William's Day

As Raccoon City changed with each passing day, the once peaceful city gradually grew restless again.

A large number of migrant workers flooded into Raccoon City. Umbrella Corporation was here, and it promised steady jobs and basic housing to all migrant workers who passed its identity checks and had no bad habits.

Most of these workers were ordinary people with hopes for a better life, but among them were also a few with ulterior motives.

The most outrageous incident happened on the sixth day of the gun buyback program, when the Raccoon City Police Department cracked a major gunrunning case.

The smugglers sold guns to Raccoon City residents for twice their value, and the residents then took the guns to the buyback sites to pocket the difference of three.

When Duncan heard about it, he was dumbfounded. He immediately told the police department that this behavior had to be dealt with harshly.

All the residents who had profited from the price difference had their benefits revoked, including free education, medical care, water, and electricity. Umbrella's lawyers would seek additional prison time for the gunrunners.

After several harsh crackdowns, the residents who liked to game the system finally settled down a little.

The checkpoints became more meticulous in screening people's identities. But no matter how meticulous they were, they couldn't stop many determined people, much less the spies who had infiltrated Umbrella long ago.

In a corner of the Umbrella building's cafeteria, a man with neatly combed hair and a small mustache on his upper lip ate quietly with his head down. Behind his black-framed glasses, his eyes kept sweeping over the employees eating elsewhere, and he couldn't help falling into thought.

"William, may I sit here?" A young blonde woman suddenly came over with a tray and sat down across from him.

William looked up and saw a smiling face that wasn't stunning, but was pleasant to look at. He stopped chewing and nodded, speaking indistinctly. "Of course. No one's sitting here."

At that, the woman set down her tray and sat down across from William without hesitation. Seeing his eyes dart away—or perhaps noticing that he was looking at the people around them as they ate—she glanced around too and sighed. "Things are pretty nice now, aren't they? Getting a job at Umbrella keeps you busy, but at least the work isn't tedious."

"...Yeah, it's pretty good." William lowered his head and kept eating his mashed potatoes, his manner neither warm nor cold. His persona was that of a good-natured man who was quiet and bad at socializing.

The woman wasn't put off by William's attitude. She propped her chin on one hand and poked at her salad with the fork in the other, staring without blinking at William as he kept his head down and ate.

Even William, with his excellent professional training, felt his scalp prickle under that intense gaze. He picked up his cup to drink and glanced across the table, only to meet her smiling eyes.

"Cough... cough! Sorry..."

He wiped the water from his face with a napkin, somewhat flustered. In the end, he couldn't withstand her gaze and stiffly asked, "Janice, is there something you need my help with?"

He kept praying inwardly: Please don't let it be anything troublesome. Please don't let it be anything troublesome!

Janice smiled. "The New Century opening event is happening in the city center tonight. Would you like to go with me? I heard they'll have the world's first holographic GG Billboard, plus lots of tech exhibits. You'd probably like that, wouldn't you?"

The New Century opening event was Umbrella Corporation's response to the public. It was also an open exhibition, a grand occasion for sharing information with the public.

At the commercial plaza in the city center, Umbrella Corporation would show off the company's core products of the future for everyone to see. The confirmed exhibits included a gigantic holographic GG Billboard, projecting an image fifteen meters tall.

The futuristic, giant holographic GG Billboard would also become a landmark in the city, much like the GG Billboard in New York's Times Square, and a popular spot for tourists to take pictures.

William's heart stirred. He really wanted to see the opening event for this new era, but he had a reason he couldn't go.

After struggling with himself for a while, William avoided Janice's hopeful gaze and answered stiffly, "Sorry, I have something to do tonight, so I can't go..."

Even without looking at Janice's expression, he could feel her deep disappointment. His heart gave a painful twinge.

"That's a shame..." Janice said, understandingly, which only made William feel worse.

After hurriedly finishing lunch, William fled the cafeteria.

Because of the evening exhibition, Umbrella Corporation was letting employees leave early that day, giving them plenty of time.

After returning home, William lay on his bed for a while. His mood only began to settle as dusk approached.

He got up from the bed, his eyes bloodshot. The years he'd spent working at Umbrella Corporation had nearly worn down his exceptional professional skills.

He hadn't used to be so sentimental. Whenever he had the chance, he would strike.

He'd already decided to finish one last job, then retire and go back home. But now that it was time to act, he was facing the biggest crisis of his life.

In the bathroom, William silently stared at the man in the mirror.

To be honest, he wasn't young anymore. At thirty-two, his face already showed plenty of rough lines. Even with regular skin care, his complexion had grown dull. That only strengthened his resolve to retire as soon as he finished this job.

"After tonight, I'll take the money and go back to Sweden! You can do this!"

After giving himself a pep talk, William went into his room, changed into fresh clothes, picked up his computer and storage device, and waited quietly for the evening's opening event.

The opening ceremony's warm-up activities began as scheduled, and the city's residents were drawn to them.

William opened his eyes, carrying the tools of his trade beneath his trench coat, and headed for the now-closed Umbrella building.

He deliberately took side streets, avoiding all the surveillance cameras.

The Umbrella building stood in the center of Raccoon City. William tried his best to avoid the crowds, but he still couldn't avoid passing by the central plaza.

He had a keen interest in electronic gadgets, and he gazed at the plaza with curiosity. Neon lights bathed the crowd below in a dazzling array of colors.

Everyone seemed to be smiling. He saw a sense of vitality in the scene.

The opening event hadn't begun yet, so he couldn't see any of the high-tech exhibits.

Only after he had passed the plaza along its edge did he come back to himself and leave the ordinary-looking scene behind. Then, his mood low, he slipped into the Umbrella building.

Using his employee credentials, along with the excuse that he'd left something behind and come back to get it, he entered the building and naturally took the elevator to his floor.

The purchasing department.

William worked in the purchasing department. With five years of seniority, even if the staff on duty spotted him as he returned to the building, they wouldn't suspect him.

With the entire city focused on the New Century opening event, his movements went especially smoothly.

William opened the door to the purchasing department's office area, went to his workstation by the window, and sat down. Then he took the miniature computer from beneath his trench coat.

He connected it to the main computer with a cable and turned it on. Using the miniature computer as a relay, he transferred the purchasing data he'd prepared earlier that day onto the storage device.