A Crazy Deal

Umbrella's temporary camp, command center.

The head of Umbrella Corporation's Raccoon City branch wore a gloomy expression. He quietly removed his wireless headset, tossed it to the ground, and crushed it underfoot.

He leaned forward, his cold, snake-like eyes fixed on the screen before him. On it were the head of the Black Snake Mercenaries, Nicholas, and the three survivors: Fox, White Mouse, and Mori.

The mighty Black Snake Mercenaries had been reduced to such a sorry state by a few Chinese exchange students. Including their leader, only four of them had survived.

The head of Umbrella's branch had nothing left to say about it. He couldn't find the words to describe this "elite" force. So he simply chose to give up!

Watching Nicholas and the others disappear into the night on the screen, he sneered. "A bunch of useless trash, not even as good as zombies. Still, that saves me a hefty sum in mercenary fees. I can use the money to research something more valuable than you lot."

"Sir..."

A sexy, alluring blonde technician said, "We've found something... interesting."

"Have you found Alice?" the branch head asked.

"No. Come and see for yourself," the blonde said.

The branch head walked over with a frown. He glanced at the screen, and his already furrowed brows drew even tighter. Then they suddenly relaxed, though the icy look in his eyes grew more pronounced. He smiled. "You're right. This is very interesting. Patch them through. It seems our little Chinese friends have something to say..."

*******************************

"Yin Kuang... are you sure you want to do this? This is... way too crazy, isn't it?" Zeng Fei couldn't help thinking back to the "plan" Yin Kuang had just explained. He felt goosebumps all over.

Yin Kuang shook his head seriously. "Let me correct you: it's not what I want to do. It's what we want to do! I've given you a workable plan. Whether to carry it out is up to you. I think this is an incredible opportunity—a plan that kills two birds with one stone. Of course, it comes with risks. But if you want to gain anything, you have to be willing to take them. Think it over."

Here's what had happened...

While all four boys were trying to figure out how to get the T-Virus Serum, Yin Kuang suddenly looked at Guide Dog Mary in the trunk. Then an extremely bold, downright crazy plan took shape in his mind!

Even he was shaken by the plan he'd come up with.

But realistically, Yin Kuang had to admit that this was their best option. They could get the T-Virus Serum and eliminate the hidden threat at the same time. If everything went well, it really would be a case of killing two birds with one stone!

Of course, the risks were enormous!

But to survive, some risks had to be taken. Yin Kuang didn't want to die, much less lose ten years of his life for nothing. No matter what, he was going to give it a shot. Even if he failed in the end, he wouldn't regret it!

So after weighing everything carefully, he finally told them his plan.

"I have a... pretty good plan. Do you want to hear it?" Yin Kuang adjusted his tone, asking as gently as he could.

Li Shuangmu asked, "You mean, you have a way to get pure T-Virus Serum?"

Zeng Fei, who was driving, and Wang Ning beside him couldn't help turning around to stare at Yin Kuang, their eyes burning with excitement. Zeng Fei even slammed on the brakes, stopping in the middle of the road.

There was no helping it. T-Virus Enhancement held too great an allure for Zeng Fei, Wang Ning, and Li Shuangmu. To put it bluntly, pulling this off would give them a solid foundation to establish themselves at the "university." For a long time to come, they would be ahead of everyone else.

How could they resist such a temptation?

"What's the plan? Let's hear it," Wang Ning said. At this point, even he couldn't help admiring Yin Kuang's quick thinking. He'd managed to come up with an idea at a time like this. Whether the plan would actually work was another matter.

Yin Kuang pointed at the trunk and got straight to the point. "Trade Guide Dog Mary to Umbrella Corporation in exchange for T-Virus Serum."

Gasp!

Zeng Fei sucked in a sharp breath. "Are you crazy? You want to make a deal with Umbrella? Do you want to die? Can we really afford to provoke that behemoth?"

Indeed, in the Resident Evil films and games alike, Umbrella Corporation was an absolute behemoth. It was not only one of the most powerful companies in the world, but also insane beyond belief. Just look at Resident Evil 4: it destroyed the whole world! To be honest, making a deal with a company made up entirely of lunatics like that hardly felt safe.

