Rows of biochemical warriors roared, chased, and gnawed at the clones. At the top of the biochemical pit, several people simply stood by, recording data. From time to time, new clones were sent down.
These clones looked and dressed identically, except for the different weapons they carried—used to test various data points, such as the zombies' physical resistance.
It was like a twisted version of the Colosseum—watching it filled one with disgust.
Even Yuriko Takashiro, who had witnessed many dark things in her life, couldn't help but feel nauseated after seeing the contents of the USB flash drive.
Rewinding to the beginning of the video, Yuriko Takashiro confirmed that the footage was taken in Tokyo—likely a secret Umbrella branch located there.
"They… They're bold enough to carry out such horrific experiments in secret? Unforgivable! Their crimes are beyond redemption!"
Saya covered her mouth with a tissue, visibly uncomfortable. After a moment of silence, she burst into angry scolding, as if trying to expel the fear and nausea inside her through sheer outrage.
"This USB flash drive is very important, Miyamoto-san," Yuriko said, forcing herself to endure the nausea. After skimming through the rest of the files, she turned to Miyamoto Rei and continued, "I'll have people look into your father's whereabouts, but… don't get your hopes up."
Getting hold of such sensitive information was no easy task. Considering the kind of intel her father had passed on, one could only imagine his current predicament.
If a world-class corporation like Umbrella discovered him, even the Japanese government would struggle to offer protection.
Even Yuriko Takashiro felt a flicker of doubt—perhaps it was better to give up on Rei's father altogether.
Umbrella's attention had now shifted toward the takagi residence.
It would be wiser to prioritize saving the Takagi family first—but Yuriko wasn't about to let go of the USB drive either.
The situation was heading down a strange and irreversible path. After seeing this evidence, the Takashiro family couldn't back out—not anymore.
Yuriko had resolved to see it through to the end.
"Avery, can you arrange a meeting with your godfather as soon as possible? I'm afraid we'll need to act early," Yuriko asked.
"In advance? Alright, I'll let my godfather know. He happens to be free lately!" Alicia replied, chewing on a high-energy lollipop. Just thinking about that strange woman filled her with anger. The woman seemed like a sorceress—Alicia's powers were no match for her.
Alicia had once taken part in a firearms simulation test—yet even if she fired four Gatling guns continuously, her telekinetic shield still couldn't be breached. And now, against a Mage-level threat? It was useless.
"Got it. I'll speak with Mrs. Sawamura again. You should just stay at school for the next few days—don't go wandering off," Yuriko said as she pocketed the USB drive and left. She needed time to plan how best to use the information.
"Something feels off. You're not telling me everything, Alicia," Kain remarked after Yuriko left. He didn't really care about the Umbrella mess—his focus was on getting the items he needed to trade in the Marvel universe.
Since he had handed over Umbrella's affairs to Alicia, Kain had mostly stopped meddling. Even the Red Queen was rarely used now. He had fully relaxed in this world.
It would've been easy to use Legilimency to read Yuriko's thoughts just now—but Kain didn't like prying into people's minds unless they were a threat. If someone posed no danger, there was no need to waste the effort.
Even if the world were destroyed, it wouldn't harm him. So Kain didn't care what the common people thought—nothing could touch him, not even if the sky fell.
This was Alicia's game now. Kain's only worry was whether it would delay production of his goods.
"I didn't do anything! I told you I'd contact the godfather," Alicia said quickly, then changed the topic. "So, what are you planning to do next, Godfather?"
"I'm going to Eastern Europe—to see if there's any trace of mythical history there."
"Mythical history? Why the interest? Does it relate to your magic?"
"Not at all. Just a sudden curiosity. I'm still the only one who knows magic in this world… well, aside from you. You'll join the ranks of the superhumans soon enough."
This world…?
Alicia quickly picked up on the strange choice of words but said nothing. She simply nodded and said goodbye to Kain.
"What's that girl up to…?" Kain muttered, clicking his tongue. He couldn't shake the feeling that Alicia was hiding something from him. He'd nearly used Legilimency again.
