Employee Ranks

The files on the Leech Queen, anomalous phenomena, and the classification system were created by Sui Bian alone, then archived and preserved by the Red Queen.

Birkin, Wang Zhaofeng, and the rest of the Hive staff were not yet aware of these matters; even if told, the employees would not necessarily believe them.

In two months' time, once all preparations were complete, he would be ready to sharpen his blade and seize control of Umbrella.

Alpha, Omicron, Epsilon, and Zeta—these four USS teams obeyed him, or rather, the company he represented, without question.

As for informing STARS in advance...

There was no need to agonize over this; the first MTF, established with STARS as its foundation, was a unit he had personally assembled.

To put it in layman's terms, the USS were "loyal" to the core due to their status, acting as his personal guard, while the MTF was Sui Bian's first direct line of troops.

His "biological children."

Furthermore, the sooner they knew of the existence of anomalous phenomena, the better prepared they would be mentally, and the more targeted their training could become.

Since employees were mentioned, Sui Bian had also re-planned the employee ranking system, dividing it into four levels in total.

A, B, C, and D.

D-Class: Expendables.

Just as Sui Bian had originally planned, he intended to use Umbrella's influence and financial power to conduct long-term, stable underground deals with prisons, transferring death row inmates, violent criminals, and rapists to Umbrella.

The primary duties of these employees were to be researched, tested, and sent to their deaths.

It wouldn't be long before the D-boys were born.

C-Class: Basic Foundation.

These employees were required to sign non-disclosure agreements and formal contracts, responsible for the normal operation and construction of Umbrella's various biological, chemical, and military facilities.

Examples included the Hive's janitors, maintenance workers, engineers, and armed security.

B-Class: Indispensable.

These would be the vital components of Umbrella, essential personnel for the company's various research departments, effectively the ceiling of human capability in their respective fields.

William Birkin and Wang Zhaofeng were representatives of B-Class personnel.

A-Class: Armed Forces.

The USS, MTF, and the as-yet-unorganized exclusive units all belonged to this level.

During combat, their authority completely superseded that of D, C, and B-Class personnel to ensure that the judgment of A-Class employees would not be compromised.

When a situation was deemed irredeemable, A-Class personnel had the authority to "physically" erase all evidence, including D, C, and B-Class personnel.

However, if there was still hope, A-Class personnel would spare no effort to rescue B-Class personnel.

Note:

Employees in Umbrella's legitimate industries, such as film, digital, real estate, and consumer goods, were not included in the "employee ranking" but were classified as "civilians."

The last group was Umbrella's board of directors, but after next month, there would be no board, as only one "director" would remain: Sui Bian.

He paused for a moment.

"Mr. Sui," Marini asked, still the one to speak up, "you've only played some files, without any actual photos or videos. How am I supposed to believe that so-called anomalous phenomena exist in this world?"

"Indeed, it is difficult to convince you without evidence," Sui Bian explained without denial.

"In fact, the aspects involved in anomalous phenomena are extremely vast. Some people might even be anomalous phenomena themselves; for instance, someone's good luck might actually rely on siphoning the luck of others, and those whose luck is drained might very well die prematurely because of it."

As Sui Bian spoke, his gaze inadvertently swept over Chris, who was listening intently, before turning back to Marini to continue:

"James Marcus, whom we dealt with together, actually belonged to the same category of anomalous phenomena. Only he could become the Leech Queen after being infected with the virus, whereas ordinary humans would only become mindless zombies."

"Then..." At this moment, Barry Burton, who had been silent while wearing his red vest, suddenly spoke up: "What kind of anomalous phenomena are there that aren't human?"

"Legendary vampires, werewolves, angels serving God, the fallen angel Satan—these are all possibilities. After all, some things aren't created out of thin air," Sui Bian smiled.

"What?! Satan?? If there's a way to deal with vampires and werewolves, then... how do we solve Satan? That's the Lord of Hell..."

Hearing Sui Bian say this, Brad Vickers, who was also wearing a highly recognizable yellow vest and was the most timid member of STARS, immediately began to sigh and lament.

If it were before, Brad's teammates might have looked down on him, but now, the members of STARS were all wearing the same troubled expressions as Brad.

How do you deal with Satan?

That was a guy even God couldn't handle.

Moreover, this was in the United States, where many people believed that God and Jesus were real, and that included Satan.

Although the members of STARS were not staunch believers and didn't pay much mind to God or Jesus, after learning about anomalous phenomena, it was inevitable that they would feel a sense of retreat.

There was one exception.

Chris.

Chris looked at his teammates with a determined expression and said, "Even if Satan is real, we must drive him back to hell, because our identity is not just human—we are police officers!"

"Yes, Chris is right. If we don't step up, are we going to let our wives and children do it?" Marini echoed.

"The captain is right."

"That's right, we became police officers to uphold justice and protect the innocent!"

"This time it's eradicating demons, ha!"

With Chris and Marini taking the lead, the atmosphere on the scene instantly livened up, even carrying a hint of a heroic, sacrificial spirit.

"Heh." Sui Bian also chuckled at the right moment. "Everyone, we aren't even certain if angels or demons truly exist, and besides, Umbrella would never let you face them head-on with your current weapons."

"Current weapons?" Jill asked, curious.

As a frequent star of numerous 3D videos, Jill wore her dark brown hair in a short cut, dressed in a light blue short-sleeved shirt and black jeans. Her features were similar to the remake version, though less masculine.

Sui Bian, having seen quite a few of Jill's 'works' before transmigrating, shifted his gaze, seemingly wanting to avoid eye contact with her.

I feel a bit guilty...

He then looked toward the two Alphas standing behind the STARS and said, "Show our officers our latest weaponry."

"..." (x2)

The two Alphas nodded silently and turned to leave the warehouse.

Before long, under the curious gazes of the STARS members, the two Alphas returned, pushing a pair of handcarts.

On the carts sat two large equipment cases.

The two Alphas pushed the carts to either side of Sui Bian, and then...

"Click."

Accompanied by the crisp sound of the equipment case latches unlocking, the contents were revealed before the eyes of the STARS.