The admiration Wang Ning had just begun to feel for Yin Kuang vanished in an instant. He looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Li Shuangmu, however, didn't rush to judge. "Yin Kuang, explain your reasoning."

"This is how I see it," Yin Kuang said. "Umbrella sent elite mercenaries to capture the Guide Dog, which is enough to show they're interested in Mary. But if we look closely, it's also clear that they don't value her that much. Otherwise, they would've given the mercenaries a direct order to bring her back at all costs. They had plenty of chances to take Mary while fighting us, but they didn't. What does that tell us?"

Wang Ning said, "You said it yourself. Umbrella is interested in Mary, but not to the point where they absolutely have to get her."

"No!" Yin Kuang said. "I think the person in charge at Umbrella simply doesn't know how special Mary is or what she represents. That's why they're interested, but don't consider her essential. If we make them understand the value of this dog, do you think they'll be willing to trade with us?"

"But what value does Mary have that would make Umbrella trade with us?" Zeng Fei asked, stunned.

"Idiot!" Li Shuangmu suddenly slapped his forehead. "The dog's blood! It not only increases the chance of a living being gaining T-Virus Enhancement, it can even neutralize the virus in infected creatures! What do you think that makes her worth? A fortune! If Umbrella finds out, they'll go crazy trying to get her. Absolutely crazy!"

A company devoted to studying the T-Virus and creating super biological weapons—once it learned what Guide Dog Mary was worth, it wasn't hard to imagine how insane it would become!

Zeng Fei and Wang Ning gradually caught on. Soon, their faces flushed with excitement.

"Exactly! Exactly!" Wang Ning said, punching his fist excitedly. "How did I not think of that? I'm such an idiot. It's so obvious! You can just imagine the whole Umbrella Corporation going crazy over this dog!"

Li Shuangmu suddenly asked, "But Yin Kuang, have you considered that if Umbrella really understands this dog's value, do you think they'll still trade with us, given their power? They might use every means at their disposal to take her! They might even send Matt the Tracker—the one they originally used against Alice—after us!"

"That's the risk we have to take," Yin Kuang said. "How can you see a rainbow without weathering a storm? How can you succeed if you never try? Besides, getting the T-Virus Serum is only one of my goals. The other is to use Umbrella to deal with the mercenaries who escaped!"

"What? You're crazy, crazy! Yin Kuang, you really are crazy," Wang Ning said. "This is basically suicide! I like taking risks too, but I'm not stupid enough to throw my life away. Sorry, I don't agree with your plan."

Li Shuangmu said, "Wang Ning, don't rush to a conclusion. Hear Yin Kuang out first, then decide. Go on, Yin Kuang."

Zeng Fei nodded too. Given Yin Kuang's intelligence, he didn't think he'd make a suggestion without good reason.

Yin Kuang said, "Forget for a moment how I plan to deal with them. Even if we don't go after them, do you really think they won't come after us? And are you confident you can survive with elite mercenaries aiming their guns at you? Don't forget, they're in the shadows, while we're out in the open. We're doomed either way, so we might as well take a chance. We might even fight our way out."

Wang Ning's eyes shifted, and he fell silent. In truth, he wasn't worried about being hunted by those mercenaries. He could hide, and he was confident few people would be able to find him. So, deep down, he didn't want to get involved in Yin Kuang's plan. But he also desperately wanted the T-Virus Serum. At that moment, he was weighing the pros and cons.

Zeng Fei and Li Shuangmu, on the other hand, were beginning to come around. As Wang Ning had said, they were doomed either way. They might as well take a chance!

"So my plan is to trade Mary for the T-Virus Serum and Umbrella's temporary help. We'll ask them to provide weapons and information on the mercenaries. Don't forget, the whole of Raccoon City is under Umbrella's surveillance. If they provide us with intelligence, our chances of eliminating the mercenaries will be over eighty percent!"

"But..." Zeng Fei couldn't help saying, "They're Umbrella's people..."

Li Shuangmu shook his head. "No! Haven't you realized they're only mercenaries, hired by Umbrella? If they're still carrying out their contract, even better. We can have Umbrella step in and stop them from retaliating. If they've already broken with Umbrella, then with Umbrella's help, we might really be able to pull out this thorn in our side!"

That was the whole story!

As Zeng Fei put it, this deal was absolutely crazy!