"Agent, sir? I can't keep calling you that."
"Of course you can."
"Wouldn't that be the same as telling everyone you're an agent? Your job requires secrecy, right?"
Rebecca followed behind Mero now, no longer forcing herself to act tough. The tension in her body had eased.
"So what should I call you?"
"Mero Wang. That's my name."
"Mero? That's a codename, right?" Rebecca smiled. "Agents always have cool codenames."
"You wouldn't tell me your real name. If you did, you'd have to silence me afterward."
"I know how it works. Missions are classified. Only the dead keep secrets."
"You've been watching too many movies, Officer." Mero chuckled.
He raised a Smith & Wesson M629 revolver and casually fired, blowing apart the head of a wandering zombie.
Though it only held six rounds, the .44 Magnum had more than enough power to shatter skulls, human or otherwise.
"I'm Rebecca, from S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team." She smiled softly.
"Rebecca Chambers. That's my real name. And… this is my first mission."
"So a rookie." Mero's lips curled slightly. "No wonder you ran straight into the most dangerous place with a sense of justice and a hot head."
Rebecca forced a small smile.
"Actually… besides investigating Umbrella, I came here to save someone."
"He was a prisoner being escorted by military police. They were attacked by monsters along the way, and he escaped."
"But I think he's a good person."
"During a mission overseas, his unit lost twenty-three members due to faulty intel. In the end, the team massacred a civilian village."
"He didn't take part. But he was framed for it and sentenced to death."
"Tonight, he helped me a lot. He even saved my life."
She tilted her head slightly, glancing at Mero with cautious hope.
"He was attacked by infected apes earlier, then swept away by an underground current."
Mero glanced at her, then lightly patted her shoulder with a smile.
"He had no money when he escaped, right? Then I'm not interested in your fugitive friend at all."
Rebecca blinked in confusion.
"Mero… are you really from the National Security Council?"
"I already told you. I'm not an agent." He spread his hands casually.
"So you'd risk your life for someone you just met tonight?"
"People like you…"
Rebecca looked up, blinking, hesitant to speak, as if waiting for him to finish the thought.
Mero paused for a moment, as if recalling something, then broke into a bright smile.
"A little foolish. But I don't hate it. In fact… I like it."
Without people like that, he might still be lying on an operating table.
Or locked away in a specimen cabinet.
On the other end, Ada watched the live feed with a bright smile.
"Who are you calling foolish?" she teased.
"What kind of normal person runs around carrying a kid who's been cut open?"
Mero spoke into his mic.
"I was weak back then. I thought I was wearing body armor."
"That was my first mission. I didn't know any better."
Ada huffed softly. "Everyone has a first time."
Rebecca chose not to interrupt their conversation.
Before long, they exited the lab.
The deeper they went underground, the closer they came to Umbrella's secrets.
...
In the Arklay Mountains, inside a dim, ancient mansion.
Dr. William Birkin, chief researcher of Umbrella's core laboratory, stared at the monitor with a pale face, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Seated before an old control console, Albert Wesker, captain of S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team, frowned deeply.
On the screen, a long-haired middle-aged man appeared briefly, with an elderly figure standing behind him. The image flickered and vanished.
"There's no mistake. That's our former mentor… Dr. James Marcus."
"He caused this outbreak. He released the T-virus into both the mansion and the training facility!"
"But that's impossible…"
"Marcus was one of Umbrella's founders. The original director of the executive training facility."
"He, along with the other founders, discovered the Progenitor virus and combined it with leech DNA to create the T-virus."
"But he should be dead. We killed him ten years ago."
"He refused to hand over the T-virus research. Following Spencer's orders, we led the operation ourselves."
"He's taking revenge on us!"
William's voice trembled more and more, his panic rising.
"This isn't our fault. He refused to cooperate, lost his standing in the company, and angered the higher-ups."
"He was already unstable. Even his own students would have become test subjects sooner or later."
"If we hadn't turned to Spencer, would we have just waited to die with him?"
"He wanted to seize power through the T-virus. He was blinded by ambition. His death was inevitable!"
"That's enough, William." Wesker's expression darkened. "Calm down."
"We confirmed his pulse and heartbeat ourselves. He was dead. Completely."
"But he's there!" William insisted. "And he looks younger, stronger… like he's back in his thirties!"
"That's not strange," Wesker replied coldly. "We study viruses. The Progenitor virus can extend life for centuries. Even at seventy, he could appear young."
Wesker had long grown used to his colleague.
William was a genius.
And as the saying goes, genius and madness are separated by a thin line.
Years of isolation in underground research had not helped.
Suddenly, William's eyes lit up. He burst into laughter.
"The virus! Of course… the virus!"
"That's why he came back to life!"
"He can't scare me. I've already surpassed him. My new virus will surpass his T-virus!"
Wesker sighed inwardly, though he chose to remain silent at the mention of the new virus.
But the next moment, William slammed his hands against the console, his face twisting.
He turned toward Wesker, his expression suddenly savage.
His fingernails scraped harshly against the metal surface, producing a grating sound.
"If that really is Marcus… then we're finished."
"Killing him and stealing the T-virus research was Spencer's personal order."
"If the other executives find out… and now the T-virus has spread across the entire mountain region…"
"This will become a disaster too big to contain. Even Spencer won't escape unscathed."
"And if Spencer falls…"
He stared at Wesker.
"We go down with him."