Wearing his octopus-faced gas mask, Hunk watched Asa and Lisa arrive in despair. He tried to summon all his strength to stand up, or perhaps draw his dagger for a final desperate struggle.
But his entire body was rigid, unable to move.
A pair of boots landed in front of him, followed by a light, airy voice.
"Don't move around, or you'll die."
What kind of face was beneath that gas mask? Asa was curious.
After all, this was the infamous Grim Reaper Hunk, who had never shown his true face to anyone.
The infamous Grim Reaper Hunk could be considered the fourth protagonist throughout the game series.
His track record included being assigned by Umbrella Corporation to recover G-Virus samples, only to have his entire team wiped out while being hunted by William, with Hunk being the sole survivor.
Amidst the total viral outbreak, he had evacuated Raccoon City alone through the sewers.
In subsequent games, he consistently had a record of fighting alone.
More than 20 years later, he even had an intense 1v1 duel with an aged Leon.
Because Hunk maintained a long-standing record of his teammates being wiped out while he survived, a terrifying saying circulated within the USS Team: teaming up with Hunk was equivalent to a death sentence.
Known in the underworld as the Grim Reaper Hunk.
In the timeline altered by Asa, William had lost the G-Virus sample, which was why the members of the USS Team who had teamed up with Hunk last time had luckily survived.
And this time, it seemed the Grim Reaper Hunk's reputation would be solidified once again.
The USS Team were Umbrella Corporation's loyal dogs; Asa felt he probably couldn't persuade them with reason or emotion.
Furthermore, since the USS Team Beta was not wiped out, and the Wolfpack and Echo Six squads that should have appeared among the Raccoon City survivors had vanished due to historical changes, there was even less need to care about the feelings of this group of nameless NPCs.
Asa had no impression of Hunk's other four teammates; they were likely the other squad members killed by William in the game's background.
Gathering all the captives in the first-floor living room, Asa used magic to bind them in place, leaving them for later.
First, he had to see if these people were worth a bargaining chip.
He pulled a satellite phone from Sergei. On the digital screen, there was only one contact in the phonebook. Asa pressed the button to call back.
Sergei wanted to speak, but only muffled groans came out of his mouth. With just a snap of Asa fingers, his throat felt as if it had been rammed by three massive men for three days and three nights, unable to utter a single word.
This nearly two-meter-tall Russian brute, Spencer's loyal dog, could only watch helplessly as the call connected.
The call connected, but the person on the other end didn't speak, clearly waiting for Sergei to speak first.
"Mr. Spencer."
Asa said.
After a long while, an aged voice came from the other end of the line, devoid of any fluctuation:
"Who are you? Where is Sergei?"
Asa laughed:
"You come to cause me trouble, yet you don't know who I am?"
At this, the other side fell silent.
...
The night in the United States had not yet passed, but Europe had already ushered in the next day.
On the edge of a cliff somewhere in Europe, a Mansion stood atop a hundred-meter-high precipice.
Since his humiliating retreat from the United States, Spencer's ambitions had almost completely collapsed.
He had visibly aged and was forced to return to his family's Castle.
This family Castle was built on the sheer cliffs. Looking down from the second floor, one could see the waves crashing against the rocks at the bottom of the cliff.
The height and the sea breeze were enough to blow an ordinary person off the cliff and smash them into a pulp.
This place had once been one of Umbrella Corporation's early secret bases. Anyone familiar with the layout of the Mansion above the Arklay Laboratory would likely discover that this place bore a ten, or perhaps nine, out of ten resemblance to the Arklay Laboratory.
In fact, the Mansion above the Arklay Laboratory was built precisely in the style of the Spencer family Castle.
In a study on the second floor, the doors and windows were tightly shut.
The elderly Spencer sat in a wheelchair, showing no trace of the high-spirited appearance he had in his youth.
Now, his hair was gray, his figure hunched, his eye sockets sunken, and his skin covered in age spots and wrinkles; no one could tell he had once been the leader of a pharmaceutical giant.
Spencer didn't need to be told who the other person on the phone was; he already understood.
A misjudgment. Sergei had failed. Spencer didn't care whether Sergei lived or died; the moment Sergei failed, Spencer lost interest in him.
Likewise, Spencer didn't care how Nemesis had been defeated; he only cared whether the think tank's speculation was true.
Had Annette obtained the ultimate secret of the T-Virus and thus returned to her peak state?
At the thought of regaining his youth and standing up again, the decrepit Spencer was filled with longing.
Asa.
Spencer confirmed the information about the person on the other end of the line.
The computer on his wheelchair automatically pulled up Asa personal information:
His parents were loyal employees of Umbrella Corporation, locals of Raccoon City, who had bled their last drop of blood for Umbrella Corporation.
To "pay a thousand gold for a horse's bones," Umbrella had recruited this orphan into NEST 1 to serve as an insignificant minor character.
This behavior was meant to tell Umbrella Corporation employees: hurry up and strive; fifty is the prime age to make your mark, so have no worries, the company will arrange everything for you.
During his time in NEST 1, Asa had performed well, was hardworking, friendly, and lively.
How did such a person become an enemy of Umbrella Corporation?
Seeing this, Spencer was heartbroken.
There must be parasites within the company that had caused such a loyal person to turn against Umbrella Corporation.
How could one realize the dream of the evolution of all mankind when working with such vermin?
After reviewing the information, Spencer felt a surge of confidence. At least morally, Umbrella Corporation did not owe this former employee anything, and he could regain some leverage in the conversation.
So, Spencer tentatively spoke:
"We are not enemies, are we?"
Spencer tried to reason with him:
"Perhaps there is some misunderstanding, perhaps the company is indeed unfeeling in some aspects, but all of this is for the development of the company. There is a greater good beyond the small family; sometimes, certain sacrifices are necessary."
"After all, this is all for the evolution of all mankind. You should know the potential of the T-Virus. A great man in the East once said, no matter if it's a black cat or a white cat..."
"Stop putting on an act."
The indifferent voice from the other end of the line interrupted Spencer's long-winded speech.
"Isn't what you want the secret of the T-Virus that grants eternal life? If you want to talk, let's meet and talk."
"Perhaps, you really guessed right? I have it right here."
Spencer was not moved. Everyone knew he was delusional about using the T-Virus to develop the secret of human evolution; he had merely exaggerated his original ideal a bit.
What was wrong with an old man wanting to live a little longer?
If immortality could really be achieved, once it was done, he would only want the United States and Europe, and would never enter other continents!
Spencer would not be moved by these few simple words; he needed Asa to produce real evidence.
Sergei's failure did not mean he was out of bargaining chips; the person on the other end of the line could not possibly imagine Umbrella Corporation's global layout.
"You are willing to exchange it? But, how can you prove it?"
Spencer's tone was very gentle, far from the coldness he had shown before.