RE - Chapter 366: A Display of Viruses (Patreon)

“Hiding in plain sight. I can see why no one would think to look here.” Ada regarded the secret research facility the two had told her about with mild surprise.

“We're putting a lot of trust in you, Ada.”

“Relax. I won't let you down.” Ada rested a hand on her hip and gave them a reassuring look.

Then she sighed. “Besides, it's not as if I've ever lied to either of you.”

“Well, there was Raccoon City...”

“But you found out the truth in the end, didn't you? If you know the truth now, it doesn't count as a lie.” Ada smiled at Leon before turning to Alan.

“Lead the way. I'd like to see what this person Wesker has gone to so much trouble over actually looks like.”

Alan patted Leon on the shoulder and went ahead, leaving Leon standing there shaking his head helplessly. “Is this just my lot in life?”

With a rueful smile, he finally hurried after them.

Rebecca had just put on her lab coat and was about to start an experiment with her assistant when the laboratory door opened yet again.

Two familiar figures came in with someone she didn't recognize. A woman, by the look of her.

Alan and Leon had brought a woman to the lab? Could it be Hunnigan?

No, that couldn't be right. Alan had told her Hunnigan provided support from behind the scenes. She would hardly show up in person.

Rebecca decided there was no point guessing. As the three approached, she greeted them. “Morning! You're here early today, and you've brought a guest?”

Ada stepped forward and offered her hand. “Ada Wong. I've heard a lot about you from these two. A genius in scientific research, Dr. Rebecca.”

“Oh, you don't have to call me Doctor. I'm still struggling through my master's degree,” Rebecca muttered with a smile as they shook hands.

Ada heard her perfectly. “That's all right. I'm sure I'll be able to call you Doctor the next time we meet.”

Rebecca nodded without arguing, then gave the two men a thoughtful look. “So you're taking a day off from being security guards to play tour guides?”

“Something like that. We're showing Ms. Wong around the laboratory.”

“I don't mind, but does Chris know?” Rebecca eyed them suspiciously. “You know how much this place means to him. Otherwise, why would he pay you two such generous salaries to guard it?”

Both men cleared their throats. Finally, Alan approached Rebecca and whispered something to her. Her eyebrows rose, but she agreed.

“All right, then. She doesn't look like a bad person. But if anything goes wrong, I'm holding both of you responsible!”

Rebecca shook her fist at them in warning. It only made her look cute, but there was still Chris to consider.

Alan had told them both how Chris defeated Wesker. Those fists of his were something else.

Sure, the game exaggerated things a little, but who would want to test that for themselves?

What, you do? Fine, I'll book you an appointment. Just don't try running away, or you'll have to pay double!

“We promise nothing will happen!” the two men said together.

“Don't worry, Rebecca. I'll keep an eye on them.” Ada smiled at her, then turned back to the men. “Well? Lead on. You're supposed to be tour guides. If you don't act the part, I'll leave a terrible review.”

Rebecca watched Ada take charge so effortlessly, her confident manner stirring a strange sense of envy.

When neither Alan nor Leon argued, she grew even more curious. She almost wanted to try acting like Ada herself. Her eyes wandered around the room before settling on the coffee machine in the break room.

“Ahem... Nick.”

“Yeah?”

“Go get me some coffee.”

“Why? The break room's right there.”

“Why all the questions? Are you going or not?” Rebecca gave him a sharp look. Nick didn't dare defy his supervisor. He hastily set down his reagents and went to fetch her coffee, looking thoroughly put out.

Just you wait, Rebecca!

You're not getting a single grain of sugar in that coffee. I mean it!

“Hehe, that actually worked. Maybe I should start aiding and abetting... Wait, that's not quite what that expression means, is it?” Rebecca couldn't remember exactly how Alan had explained it. Oh well. She had plenty of experiments to run.

Deep inside the facility, Ada examined rows of cages filled with laboratory mice. Some looked normal, others had twisted into grotesque, tentacled creatures, and several cages were empty.

The black, bloody liquid at the bottom of those empty cages made it easy to guess what had happened to their occupants.

“Did the Uroboros Virus do all this?”

Alan nodded as he studied the test subjects through the observation window. “It's too aggressive to handle casually. We inject diluted samples into mice and try to identify antibodies that way.”

“Even then, progress has been painfully slow,” Leon added, scratching his head. “Rebecca told us what kind of virus it is, but I've forgotten the term...”

“An RNA retrovirus.”

“Right, that's it. It's incredibly destructive, and it's very particular about its host. Get something wrong and the subject dies.” Leon gestured toward a mouse still running around its enclosure. “Some of these only stabilized after receiving diluted Uroboros, followed by antibodies from the T-Virus series and a long period of controlled cultivation.”

Ada nodded, then asked, “And what does it actually do to the mice?”

“Regeneration stronger than what the T-Virus provides, tentacles they can attack with, resistance to infection from any virus, and immortality.” Alan paused to clarify. “But that immortality applies only to the virus. Our simulations show their brains gradually deteriorating until they become zombies.”

“Immortal zombies. That can't be what Wesker was hoping for,” Ada said with conviction. “Intercepting the virus was the right decision. Otherwise, the consequences could have been disastrous.”

Leon frowned. “According to the game's story, he wanted to select a new kind of humanity. In reality, those so-called new humans might enjoy a brief moment of glory before fading away like the setting sun.”

“Which just goes to show,” Ada said with a smile, “anyone who wants to rule the world with a virus is a complete fucking idiot.”

“Blinded by greed, or desperate to control everything?” Alan shook his head. “Just a bunch of mayflies who think they're saviors.”

Ada turned to take in the sprawling laboratory. “Surely this isn't the only virus you're studying here?”

“Of course not. There's another one. Tracing this one back to its origins wouldn't be too difficult, but do you really want to know...?” Alan led her to the specimen room opposite, where they found the sample displayed under a monitoring device.

“Where did this come from? Is it a Plaga?” Ada frowned at the dormant insect inside the container.

“Not a Plaga. It wasn't the main focus of the intelligence I told you about, but that doesn't make it harmless.”

Looking at the ugly creature behind the glass, Alan went on, “Take a good look. Luis helped develop this little thing. It can enhance a Tyrant, and it was nasty enough to chase Jill around trying to kill her.”

“What kind of introduction is that?”

“This parasite and the Tyrant it takes over have a name we're all rather fond of. Nemesis.”