Alpha, Omicron

After reading the files.

After listening to the two Queens' account.

"Ah..."

Sui Bian leaned back in his computer chair and sighed softly at the ceiling.

There was still a long road ahead.

The Red and White Queens could help him sideline the board of directors, or even take out that old bastard Spencer, but any rash move would inevitably trigger a chain reaction.

Umbrella was crawling with traitors, and countless rival companies and factions were watching from the outside.

To avoid alerting anyone, Sui Bian planned to take control of Raccoon City step by step, then gradually seize control of Umbrella's military forces, and finally take over those five facilities one by one.

To take control of Raccoon City and secure the underground and surrounding facilities, Sui Bian first had to deal with William Birkin and Albert Wesker.

Those two.

One planned to defect to the U.S. government for protection after completing the G-Virus.

The other intended to use combat data and all manner of information and files about Umbrella to join one of the company's rivals and secure a high-ranking position.

In short, they were both planning to use Umbrella as a stepping stone to a brighter future.

Only after dealing with them could Sui Bian turn his attention to James Marcus, the target of the challenge issued by the system.

After all, Wesker hadn't yet injected himself with the Progenitor Virus variant William had tailored for him and become a legendary BOSS in the Resident Evil series, while Marcus had already become the androgynous Leech Queen.

At that moment, Sui Bian glanced at the lower-right corner of the screen.

03:12.

Sui Bian already had the rough outline of a plan, but the internet was nowhere near what it would be in 2021. Besides, in the U.S., people didn't start work before nine...

On top of that, the fatigue caused by his body's sudden transformation was making it hard for him to focus, so he decided to get some rest first.

Afterward.

He took a quick shower, dried himself off, and grabbed a thin blanket from the bedroom closet before collapsing onto the not-so-spacious sofa.

The sofa was uncomfortable to sleep on, but it was still much better than that smelly bed. He knew what the previous owner had done in it.

He lay down, closed his eyes, and gradually drifted off as sleepiness washed over him.

Time: May 31, 1998.

Raccoon City.

Early morning.

04:14.

The entire city was still asleep.

Hardly any cars passed through the city streets, though a few drunk men and women still wandered around. Some beggars slept in alleys, newspapers spread over them.

Southwest Raccoon City.

This was an area crowded with industrial plants, waste treatment facilities, and warehouses. There wasn't a car or a resident in sight on the streets.

The area did have plenty of greenery. A few birds had already begun their morning calls, lending the place a quiet, peaceful air.

Just then.

A black four-door sedan drove along the main road through the southwest district.

It went straight through two intersections, turned right, and continued on until it pulled up outside the main entrance of an unremarkable warehouse.

Inside the security booth to the right of the entrance, a "guard" in a black uniform watched the sedan, his right hand resting at his side.

"Beep! Beep-beep!" The sedan honked in a deliberate rhythm.

At that.

The guard relaxed a little and pressed the red button on the counter, raising the barrier at the entrance to let the sedan through.

The sedan drove straight to the right side of the warehouse. Several different models of cars were already parked in the lot at the far end.

Seeing this, the driver pulled up beside a blue Ford pickup.

Handbrake.

Engine off.

Doors open.

Four muscular men wearing loose jeans and dark T-shirts climbed out.

They opened the trunk and each took out a black duffel bag.

The last muscular man to retrieve a bag casually shut the trunk, then followed his three companions through a side door into the warehouse.

Inside.

They found that the warehouse wasn't being used to store goods at all. Instead, it was brightly lit and spacious.

In the center stood four white tables arranged in a square.

They were piled with all kinds of weapons, ammunition, and equipment.

Beside the tables stood men who looked just like the four who had arrived.

The muscular men were dressed much alike: loose jeans or work pants, paired with dark short- or long-sleeved shirts.

They were methodically checking their firearms and putting on their gear.

The four newcomers headed over to a table with fewer people around it.

They set their duffel bags on the table, unzipped them to reveal the firearms and equipment inside, then joined the others in checking their weapons and gearing up.

The scene looked just like a special forces unit preparing for battle in a warehouse or hangar in an action or war movie.

In fact, they were special forces from Umbrella: the Alpha and Omicron squads of the USS.

Acting on the Red Queen's orders and without reporting to the company, the two combat squads had secretly brought their respective equipment from Europe and South America to Raccoon City.

Outside the warehouse.

A four-man Omicron combat team stood guard, while the "guard" from earlier was one of its members.

As for the money used to buy the warehouse...

With the White Queen's help, Sui Bian had completed the purchase in no time.

She had diverted "a little" of the company's money and transferred it to Sui Bian's account by email, leaving no trace behind.

Sui Bian stood just left of the warehouse's center, dressed in a black suit, white shirt, dark blue tie, and gleaming black leather shoes.

With his arms folded across his chest, he silently watched the USS members organize their weapons and equipment.

With his serious expression and gelled short hair, he really did look like a business elite or a company executive.

In fact, the Red Queen had arranged an identity for Sui Bian two days earlier—

One of the company's board members.

But in reality, only the Red and White Queens knew about his board position. The company's senior employees and the board of directors didn't even know Sui Bian existed, and there wasn't a single Chinese member on the board.

But for the USS, that was more than enough.

The USS might be Umbrella's covert force, but its members were still expendable cannon fodder.

Most USS members knew their place and understood that this was the truth. They also knew little about the company's leadership and simply followed orders from their superiors.

Yet this operation was being directed by a board member in person. That made the USS feel noticed, and their sense of identification with and belonging to the company grew considerably.

Therefore, the USS members didn't find it strange at all.