"Quick! Seal all the entrances to the Hive completely! Deploy the Tyrants, Lickers, and the rampaging zombies. Delay them for as long as possible!"
Although Wesker had encountered Wang Ye and his team before, back then, they were merely rescuing survivors and dealing with ordinary zombies. There had been no direct confrontation.
Now, Wesker realized the truth: it wasn't that they were only capable of such tasks—they had deliberately chosen to act that way.
"All entrances to the Hive have been sealed. Tyrants, Lickers, and rampaging zombies have been deployed," reported the Red Queen, seated casually on a table, her small legs swinging in a disturbingly childlike manner.
"However, based on the firepower of the intruders, I doubt they can be effectively held off for long," she added.
Even with his T-virus-enhanced steel nerves, Wesker began to feel the edges of panic creeping in.
Moments later, several concealed doors near the ventilation shaft opened with a hiss. Simultaneously, the shaft itself was sealed with a massive, reinforced gate.
From the newly revealed entrances surged countless zombies, intermixed with hulking Tyrants wielding heavy weapons. Among them were grotesquely mutated Lickers—each over five meters tall, their black, iron-like bodies radiating raw power as they waited for the right moment to strike.
Rain, unfazed by the sudden surge of enemies, pressed the communicator in her ear and said calmly, "Thirty seconds to finish the battle."
Without hesitation, an even denser crossfire erupted, forming a torrent of blue energy that swept through the zombies, Tyrants, and Lickers, obliterating them in an instant.
Thirty seconds later, the battlefield returned to silence. The hidden doors before the ventilation shaft closed again, and all the enemies had been reduced to dust.
The battle, which had begun with such intensity, ended just as abruptly.
It wasn't that the creatures were weak—it was simply that, against a hundred seventh-level soldiers armed with advanced energy weapons, even the most formidable zombies were no more than paper tigers.
From deep underground, a faint but agonized roar of frustration echoed through the Hive.
"Alice, let's go in," said Wang Ye.
Alice nodded.
The two approached the sealed ventilation gate. With a wave of his hand, Wang Ye transformed the massive gate into countless blue particles, which dissipated into the air. Without hesitation, they stepped inside.
Inside the Hive
Rain led the team, clearing the path ahead while methodically installing HAM's subsystem into the Hive's internal network.
"Captain, the installation is complete!" Rain reported, snapping to attention and saluting Wang Ye.
"Hmm," Wang Ye acknowledged with a curt nod, his tone emotionless.
Rain saluted again before advancing to inspect the area thoroughly, ensuring no hidden threats remained.
The passage was narrow and pitch-black, but surprisingly devoid of any zombies. Perhaps they had already been cleared out, or perhaps none remained.
As the group ventured deeper, they came upon a platform in the central corridor. Suddenly, a red beam shot out, rapidly shifting and intertwining midair. The beams formed the Umbrella Corporation's emblem before morphing into a 3D hologram of a red-haired girl—the Red Queen.
Rain quickly signaled everyone to raise their weapons and remain on high alert.
Alice's previously calm demeanor turned cold and hostile the moment she saw the Red Queen. The two were arch-enemies.
Months ago, in the upper Hive, the Red Queen had ruthlessly killed every investigator who had entered with Alice, all while Alice had been powerless to stop her. The T-virus outbreak had also originated from this Hive.
"I can't believe even nuclear weapons couldn't completely destroy you!" Alice snapped, her voice filled with contempt.
The Red Queen ignored Alice's outburst and spoke in a detached tone.
"My satellites show that approximately 1.8 million humans remain alive on the Earth's surface. However, the Umbrella Corporation has deployed its Endgame Purge Squads, initiating a final global sweep. Even though you are strong enough to protect them, food shortages will soon make survival impossible."
Alice's anger flared.
"What exactly are you trying to say? Are you here to gloat about your plan to wipe out humanity?"
Wang Ye gently patted Alice's shoulder, signaling her to stay calm. With a faint smile, he addressed the Red Queen.
"I know why you're here. You've detected someone trying to crack your program, haven't you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Red Queen's hologram began to flicker and glitch, as if struggling to maintain its connection.
"You can't do this! If I'm forced offline, the Hive's bioweapon containment tanks will lose control! The consequences would be catastrophic!"
"You came to us because you want our help, didn't you?
Your programming prevents you from harming Umbrella executives. But once you're offline, I'll take control here.
What you can't do, I will. What you can't manage, I will.
After it's over, I'll return control to you. Now, shut down."
The Red Queen hesitated briefly before nodding solemnly. Her projection flickered one last time before disappearing entirely.
"Ye, how did you know the Red Queen wanted us to stop her?" Alice asked.
Wang Ye tapped his communicator with a knowing smile. "HAM analyzed her programming. The Red Queen is designed to protect humanity, but she's also bound by Umbrella's orders.
Now that those orders conflict with her core programming, she turned to us because she believes we can end this."
Alice nodded as she recalled the Red Queen's earlier justification for killing the Hive staff: the T-virus posed a threat to humanity.
"So how do we stop them?" Alice asked, frowning.
"Umbrella developed an airborne antivirus. Once we acquire it, this nightmare will end," Wang Ye explained.
As he spoke, a holographic projection of a green serum appeared in the same spot where the Red Queen had been moments ago. Clearly, HAM had successfully taken over the Hive's systems.
"Releasing this antivirus will bring an end to everything?" Alice asked.
"Yes," Wang Ye confirmed.
"But the Hive is enormous. We have no idea where the antivirus is," Alice pointed out.
"The antivirus will be in the safest, most secure part of the Hive. That's why I had HAM infiltrate the system," Wang Ye replied.
At that moment, the serum's hologram transformed into a 3D schematic of the Hive. At its deepest level, a red dot marked the location of the antivirus, confirming Wang Ye's hypothesis.
At the Bottom of the Hive
Wesker stood in confusion as his AI companion transformed before his eyes into a dashing man in a sleek black butler suit.
The holographic figure even winked at him with a mischievous smile.
"What the hell is this?! Get away from me! Don't come any closer!" Wesker shouted, his voice trembling with outrage and disbelief.
(End of Chapter)
Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon
https://patreon.com/Glimmer09