Time Flies

Antarctica Time: August 29, 1998, 14:23.

Location: Southern Ocean, east of coordinates 74°41'S, 164°16'E.

Antarctica was still in the grip of polar night. Thirty kilometers from the Antarctic continent, two large vessels were navigating through the ice floes, one following the other.

The trailing ship was the Poseidon, where Sui Bian was currently stationed, while the lead vessel was an Umbrella Icebreaker, clearing a path for the Poseidon.

On the flight deck of the Poseidon.

Two CH-53s with folded rotor blades were already covered in dust sheets. Ground crew members, clad in winter gear, were either checking the chains securing the CH-53s or huddled in small groups chatting, waiting for the next set of instructions from the bridge.

Sui Bian, wearing a black windbreaker, thermal trousers, and a black baseball cap, stood in the center of the deck. With his hands tucked into his pockets, he looked up at the starry sky, silently admiring the emerald-green aurora.

Perhaps they were lucky; ever since they entered the polar night zone of the Antarctic Circle, they hadn't seen any auroras. Yet, with only thirty kilometers left to reach the Antarctic Laboratory, the aurora appeared above this region like ripples on water.

"Hoo~." Sui Bian exhaled a long breath. The warm air instantly turned into 'mist' in the cold, swirling before his eyes for a moment before dissipating.

Beyond the dazzling aurora, there were the 'stars' that flickered due to atmospheric refraction. One had to admit, the Antarctic night was far more beautiful than in other regions.

Eight days had passed since the fall of Rockfort Island.

After the Poseidon neutralized all resistance on the island, it left behind one hundred elite security personnel to garrison the site before adjusting its course toward the Antarctic Laboratory.

Two hours after the Poseidon departed, a fleet that had set out from the Africa Base arrived at Rockfort Island.

The fleet brought Umbrella engineering personnel, laborers, and a significant number of technicians.

The engineering department's task was to repair the airport runway and related facilities, then quickly transform Rockfort Island into the first containment center for anomalous phenomena.

The technicians' work was simple and clear: dispose of the human and B.O.W. corpses on the island and thoroughly disinfect the enclosed facilities to ensure no risk of infection for the workers.

The Poseidon sailed for a day to reach the port of Durban in South Africa. The crew and accompanying troops rested in Durban for two days while the Poseidon resupplied and waited for the icebreaker dispatched by the Africa Base.

The Poseidon and the arriving icebreaker headed for Antarctica at 09:00 on the 24th, prepared to take over Umbrella's last 'wild' research facility.

In the time since, Sui Bian, with the assistance of the Red Queen and White Queen, had gradually solidified his position as Chairman.

Even if he was the only director on the company's board.

The military bases and ports in Africa, as well as the research facility located next to the Ndipaya Tribe ruins north of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso in West Africa, had voiced absolutely no opposition to Sui Bian's ascension.

The employees, researchers, and armed forces in the African region shared a similar mindset to the USS: to obey every command from the company's top brass.

How reassuring.

On the 26th, Wang Zhaofeng brought good news: the M41A and caseless pulse ammunition were ready for the production line.

However, the production workshops in the Hive were nearing capacity.

Therefore, Sui Bian had the White Queen make arrangements to build an arsenal near the Umbrella Airport on the outskirts of Raccoon City, capable of mass-producing his individual weapons and equipment.

Birkin, on the other hand, hadn't spoken a word to him since mentioning that the G-Virus was complete. It seemed that neither the extraction of the serum nor the creation of super-soldiers using the virus was going particularly well.

Sui Bian wasn't anxious about this; he let things take their natural course. Besides, such matters couldn't be rushed, and if he kept asking, he would only disrupt the thoughts of Birkin and Rebecca.

As for major projects and proposals from other company departments—such as real estate, pharmaceuticals, and digital—they all required his approval and signature.

Smaller departments, like film and entertainment, didn't require his personal involvement unless they caused some earth-shattering trouble.

In fact, the White Queen helped Sui Bian vet all of the above. She would filter out the most profitable projects and proposals, leaving him to decide whether to execute, sign, or allocate funds.

The Red Queen had also been scouring the world for retired soldiers, selecting them based on their military background, service history, and family composition, preparing to form the various task forces Sui Bian envisioned.

At first, Sui Bian hadn't been quite used to wielding such power, with a dizzying array of documents and files drifting in like snowflakes. But everything requires a process, and he had gradually grown accustomed to the rhythm.

Just a moment ago, while reviewing project templates on his laptop in his cabin, he heard crew members in the hallway talking about the aurora.

Out of curiosity and a desire to rest his eyes, Sui Bian had come to the flight deck to get some air and witness the aurora, which looked like a computer wallpaper.

"Sigh." After exhaling, Sui Bian couldn't help but shake his head with a soft sigh.

Time flies.

From waking up in a single apartment to standing on the flight deck of a warship contemplating life, three months had passed in the blink of an eye.

"I wonder what kind of things are waiting for me in the future, and what else Umbrella needs to eliminate and control. Alright, time to get back to work."

Sui Bian muttered to himself, then turned and walked toward the hatch leading inside the ship.

15:07.

The icebreaker reached the limit of how far it could advance.

15:20.

With the assistance of the ground crew, the two CH-53s unfolded their rotor blades, and the pilots coordinated with the ground crew to perform pre-flight checks.

15:32.

The three units—Charon, Spear of Olympus, and Epsilon—prepared to board the CH-53s in sequence.

15:35.

Everything was ready. The two CH-53s lifted off from the Poseidon's deck, heading toward the Antarctic Laboratory on the edge of the Antarctic continent.

15:56.

Thanks to the favorable weather, the CH-53 flight formation successfully arrived over the Antarctic Laboratory and landed smoothly on the facility's helipad.

The Antarctic Laboratory was once built by Alexander Ashford, the 'father' of Alfred and Alexia.

The reason for the quotation marks is that this pair of siblings was born in the Antarctic Laboratory through artificial insemination utilized by Alexander.

After Alexia learned of her origins, out of hatred, she made Alexander the first test subject for the Veronica Virus, turning her nominal father into a monster that was neither human nor ghost.

After Alexia, who had taken over as the director of the Antarctic Laboratory, fell into a deep slumber under the guise of a faked death, the Antarctic Laboratory went into a decline, which was precisely why it did not attract the attention of Spencer.

Upon learning that the company's top brass would be taking over the Antarctic Laboratory once again, the remaining employees were overjoyed, so how could they possibly obstruct the landing of the CH-53 formation?

Thus, Sui Bian successfully took control of the last large-scale facility of Umbrella.