MTLNOVEL Chapter 24: Chapter 024 - Destroy The Tokyo Umbrella Branch
Just as Alice and her team reached the next floor, gunfire erupted loudly.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Bullets rained down on them. Alice instinctively moved sideways, hiding behind a cracked concrete pillar still standing. She quickly peeked out and returned fire, two bullets hitting the heads of two Umbrella guards in a flash.
Chris rolled behind a tool table, dragging a soldier who had almost been hit. Leon dove behind a wall, providing cover fire through gritted teeth.
"Take defensive positions!" Alice shouted. "Don't give them an opening!"
Luther kicked down the sliding door to the side of the room and tossed a flashbang at the enemy. A blinding flash exploded, disorienting several Umbrella guards.
Meanwhile, deep in the control center...
The Director of Security for Umbrella Tokyo stood in front of a surveillance screen showing firefights across various corridors. His face was stoic, but his eyes were tense. Sweat trickled down his temple.
"Our troops can't hold them back..." he muttered. Then, in a harsh voice, he yelled:
"Release the toxic gas into the main corridors. Now!"
A young officer seated at the console turned in panic. "Sir, our own people are still down there! They're fighting—"
"DO IT NOW!" the Director shouted, slamming his hand on the table. "Or do you want all of us to die here, you idiot?! They won't stop the intruders. They're just a fucking liability!"
A moment of silence. Then, with trembling fingers, the officer typed the command and pressed the large red button on the touchscreen.
"Toxic gas activated in Districts 2, 3, and 5...," the operator reported. "Districts 11 and 13 are still in active firefight!"
"Isolate the zones! Seal all access points! Lock down everything from the twelfth floor up!" the Director commanded rapidly.
Sirens wailed. Emergency lights turned a glowing red. On the surveillance feed, cameras caught canisters lining the ceiling as they opened automatically, spraying green mist into the main corridors.
The gas flowed slowly, like a deadly forest fog. Several Umbrella troops still in combat began coughing, then collapsed, their bodies twitching. Within twenty seconds, they stopped moving entirely.
On the debris-strewn floor riddled with bullet marks, Alice caught the sharp metallic scent in the air. A faint green mist began seeping through the vents and cracks in the walls. Her eyes narrowed.
"Gas...!" Leon growled, grimacing. "Umbrella's deploying poison gas!"
Without waiting for orders, Alice moved. She leapt from the side of the pillar, her body soaring through the air like a human projectile, straight at the Umbrella security forces.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Each bullet fired by Alice pierced through helmets and into the enemies' skulls. But there were too many of them. Some continued firing their automatics at her, bullets sparking off the walls and floor.
Alice ducked behind another pillar. Her chest heaved, sweat ran down her temple. She closed her eyes for a moment... and when she opened them again, something fierce had awakened.
Alice's telekinetic powers activated.
From behind the pillar, Alice stood slowly. Her gaze swept over the Umbrella forces. In an instant, an invisible field pulsed around her. The air whined faintly. A strange sound resonated… like electric current under pressure.
Umbrella security officers suddenly screamed, clutching their heads. Their eyes bled. Dark liquid poured from their noses. One by one they collapsed, convulsing, then went still.
Chris and Leon stood frozen.
"Is that... does Alice have superpowers?" Chris muttered, disbelief in his voice.
Luther nudged Chris's shoulder slowly, still stunned. "Looks like... yeah."
They stared at Alice. Her body unmoving in the middle of the room—like a war goddess in the heart of a battlefield.
But as the last Umbrella guard fell, Alice dropped to her knees.
"Alice!" Luther shouted, running to her.
"What's wrong?" Chris crouched, worry on his face.
Alice let out a soft breath, clutching her head. "I-I'm fine. Just... a bit dizzy." Her breathing was uneven. "This time... I went all out…"
Luther helped her to her feet. This was the first time Alice had unleashed her full power—not just lifting objects, but crushing human minds and bodies. It was devastatingly effective… but it came at a high cost.
