Seeing the scale of the outbreak, there were still at least five hundred to a thousand zombies left inside.
More than enough for him to slowly raise his level—so long as he stayed patient and didn't rush it.
Rian touched the side of his interface glasses and whispered, "Alice… how long until all the WP Corporation containers explode at the absolute points?"
"Estimated twenty-five minutes remaining," Alice replied calmly. "Oh, and… our box truck will explode too. That bomb belongs to Curtis, by the way. Curtis thinks we're connected to WP Corporation."
"But don't worry, Daddy~" Alice continued in a teasing tone, "Alice already prepared the second wave of the vaccine from Eden. Hehe~"
A small smile tugged at Rian's lips at Alice's words. Right at that moment, Claire appeared behind him and tapped his back lightly.
Of course, Rian had already noticed Claire approaching, but he chose to pretend he hadn't.
"Hey… turns out that besides being some kind of special agent, you're also the director of Eden Pharmacist, huh?" Claire said casually. "Looking at all these box trucks… you're pretty loaded, too."
Rian turned to her with a small smile. "So you've figured out another identity of this handsome man? Where'd you get the info?"
"Hm." Claire pretended to think for a moment, rolling her eyes upward before answering, "One of your medics. Rani and I were treated by him before."
She then handed one of the coffee cups to Rian.
"I know who he is. Luis Sera… and I asked him a few things. The result? I got a pretty shocking fact," Claire said in an easy tone.
Rian accepted the warm cup and took a slow sip. "Thanks for the coffee. And… I thought Claire didn't like me."
"I don't," Claire answered bluntly. "You're ridiculously narcissistic."
"Ouch…" Rian pretended to clutch his chest, as if wounded. "That really hurt. The heart of a handsome man… shattered. You're just like Lancelot, you know?"
Claire raised an eyebrow. "Too dramatic," she said, half-amused. "Besides… who's Lancelot?"
Rian chuckled softly before answering, "Someone you know quite well. Take a guess. And since you managed to defeat this handsome man, you deserve a reward."
Casually, Rian slid his hand into the inside of his trench coat, pretending to pull something from his pocket, though in reality he was accessing his void ring.
Moments later, he produced a small box and handed it to Claire.
"The king of drama and riddles, huh? Alright then." Claire took the box with a bemused smile. "But… what is this?"
"Just open it. Try it on later," Rian said, his eyes sparkling with meaning.
Without waiting for a response, Rian turned and leapt over the chain-link fence ahead. His movement was light and precise, like the wind brushing past a cliff's edge.
Rian landed gracefully on the other side, then turned to catch Claire's expression, which looked slightly impressed.
With a faint smile and a teasing tone, he said, "See ya later… future ideal wife."
Before Claire could react, he was already jogging away toward the airport, where the remaining zombies awaited their fate.
Claire remained frozen in place, her body unmoving, yet her face was locked in reaction to that single sentence.
"…Future ideal wife?" Claire murmured softly.
Blinking briefly, she exhaled a long breath. A faint smile appeared on her lips, barely noticeable. "Who would want to marry such a narcissist anyway?"
Sighing once more, Claire refocused her gaze forward. Her eyes sharpened, full of determination.
"Alright. Back to the main task… WP Corporation, huh? Let's see… what can be salvaged from this chaos.".
With the box containing the glasses Rian had given her in hand, Claire stepped forward as if cutting through the cold morning, moving on to the next chapter.
Unbeknownst to Claire, the glasses Rian gave her were no ordinary accessory.
They were also an E.O.W (Eyes Of Wisdom) device—the same as Rian's—and a modified version of Luis's TWS Interface.
However, the pair Claire now held featured several additional functions, far surpassing the previous models.
Beyond providing full access to Rian's private facilities and the ability to hack nearly any type of digital network, the glasses also came equipped with a personal AI assistant named "Sister."
Note: Sister stands for System Integrated Sentient Tactical Evaluation Response.
