Infinity, progressing from Arasaka

That's not the radiance that a prosthetic eye insert possesses.

From Vera's perspective, time seemed to stand still around her.

The objects around her moved very slowly, and her vision seemed to sink, as if her soul had fallen into an endless deep sea in that instant, but there was no suffocation or discomfort, just like returning to her real home, only lightness and joy.

In a fleeting moment, Vera gazed into the depths of her own soul—

The recessed cavity, composed of black and white ink-like ripples, is quietly embedded in the void. Dim light spots, like silk threads, flow within it, combining together in an orderly yet unpredictable way.

There is no concept of direction, length, width, or height here.

It's like a world seen by madmen or the mentally ill, a world that ordinary people cannot observe.

No one ever told Vera what it was, but she knew it naturally, which is why she was reincarnated after her death.

At the unknown end of the void, luminous veins, like a winding galaxy, traced distinct marks before Vera's eyes. Some intertwined, crisscrossed, and swirled in one place, while others stretched endlessly towards their respective ends, abruptly ending at an unexplorable other shore.

They are hazy and indistinct, illusory yet real.

Vera looked at the vein that was closest to her and the only one that was solid.

Let's take advantage of Umbrella.

How to collect it?

Just like that, we fleece them.

Her "gift from heaven".

"A byproduct of Umbrella's BOW (Bio-Organic Weapon) experiments, a side result of T-virus research, there are quite a few good things in terms of drugs, medicine, and life engineering."

The threads were constantly shifting, but the powerful call within them allowed Vera to calmly focus her thoughts on the single, solidified 'thread'—

resident Evil.

For the time being, Vera herself distinguishes herself from others by labeling it in this way.

……

"resident Evil".

Raccoon City, Colorado, North America.

hum…

The engine stopped, and a black official vehicle with a red and white umbrella-shaped logo on its license plate came to a steady stop at the building entrance.

Vera stepped out as the bodyguard in black opened the door, looked up, and stared at the Umbrella headquarters in Raccoon City with a strange expression.

"Hi, hi... I understand, boss. I understand about the 'dangerous girl' business... The Umbrella Group's technology in rehabilitation and convalescence will be enough for 'us' for a while. I'll get my hands on it."

It's Vera, the same Vera. Except for the absence of prosthetic implants on her body and face, and the fact that her gray-blue suit is more business-like and lacks the somber, oppressive, and technological feel of Arasaka's uniform, she is exactly the same Vera.

'We' refers to me.

After communicating with another version of herself in a way that no one else could know, Vera then turned her attention to her Umbrella colleagues who were walking towards her, some dressed in suits and ties, others wearing white lab coats and researcher badges.

Vera greeted everyone with the polite, insincere smile typical of Western hosts, politicians, and businessmen.

"As for Dr. William Birkin, the criticism and opposition he voiced at my 'weak flesh' proposal at the board meeting were so strong that I heard them all over the West Coast."

"this..."

“I’m here. Have him come to see me. If he has any opinions, he can raise them face to face and communicate amicably. After all, we’re colleagues. Hmm? Where is Dr. Birkin?” Vera pretended to look around.

The administrative head of the Umbrella Department in Raccoon City froze upon hearing this.

The person who came here is not kind...

I had long heard that Dr. Vera Alderhead Russell possessed exceptional intelligence, and that her genius was in no way inferior to that of Alexia Ashford, the former star of Umbrella who died young.

Crucially, Dr. Vera's research field is completely different from the virology and biological research that dominates the Umbrella Group today.

Since Dr. Vera rose to prominence within the company, her talent and achievements in materials science, intelligent control technology, human bionics, and prosthetic engineering have become well-known.

Flesh and blood are weak, while machinery soars.

Dr. Vera emphasized this point on multiple occasions at Umbrella Corporation internal meetings and even board meetings.

It's easy to imagine her attitude towards William Birkin and other members of Umbrella's old 'virology school'.

Studying medicine is expensive.

Medical and biological research are even more expensive, especially when many of these studies are conducted in shady areas where large-scale market expansion and funding are difficult to achieve.

And that's all the funding Umbrella has.

Dr. Vera wants research funding to expand her prosthetic research base and drone factory; Dr. William also wants funding to improve Project G and the underground research institute in Raccoon City. The two sides have a very unpleasant argument over the funding.

Dr. Vera launched her attack today, and Dr. William will respond and retaliate the very next day.

This is a conflict within the Umbrella Corporation between the new 'cybernetics school' led by Dr. Vera and the old 'virology school' led by William Birkin.

At first, Dr. William was able to keep Dr. Vera in check for a while because of his seniority. But as Dr. Vera’s achievements emerged one after another, such as creating the market for prosthetic limbs for the disabled, the drone market, and electronic devices, the profits became greater and greater. More and more people within the company chose to support Dr. Vera.

