10 Days

June 15.

10:06.

Southwestern Raccoon City.

The warehouse where Alpha and Omicron had originally assembled.

When the USS had gathered here, it had been the middle of the night, and the guard in the security office had been an Omicron. Now it was early morning, and the guard was armed security personnel transferred from the Hive.

Inside the warehouse.

The setup was still the same: a projection screen and a projector. In front of the screen stood eleven neatly arranged sets of white folding tables and chairs.

The people seated in the folding chairs were the former members of STARS Teams A and B. Chris, Jill, and Barry were among them.

But the STARS members weren't wearing police uniforms. Instead, they were dressed in well-fitting civilian clothes.

The eleven of them were reading the confidentiality agreements and contracts on the tables, pens in their right or left hands as they considered whether to sign their names.

Sui Bian, dressed in a black suit, stood to the left of the screen with his arms crossed over his chest, watching the group of STARS with an expressionless face.

June 5 to June 15.

During this period, Sui Bian had White Queen give Irons a little "pocket money" to handle the STARS transfers.

Sui Bian hadn't asked for details about how Irons had talked them into it or arranged everything. In any case, Irons had taken perfect care of the STARS members' feelings, bringing this elite group of police officers to the warehouse.

Meanwhile, under Red Queen's arrangements, the remaining two USS teams had also arrived in Raccoon City one after another, starting on the 8th.

This had thrown Spencer and Umbrella's senior executives into a state of utter panic.

The disappearance of all four USS teams they'd spent a fortune assembling wasn't, in itself, a major problem. They had plenty of money. What truly terrified Umbrella was that they'd been left "blind."

The Technical Department couldn't track the teams, and the Finance Department hadn't found any transfer records. It was as if the USS units scattered around the world had suddenly vanished into thin air.

If a rival company or organization had poached them, Umbrella could have accepted that. But what on earth did it mean for them to all disappear without any connection to anyone?

No one could have imagined that the company's most core assets, Red Queen and White Queen, would betray them and erase every trace of their involvement, leaving the company's departments with no leads to pursue.

Red Queen's main system had now been moved to the third level of the Hive. This ensured her safety while allowing her to assist Sui Bian and the Hive's researchers more effectively with analyzing and recording data.

White Queen's main system, however, was still at the Paris Headquarters. For now, Sui Bian and his Hive forces couldn't "rescue" her.

Finally, based on reports from Red Queen and White Queen, Sui Bian learned that Spencer seemed to be extremely insecure. He had immediately recalled Sergei, who was still carrying out an investigation, to ensure his own safety.

At the same time, Spencer had stopped trusting the people in charge of research facilities and bases around the world. He was even preparing to send a large number of underlings with little influence to replace them.

The move caused an uproar throughout the company and left employees everywhere on edge.

No one knew what other trouble the dying old man would stir up before he "left."

June 9.

After Sergei returned to the Spencer Family's castle, Spencer began sending his trusted men to take over various posts, even targeting some members of the board of directors.

This outrageous maneuver immediately prompted those already disloyal managers to make excuses and refuse.

Some ruthless managers even arranged for Spencer's men to die in "accidents."

Still, disloyal managers were in the minority. Most were replaced despite their reluctance.

Of course, all of the above happened at Umbrella's military, chemical, and biological research facilities and bases. Its publicly known, legal industries, such as film and entertainment, electronics, and digital technology, were unaffected.

Once again, Umbrella had become embroiled in turmoil and a struggle for power.

On the 10th, the trusted men and bodyguards Spencer had dispatched arrived at the Hive. They were secretly killed by Omicrons acting on Sui Bian's orders.

Anyone loyal to Spencer was an absolute enemy of Sui Bian's, so he had no reason to show mercy.

Red Queen had also copied the trusted man's voice, then used it to impersonate him when contacting Spencer.

The "trusted man" reported to the old man that he had taken control of the Hive, that William Birkin's G-Virus was nearly complete, and that the resurrected James Marcus was being handled by Albert Wesker.

Spencer was very pleased to hear the "trusted man's" report about the G-Virus.

In June, Spencer still didn't know that Birkin and Wesker were considering betraying him. In particular, he valued Wesker highly, as well as Birkin's G-Virus.

As a result, Spencer didn't suspect the report. Not yet.

On the 12th.

Good news came from Wang Zhaofeng: the first Mechanical Exoskeleton and the first MA5B Rifle had been built and assembled several days ahead of schedule.

Hunk then personally tested the Mechanical Exoskeleton and the MA5B.

The MA5B used 7.62 × 51 mm AP-FMJ rounds. The Hive had plenty in stock, but Sui Bian still had White Queen arrange a large-scale purchase.

He preferred to be prepared, whether he was doing his job or playing a game. The more supplies, the better.

Testing showed that the Mechanical Exoskeleton gave Hunk far greater carrying capacity, endurance, and strength than an ordinary person.

Wang Zhaofeng also adjusted the MA5B's electronic components, allowing them to work with the Mechanical Exoskeleton to provide more precise aiming assistance.

This gave Hunk 99% accuracy at distances under 50 meters, 92% from 50 to 100 meters, and 77% from 100 to 300 meters.

It was worth noting that the M5AB's aiming components didn't offer magnification. With a specialized sniper rifle, his hit rate at 100 to 300 meters would increase significantly.

Finally, they tested how long it could operate continuously.

A single Hydrogen Battery could keep the Mechanical Exoskeleton running at full power for eight hours, enough to sustain a small- or medium-scale conflict.

Production capacity;

Since the Hive had well-equipped machinery but wasn't a specialized arsenal, production was slow.

At the current rate, it could produce 40 Mechanical Exoskeletons a month, 70 MA5B Rifles, and only 20 Hydrogen Batteries.

Cost;

A Mechanical Exoskeleton cost $40,000, an MA5B cost $1,700, and the most expensive item was the Hydrogen Battery, at $70,000 each.

With all the accessories included, a full set cost at least $140,000.

That might seem expensive, but the equipment worn by an elite US military soldier also cost between $100,000 and $300,000. Some black-ops teams officially recorded as "dead" cost even more.

By comparison, the Mechanical Exoskeleton and MA5B that Sui Bian had exchanged for were well worth their price.

June 14.

The Hive's production line began operating.

June 15.

That is, now.

Watching the STARS members still debating whether to sign, Sui Bian didn't rush them. The confidentiality agreement made it perfectly clear: signing it was tantamount to signing away their freedom.

The salary and benefits offered in the contract were also extremely tempting, leaving most of the STARS members in a difficult position.

They had become police officers to maintain order, pursue what they believed was justice, and earn a good salary.

And Umbrella was offering far too much...

In the end, after Irons's earlier efforts to persuade them, Chris, one of the protagonists of Resident Evil, was the first to uncap his pen and sign his name on the agreement and contract.