"All members of the S.T.A.R.S. team," Wesker said, looking at the three people on the monitoring screen. His expression was calm, as if he didn't care about them at all. "The woman is a rookie, and the man is a well-known shooting genius. They're both useless. They're just two rookies. As for the last one... he seems to be a wanted criminal. Hmm, an interesting combination."
"As for why they're here, the Raccoon City Police Department probably found out about the accident on the Ecliptic Express and sent the S.T.A.R.S. team to investigate."
"So, should we take care of them? What if they escape and say something?" William asked, looking worried. He wasn't as calm as Wesker. The fact that the Umbrella Corporation's viral outbreak had been discovered was a huge problem. If the S.T.A.R.S. members went around talking, it would be even more troublesome.
If it were regular people, they could use Umbrella's power to silence them and frame them as terrorists. But if S.T.A.R.S. members reported them, their credibility would be very high and could easily draw the attention of the U.S. government.
And William's G-virus experiment was almost complete. He didn't want the U.S. government to intervene at the last minute and take his research. He would not accept that.
"No need," Wesker said. "You're worrying too much, William. Just let the zombies in the executive training facility eat their bodies. No need to go out of your way to deal with them yourself. Just wait and see... those three rookies will die in the executive training facility." Wesker stood up and put his hand on William's shoulder. William was too cautious, which was a bad thing. It was why he was not given an important position.
Wesker had already moved his focus from viral research to other things years ago. He knew that even if he created a new virus, he couldn't keep it to himself without power. Their mentor, Marcus, was the perfect example. So Wesker wasn't focused on viral research anymore. Instead, he was building his connections and power to protect himself. Only a fool like William would still be researching the G-virus for Spencer. Ten years ago, he bribed them to kill Marcus. Today, he could bribe others to kill William and take his G-virus.
Meanwhile, as Wesker and William were talking, Javier and his companions successfully made their way out of the tunnel. They climbed the ladder and entered the main hall of the executive training facility.
The "facility" was more of a mansion, designed in a medieval style. The entire building was made of marble, with beautiful stone pillars, a dark red carpet, and luxurious decorations. The walls were covered with paintings and intricate statues. A huge portrait of the first director, James Marcus, hung on the central staircase.
But because the place had been abandoned for many years, the white pillars were covered in moss and dust, making the mansion look like a vampire's castle.
The Marcus in the portrait was different from the one in the Arklay Mountains. The portrait showed a handsome, well-groomed man with short hair and a determined face. It was as if they were two different people. This was proof that the real Marcus had died long ago and the one who had come back was a leech queen who had inherited his memories. Although the memories and appearance were the same, their hearts and minds were completely different.
"Step, step, step..."
"Step, step, step..."
"Step, step, step..."
The three of them walked into the hall, their eyes alert, and quickly noticed the large portrait of the first director, James Marcus.
"..."
"Is that Dr. James Marcus?" Rebecca asked, surprised.
"Rebecca, you know him?" Javier asked. Although he knew the Resident Evil story by heart, he didn't remember the Umbrella Corporation's founders. They were all too old. He only remembered the long-haired Marcus because of the leech queen. He would have no idea who this middle-aged man was. Only Spencer, who was still alive, would be easy to recognize.
Rebecca nodded. As a pharmaceutical expert, she knew all the big names in the industry. She had wanted to join the Umbrella Corporation after graduating from college, so she knew Dr. James Marcus, the founder of the international pharmaceutical company, was a genius in the field of bioengineering. But she had no idea that his portrait would be hanging here and that he was the first director of this facility. It turned out that the company and the doctor she admired were the real culprits who created those "devils" and "monsters."
At that moment, as the three of them were about to continue their investigation, a voice suddenly echoed in the hall. It wasn't a person talking but a voice from a loudspeaker.
"Silence!"
"I am Dr. James Marcus. Please contemplate the motto of this company: Obedience breeds discipline, discipline breeds unity, unity breeds power, and power is life!"
The deep voice echoed in the facility, confusing the three of them. They couldn't figure out who was playing this prank.
Wesker and William, who were in the secret monitoring room, were even more shocked. The screens in front of them started to get blurry and lose signal. Only the one in the middle showed a long-haired man in a white robe with a feminine face.