"Who knows? She's probably playing some kind of game.
Master, are you planning to summon Medusa? She's much better suited for cosplay than I am. I even prepared a bunch of outfits for her!" Medea chimed in.
Their personalities were similar, but Medusa was taller—and Medea was already imagining how Medusa would look: cold and defiant, forced into costume play under her command.
Unfortunately, without Kain's cooperation, she couldn't pull it off. And convincing Medusa was no easy task.
"She'll take some time. Anyway, we've got all the time in the world—no rush."
Kain smiled and gently placed a sunhat on Medea's head before the two of them drove to the airport. Even in a world without magic, seeing a mythical figure like Medea walking around was... oddly entertaining.
However, after the two left the United States, a slow wave of public opposition against Umbrella quietly began to rise…
The church group was busy inciting the ignorant lower class. All it took was a slogan and twenty dollars to get some poor soul shouting on the streets for four hours. Among them, one group was particularly vocal and problematic in Umbrella's eyes: African Americans. They were, at least in the company's internal views, the most arrogant demographic in the U.S.—and the most hated by Umbrella.
This bias wasn't just top-down. Because of how Umbrella operated, this prejudice spread throughout the ranks. Kain himself disliked them, and his sentiments rippled through the entire organization. At Alicia's last Umbrella power conference, out of more than 200 high-ranking officials, there were even Indian representatives—but not a single Black one.
In just seven days, twelve large-scale protests had erupted across the United States—Umbrella's most influential territory. Even a fool could tell something wasn't right.
The president of Umbrella's U.S. region was already preparing to summon his subordinates, intending to resolve the situation before it escalated further. But before he could, he received a message from Alicia's holographic projection:
"Don't worry about it, Eric. Let them make all the noise they want. Umbrella's foundations aren't going to be shaken by a few protests. I'm using this chaos to see who else wants to challenge us.
Also, notify all personnel with Level 7 authority—activate the Ark Project."
"The Ark Project!?"
Eric was stunned. Although Alicia had mentioned it before, it was a plan that had been shelved for a long time. And now, only a month after its revival, it was already being put into motion?
"Chairman, the Ark Project hasn't even passed simulations. Isn't it too early to execute? This is just a small wave against Umbrella. We'll have it under control soon—"
"No need. Pass on the order."
Eric hesitated. The Ark Project had been proposed by a lunatic years ago—why suddenly revive it now?
Still, he made one last attempt:
"Chairman, shouldn't we at least inform Mr. Pent—?"
"Eric."
Alicia's expression turned cold. She bit into the candy in her mouth and said icily:
"As of this moment, you are no longer the CEO of the U.S. region. You're dismissed. Cabelli will take over."
BEEP.
BEEP.
Two urgent system tones echoed. The Red Queen had stripped Eric of all power—his access revoked in an instant.
SWISH!
Alicia's projection vanished. At the same time, Vice President Cabelli received confirmation of her promotion. She was so overjoyed she nearly called in her handsome secretary to celebrate. But she knew what mattered most right now.
She immediately summoned the security team, then turned to Eric with a calm, dangerous smile.
"Former President Eric, I trust you know what can and cannot be said. You know the company's rules.
Leak anything—and you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
They'd dealt with plenty of internal purges before. Everyone at this level understood how Umbrella handled secrets.
Eric was filled with regret. Why did I say anything? If he'd just kept quiet, he'd still be one of the most powerful men in the country. Now… he was nothing.
Still, he looked at Cabelli stiffly and said:
"Cabelli, if you go along with this, you'll destroy Umbrella…"
"Oh, come on, Eric. Don't try to drag me down with you. Who can destroy Umbrella? Even you don't believe that—so stop pretending."
At their level, everyone had at least some idea of Umbrella's terrifying military power. In fact, only two people in the entire corporation knew the full extent of it. The rest could only guess.
After Eric was removed, Cabelli wasted no time fulfilling Alicia's orders. As for celebrating with her boyfriends… that could wait until her position was more secure.
Internally, the company was unstable.
Externally, the chaos was only growing.
