Somewhere along the way, more and more people had truly begun to experience life, rather than merely survive.
After listening to Major General Nois's address to the troops, Sean got into a car with his comrades and left Umbrella Security Company's training base.
The four men from his barracks discussed their plans for the five-day leave, as well as the mission that required them to sign a nondisclosure agreement.
"Sean, how about we go for a drink at the bar tomorrow?"
One of his teammates invited him.
Sean had no interest in going out to have fun and promptly turned him down. "I've finally got some time at home. I need to spend it with my family, so... sorry."
"That's nice. You're the only one of us with a wife. Boss Duncan said the company's organizing a party for its employees. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and find ourselves wives!"
His teammates understood, and soon they moved on to other topics.
The car drove into a residential neighborhood Umbrella Corporation had built for its security personnel.
Sean and his teammates all lived in Zone A1. The houses there were relatively large, meant for security personnel with families.
It was the weekend, so the neighborhood wasn't as quiet as the city outskirts. Quite a few people had come outside to enjoy the warm spring sunshine and breathe in the city's fresh air.
Electric cars were already widespread in Raccoon City. Before Christmas, the company had offered a program to trade in gas-powered cars for new-energy vehicles. With the appeal of trading in their old cars, as well as the public's trust in Umbrella Corporation, most residents who owned cars had switched to new-energy vehicles.
That change had made the air throughout the city much cleaner.
On his way home, Sean