With a slight ripple in space-time, Kazuhiko Uchiha appeared in an upscale employee apartment. At the same time, a stream of information flowed into his mind.
[Host background changed to a member of a secret special operations squad at Umbrella Corporation headquarters, ordered by senior management to accompany an Umbrella assault team on a mission to the Hive.] [Current time: one hour before entering the Hive.]
After absorbing the information transmitted by the system, Kazuhiko Uchiha left the apartment and headed to the nearby Umbrella Corporation facility in Raccoon City to meet the assault team waiting there.
When they saw Kazuhiko Uchiha, all seven members of the assault team frowned and turned their eyes to their leader, the Black captain James Shade.
Before Captain James could speak, Rain Ocampo, the hotheaded, tough-as-nails woman from the original story, pointed at Kazuhiko Uchiha and demanded, caught between anger and amusement, "Boss, is this April Fools' Day? This is the special operations guy you've had us waiting forever for? Some caveman who still uses blades?"
"That's what his file says, though I find it hard to believe myself." Captain James opened the miniature computer on his arm and pulled up the personnel file, confirming Kazuhiko Uchiha's identity.
Rain walked up to Kazuhiko Uchiha and looked down at him, as he was a little shorter than she was. In a contemptuous, taunting tone, she said, "Hey, kid, we're going on a dangerous mission, not playing house. I'd advise you to stay here and wait for us to come back. Don't drag us down."
The undisguised scorn in her words made Kazuhiko Uchiha narrow his eyes slightly.
Although he had little interest in bullying ordinary people, he knew that if he wanted a say in the coming mission, he first had to cow these assault team members, who respected strength above all else.
He had already intended to find an opportunity to establish his authority. Now that someone was volunteering to walk into the line of fire, she had saved him some trouble.
"Heh." Kazuhiko Uchiha chuckled and mocked them without mercy. "The company wasn't confident about this mission, so they sent me along. Now I can see they made the right decision. With a bunch of useless idiots like you, you'd be bound to ruin the company's plans."
"What did you say, kid?"
"You bastard! You want a beating?"
The soldiers who made it into the assault team were all hot-blooded. Faced with Kazuhiko Uchiha's arrogant provocation, they cracked their knuckles, ready to teach him a lesson he would never forget.
Kazuhiko Uchiha showed no fear of the furious team and continued to goad them. "Don't agree? That's fine. I'll give you a chance. Come at me together. If you can beat me, I'll take back what I said."
This time, even the composed Captain James burned with anger. He looked at Kazuhiko Uchiha as though he were an idiot.
"I can handle you all by myself, kid." Furious at Kazuhiko Uchiha, Rain lunged forward and swung a fist at his face.
Her punch was fast, but only by an ordinary person's standards. To Kazuhiko Uchiha, it was no faster than that of an average Genin using Taijutsu.
Kazuhiko Uchiha tilted his head slightly to the left, dodging the powerful blow, then snapped a kick straight into Rain's abdomen. With precisely controlled force, he sent her flying several meters.
The other assault team members saw only a dark blur before their teammate flew backward. The whole exchange had taken less than a second, and they had not even seen how Kazuhiko Uchiha had kicked her.
Everyone's expression changed. They stared in shock at Kazuhiko Uchiha, who looked utterly unruffled.
They all knew how capable Rain was. Even if she was not quite the captain's equal, she was still one of the best on the team. Yet she had failed to withstand even a single move from Kazuhiko Uchiha. The strength he had displayed left them stunned.
"All right. Although you're no match for me, you still qualify as an elite squad among the company's assault teams. From here on, let's work together and complete the company's mission."
Seeing that he had successfully cowed them, Kazuhiko Uchiha stopped tearing them down. He smiled, offering a gesture of goodwill.
Kazuhiko Uchiha's words gave the assault team a way to save face, easing the awkward tension that had hung in the air moments before.
Captain James inwardly sighed with relief and held out his hand to Kazuhiko Uchiha, saying apologetically, "Sorry. We were out of line earlier. I hope you won't hold it against us."
"Of course not. We're teammates." Kazuhiko Uchiha shook his hand, and both sides put the incident behind them.
Looking at the equipment everyone wore, Kazuhiko Uchiha thought of the fighting they might soon face and asked, "Do you only have guns? Do you have any melee weapons, like Tang swords or katanas?"
"Melee weapons? There are some in the armory, but we only use knives occasionally." Although Captain James wondered why Kazuhiko Uchiha was asking about weapons that had long since become obsolete, he answered fully.
"I suggest you each pick out a melee weapon that feels comfortable in your hands. Sometimes they're far more useful than guns."
They would soon face a horde of zombies that would not stop moving unless struck in a vital spot. Melee weapons would kill them far more efficiently than ordinary firearms, and their help would make things easier for Kazuhiko Uchiha.
The team clearly disagreed with the claim that melee weapons were better than firearms. Still, out of respect for the formidable strength he had shown, they each selected a melee weapon to carry and also brought Kazuhiko Uchiha a small-sized set of standard assault team gear.
Kazuhiko Uchiha thanked them and changed into his new gear. Then he accompanied the assault team, carrying the equipment needed to shut down the Red Queen, to another concealed entrance to the Hive: the mansion where the protagonist, Alice, was staying.
While they were still some distance from the mansion, everyone switched to combat mode, keeping out of sight as they quietly advanced under alternating cover.
Chad, the computer expert responsible for electronics, performed an infrared scan and reported to Captain James, "Captain, there are two people inside the mansion area. They're most likely the Hive's two gatekeepers."
"J.D., Rain, Ronald, Sherry, the four of you go into the mansion and secure those two first."
Captain James selected four team members for the assault, while the others waited where they were to guard against anything unexpected.
Using various objects to conceal themselves, the four team members approached one side of the mansion, climbed onto its roof, and moved toward the room containing the two people.
Once above the room, the four secured their safety ropes and clips to the roof, then rappelled down together. They tossed in a flashbang, kicked through the wooden windows, and stormed into the room, subduing the two people inside.
After receiving the signal that the operation had succeeded, Kazuhiko Uchiha entered the room with the remaining assault team members and saw the man and woman they had secured.
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