William's Night

William sat on the floor, waiting for the progress bar to finish, muttering incessantly: Hurry up, hurry up!

His heart was filled with an anxiety he had never felt before; even during his first job as a green youth, he hadn't been this nervous.

Why was that?

Because of a person or a thing?

After the progress bar reached the halfway point, William's mood miraculously calmed down.

He turned his head to look out the window, peering through the high-rises along the street to see the bustling crowds in the central plaza and the lights that were gradually illuminating the night.

His mind seemed to be malfunctioning; the microcomputer in his hand no longer felt heavy, and the act of breathing felt as if it had detached from his physical control, his soul leaving his body to peer into the essence of things.

What about Umbrella Corporation?

The old Umbrella Corporation was no different from any other capitalist enterprise, but the current Umbrella Corporation, under the arbitrary rule of its present leader, had become less evil.

Employees who used to only slack off and complain were now full of smiles, and those who had once clamored to resign suddenly felt proud of their status as Umbrella Corporation employees.

The citizens no longer held prejudices against Umbrella Corporation; on the contrary, they grew to love the company more and more, loving the changes it brought to their lives.

No matter how one looked at it, everything Umbrella Corporation was doing now was changing things for the better.

So, what was the point of what he was doing?

The colorful lights carried the beauty of life and the happiness of the citizens, and what he was doing seemed to be destroying that very happiness.

If Umbrella Corporation failed in the end, Janice might never see such a golden age...

Why did I think of her?

William suddenly snapped out of it and shook his head, but he couldn't shake off the thoughts that were disturbing his mind.

"William?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice called his name.

William's heart skipped a beat. He turned his head immediately and saw Janice standing under the dim yellow light, wearing a dress and staring at him with a look of confusion.

When did she get here?!

Janice had accidentally spotted William in the plaza and, thinking he had changed his mind, wanted to find him.

She hadn't caught up to him, but she had followed him all the way into the company and witnessed this scene.

Janice's gaze swept over the microcomputer in William's hands, seeing the data storage device and the cable connected to the office host. She didn't jump to any dark conclusions, only asking in confusion, "I saw you in the plaza just now and thought you were coming to our date... What are you doing right now?"

"I'm handling some work matters and repairing this computer." Having overcome his initial panic, William used his solid professional skills to fabricate a reason, attempting to muddle through.

Janice was an ordinary woman who didn't understand electronic components, so she easily believed William's words.

However, things did not develop in William's favor. Seven or eight large men in suits with earpieces suddenly rushed into the entrance of the procurement department office, holding tasers and quickly surrounding the two of them.

"Hands up!"

"Keep your hands where we can see them, now!"

"Stand up!"

The thunderous roars shook Janice, leaving her dazed. She instinctively raised her hands, looking at William subconsciously, only to see a bitter smile on his face.

William dropped the microcomputer and raised his hands in surrender as ordered. He had been discovered; as expected, there was no way to bypass Umbrella Corporation's security system.

The ones who had come to arrest the corporate spy were several of Duncan's old acquaintances: Rob, Bark, Kevin, and Snow, who had traveled with him to the Marvel world, plus two clone security guards.

They knew quite a bit; after leaving the Security Force, they had joined Umbrella's exclusive intelligence department, specializing in spy screening and apprehension.

Today was their first operation, and they had successfully captured a big fish who had been lurking for five years, which made them all very excited. They quickly tied William's hands behind his back and searched him, finding only a phone and a wallet.

Janice, who was standing nearby with her hands raised, was ignored. Realizing this, she quickly lowered her hands.

Seeing William captured, she said anxiously, "Wait, why are you arresting him? He was just helping to fix a computer... right?"

To avoid damaging the image Umbrella had worked so hard to build, Kevin explained to the anxious Janice, "He is a corporate spy. We have absolute evidence, and we are now arresting him to hand him over to the police. If you have any questions, you can check the internal forum announcements later. If you're still worried, I have audio evidence right here!"

Hearing that the William she liked was actually a corporate spy, Janice's mind went blank with a bang, and she stared blankly at William, whose hands were tied behind his back.

Seeing the dull look in Janice's eyes, the latter actually felt a bit better and nodded silently.

The moment he became a corporate spy, he had already prepared himself to be discovered and sent to prison. Even in prison, as long as he had money, he could live quite well, so he wasn't very afraid.

But now, facing Janice's gradually disappointed gaze, William's heart didn't feel as calm as he had imagined.

"I never expected that the first corporate spy exposed by the company would be Mr. William, who has worked here for five years!"

A young voice came from the entrance of the procurement department.

Everyone turned around, stunned.

The person who had arrived was Duncan, who had just received the news and happened to be passing by on his way down from the president's office to see what the commotion was about.

His arrival made the backs of Bark and the others straighten even more, and it also made Janice temporarily forget the shock of William being a corporate spy.

"Relax, today is a special day."

Duncan walked into the procurement office, patted Bark and the others on the shoulder, nodded with a smile at Janice, and finally looked at William, who stood with his hands tied behind his back like a defeated rooster.

"Although the data you were attempting to steal isn't of critical importance, this behavior is still illegal, so you will still need to go to prison and reflect on your actions... However, thank you for the five years you've dedicated to the Umbrella Corporation!"

Hearing these words, William lowered his head even further. Thinking of the current Umbrella Corporation, and then of Janice by his side, he couldn't help but feel regret.

He regretted continuing with the mission.

He could have simply stayed at the Umbrella Corporation and worked until retirement without a care in the world.

If he hadn't done this, he could have been with Janice and lived a peaceful life with a clear conscience.

There were so many reasons, yet it wasn't until he felt regret that he realized the money no longer seemed that important!

Beside him, Janice's eyes turned red. The thought of pleading for William vanished, and she whispered, "William, reflect well while you're in prison."

William looked up and locked eyes with Janice.

Watching the scene of their unrequited love, Duncan clapped his hands, interrupting their eye contact, and laughed, "A night in prison won't make a difference, let's go, let's watch the opening ceremony together."

William turned his head in shock to look at Duncan. He had assumed he wouldn't have the chance to see the opening ceremony, but he never expected to have the opportunity after all. His heart filled with even more regret as he lowered his head and said to both of them, "I'm sorry..."