With the head gone, the virus rapidly fused with the parasite, then quickly matured it, using the host's flesh to attack.
Carla arched her delicate brows—fusing the virus with the Las Plagas parasite? A bold idea, and remarkably effective.
The headless corpse, its neck replaced by a writhing Centipede, lumbered forward; the gory sight made one's scalp tingle.
Bang! Carla waved again, killing the remaining Explosive Bug-armed militants.
The parasite died, and under the Pupa Virus' searing heat the corpse crumbled to ash.
No need to destroy the evidence—death itself was disposal.
Carla stood in thought, then climbed back into the car. "Honey, I know what Daniel is planning."
"I'm listening." Eddie poured her a glass of red, relaxed; he had reached the third stage of viral enhancement. The enemy was still on stage one—how could they fight him?
"Combine Las Plagas with the Pupa Virus to boost the odds of pupation. The virus will remodel the muscle, and thanks to Las Plagas the host can stay human-shaped. He wants family backing through that!" Intelligence gleamed in Carla's beautiful eyes.
Clap-clap! Eddie applauded. "Excellent analysis. I bet he's going for partial pupation—everything below the neck, leaving the head clear. Keeps the family investing."
In a few sentences the couple had dissected Daniel's plan; biological deduction made it simple.
Keeping the head unpupated preserves sanity; whether the pupated parts remain human-shaped depends on the outcome.
That's Daniel's aim: further strengthen the Pupa Virus. So-called rational, obedient 'demon-corpses' are just marketable by-products to recoup funds.
Eddie's phone chimed; a text from their daughter Jordana.
It detailed Daniel's plan—and his parentage: Brandon's illegitimate son. Brandon, a side branch of the Spencer line, which explains why Patrick, who served the Spencers all his life, would defect.
Obey Brandon or Spencer—both serve the Spencer family. No conflict with his duty; whoever wins is king. Simple.
"Brandon's bastard? Interesting—I thought the old man was an orphan." Carla laughed at the message.
Daniel was indeed an old man; good living made him look far younger.
"Now it makes sense—what that fool Brandon was plotting." Eddie nodded.
Click—another cigarette lit. The roadside blurred as the car sped toward town.
Carla suddenly asked, "Honey, was Brandon's death your doing? Will he come after you? Should we strike first?" She mimed a throat-slit.
Eddie wagged a finger. "No—let him deal with Simmons. After Kaplan I learned there are no permanent allies in the capital world. Once the family has its life-saving method, they'll move on me; my business is too tempting."
No eternal friends, only eternal interest. Today's ally may fight tomorrow over a cent—ironic, yet real.
Carla nodded; intrigue wasn't her strength. At heart she was a reclusive scientist. Without leading Neo-Umbrella, she still lacked a queen's aura.
"So what's Daniel thinking? If he uses this method, it's surely sterilization—no heirs. Would the Spencer fortune fall to the Kingdom of Iberia? Wealth from the sky?" Her expression turned odd—riches while sitting at home?
"Maybe. What heritage can Spencer have? Crumbling castles full of bioweapons and viruses—who'd want that? Suicide." Eddie sneered, unworried; the 'villa' was a death-trap.
Half an hour later a modern city appeared, full of European-style spires.
"So this is Vadoren? Not bad—war hasn't reached here." Eddie stepped out before a decent hotel.
Just about to step into the hotel when a squad charged past and dived into the alley.
Several locals were dragged in behind them; the scene felt eerily familiar—hadn't it played out somewhere in the Kizuzu Region?
A car stopped and Chris stepped out behind a suit-clad man; fully kitted up, Chris looked as vigorous as in his younger days.
He merely nodded when he saw Eddie—still on bodyguard duty, no time for small talk.
"Funny how spotting an old friend can brighten the day," Eddie replied with a nod.
"Not everyone's as lucky as you—your daughters earn the family keep; he still has mouths to feed," Carla teased.
These days the daughters run most of Mysterious Pharmaceutical, while Excella and Christine have slid into semi-retirement.
Compared with their aunts, the girls are far more ruthless.
Cold-queen style: you seize my cargo ship, I flatten your warehouses and property.
Everyone knows it's them, yet no shred of proof ever surfaces.
That's why Carla ribs Eddie—daughters really are bankrolling their parents.
Chapter 599: Revenge on Simmons Begins
Pentagon agents bustled about setting up the cordon; the President's safety came first.
The stadium teemed with people; agents filled every corner, snipers at the ready.
Helena frowned at the text: someone threatened her sister to make her drop the perimeter. She deleted it—her sister was perfectly safe.
To be sure, Helena even called to check on her.
Deborah was happily interning at the company, sizing up her boss. A star-struck fan can do the strangest things.
"I'm fine, sis. Don't worry—I'm touring the plant this afternoon. Take care of yourself; I'll clear my tuition loan soon, so stop fretting. I'm great," Deborah chirped.
If you hadn't seen her in person, who'd believe such a sweet girl could mutate into a monster under the Pupa Virus?
Once inside Eddie's company, getting out is nearly impossible; in some ways it's more dangerous than staying in the Western Federation.
Helena hung up, headed to the office, and prepared her report.
In the lounge, Benford and Leon chatted. "Leon, we've worked together seven years now, right?"
Leon nodded. "Right. Since Raccoon City—seven or eight years."
"Yes, seven or eight years, and the truth about Raccoon City still came out. It hurt the Federation badly; even now some refuse to see reason," Benford sighed.
As top leader, Benford had won ex-President Graham's backing—proof of his exceptional talent.
"Time to squeeze the resource-hoarding tycoons and make them drop this research," Benford said, eyeing the speech on his desk.
"With respect, you'll face heavy pushback. Besides, synthetic soldiers did help win the war—there's promise there," Leon cautioned; beyond rank they were friends, and he didn't want his boss to stumble.
Benford waved him off. "I'm not leaping in one bound; we'll chip away bit by bit. New viruses are erupting worldwide. I know Simmons keeps tinkering in secret—even relaunched Neo-Umbrella, rebuilt from Umbrella's staff."
"That must have crossed every public red line," Leon said, aware how the world loathed Umbrella for birthing the bioweapons plague.
"Exactly—so it must stop. Citizens need to see what the Federation is doing. We'll push an anti-bioweapons bill!" Benford declared.
Anti-bioweapons? Leon thought of Morpheus—psychologically twisted, yet he'd saved Leon more than once. Strictly speaking, Morpheus was a bioweapon, yet he retained his mind.
If viral enhancement equals bioweapon, what did that make Eddie?