Created by Alice five hours after her own activation, Sister is an artificial intelligence derivative personally developed by Alice herself.
Not merely an aid, Sister is part of Alice's personal project.
Sister is specifically designed to adapt across realities while also serving as an observational and companion system for selected individuals.
Several advanced features are seamlessly integrated behind its simple appearance:
Real-time detection of the user's and target's emotions.
Infrared mode for visibility in complete darkness.
Environmental scanning and rapid analysis of the target's physical condition.
An electro-magnetic locking system to keep the glasses securely in place, even during extreme movements.
More than just a visual aid, this interface glasses system is built with cutting-edge technology.
Its structure is made from a composite Core Vibranium Mesh, reinforced with an outer layer of Nanotube Neural Shell, making it lightweight, flexible, and nearly indestructible.
Its power source is equally unconventional.
The device operates on bio-electromagnetic energy, relying on brainwave signals and body movements as triggers.
Its charging occurs automatically through a Neuro-Transmitter Sync system—a process reminiscent of the kinetic mechanism in a Rolex watch, but far more complex.
The difference is that energy is not generated purely from physical motion, but from the activity of neural synapses.
The more active Claire's mind—her focus and mental intensity—the stronger the signal. This means the system recharges faster when Claire is in a heightened mental state.
More importantly, the system cannot be hacked or hijacked. The core AI code within SISTER is locked and can only synchronize with Claire's unique neural wave pattern.
Rian had ensured this, giving direct orders to Alice to embed a one-way lock that could not be replicated, copied, or transferred.
In other words, only Claire could use these glasses. Not merely because she wore them, but because the system itself recognized her existence.
Rian's reason for giving such an insane device to Claire wasn't solely for its technological value.
To Rian, Claire was someone worthy of wielding it, even more suitable than himself.
He was certain the glasses would truly aid Claire, both on the battlefield and in making strategic decisions.
Yet, behind all of that, there was a more personal reason.
Perhaps… this could serve as a bridge for a second round of approach. A subtle way to remain present by Claire's side without having to say it outright.
Because one thing was certain: Rian hadn't given up. He never truly intended to back down.
To Rian, Claire was more than just a combat partner. She was his favorite female character in the Resident Evil universe, and the only person he had given a special title to: "the ideal wife-to-be."
More than that, Rian harbored a not-so-hidden hope: that one day, Claire would stop being a TeraSave volunteer.
In exchange, she would join the Eden Pharmacist forces—a faction Rian was slowly building and expanding his influence over.
Rian stood calmly in the middle of the vast, dimly lit lobby, surrounded by chaos: blood-smeared floors and walls, scattered debris, and a passenger plane brutally lodged through the hall's windows.
Behind him, rows of fully uniformed troops stood at attention—the SRT special unit from Havardville, fully armed like a SWAT team.
But they weren't moving of their own volition.
They were now under Alice's control, thanks to the power of the Mind Stone. Yet, unlike ordinary brainwashing, their gazes were not empty.
There was still a faint awareness behind their eyes, as if their bodies obeyed while their souls observed from a distance.
And it wasn't just the humans who were being controlled.
The zombies inside the building also fell in line. No wild growls, no staggering steps—only an eerie silence.
It was undeniable proof. Too quiet for an outbreak caused by the T-Virus.
A silence that was unnaturally still.
Suddenly, a loud explosion shook the air, its source coming from outside the building. A box truck carrying vaccines had detonated. Whether it belonged to Eden Pharmacist or WP Corporation, no one could say for certain.
Even though the truck was from Eden, the pharmaceutical company directly under Rian's control, there wasn't the slightest flicker of surprise on his face. No anger. No panic.
Rian merely stared straight ahead, calm. As if everything had already been written in a script.
Because, in truth, this event was part of the Absolute Point—a fixed, immutable moment that could not be altered. Not even by Alice, nor by himself in the present.