A Brief Exploration

"Damn it!"

"Fuck!"

"Oh, shit!"

Pedestrians on both sides of the road were drawn by the sharp screech of tires. After looking toward the source of the sound, they began to curse and flee, their proficiency in doing so heartbreaking to witness.

If you were shopping in Zhonghua Jia and saw four fully armed men, you could walk up and take a selfie for your social media, because they would likely just be cosplaying.

But in great America, if you see four people in full black tactical gear holding guns on the street, don't hesitate—just run!

Because in the next second, this place might very well turn into a game map.

On the opposite side of the road, a patrol car happened to be driving by. The fat cop in the driver's seat held the steering wheel with one hand while stuffing a donut into his mouth with the other.

Hearing the commotion, he looked to the side. Once he clearly saw the four people standing in the middle of the road, the donut crumbs in his mouth sprayed out instantly.

He didn't shout "Police," nor did he turn on the sirens. The fat cop's first reaction was to slam on the gas to get away from there and call for backup.

His young partner in the passenger seat was holding a carbonated drink. Suddenly, a strong force pushed them back into their seats, and the flimsy drink lid was instantly blown off, drenching him in the cold beverage.

"George! What the hell are you doing!"

"Look behind us, goddammit!"

"Look at what... W T F!!! Call for backup! Call for backup! Four armed suspects at the 2300 block of Virginia Road, suspected of carrying automatic weapons. Oh, shit! They're moving!"

Bark and the other three were experiencing the novelty of traveling to another world, while at the same time, a sense of panic emerged in their hearts—an instinctive reaction to suddenly appearing in an unfamiliar environment.

More importantly, they could no longer see Duncan when they looked back, which meant there was a possibility they couldn't return!

The surroundings were in chaos, and a police car had even sped away. Although all the elements were familiar, there were still some things that were not quite right.

Most of the surrounding vehicles were models they had never seen before. The street scenery, the way the pedestrians were dressed, the GG Billboard hanging on the high-rise building nearby—everything was filled with subtle differences.

These subtle differences, when added together, created a sense of strangeness that none of the four could quite put into words.

Just as they stood there, stunned and not knowing what to do next, Duncan, wearing a suit and a gas mask, stepped out of thin air after a long while.

"Boss!"

Seeing Duncan, the four of them let out a collective sigh of relief.

Then, the four heard Duncan say, "Follow me!"

The five of them ran toward a phone booth on the side of the street and pulled open the transparent glass door. The scene inside the booth shifted, turning into a warehouse inside Raccoon City.

They slipped inside in a single file. Once the door closed, the five living people were gone, regardless of the chaos they had caused in that world.

Back in their original world, Bark slumped to the ground. They had only stood in the other world for less than half a minute, but after returning, it felt as if they had gone through a life-or-death adventure, and they were exhausted.

Despite having a thousand words in their hearts, the four of them remained silent for a long time because it was too miraculous; it completely subverted their common sense!

"God! My God, was that real?" Snow gasped as he took off his gas mask, looking at Duncan with an expression of a shattered worldview.

Duncan also took off his mask, a faint smile on his face. "Didn't you feel it clearly enough?"

"Oh! Boss..." Kevin also looked at Duncan, pulling out the cross necklace hanging around his neck. "Tell me, are you God? If you aren't God, how was that done?"

Bark, like the others, could think of nothing else but amazement.

In just one minute, they had witnessed something that would shock them for a lifetime!

Duncan put away his smile and said seriously, "This is a special ability, but it is definitely not bestowed by God. If you want to find magnificent magic and the secret of eternal life, you must work for me."

Having witnessed the ability to travel between worlds—even if it wasn't world-traveling, but merely a superpower to traverse space—they were willing to follow such a boss!

"May God bless you, my boss!"

Kevin was the first to express his stance, looking pious as he kissed his cross before tucking the necklace back inside his shirt.

The other three were also unable to resist the temptation of a broader horizon and expressed their willingness to join.

The boss's requirements are my pursuits; the boss's temper is my blessing!

The group had pledged their loyalty, at least for the time being.

What Duncan had to say next went beyond what they currently knew. He took his phone and everything electronic out of his pockets and threw them outside the warehouse, signaling the four to do the same.

In the eyes of the four, Duncan was like a god now. They took out their phones and threw them away without hesitation, while their walkie-talkies were placed far away, as they would still need those later.

After clearing away everything that could potentially be bugged, the five huddled their heads together to discuss important matters.

Duncan whispered, "Do you know what the main business of the Umbrella Corporation is?"

"Pharmaceuticals?" Bark had been very certain, but since Duncan asked, there must be something different.

"Yes, but the Umbrella Corporation's primary business is actually military industry—more specifically, biological weapons research!"

Though the others were puzzled, just hearing the words "biological weapons" made them feel that something was wrong.

Duncan swept his gaze over the four of them. He had a knack for reading people, and as long as they weren't Oscar-level actors, he could tell whether their shock was genuine.

"The biological weapon they are researching is a special virus called the T-Virus. It turns people into beasts driven only by the urge to devour. The board of directors has already voted; in about a year, they will release the T-Virus to infect all of humanity, creating a man-made Great Flood!"

Ten minutes later, the four of them understood the true face of the Umbrella Corporation and grasped what Duncan intended to do.

They were all filled with righteous indignation, offering up profanity-laced praise for the stupidity of the Umbrella Corporation's top brass.

The convoy, having driven for over ten minutes, finally arrived, with six SUVs and a box truck pulling into the clearing outside the warehouse.

Duncan immediately stepped forward to direct the Security Force to unload the supplies from the box truck—crates of gear he had essentially pilfered, containing firearms, ammunition, grenades, as well as compressed rations and emergency food.

Gas mask filters were the most critical part of the supplies; if he weren't worried about Isaac playing tricks, Duncan would have dared to move all of Umbrella's vital assets to another world!

Bark and the other three became Duncan's personal bodyguards. At the same time, they went to their own squads to recruit trusted companions, acting so mysterious while explaining the situation that it felt like a pyramid scheme.

Of the three teams requested from the Umbrella Security Service, the members of the Security Force and the U.B.C.S. were all flesh-and-blood human beings.

The final Special Operations Force was the core strength of the Umbrella Corporation. Their combat effectiveness was no greater than the other two teams, but they were bio-androids created through cloning technology, with implanted memories of absolute loyalty to the Umbrella Corporation and its shareholders.

There were no emotions between members of the Special Operations Force; they were cold, rigid hierarchies that completed tasks by the book, giving the people in the other two teams a sense that they were completely out of place.