This fused viral strain surpasses the Tyrant in power while letting the host keep its mind—an idea inspired by the Uroboros Virus.
Compared with Aunt Wei's T-Phobos Virus, this one is only a defective product.
Alex's T-Phobos retains eighty to ninety percent of intelligence; Brandon's strain keeps barely fifty—half.
One month later, on the fringe of Bailing Island, a yacht cruised forward. This time Eddie brought Alexia, Claire, and Moira; Jill and Alex were resting on Goddess Island.
Sea wind lifted Alexia's golden hair; at this moment she looked like a goddess—only a Titanic bow-pose away from perfection.
"Is that Bailing Island ahead? Looks desolate—like no one's lived there for ages. How did people survive in such a remote place?" Moira gazed from the bow.
Though a mother, Moira was still girlishly lively, hopping about the boat; you'd believe her if she said she was eighteen.
Claire quietly let the sea breeze comb her short, efficient hair, a cut that traded a touch of charm for businesslike toughness—an air of the career woman.
"Ada and the others are waiting up there. We're here to have fun—relax." Eddie grinned, the smug look of a man proud of his gorgeous wife.
Alexia teased, "Never saw a guy take his own wife zombie-hunting. You're the first. Is that the new trend? Looks like you've practiced plenty—how many dry runs?"
"No way, I haven't—don't slander me!" Eddie refused to admit it; denial was the only option now.
On the island at that moment, another group had been abducted and had just woken up—all men, not a single woman.
In T-Phobos trials female survival was extremely low, so Brandon had given up using women as test subjects.
The truth was the opposite: T-Phobos suits women best. Their minds are tougher—especially mothers. A firm mind fears nothing, and a woman perfectly fused with T-Phobos, even a single strain, could instantly wipe out most bioweapons.
The abductees had been grabbed at random from every corner of the globe.
They were dumped here with one pistol and left to live or die on their own.
A monitoring bracelet was locked on their left wrist: green for stable, red for mutation begun.
The researchers on Bailing Island had evacuated; only Brandon remained, watching the captives' struggle from a high tower.
Eddie's party disembarked at the harbor. Ruin greeted them—industrial scars and the feel of a place long abandoned.
With a wave of her hand Alexia released her virus; the local plants were swiftly parasitized and brought under her control.
The plants warped into vines that bored underground, carving out tunnels across the island—all unseen. Even the crunch of fractured stone stayed buried, invisible and silent.
Unlike common brutes, Alexia behaved more an elegant queen, preferring graceful methods to dispose of foes.
Spies who probed Goddess Island's secrets had all become flower fertilizer; as for the female ones, they served nicely as extra maids.
Claire hefted a sniper rifle and, with Moira, set foot onshore. At times she too could be violent—this trip was a hunt, and killing zombies isn't illegal, so why not enjoy it?
Wesker also landed, checking the wrist computer on his arm. "This is Brandon's hideout where he ran his inhuman experiments. Our last intel came three days ago—since then, silence; our agent is likely dead."
Chapter 589: Aunt Wang Appears
"Then you scout ahead; I'm off to find what I came for." Eddie produced a strangely shaped sniper rifle and stepped onto the island.
Squads of elite private mercenaries landed, masked and visored, faces hidden, every move precise.
Eddie sensed they were all controlled by Las Plagas parasites, memories largely intact—normal except for obeying a Dominant species Plaga.
Wesker waved a hand, and the elite squads fanned out, advancing in a set formation.
From the island's depths came bursts of gunfire and screams; survivors still seemed to be inside.
Eddie looked up at the tower and saw a burly middle-aged man on the observation deck, his face ancient, watching below with an amused smirk.
As they moved on, the island proved small but intricately laid out, with high walls, trenches, factories, and mines.
They had not gone far before a village appeared.
Weeds choked the village; it had clearly been abandoned for some time, and a reek of rotting corpses hung in the air—nauseating.
Wesker led his men into the village and knelt to examine a corpse when a huge flying humanoid insect burst into view—shaped like a dung beetle with a human body fused into its abdomen, grotesque and unnerving.
Bang! Wesker punched straight, smashing the monster away before its claws could touch him.
Bang! The titanic blow hurled the insect-creature ten-plus meters, demolishing walls in its path before it finally stopped.
Up close, the hideous thing was clearly a chimera of insect and human genes—utterly bizarre.
Wesker gestured for his men to collect samples while he raised a pair of binoculars.
Drawn by the noise, shambling rotters—zombie-like—began to appear and clashed with the guard squads.
Meanwhile Eddie led the three women to a mine, where they spotted a solitary old man inching forward with a World-War-II Mauser Rifle.
Sensing their presence, the old man whipped the rifle toward them. "Who are you? It's dangerous here—leave, now!"
Eddie raised his weapon and shot a zombie behind the old man. "We're here to settle a score. What happened on this island, elder?"
Sensing Eddie meant no harm—and envying the three gorgeous women at his side—the old man relaxed.
According to him, the island had first been occupied by a man named William Birkin, who developed its industry and fisheries. Later a man called Brandon took over; residents vanished one by one until the island became a silent grave.
"Elder, what is your name, and why come to this mine?" Moira asked, puzzled.
"Yevgeny Rebic. My son is missing—he worked here. I must find him." The old man coughed, bloody clots spattering; at his age and in such poor health, he should have collapsed long ago.
Claire frowned. "What is your son's name?"
"Kazan," the old man answered.
"Honey, let's search the mine for clues and see if his son is still alive. It might be a dying man's last wish." Claire's heart ached.
"No need—they're all dead." Eddie kicked several pig-like Zombie Dogs aside and snatched up a lab notebook.
The log listed every test subject and outcome. Kazan's name was there, marked: Deceased.
The old man took the notebook, tears streaming. "Thank you… months of searching weren't in vain. A passage beside the mine leads to the sewers; follow them to the test zone—the hundred-meter tower. Promise me—kill that butcher!"
With that, the old man died; the will to find his son had kept his ravaged body going. A father's love and stubborn faith—terrifying things.
Claire lowered her head, ashamed. "Sorry, honey, I got soft-hearted again."
"It's fine. Help when you can; step aside when you can't." Eddie shrugged. If they hadn't aided the old man, they'd never have learned the shortcut. Goddess Island is the best place for Claire; if she gets bored—simple—have a second baby.
A crimson silhouette appeared, heels landing soundlessly. Ada's ravishing face came into view—Aunt Wang had officially arrived.
"Eddie! Took you long enough," Ada said with a smile.