"Take me to Umbrella's main terminal..." Alice said softly, but firmly.
Leon and Chris immediately moved to assist. They laid Alice down in the front chair of the central console, cables and LED screens blinking around her. Alice pulled out an access module and plugged it into the system port.
"Red Queen, activate."
Within seconds, a hologram of a little girl in a red dress appeared in the air. The Red Queen.
"Alice, I've hacked into their mainframe. The system is now under my control," her voice was calm, but commanding.
The building lights dimmed, then returned glowing red. Control of Umbrella Tokyo's main system had been seized.
"Toxic gas deployment has been detected in multiple districts," Red Queen continued.
"Shut it down now. Pump out all remaining toxins from the facility," Alice ordered sharply.
"Confirmed. Gas deployment halted. Purging process initiated."
The green mist began to dissipate, sucked up by the emergency ventilation system. Alice exhaled heavily, but her eyes remained razor-focused.
"We move on to the central command. Let's finish this."
She stood, replacing the clip in her pistol. The sound of metal clacking echoed in the room.
Leon gave a slight smirk. "Straight to the point, as always, huh?"
Meanwhile, in the upper control room...
"Sir! The toxic gas has been deactivated. The mainframe's been breached. We've lost control of the system!"
The Security Director turned slowly, fury burning in his eyes. "What?! Get the system back! Now! Use the manual override if you have to!"
The staffer quickly hit buttons, trying to re-enter the system. But on the screen, only one line flashed in blood-red letters:
"You're all going to die down here."
The Head of Security of Umbrella's Tokyo branch wiped the sweat from his forehead. His gaze was clouded by pressure. All security systems had failed. The poisonous gas had failed to stop them. The Red Queen had taken over everything.
"This... is the endgame," he murmured softly, barely audible.
He stared at the last monitor still showing visuals of a building partially on fire. Gunshots, screams, and rapid-fire instructions echoed from every communication radio.
"Call all remaining troops here. Block them. Stop them by any means necessary," he said firmly, his eyes sharpening. If I fall, at least I'll take them with me.
The Head of the Security Forces nodded and rushed out to deliver the order.
Meanwhile, with the help of Red Queen—now their ally—Alice and her team dismantled Umbrella's defenses one layer at a time. Every door that opened revealed enemies, and every enemy fell, one by one, to bullets and strategy.
Once they reached the control center, the room was filled with terrified Umbrella staff. Monitors flickered, several systems were burning, and the technicians crouched on the floor, hands covering their heads.
"Who's in charge here now?" Alice's voice cut through the tension, cold and sharp as a blade.
She raised her pistol, aiming it at the remaining staff.
A security officer, pale and sweating, answered in a trembling voice:
"Wesker... Wesker is usually in charge. But... he's not here. Now our Security Director—Hotaka—has taken over."
"Where is he now?"
The officer shook his head. "H-he was just here. But now, I don't know where he's gone."
Alice turned toward the screen. "Red Queen, find him."
"Of course, Sister Alice." Red Queen's voice responded, calm yet piercing. The system lights flickered on in unison. Dozens of screens lit up in automatic search patterns.
Within moments, one screen displayed a man in uniform running frantically through an underground corridor. The image was blurry but clear enough—that was Hotaka.
"Where is he going?" Alice asked quickly.
Red Queen answered before the officer could open his mouth:
"That's an emergency escape route. That corridor will bring him to Team Michael and other combat units."
"Red Queen, order Michael to capture him. Alive."
"Command relayed."
Alice stared at the screen, her face unchanged. But in her eyes, tension was starting to grow.
On another screen, the Special Operations Team was still engaged in fierce gunfire. Some had fallen, seriously wounded. But the team pushed forward, slowly but surely.
This Umbrella base—a shadowy giant of global corporate evil—was beginning to collapse from within. Organizational structure, defense systems, even personnel morale—all were crumbling under Alice and her special forces' resistance.
