Javier knew Shen May's life story and felt deep compassion for the girl, who had never known parental love since childhood. The two entered a room where a bed covered with a quilt stood, and an elderly man was seated nearby.
Upon seeing them approach, the old man stood and looked at them with a gentle smile.
"This is my grandfather," Shen May said.
Javier looked at the old man kindly.
"Hello, grandfather."
The old man nodded in satisfaction.
Shen May turned to the bed with a sorrowful expression.
"The one lying there is my brother, Junxi. It was the U.S. government that left him in this state. I want to expose Wilson's conspiracy. He conducted virus experiments on soldiers, deceiving them by claiming it was a nutritional supplement," Shen May said, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Wilson is connected to a pharmaceutical company that manufactures biological weapons for military use. Every soldier who received the virus also had a chip implanted in their head to record combat data," she continued, pulling a chip from a safe.
"Why are you telling me this?" Javier asked cautiously.
"I found out that the pharmaceutical company working with Wilson is Tricell. That's why your company, Azure Dragon, could be my ally. You can help me, right?" Shen May looked at Javier with hope in her eyes.
Javier stepped closer to the bed, opened the curtains, and observed. Shen May's brother was only alive thanks to a blood transfusion machine, but his body had mutated. It seemed he wouldn't survive much longer.
"Can Junxi be saved?"
After hearing Shen May's question, Javier looked at her and then at her grandfather.
"I'm not sure about his condition. We'll only be able to properly assess it at our facility, where we have specialized researchers and equipment."
Shen May grabbed Javier's arm and asked anxiously:
"When do we leave?"
Seeing the desperation on Shen May's face, Javier immediately contacted the base and requested a helicopter. Shen May's grandfather called for tea to be served as a gesture of hospitality for Javier.
"Thank you, Javier," Shen May said again.
"Don't thank me yet. We don't know if it will work," he replied, waving his hand.
"As long as there's a sliver of hope, it's worth trying."
"Jason has been working with me. On the last mission, they rescued Junxi, but everyone was bitten by zombies. To save them, we had to administer inhibitors, which put them at Wilson's mercy. Jason's teammates couldn't handle the pain and took their own lives. That's why I want revenge," Shen May revealed.
"What's Wilson's secret?" Javier asked. Shen May then began to recount the events.
After the Raccoon City incident in 1998, the Umbrella Corporation was gradually dismantled through lawsuits and civil actions until it ultimately went bankrupt. However, the U.S. military maintained its interest in bioweapons, and research in the field never truly ceased.
As a result, senior researchers from the fallen corporation and its valuable data became the subject of competition among major pharmaceutical companies. Among them, Tricell Pharmaceuticals rose rapidly, becoming a leader in genetic research.
At the time, Wilson was a major general in the U.S. Army, stationed in Panama in the year 2000. To test an enhanced sample of the Progenitor Virus—possibly the precursor to the Ouroboros Virus—Tricell Pharmaceuticals decided to cooperate with the ambitious Wilson. They injected American soldiers with the virus, claiming it was an "experimental drug" designed to enhance physical capabilities.
However, during a mission, the helicopter carrying "Alpha Two"—the team participating in the tests—was shot down in a war zone. Only Junxi, one of the team members, was rescued by another special unit called the Mad Dog Team. The others were presumed KIA.
But shortly after, the dead members of Alpha Two reanimated as zombies and spread among the militias in Penamistan. The infection eventually reached the Mad Dog Team, which couldn't retreat in time. Most of the soldiers were infected, but Junxi had brought an inhibitor with him and distributed it to his allies, preventing mutation.
To cover up the botched mission, Commander Wilson ordered thermobaric bombings on the infected area, destroying all evidence. At the same time, he promoted the Mad Dog Team as heroes of Penamistan while keeping them under control with a steady supply of inhibitors. Thanks to the remarkable results from these "biochemical soldiers," Wilson was quickly promoted to U.S. Secretary of Defense.
However, Wilson's ambition didn't stop there. He aimed to provoke a conflict between the U.S. and China—ideally a war. That way, the biochemical soldiers developed by Tricell Pharmaceuticals could be officially integrated into the armed forces.
The cyberattacks on the Department of Defense network, the bioterrorist assault on the White House, and even the submarine carrying investigators into Chinese waters that mysteriously sank… All of it was part of Wilson's plan, which aimed to pin the blame squarely on China.
But what Wilson didn't expect was that Junxi—rescued by the Mad Dog Team—had been secretly taken to Chinatown for treatment under Shen May's grandfather's care. Since every soldier involved had a cerebral chip recording physiological data, Junxi's chip had become the ultimate proof of Wilson's conspiracy.
After understanding everything, Javier gently reached out and wiped the tears from Shen May's face. At that moment, the helicopter arrived. Shen May would accompany Junxi, while her grandfather remained in Chinatown.
Before leaving, Shen May kissed Javier and handed him a note. After the helicopter took off, Javier opened it. Inside was the address of Wilson's underground arsenal.
As it turned out, the arsenal was located directly beneath the military base where the President had given a speech earlier that morning. The place was crawling with Wilson's agents, ironically making it less suspicious and less likely to be discovered.
Javier borrowed a car from Shen May's grandfather and drove there as fast as he could. At that very moment, the President was also heading to the base.
Upon arriving, Javier encountered Leon, who had also uncovered Wilson's conspiracy through Jason and had come to stop him.
"Have you seen Jason?" Leon asked, staring intently at Javier.
Javier shook his head.
"Looks like he's already inside. We need to hurry. Jason's out of control now," Leon said anxiously.
The two ran through the base and, using the note Shen May had given them, quickly found the designated junction. They took the elevator down toward the underground arsenal.
---
(End of chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."