Infinity, progressing from Arasaka

Speaking at an extremely fast pace, as if chanting a mantra, Rebecca smoothly followed Vera's self-introduction, reciting Vera's life story and social reputation with an expression that was hard to tell whether she was a little fangirl or a fanatical star-struck individual.

"Senior Russell, you are someone I learn from and admire at school."

Vera raised an eyebrow slightly. "You're Berkeley..."

"No, I'm not a Berkeley student. I just happened to hear about your achievements and accomplishments, so I applied to go to Berkeley as an exchange student and audited classes for a while. Oh, my major is chemistry, and I also took some electives in pharmacy..."

"Stop, have some water first, then we can talk about the important reason you chose to come to me."

Vera tapped the table lightly, glanced calmly at the agitated Rebecca, and steered the conversation back on track.

Now, she has a general idea of ​​why Chris came to her. It was due to her previous "jump ship" plan and her genius persona. Rebecca, who was influenced by her, was probably one of the driving forces.

"Alright, Rebecca, this isn't a party from your college days, nor is it an Umbrella recruitment event."

With a stern face, Chris was extremely helpless about STARS's "idol-chasing" behavior.

Don't they know when to stop?

Chris fully acknowledged Rebecca's professional competence. Although she had just graduated from university, her outstanding achievements in chemistry had earned her recognition from the police department, leading to her selection for STARS, which was a testament to her abilities.

Similarly, due to a lack of practical experience and being a naive and innocent female college student with a strong bookish air, the other party would often make some bold and unconventional moves, which also gave Chris a headache.

"Chris, Russell's appearance here... means, he succeeded?" Not at all bothered by the rudeness she had just been treated, Rebecca quickly composed herself and asked.

Chris crossed his arms and nodded. "Pretty much."

"So, when do we expose Umbrella's crimes in Raccoon City... uh, Russell, I mean the old Umbrella in Raccoon City."

“I know.” Vera leaned against the workbench, clicked the mouse, and operated the projector to project the data collected by the STARS survivors onto the room. She looked at the disgusting photos, whether taken secretly or actually, and said without turning her head, “Because it’s not enough.”

"How can I be sure that you weren't set up by that stubborn middle-aged William Birkin? Are you really going to believe your one-sided story, about some distant relative I don't even know?"

William Birkin was certain to die, but Chris and the others didn't know that, which didn't stop Vera from using his name as a shield and excuse.

"This...then...we..."

Rebecca was a little anxious, but she was at a loss for words and didn't know how to explain it for the time being.

"I will bring you back sufficient evidence. I hope you will keep your word."

Chris shielded Rebecca behind him, his tone as hard as a rock, his expression as resolute and unwavering as a stubborn stone.

"nature."

Chris and Vera's conversation left Rebecca confused. "What does this mean? Chris, what are you going to do?"

"Return to Raccoon City to gather crucial evidence."

"Huh?" Rebecca opened her mouth slightly, and after a moment, having pieced together the logic, she looked up and asked resolutely, "When do we leave? We'll go together..."

No, you need to stay with me.

Vera suddenly spoke up, turning to the side and glancing at Rebecca, saying, "Just as he doesn't trust me, I don't trust you either. Hostages or 'bail,' it's all up to how you interpret it. What if you're playing me?"

In response, thump thump!

Several tall, fully armed figures approached Rebecca, while Vera continued her threats, "Mr. Redfield, you have a sister who depends on you for support, don't you..."

"Fuck you! If you dare touch Claire, I will kill you!"

Bang! Enraged, Chris kicked over a folding chair and made to rush in front of Vera, but a group of security personnel held him down. Click, click, click, the dark barrel of a gun was already loaded and raised to his head.

“Mr. Redfield, you know very well that my demands and caution are reasonable. As long as we have the evidence and it is later proven that you are indeed survivors and victims of William Birkin's experiment, I will compensate you—generous compensation, and may even recruit you into Umbrella Corporation…”

Vera spoke slowly and deliberately, rising to walk toward Chris.

"No, if what you say is true, I will personally destroy Umbrella. I will reorganize it into a new company and always keep my doors open to you."

After speaking, Vera approached Chris and, under the extremely vigilant gazes of the security personnel, extended her hand.

"..."

With a grim face, Chris clenched his fists, but soon relaxed them.

"Hmph, I don't care about your compensation, as long as you keep your word."

He knew very well that the more cautious Vera was, the more it would prove that she would actually reveal the truth afterward. Conversely, if Vera believed him too easily, he would become suspicious and wonder if there was something wrong with it.

With a slight smile, Vera gestured for the security personnel to step back and personally helped Chris up.

"So, the formal partnership is now established. Best wishes."

"..." Although he was surprised by Vera's strength, Chris didn't say anything more. "When do I leave?"

"No rush. With William Birkin making such a mess, the company's old factions and stubborn old fogies will likely take action. I will question them at the board meeting. I also need to prepare in advance in Washington to provide the necessary cover for your actions."

This is an excuse.

At this point, Vera stopped, pointed at Chris, and then at the pistol and military knife that had been taken from him by security. "Also, pick out a few sets of suitable equipment to take with you. The way you are... I'm afraid you might be framed and have someone try to silence you later."

Vera's eyes were hurtful.

But this is the only thing Chris doesn't object to.

With such strong logistical support and equipment delivered to their doorstep, why not take it? Just look at Umbrella's California branch, the USF Guard Force.

"Now, focus on the lesson. As survivors of a real biohazard battle, teach my people how to effectively deal with the mess William Birkin has created. You need to grasp the nuances, and do it as quickly as possible."

Surrounded by bodyguards in black, Vera's beautiful figure disappeared through the door. Then, click, the room closed. Rebecca blinked, first exchanging a glance with Chris, then looking around at the burly men inside.