After all, compared to the projects mentioned above that can be publicly and openly raised funds, projects like T projects and G projects, no matter how great their future prospects are touted, cannot be made public.

In the past two years, Dr. William's life has become increasingly difficult.

The more talented Dr. Vera was, the more money she could make. From childhood, she considered herself a child prodigy, which made William Birkin, who was arrogant, proud, and had a high opinion of himself, feel more and more pressured and angry.

On numerous occasions, staff at the Umbrella Corporation in Raccoon City even heard Dr. William yelling and smashing things in his office.

As they entered the building's conference room, the group chattered away, changing the subject and introducing Vera to the glorious history of their Umbrella Corporation in Raccoon City, such as the Umbrella Executive Training Institute, the Arklay Research Institute, and the retirement home (a mansion)...

Vera didn't recognize most of the people, but she met one familiar face: Annie Birkin.

The name tag she wore on her chest had her name on it.

William Birkin's wife.

A white female physiologist, dressed casually, wearing a white lab coat, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and long hair tied in a ponytail casually draped over her shoulders.

Noticing Vera's gaze, she forced a smile and greeted her absentmindedly, "Dr. Vera."

"Who is this doctor?"

Vera stopped and, while taking the ice water from the conference room attendant, asked a question she already knew the answer to.

“Dr. William’s partner, Dr. Annie, is an outstanding researcher at our company and a co-developer of the project led by Dr. William,” an Umbrella executive explained.

“Oh? Ms. Annie, may I address you that way?” Vera stepped forward, speaking thoughtfully, “Your husband…”

Before the words were even finished, "Adelheid!"

Bang! The sound preceded the person's arrival as the conference room door was slammed open.

"Stay away from my family, Vera Adelheid!"

He was a thin, middle-aged man with a gloomy face. Because he hadn't seen the sun for a long time, his skin was very pale, his features were gaunt, and he had a head of flowing, slightly sparse, center-parted blond hair.

William Birkin. A brilliant researcher at Umbrella Corporation who rose to prominence ten years ago, and now the absolute authority on Umbrella virus research.

"You won't succeed; you can't bring me down."

Protecting his wife behind him, William Birkin, clearly under a lot of work pressure lately, said somewhat unwell:

"I am the leader, and I will prove that I am better than you, a woman reeking of money. As long as G succeeds, all your low-tech toys will be swept off the table!"

Vera gently shook her head. "How pitiful... for being trapped by your obsession."

"Shut up, I don't need your pity. You're short-sighted and only care about petty gains; you're not cut out for scientific research!"

William Birkin's gaunt face gradually contorted into a grimace. "'Extending human lifespan and strengthening human physique'—what do you know about that?"

Vera's glamorous appearance made her seem more like an executive or public relations spokesperson for a listed company than a researcher, which William found very distasteful.

Vera, in particular, belittled many of his studies and even repeatedly opposed the company's excessive investment in virus research, arguing that it was putting the cart before the horse.

"If you don't agree, there's no need to talk too much."

how to say.

Since joining Umbrella and experiencing a "divine" resurgence, showcasing her talents in bionics and other fields, Vera and William Birkin's relationship has never been good; they are inherently incompatible.

On one hand, there's the need to compete for limited funding; on the other hand, Vera is annoyed by having such a neurotic chief boss meddling in her life. It's not like in Arasaka, where superiors are absolute leaders who can decide your life, death, and future with a single word.

Small conflicts accumulate over time and eventually lead to this situation.

“Chief? Take the job if you want.” Vera pulled out the seat opposite William as if no one else was there, sat down, and placed her hands on the table with her arms crossed. “By next summer at the latest, my comprehensive research base in the California branch will be in full production.”

"you..."

"Of course, you are still somewhat useful."

Vera rudely interrupted William Birkin, saying, "After I establish the new Black Umbrella Corporation, you will still be the nominal head of the biological research department of the White Umbrella Corporation."

The Umbrella Group is mainly composed of three divisions.

The Red Umbrella Corporation is a paramilitary department that also researches and manages related computers; the Blue Umbrella Corporation is the BOW research and development department, primarily responsible for BOW-related drug and reagent research; and the White Umbrella Corporation is the research department, including biological research and biological weapons development departments.

In other words, Vera's strength and achievements have garnered considerable support from the board of directors and the company's internal forces, and the business she is in charge of will be spun off from White Umbrella to become the new Black Umbrella company.

"Just as you thought."

Seeing William Birkin's increasingly grim face, Vera tapped the table lightly. "From now on, Umbrella will be a place where red, blue, white, and black coexist."

I'm not playing with you anymore! And I'm even climbing all over you!

With his face constantly shifting between dark and brooding expressions, William Birkin suppressed his rage, gave a cold snort, and stormed off.

"Wait a minute," Vera said.

“If you wanted to show off, you succeeded…” William Birkin turned his head, the words almost coming from his throat.