Edward's focus was on the T-Virus. According to the background he provided for his clone, he held degrees in biology, bioengineering, genetics, and virology. So, not only did he study the virus, he also improved on it.
"You guys should start thinking about what power system you want," Booth suddenly said.
"Are you talking about enhancement like yours?" Nate asked.
"There are many power systems you can access in the hall: gene enhancement, martial arts, battle aura, magic, technology, etc. Have any of you ever watched a movie, television, comic, or anime? Well, you can use any of these powers."
"Movies?" Dr. Frey asked. "How does that work? Is the person behind all this capable of turning fiction into reality? Or do these worlds already exist, and we are just granted access? If it's the latter, why do these words appear in our world in the form of pop culture?"
Edwards stopped what he was doing and looked at her. She's got quite the inquisitive mind. However, Booth just calmly looked at her: "Those questions are beyond my grade."
"Oh. In that case, can I ask how much it will cost to cure my daughter?"
"Most mortal diseases can be cured within 100 points," Booth answered.
"That cheap?"
"Let's get on topic," Nate asked. "What power system do you suggest?"
"With 300 points for this mission, you can only buy the Human Limit Pill, which would cure all diseases, hidden injuries, and give you peak physical conditions of the best athletes earth has ever known. However, you can still start planning ahead.
"My advice is to choose something that fits your personality and interests. For example, the woman is a biologist, right?"
"Geneticist."
"In that case, you might be interested in becoming a Bloodline Wizard. Years of studying should have improved your soul; therefore, you should meet the mental power requirement for Casters. You are used to learning and researching, and lastly, you can use much of your knowledge from studying genes into the development of your chosen bloodline."
"I see."
"Can I become a Super Saiyan?" Nate asked.
"Yes," Booth nodded. "Although even the low-class Saiyan Bloodline costs more than 100,000 Points."
"So much?"
"You will soon understand how difficult it is to acquire points," Booth said. In truth, a part of him admires William's choice and his willingness to risk his life for more points. The reason Booth remained Tier 1, despite having completed more than three missions, was that he never took many risks.
The team continued their conversation about power systems while Edward continued his work. When the helicopters were closed, he received notification and started to work. He controlled the university's announcement system and used the noise to lure most of the zombies away. Then, the team sneakily headed to the landing pad at the top of a building.
"Why are there two helicopters?" Booth asked with his hand already on his gun.
"Extra security detail," Edward replied calmly.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"That virus was so beautiful that I lost time studying it. I just forgot to mention it."
Booth squinted his eyes at him, but he did not say or do anything else. Soon, the helicopters landed. Two armed guards — a woman and a man — approached the team. The man used a tablet to scan Edward's face and confirmed his security clearance.
"Dr. Bones, you're with me," the man said.
"And you're with me," the woman said to the team.
"What's the meaning of this?" Booth asked, the hand on the gun tighter than before.
"Don't worry about it," Edward said calmly. "I have a meeting with Umbrella Corps on how to save this city."
"You want the reward for the perfect mission," Booth said.
"Points are everything, aren't they?" Edward smiled.
Booth stared at him for a second before sighing deeply. "If you can survive, you and Williman will fit perfectly in the hall."
"Let's hope," Edward nodded before entering his helicopter. His destination was not Umbrella's headquarters. After all, his identity was still false. In fact, during the entire voyage out of the city, Edward used his computer to keep tabs on all of Umbrella's activities. The last thing he wanted was for someone to catch onto him and order the guards to capture him. Or worse, they directly destroy him with a heat-seeking missile.
Edward's destination was a hotel. Once he arrived, he watched the helicopter fly away before checking his watch.
[Main Mission Accomplished. Reward: 300 Points. Do you wish to return: Yes/No? (If you choose no, you can stay for an additional three days)]
"No," Edward said, and the watch gave him a message that he could return home in three days.
Edward did not stay in the hotel that the guards dropped him at. Instead, he got into a private car he had already reserved and drove to another smaller hotel. He chose a room with a quick and easy escape route before starting his plan. He finally revealed to Umbrella that they were hacked, sending the entire corporation into a frenzy. They were at the forefront of every field, making this a first for them. Luckily for them, the hacker did not steal information but instead requested a meeting with the company's decision-makers.
Five small screens appeared in front of Edward, all with a serious look. He recognized two of them: Dr. Isaac — who should still be in Racoon City — and Albert Wesker, who will become a villain in later movies.
"Do you have any idea what you've done? Stop this nonsense right now, or you'll bear the wrath of this world's largest commercial entity," Wesker said with a grave voice. It's apparent he was trying to appear intimidating, but he did not know who he was talking to. So, Edward temporarily muted him for this conversation.
"Now, we can start this conversation like normal adults," Edward stated. "I only have one objective: save Racoon City."
The senior officials were momentarily quiet before Dr. Isaac spoke: "That's not possible. The outbreak is too widespread and cannot be contained. The city must be destroyed."
"And you think that will stop the spread?" Edward countered. "You people have opened Pandora's box, and there is no turning back. Even if you nuke the city, the virus is already airborne and mutated. In just five years, it will spread to every corner of the globe."
"Is this true?"
"No, he's lying," Dr. Isaac denied. "The nuke will wipe everything clean."
"How about I show you my data?" Edward smiled before sending them his analysis of the virus's evolution. The other senior officials were not scientists and did not understand what Edwars showed them, but Isaac knew, and his face turned pale.
"Isacc?" someone asked.
"If this is true, how could we possibly save the city?" Isaac asked.
"I'm glad you asked," Edward smiled. "This is the antidote that I created. It will reverse more than 80% of the infected individuals." The T-Virus affected both the living and the dead. It will reanimate dead bodies while turning the living into a similar state to the dead. Edward's cure can change the people infected back to normal, but the dead bodies, or infected people who suffered serious injuries, cannot return to normal.
"Besides the possibility of missing memory, this virus is viable," Dr. Isaac said. "But how are we supposed to administer it to an entire city?"
"Do I have to do everything?" Edward complained as he showed them his solution. His antidote can be in the form of an aerosol. So, all Umbrella needs to do is use a couple of planes and drop the antidote above Racoon City, and it will spread to every corner.
"This seems expensive," someone commented.
"There is also the issue of how we will explain everything to the media," another senior official added.
Edward was not surprised by this response. He's dealt with capitalists before and knows how they think. Since it's cheaper for Umbrella to drop the nuke, they will do it — they don't care about human lives. As for the fallout, it means nothing. In the third Resident Evil movie, no one believed Umbrella purposely dropped the nuke. The media explained it as an accident on par with the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster.
"Racoon City has a population of over 2 million, and this virus will save more than 1.7 million of them. But I know you don't care about that," Edward stated. "So, I'll tell you why you should care about these 1.7 million people — they are data.
"Isn't the end goal of weaponizing the T-Virus to create a humanoid weapon? Isn't it to give yourself power and longevity? You should have seen the initial success with Alice — Don't you want her enhanced physical prowess? Once you save the city, you will have enough data to make Alice's success universal."
Edward secretly smiled when he saw the twinkle of greed and desire in these people's eyes. All wealthy elites are the same: they first crave money to fill the void in their souls. Once they have too much, they want power. Once they have enough of that, they want to transcend humanity.