The Showcase

The New Century opening ceremony was even livelier than the streets at Christmas. There were not only crowds of curious onlookers, but also a large group of reporters covering the event live.

As 8:00 p.m. drew closer, the crowd at the venue grew more and more excited, and people began streaming toward the central square.

At the central square in Raccoon City, colorful lights hung high overhead. The crowd buzzed with chatter as they waited to see the various high-tech exhibits Umbrella Corporation would unveil at the opening ceremony.

As the hour approached, the television stations that had arrived in Raccoon City early had already begun their live broadcasts from designated positions.

At 7:30 p.m., staff members wearing armbands bearing Umbrella's logo entered the venue and began restoring order.

By 7:45 p.m., order had been restored. The citizens allowed to attend had all surrendered their firearms and voluntarily undergone inspections. They were generally well-behaved, and no one resisted following the rules.

Precisely at 7:59 p.m., soothing music began playing from speakers hidden on the streetlights around the square.

At the same time, four small flying devices emerged from the buildings surrounding the square, glowing pale blue as they flew over the crowd. Combined with the surround-sound effects from the speakers, they drew the attention of even those in the somewhat unruly crowd.

The citizens watched the four little devices in astonishment. They thought they were marvelous, but a small flying object was not enough to truly impress them.

Only a few people noticed that the four devices had no propellers at all. They stared at them without blinking.

After circling for a minute, the four round flying devices arrived above the white cloth covering the enormous holographic billboard. The time had just reached eight o'clock.

The four small devices lifted the cloth, sending it soaring into the sky. The enormous holographic billboard hidden beneath it was revealed to everyone in the square.

The holographic billboard was a metal disc one meter tall and three meters in diameter. Its exterior was covered in intricate, precision-fitted decorations, with fine blue bands of light connecting one node to the next. The disc was everything people imagined a creation of the future might be.

Even though it was all decoration, and the lights were only there to catch the eye, the citizens couldn't help exclaiming in amazement at the billboard's appearance.

Ding!

A crisp metallic chime rang out. The holographic projection activated, casting Umbrella's red-and-white umbrella logo ten meters above the center of the square. The crowd immediately erupted in cheers and shrieks.

The logo hovering in midair spun twice, then vanished. A neat, square block appeared on the holographic screen in its place.

All four sides of the block were screens. Duncan's miniature figure appeared inside, walking as the camera followed his steps.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the New Century opening ceremony!"

Duncan delivered the opening speech on the screen, then smiled and said, "Our technology has continued to innovate and advance. Over the past few centuries, we have experienced the First and Second Industrial Revolutions.

"In modern times, we are undergoing the Third Industrial Revolution, driven by technologies such as nuclear energy, electronic computers, space technology, and bioengineering."

As Duncan began speaking on the holographic screen, the noisy crowd gradually fell silent.

"The Third Industrial Revolution has brought humanity not only a better life, but richer entertainment and more ways to share information... We can see the sights of the world without ever leaving home, simply by exploring the vast ocean of the internet! The conveniences the Third Industrial Revolution has brought to our lives are so numerous that we can easily take them for granted. But it has also had some subtle effects on the world."

The square projection vanished, replaced by the image of a disheveled Middle Eastern woman slumped behind a bullet-pocked wall, holding a little girl in her arms.

Because the image used holographic technology, the woman and the girl seemed to stand in three dimensions beyond the frame. The scene rotated once, then gradually shrank according to the principle of perspective, revealing soldiers exchanging fire with armed men wearing headscarves behind the wall. Apart from their guns, the fighters had no other equipment.

The image wasn't frozen; it played in slow motion.

The muzzle flash, slowed down and rendered through holographic technology, was astonishingly lifelike. The anguish on the soldiers' faces and the bewilderment in their eyes moved the audience, while the tears and fear in the armed men's eyes left them deeply unsettled.

A bullet pierced one of the armed men. Blood sprayed out and spattered on the ground.

The scene disappeared, and the square image returned.

"Unequal access to resources and endless greed have caused countless killings. You are fortunate. Even now, conflict has not disappeared from this world, and you live in a place that is at least relatively peaceful."

Duncan's expression turned utterly solemn. "There's no denying that Umbrella Corporation has also profited from war. Our company's military division has supplied soldiers with a great deal of weaponry and medicine. But that was never the reason Umbrella was founded."

In a high-rise building near the square, Duncan stood by a window with Bark and the others. The spy they had just captured was there with them.

William and Janice looked at Duncan, who stood ramrod straight, his eyes fixed on the square without a blink. The smile on his face gave no hint of what he was feeling.

Admitting that the company had profited from war was an indirect jab at certain capitalists who instigated conflicts abroad. It was a bold move, a clear challenge to global capital!

How bold! What nerve!

Was Umbrella Corporation arrogant, or confident?

At the square, the prerecorded program continued to play.

"Umbrella was founded to rid the world of disease, war, and famine. Our former chairman, Dr. Isaacs, was deeply concerned about humanity's future and tried to find a way to restore Earth's ecosystem. Sadly, he died in the Raccoon City crisis..."

Duncan on the holographic screen changed his tone. "But now! After a series of reforms, Umbrella has decided to take an entirely different path. We have drawn up many long-term development plans, and we are willing to sacrifice all our profits to help humanity move toward a brighter age! A new century is about to begin, and Umbrella Corporation will surely usher in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and spread it across the world. We will pursue humanity's noble and beautiful ideals and build a peaceful, wonderful world!"

Bang!

A punch shattered the square projection casing. Duncan's life-sized figure shifted from a flat, two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional one, appearing in midair. Holographic steps guided him down until he stood atop the one-meter-high holographic device, pointing skyward.

Dozens of drones prepared in advance arrived carrying holographic projection components. They hovered at their designated positions, projecting models of various technological products and written explanations for the citizens. Every product left the crowd in awe.

Duncan's image vanished from the enormous holographic billboard, replaced by a cylindrical robot on display, with a description beneath it.

[First Generation Industrial Intelligent Robot]

"Its flexible joint structure replaces rigid mechanical components, allowing it to completely take over human labor. Controlled by a fully intelligent program, it works three times as efficiently as a person..."

This extraordinary opening ceremony put Umbrella Corporation's strength on full display. It was also a warning and a counterattack against certain companies.

It was a clear message to those companies: even without a share of the energy market, Umbrella Corporation would remain unshakable.

Duncan wasn't afraid of provoking them. At most, business rivals would resort to assassinations in secret or steal information. They would never go so far as to send an army to wipe out Umbrella.

That meant they could never defeat Umbrella Corporation, which possessed products with an absolute competitive advantage. All they could do was accept reality—or struggle for a while before accepting it.