Even local bookstores weren't spared from the unrest. The constant noise made Medusa uncomfortable. She preferred peace, and yet the streets were getting more chaotic by the day. Crowds gathered. Looters raided stores in broad daylight—especially targeting any business not affiliated with Umbrella, since Umbrella's buildings were protected by armed security.
Medusa frowned at the noise outside. After a moment's thought, she decided to take her book home and read there.
If that bastard hadn't gone off somewhere, I'd rather stay here and bear the noise than go back to hear his voice.
Though she was used to being by Kain's side—and couldn't leave him due to the Holy Grail's influence—she still needed time. Resurrection hadn't brought her joy. The world was a mess. Maybe she should go visit Sakura instead...
He said we can return anytime, right?
As she walked down the street, Medusa suddenly noticed a long-haired female student being surrounded by four or five aggressive men, speaking broken, accented English. From their body language and clothing, it was obvious they were looters or agitators taking advantage of the chaos.
The girl looked furious but couldn't shake them off.
"This was supposed to be a peaceful world… yet only those two seem to be enjoying it."
Medusa sighed and stepped forward. Unlike the other passersby who avoided the confrontation, she walked straight into it. She approached the girl, ignored the hostile stares, and grabbed her by the wrist to lead her away.
"Hey, hey! She hasn't even apologized to us yet!"
One of the men immediately stretched out his arm to stop Medusa and the female student—but in the next second, there was a sharp click, and his arm was snapped cleanly at the joint.
"Bitch! Kill her!"
"Stupid woman!"
Boom! Boom!
Medusa didn't hesitate. With three punches and one kick, she took out the rest of them—all left writhing on the ground, some missing limbs, others unconscious.
And this was her holding back. Since her resurrection, her divine nature had grown even stronger. If translated into Heroic Spirit stats, she would be rated A+ in everything except luck.
Her sudden burst of violence quickly drew the attention of a nearby parade group. But as Medusa shattered the last thug's legs and accidentally knocked down a lamppost in the process, the onlookers hesitated. No one dared approach. A hushed murmur rippled through the crowd in the distance.
"Let's go," Medusa said calmly.
She took the female student's hand and led her away. Once they had left the demonstration area, Medusa let go and turned to leave.
"Wait!"
The long-haired student called out, hurrying after her. She bowed slightly and thanked her in slightly broken English:
"Thank you very much. I was able to get away thanks to your help… but those people—"
"Don't worry about it," Medusa interrupted, shaking her head. "It's a chaotic time. If you want to read a book, it's better to just buy it and read at home."
She had noticed the same book she liked in the girl's hands. That alone had prompted her to step in.
"My name is Kasumigaoka Shiwa," the girl said quickly. "I'm a high school exchange student from Japan. If possible… could we exchange contact information?"
Japanese, huh? No wonder her English is so clumsy, Medusa thought.
"I just got here myself. I don't have a phone. Can you save your info instead?"
She held up her wrist, revealing Umbrella's latest virtual projection watch.
Kasumigaoka's mouth twitched at the sight, but she nodded. "Of course. That's even better than a phone… but it's insanely expensive. Worth half my mom's salary for six months."
"Then just save it."
Medusa held out her wrist and let Kasumigaoka handle the exchange. As she watched the girl work, she found herself wondering, Maybe I'll stay a little longer after all.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
"Mrs. Sawamura, this was discovered in Japan by Rei Miyamoto's father."
Yuriko Takashiro handed over a USB flash drive to Sayuri Sawamura, who had arrived overnight. The situation had spiraled out of control, forcing them to act reactively. They had been completely outmaneuvered.
Yuriko had spent the entire night agonizing over what to do, tempted more than once to destroy the USB and pretend none of it had ever happened. But in the end, she made the call to contact the Sawamura family. Even if they erased the data, Rei's father might still track them down. If that happened, the Takashiro family would be finished.
"I see. Leave it to me, Mrs. Takashiro," Sayuri said, exhaling deeply as she accepted the USB.
With this in hand, she finally had the leverage she needed to persuade some very powerful people.
…
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