Chapter 110: Return to the Underground Base

“Can someone tell me what happened? What happened?” Major roared furiously inside a tent on the outskirts of Raccoon City. “How did a mere bug kill Nemesis—the very creature we went to such lengths to create—with a single grenade?”

In his rage, Major pounded the table until it thundered. Not long afterward, he straightened his collar and said, “Get me into Raccoon City immediately! I’m going there myself to bring Alice back! There must be no more accidents this time!”

…

Once everything had fallen silent, the night air still carried the faintest trace of gunpowder.

Within Raccoon City, the biological disaster continued to unfold in full force. Cries rang out everywhere, painting the city with an apocalyptic horror. The unfortunate civilians had done nothing to deserve this; they had simply been left behind to await death.

People who had once been content with chanting slogans and attending parades and parties could do nothing now.

Beneath the overpass, there was no sign that an entertaining battle had taken place. Alice had already left, and the scene was utterly still.

Suddenly, the river began to churn. Soaked and disheveled, Ma Jun slowly emerged from the water.

Before long, he dragged Nemesis’s corpse onto the bank.

“This fellow is heavier than he looks—nearly half a ton!” With no one around, Ma Jun made no attempt to hide his abilities. He circulated his energy, and waves of heat rose from his body, drying his clothes completely. Only his hair remained somewhat disheveled.

Looking at Nemesis sprawled on the ground, Ma Jun nodded with satisfaction. “The creature is rather ugly, but at least it possesses tremendous strength and obeys Umbrella’s orders completely. Once I take it back, it should have some research value.”

After storing the corpse in his Cosmic Ring, Ma Jun walked a short distance away and crouched down.

There, he found the traces of the earlier struggle—a broad smear of blood.

“Science truly is a marvelous thing.” Smiling, Ma Jun took out a small vial and carefully collected the blood. “Next, Umbrella will have to continue researching Alice. By the time she appears again, she should have developed superpowers. Still, she certainly won’t refuse my little request.”

Now that the scene had been played out, Ma Jun recalled his performance. He might have overdone a few parts, but at the very least, he had acted like a true leading man.

Nodding in satisfaction, he produced a cigar. After taking a few leisurely puffs, he glanced at the tablet in his hand and then surveyed his surroundings.

“There are no surveillance cameras here, and the area is spacious enough. This will do.”

Smoking as he walked into the distance, Ma Jun waited until he had reached a suitable location before taking the space shuttle from his Cosmic Ring.

The shuttle had been given to him by the Portman family in the Avatar universe. After being refitted, it possessed extremely advanced performance in every respect.

Once inside, Ma Jun pressed the ignition button, set the flight route, and made a series of further adjustments.

“All set. The satellites and ground-based surveillance will all be blocked. Time to head back.”

There was no longer any need for the temporary base in Stonewall. After receiving Dr. Ashford and his daughter earlier, Ma Jun had instructed Qian Xu to accompany them as they relocated to the western base.

That was Ma Jun’s destination now as well.

At the same time, Umbrella personnel hurried to the scene. They searched the river for a while but found nothing. With no other choice, they could only head to the area where Alice was located.

By then, Alice had reunited with Jill. Along the way, they had also rescued a special-forces operative named Carlos Oliveira.

After making their preparations, the group reached the landmark of Raccoon City without incident: a building composed of two curved towers. The last remaining helicopter was parked nearby.

Originally, the helicopter had been intended for Nemesis. Now, however, it had become Alice and the others’ means of escape.

After a fierce struggle, Alice and the others finally managed to board the aircraft. Major, the highest-ranking officer at the scene, was buried beneath a swarm of zombies.

When everything was over, Alice sat aboard the helicopter, still remembering Jack—that foolish but lovable young man.

Umbrella’s plan continued without interruption. At the appointed moment, a precision-guided nuclear warhead struck the center of Raccoon City.

Destroyed along with the city were not only the innocent people and the zombies, but also the truth.

Of course, Alice had not yet escaped to safety either. The helicopter carrying them crashed in the Arklay Mountains outside Raccoon City.

By sheer luck, even the force of the nuclear blast was not enough to kill them.

Umbrella remained like a lingering ghost. It seized Alice, who was already on the verge of death, and took her back for further research.

Nothing had deviated from Ma Jun’s plan. Before the nuclear explosion, he had already been thousands of miles away from Raccoon City.

The shuttle’s speed and safety were far beyond the technology of this world. It remained perfectly cloaked throughout the journey, without exposing itself in the slightest.

In less than an hour, it had reached the western desert region.

The communications system aboard the shuttle received a signal from the transmitter installed at the base, and the biological research staff immediately began making arrangements.

In the boundless desert, a narrow seam suddenly appeared. A section of earth, fitted together with extraordinary precision, shifted apart from both sides, revealing a large square opening. Within it lay a sloping passage descending underground.

Ma Jun piloted the shuttle into the opening, and it began to glide forward.

The passage continued downward. Once the shuttle had entered, the earth closed behind it. Dim guide lights flickered to life along both walls.

Before long, the shuttle reached the end of the passage. The space before it suddenly opened wide—a vast underground chamber more than twenty meters high and roughly the size of two football fields. Circular pillars supported the ceiling.

The chamber was brilliantly lit and filled with all kinds of aircraft and equipment.

By the time Ma Jun stepped out of the shuttle, he had resumed his true appearance. Dressed in an elegant suit and wearing glasses, he looked every inch the successful businessman.

The four men of the Qian family had received word and were waiting nearby to welcome him.

“Boss!”

“Boss, you’re finally back! Did everything go smoothly?”

“Haha, Boss, you look radiant. You must have had a wonderful time!”

Ma Jun smiled and greeted the four men before turning to Old Qian. “There are some things I brought back inside the shuttle. Have them moved to the research warehouse.”

“Yes!”

Old Qian immediately ordered his men to carry out the task. The group then surrounded Ma Jun as they walked forward. Along the way, Qian Moduo asked, “Boss, your room has already been prepared. It’s arranged more or less like your room on the island in the primary universe. However, since this place is underground and time was short, we didn’t build an artificial lake.”

“That’s enough. There’s no need to be so particular.” Ma Jun waved his hand. “How are Dr. Ashford and his daughter?”

“They’ve been given good food and drink. They haven’t shown any unusual behavior.”

“Very well. Make the preparations. I’ll return to my room, take a shower, and have breakfast first. Then I want to meet with Dr. Ashford immediately.” Ma Jun paused in thought before continuing.

“Yes, Boss.”