---
Team Michael and his troops escorted Umbrella's Security Director, Hotaka, toward the control center—the last stronghold still standing amid the wreckage. Along the corridor, bodies were strewn, lifeless and silent. Remnants of battle still echoed occasionally: distant gunfire, no longer coordinated, only the final sparks of a dying force.
Inside the dimly lit control room, Alice stood tall at the center. The blinking lights from the monitor banks illuminated her calm yet firm face. Her eyes were sharp, showing no mercy.
Hotaka was pushed before her. The man's body trembled. His white shirt was stained with dried blood and dust, his face more like a corpse than that of a global corporate executive.
Alice raised her pistol, aiming it squarely at Hotaka's forehead.
"What should I do with you, Director Hotaka?" she asked flatly—without tone, without emotion.
Hotaka flinched. His hands rose slowly, almost reflexively. He swallowed, sweat dripping from his temple despite the cold air.
"Y-You... you can't kill me! I have important information! I can... I can help you," he stammered, trying to sound brave, but failing.
Alice raised an eyebrow, then slowly lowered her pistol.
"Oh?" she said coolly. "What kind of information?"
Hotaka stepped half a pace back, holding his breath.
"But... I want a guarantee. I'll talk... as long as you promise you won't kill me."
Alice stared intently, silent for a moment, then holstered her pistol at her waist. She stepped toward the central command chair, sat down slowly, crossed her legs, and leaned back in a posture no less threatening than the barrel of a gun.
"As long as the information is worth it," she said, "I have no reason to shoot you."
Hotaka nodded quickly. His breath was still heavy. He spoke in haste, as if afraid time—or his life—would run out first.
"I know the condition of the Kamchatka base. I was stationed there before being transferred to Tokyo."
Alice narrowed her eyes.
"Kamchatka base?" she asked. "Where exactly? Be specific."
"Umbrella Corporation has been conducting virus deployment simulations in several locations as part of their secret experiments."
Alice frowned. "Virus outbreak simulations?" she asked, her tone filled with confusion, yet still sharp.
The others looked at Hotaka, listening intently.
Hotaka swallowed hard, then spoke quickly—his sentences scattering like shards of glass.
"I-It was... to maintain Umbrella's revenue stream. They sell biological and chemical weapons. But... such weapons can't be tested in the real world. So... so they built a replica of New York City at the Kamchatka base—complete with infrastructure and systems—then simulated the virus outbreak there."
He took a breath, then continued.
"That simulation... it was recorded and broadcast to Russia, as proof of the virus's efficiency. After that, the virus was sold to their government."
Alice kept a neutral expression, but her eyes darkened.
"Umbrella also built Moscow. For a similar simulation. The target client this time... was America."
Hotaka didn't even get to finish his next sentence.
"They ran a Tokyo outbreak simulation too!" Luther cut in, his tone nearly angry.
"Which means the target was the Chinese," he added with biting sarcasm.
Alice turned her face toward Hotaka, her gaze piercing.
"What about the simulation for China?" she asked sharply.
Leon jumped in before Hotaka could speak.
"Don't tell me... it was sold to Japan," he said flatly.
Chris nodded, his voice firm. "Without a doubt."
The atmosphere in the command room turned cold. Alice swept her gaze across the room, then back to Hotaka.
"So every major nation wants this virus. Massive demand, intense competition... and in the midst of all that chaos, Umbrella sits calmly, counting profits."
She stood slowly, her tone low yet threatening.
"That's why the virus spread so quickly."
After a brief silence, Alice locked eyes with Hotaka again.
"Who's in charge at Kamchatka? And how many personnel are stationed there?" she asked.
Hotaka lowered his head, then answered in a subdued voice.
"That base... is controlled by an AI. Its name is Thunder Queen. I don't know the exact numbers, but... it's a lot. Swarming with zombies. Experimental clones too. All strictly monitored and controlled."
