Crushing Battle

12:15.

Spencer Family Castle.

The castle sat on a highland ridge nestled between mountains, surrounded by dense forests and cliffs on three sides, with a turbulent river flowing far below.

With only one road leading to the outside world, it was an absolute fortress that was easy to defend and difficult to attack a century ago.

In front of the castle gate, a large number of identical black SUVs were parked, and four black Sikorsky S-76Cs sat on the helipad behind the gate.

Furthermore, over a hundred "men in black" were gathered both inside and outside the castle, on the walls, and in the courtyard.

These men wore similar black suits, sported white spiral-tube earpieces, and patrolled while carrying various submachine guns or rifles.

This formation and level of security were no less than those of a meeting between heads of state.

In fact, with the exception of Sui Bian, that "fake director," every member of Umbrella's board of directors was gathered inside the castle.

Those "men in black" were the personal bodyguards of the various directors; they were not part of Umbrella's armed forces, and they remained fiercely loyal to the directors they served.

In the woods on the west side of the road leading to the castle.

"Chirp~ chirp~..." The cries of unidentified birds echoed.

"Buzz~ buzz~..." The sounds of various insects joined in.

"Crunch, crunch." Amidst these, the subtle sound of human footsteps on soft soil could be heard.

A "soldier" dressed in forest camouflage and fully armed was making his way through the woods.

The soldier wore a matching camouflage Kevlar helmet, face mask, and tactical belt, while also being equipped with a Mechanical Exoskeleton that surpassed the current era and an MA5B Rifle.

Looking around, many other "soldiers" with similar equipment were advancing through the forest; they were the Omicron unit of the USS.

Hunk led Alpha through the woods on the east side of the road, about four hundred meters away from Omicron, as both USS teams prepared to launch an assault on the castle from two directions.

As for Sui Bian, he was dressed in the same attire as the USS and was moving in tandem with Omicron.

Between June and August, Sui Bian had not only learned how to manage the company from the Red Queen and White Queen, but he also set aside three to four hours every day to receive training and guidance from the USS.

While Sui Bian's physical fitness and reaction times were at the human limit, he had never received formal military training, so he could not be expected to be a master of various combat techniques like Captain America, or...

Be particularly skilled at throwing a "frisbee (vibranium shield)."

After two months of orthodox training, Sui Bian now possessed the absolute ability to protect himself.

As for marksmanship, there was little to say.

After just three days of target practice, Sui Bian had found his rhythm; combined with his reaction speed and keen eyesight, his accuracy surpassed that of the vast majority of combat personnel.

Having made full preparations, Sui Bian followed the route arranged by the Red Queen and arrived in Europe in secret with four members of Alpha, experiencing "smuggling" firsthand.

Having experienced both land and sea transport, he found it quite thrilling.

After all, this battle would determine the ownership of Umbrella, so Sui Bian had to take it seriously.

At this moment, he and Omicron reached the edge of the woods bordering the road; looking into the distance, the main gate of the castle was vaguely visible, about four hundred meters away in a straight line.

As they continued forward, the woods began to thin, and the castle on the highland became increasingly clear.

About two hundred and seventy meters.

Sui Bian and the Omicron members stopped, spread out, and began to check their equipment and firearms.

Hunk and his team on the east side were also in position.

12:26.

On the plaza in front of the castle's main gate, the bodyguards were not huddled together chatting like the henchmen in movies; instead, they patrolled in pairs or stood guard from different angles.

The bodyguards stationed on the walls were also equipped with rifles featuring optical sights or small-caliber sniper rifles.

Suddenly...

"Pong--~!" A loud bang shattered the silence.

Before the sound could even startle the birds and animals in the forest, one of the bodyguards on the wall had already been "blown" in half at the waist.

Blood, internal organs, and bone fragments splattered everywhere. The two halves of the bodyguard's body were still twitching, but his pupils had already dilated and his expression had frozen.

He was dead as could be.

The bodyguard met this fate thanks to the .50 caliber Barrett M82A1, and that shot had come from Alpha's sniper.

The snipers and spotters for Alpha and Omicron were deployed on the mountainside six hundred and eight hundred meters from the castle, respectively, responsible for marking enemies and eliminating high-value targets.

With the main force ready to launch the assault, the two snipers had received orders from Sui Bian and were naturally prepared to begin the slaughter of the bodyguards.

And so...

"Pong--!"

The second shot followed immediately, and the bodyguard whose head was struck exploded like a watermelon hitting the ground, with red and white brain matter splattering directly onto another bodyguard.

!!!

"Snipers! There's more than one!"

"Take cover! Take cover!"

The two sudden gunshots sent the bodyguards scrambling to find cover.

It was at this moment that the main forces of Alpha and Omicron began their assault.

"Bang, bang, bang!" The distinct roar of the MA5B rifles erupted.

The bodyguards who hadn't managed to find cover and were still in the open were instantly "shredded" by the dense hail of AP-FMJ rounds.

In an instant, severed limbs flew, and wails echoed throughout the castle grounds.

The Alpha and Omicron operatives, equipped with Mechanical Exoskeletons, were able to maintain precise fire even while charging toward the castle.

Sui Bian, meanwhile, "obediently" watched the battle from the woods; he had come, but that did not mean he would fight alongside the USS.

The two-hundred-meter distance was covered in a flash, bolstered by the Mechanical Exoskeletons.

The USS side suffered absolutely no losses; after all, the sustained 60-round firepower of the MA5B, the "auto-aim" assistance from the Mechanical Exoskeletons and electronic components, and the precise strikes from the two snipers meant the bodyguards couldn't even lift their heads.

Soon, the USS reached the main entrance of the castle and began close-quarters combat with the bodyguards.

However, the USS had two sniper teams occupying high ground, with observers who could discern enemy positions and eliminate high-threat targets for the main force.

In contrast, the bodyguards, wearing only soft body armor, were still being "torn apart" when facing the armor-piercing AP-FMJ rounds at close range.

Of course, the reason this battle went so smoothly was partly due to the Mechanical Exoskeletons and MA5Bs, and partly because they had seized the initiative.

Before the bodyguards could even react, more than half of them had already been wiped out.

12:35.

In less than ten minutes, this low-intensity battle ended in a complete victory for the Hive forces, with the USS having fully secured the castle's helipad, front courtyard, and main entrance.

There were no fatalities, though two Alpha operatives were less fortunate: one took a 9mm round to the left shoulder socket, while the other was struck in the left buttock by a ricochet.

Neither were fatal wounds, and they would be able to return to duty after some recovery time, though the Alpha who took a hit to the backside was destined to be the subject of frequent teasing in the future.