone rose by several decibels, dripping with malice.

As soon as the video ended, the camera suspended by a robotic arm immediately zoomed in on the Umbrella team, as if trying to capture the guilty expression on each of their faces.

Fortunately, the Umbrella representatives attending the meeting were professionals. Susan remained calm on the surface, as she had already made up her mind to resign; whether Umbrella collapsed or not no longer mattered to someone like her who was planning to jump ship. She just needed to follow the process to the end.

After the video finished, the chairman on the podium looked down at his script and said, "As a massive multinational corporation, Umbrella Corporation bears an inescapable and significant responsibility. In the Raccoon City incident, we have seen the sense of responsibility Umbrella Corporation holds as a multinational giant, and we have also seen their desperate attempts to compensate for the lives lost. Therefore, the first topic of the meeting is: 'Safety'!

Now, I invite Mr. Lowell Leonard to speak."

From this sentence on, the tone of the hearing began to go off the rails.

Lowell Leonard, who stepped up to speak, was a public health expert from the UK. Because he only held the title of expert and a string of academic achievements without holding any public office, he was free to speak his mind.

As soon as he opened his mouth, he dealt everyone a heavy blow.

"How dare you!" The slightly portly health expert stood up and pointed directly at Susan to start his tirade. "Umbrella Corporation privately possesses extremely dangerous biological weapons! Not only did you conduct unauthorized research, but you also caused a leak. What a terrifying and irresponsible act this is! You didn't report it to the United Nations, nor did you invite international soldiers to be stationed at your research facility to provide security. You conducted research recklessly—how dare you!..."

Beep!

The phone Susan had placed on the table vibrated slightly. The Red Queen provided an action prompt: Interrupt the speech, clarify that the T-virus is not a biological weapon, reiterate Umbrella Corporation's people-oriented stance, and direct everyone to the official website to view the comparison between their virus research and that of other countries.

Knowing what to do, Susan pressed the microphone, attempting to interrupt the health expert's spittle-flying rant.

The button was pressed, but no sound traveled through the speakers to the hall. No matter how she tried, she could not activate the microphone connection.

Even the cameras around the room were no longer filming the Umbrella side; they were all focused on the health expert's expressive face.

After several failed attempts, a new prompt popped up on her phone: Remain silent.

The Red Queen had already analyzed the situation: almost everyone was targeting them. If they couldn't speak, they should remain silent and wait for the designated speaking phase to refute the claims. Surely they wouldn't be silenced during their own allotted time!

As it turned out, they absolutely could!

"Umbrella Corporation representative, please answer the question: Does Umbrella Corporation possess biochemical weapons?"

After the health expert had been ranting for half an hour, the UK representative provided a summary and posed the corresponding question.

"Ahem..." Susan pressed the microphone button and gave a tentative cough. This time, her voice successfully carried through the speakers across the hall. "The T-virus is not a biological weapon. We have converted the results of our research into..."

"Then why does the T-virus cause death, and why did it cause such serious consequences in Raccoon City!" The UK representative did not give Susan a chance to continue, raising his voice several decibels to cut her off.

Choked up, Susan looked at her phone screen and then replied, "The T-virus does not possess high pathogenicity after being processed. The Raccoon City incident..."

"It does not possess high pathogenicity? That means it is still harmful to the human body, is that correct!"

"Yes... but any..."

"Good! A biochemical weapon with high pathogenicity is still harmful to the human body even after processing. What is the purpose of Umbrella Corporation researching such dangerous biochemical weapons alone?" The UK representative slammed his wooden desk, glaring at Susan with his small eyes. His words couldn't just be described as sharp; they were absurd.

Even Susan, who had been pushed to the point of being indifferent, was so angry that she gritted her teeth.

Even the Red Queen was rendered speechless. The people who made the rules were the ones not following them, which made her, an artificial intelligence that followed rules, seem quite foolish.

Everyone at the scene was playing dumb. Even though they could see the Umbrella team raising their hands to request to speak, and even though the head of the public relations department demanded that staff check if the audio equipment was functioning properly, they insisted that there was no problem when there clearly was.

In the end, the whole group was filled with suppressed anger, yet they couldn't afford to lose their composure and do something "impolite," lest they be maliciously smeared.

Regardless, they were stuck in this conference hall, trapped on all sides. Speaking resulted in being interrupted, raising hands resulted in being ignored, and leaving would result in being accused. It seemed they could only silently endure the fabrications of these people.

"The meeting is suspended. Mr. Donald, please turn off your microphone."

Just as the group was performing with great fervor, the chairman sitting in the main seat suddenly spoke, interrupting the financial expert who was in the middle of his tirade.

Outside the conference hall, a sudden burst of rapid shutter sounds echoed. The doors were pushed open, and several middle-aged American congressmen rushed into the venue, surrounding a young man, followed by a swarm of media reporters like a cloud of insects.

Duncan walked into the conference hall with steady strides, scanning everyone in the room. The aura he exuded made some people in the hall feel as if their breathing had become constricted.

"Sorry, I'm late!"

The smiles vanished from the faces of those in the gallery who had been watching the show. The feeling of seeing Duncan and his team again was like a roller coaster that had just reached the peak of the sky suddenly plummeting to the bottom. They felt lightheaded from panic, and even the act of swallowing became difficult.