It was then that she realized this place, resembling a deluxe plus version of STARS's combat preparation room, contained a projector, a text diagram filled with instructions, and an open map of Raccoon City...

And these Umbrella fighters all had notebooks in their hands or in their breast pockets, as if they were holding a combat meeting before she was kidnapped.

"Attend class?"

“That’s right, class begins. Rebecca, you’re here just in time, because we have experience from that damn mansion. You’re a girl, so you’re more perceptive than me. Help me with some tips on dealing with those corpses.”

Since things have come to this, let's do our best.

Chris pulled Rebecca to the whiteboard and showed her the table he had compiled.

Chris didn't mind passing on his combat experience against bio-monsters to Umbrella's combat personnel, even though it was strange.

On the contrary, this better reflects Vera's responsible attitude towards her subordinates, rather than the attitude of Raccoon City that treats subordinates and even researchers as expendable resources, and is more likely to win his favor.

This arrogant yet shrewd woman, with the typical air of an elite capitalist and Washington politician, is at least better than that bastard William Birkin.

"I'll repeat myself: you must destroy their brain tissue, shoot them in the head, blow their brains out, don't take any chances..."

...

1998/9/24

morning.

Indoor shooting range.

Bang! Bang, bang, bang—

Wisps of white smoke rose from the muzzle of the assault rifle.

Chris, wearing an Umbrella security training liner, removed his earmuffs and, with practiced precision, inspected the gun barrel and magazine.

These past two days, while staying at Umbrella's facilities, besides compiling his experience into a book, he spent the rest of his time familiarizing himself with this batch of new Umbrella guns that had not yet been released to the market.

Since it was all provided by that woman Vera, he naturally used it freely.

"Wow, that's amazing, Chris...aren't your arms sore?"

With a snap, the alloy target returned to its original position under the action of the pulley, allowing people to check the results. Looking at the mottled target, with the dents mainly concentrated on the chest and head, Rebecca couldn't help but applaud.

"Fortunately."

Chris put down the unreleased assault rifle codenamed 'Ajax', put his earmuffs back on, raised the WMA submachine gun, clicked, checked the chamber, loaded a bullet, aimed, and rattled away. The target responded with a crisp 'clang' sound.

They then tested the WCAA assault shotgun that fires slugs, the WSA automatic pistol, the 'Nowaki', and the 'Tamayura'...

"call..."

Chris carefully examined each of the firearms he had tested, placing them neatly to one side. These killing machines, made of special alloys or engineering plastics, were either made of special alloys or engineering plastics.

To be honest, objectively speaking, he had to admire the high level of Umbrella's craftsmanship. It was truly like a work of art, with every detail showcasing its exquisite craftsmanship.

While Chris paused, even more intense gunfire erupted.

It was the training ground of the Umbrella combat forces over there. With explosions coming one after another, the scene of them unleashing their full firepower was much more impressive than the commotion on Chris's side, all of them using heavy firepower.

Chris said definitively, "They must all be from the military."

"Russians."

Rebecca nodded and added, "While you were busy getting familiar with the weapons, I talked to them. It doesn't involve any secrecy regulations. They are indeed Russians, and quite a few of them participated in the Afghan War."

"Private armed forces... Although I know this kind of thing is common internationally, it's not a good thing."

Having served in the Air Force, Chris's patriotism and sense of justice made him instinctively feel that this was not a good thing.

Just as Chris and Rebecca fell silent on this topic—

"Hey Chris, the director's orders have come down. We have to leave as soon as possible. Something's happened!"

A burly man in dark combat uniform waved to the two men in heavily accented, Russian-accented English with rolled "r" sounds.

Realizing something, Chris rushed out of the firing range and entered the operations preparation room, where he saw a group of Umbrella security guards sitting around a flat-screen TV, broadcasting an urgent news report from Raccoon City, Colorado:

"Just yesterday, a suspected acute and highly infectious disease has emerged in the northern part of Raccoon City. Cases of 'cannibalism,' characterized by violent coughing and coughing up blood, have begun to appear on a large scale. Patients appear to have an extreme craving and urge for flesh and raw food. The number of confirmed cases at the city hospital has increased dramatically. We urge all city residents..."

In the footage, the reporter speaks very quickly, sounding very anxious. The situation in other parts of Raccoon City is unclear, but in the background, there are already signs of looting, burning, and zero-dollar purchases in the northern part of the city, indicating that the situation is clearly extremely bad.

"Protesters have targeted Umbrella, the city's largest company, claiming that a leak from Umbrella's biopharmaceutical laboratory caused the outbreak of the infectious disease..."

"Currently, Dr. William Birkin, Umbrella's chief researcher in Raccoon City, is reportedly missing..."

“Fuck! This is the damn virus that appeared in the mansion…” Pushing aside the guards who were all as big as bears and dressed in full-on high-tech combat gear, Chris stared intently at the news on the monitor and muttered to himself.

“…Jill, damn it! I need to see Russell, I have to get going right now!”

After saying that, Chris went to the personal equipment box that had been temporarily assigned to him and began to take out his equipment and combat protective gear, the kind of Umbrella combat uniform that was specially made to protect against stabs and bites, and had an identification system and fluorescence.

Just as Chris set off, Vera's somewhat annoyed, seemingly exasperated voice rang out from the loudspeaker in the preparation room.

“USF Guard Mobile Team, Teams 4, 5, and 6, you will be working with Mr. Redfield.”

"That bastard William Birkin, he's probably not going to play the table-flipping game anymore. He's gone mad, is he trying to drag everyone down with him? And the board of directors, how much of my money have they been hiding from me?!"