Alice narrowed her eyes. "Thunder Queen? So you have more than one artificial intelligence?"
Hotaka nodded quickly. "After Red Queen disappeared... Umbrella created a new version. Thunder Queen was built from the same source code, but modified to be more aggressive. More... loyal."
He looked at Alice in panic.
"That's all I know! Please... let me go. I've told you the truth."
Alice stepped closer, her eyes never leaving his face.
"You must know how to get into Kamchatka," she said softly—almost a whisper.
Hotaka nodded fast. "Yes... yes. But... if I go in, I'll die. No one gets out of there alive. The system detects everything. Thunder Queen monitors the entire base—every inch, every heat signature. No one can enter undetected."
Alice smiled faintly—but it was enough to freeze Hotaka's blood.
He looked at her in confusion, almost fear.
That smile... wasn't forgiveness.
"Michael, gather your men and clean out this base. Move anything salvageable to headquarters, and have Major Hellsker send aircraft to assist with the transfer," Alice ordered, crisp and cold.
"Yes, ma'am," Michael responded quickly.
Alice turned to Hotaka. "You and I are going to the Kamchatka base."
Hotaka immediately raised his hands, panicked. "I can take you there, but if I go inside... I'm dead. No one walks out alive."
"Alice, I'm going with you," Leon stepped forward firmly.
"Me too," Luther added.
"Count me in," Chris said without hesitation.
Alice looked at the three of them, then gave a faint smile. "Alright. If you're truly not afraid to die, then come. Chris, pick a few more reliable people—form a strike team."
---
Waters Near San Diego, California
After nearly two days of sea travel, Reuel and his entourage arrived at the coastal waters near San Diego. This time, as he returned to Salt Lake City, he wasn't coming back empty-handed—but with a grand vision: to build the Imperium of Man in the world of Resident Evil.
He planned to mark all military bases, mineral resources, and strategic points across the world. Once stability was achieved, the next step would be expansion into other universes.
But great challenges awaited.
Salt Lake City currently held only about 400,000 people. Far too few. America was finished. The hope now lay in Europe and Asia, with a remaining global population of about 3.6 billion—including 360 million Cadia troops summoned directly from the Warhammer universe by the system. That fact alone gave Reuel a pounding headache.
For the short to medium term—about one to five years—food supplies could still be managed. But after that?
Reuel planned to deploy the Cadia Shock Troopers to gather all remaining food stocks in the Resident Evil world and consolidate them. He hoped it would last at least ten years. However, if reality proved it could only sustain them for two, then alternative solutions must be found immediately.
The biggest issue: this world was still in a pre-nuclear stage—far from reaching the spacefaring age.
Even with the Adeptus Mechanicus led by Archmagos Belisarius Cawl, Reuel knew he couldn't just dump every problem on them.
The most urgent issue was food.
All animal life had gone extinct. The population couldn't survive on plants alone. He needed to speak with Cawl—was it possible to restore the fauna of this world?
Another question: where should the capital of the newly established Imperium be?
For now, that could be postponed. But it still needed to be addressed eventually.
Reuel also struggled with the shortage of skilled labor. Cloning technology was available, yes—but it couldn't be used in Salt Lake City. He didn't want the city's citizens to know it existed. The operation site had to be absolutely secret—no one must be able to replicate the technology afterward.
"Let the Adeptus Mechanicus handle it," Reuel thought.
All of these issues would require his full attention once he returned to Salt Lake City.
---
"Reuel, the helicopter to Salt Lake City is almost here. They're ready to land," Ada Wong's voice called from outside.
Reuel stepped out of the ship and found Ada standing on the deck—elegant and captivating in a red cheongsam that highlighted her slender figure. He moved forward, slipped his arm around her waist, and pulled her into a tight embrace.
The night before, drunk, Ada had given him a rare moment—one of warmth and intimacy. Though a bit troublesome, to Reuel it had been a deeply satisfying outlet for his desire.
"Let's go. Let's go home," he said softly.