As they ventured deeper, Chris and Wesker uncovered many of the Umbrella Corporation's secrets. Unlike the mansion above, the hidden research lab was filled with a vast amount of experimental data and records. The sheer horror of the human experiments chilled Chris to the bone. He now only wanted to quickly resolve the crisis at the mansion and return to Raccoon City to expose Umbrella's inhumane acts to the police, the city, and the American government.
But Wesker just sneered. The reason he allowed Chris to look at and collect the evidence was because he was certain that Chris and the rest of the S.T.A.R.S. team would never escape the mansion. If they were all going to die anyway, he didn't care how much "truth" they uncovered. Besides, he had already prepared a backup plan just in case.
Meanwhile, deep within the underground research lab, the sole surviving member of the Bravo team—Captain Enrico Marini, a middle-aged man nearing forty—was solemnly looking at a stack of documents. Enrico was covered in blood, and his leather jacket and tactical vest were torn in multiple places. It was clear that he had fought hard to get here. The zombies and the research data he encountered along the way had made it clear to him that the Umbrella Corporation was the true mastermind behind everything. This was a massive bio-terror incident, and Enrico, as the Bravo team captain, was determined to take the evidence and expose Umbrella's conspiracy.
At this moment, Enrico's nerves were on high alert. His twenty years of police experience had him on edge. Sweat soaked his messy hair as he nervously shoved a stack of documents and a USB drive into his bag.
But... just then, he saw a photo that had fallen in a corner. It was a group photo of Umbrella Corporation researchers. It was a simple black-and-white photo of five people, and Enrico found the faces very familiar. The first was the famous William Birkin, a renowned genius biologist at Umbrella who often appeared on television to talk about his research on various pharmaceuticals. He was highly praised by the media and the public. Unfortunately, he had not been seen in the public eye since, with rumors saying he was conducting closed-door research on a new type of drug. But as an experienced police officer and the captain of the Bravo team, Enrico had memorized the file cards of important Umbrella personnel like Birkin.
But Birkin was not the most critical person in the photo. The most important person was the one in the corner: a familiar man in a white coat with a slicked-back hairstyle and black sunglasses. The man in the photo had a happy smile on his face, but Enrico, who was familiar with his personality, knew it was a forced, fake smile. In reality, that cold man rarely showed any emotion.
After all... the man in the photo was Wesker!
Enrico was absolutely certain that the man in the photo was their S.T.A.R.S. team captain, Albert Wesker. He would recognize him even if he were a pile of ash. This was also why Enrico was so sure that Wesker's smile in the photo was fake; he knew the man too well. Having worked with Wesker for several years, Enrico had rarely seen any genuine emotion on his face. It was as if everything was hidden deep inside him. He was very dangerous and deeply calculating.
The first time he met Wesker, Enrico, with his twenty years of experience, was certain that Wesker was not fit to be a police officer because of his cunning nature. In Enrico's eyes, such a person was more suited to be a shrewd criminal. Wesker was the type of person who could either be a good public servant or a ruthless criminal mastermind. Unfortunately, because of the T-virus, Wesker seemed to prefer being a villain.
But what puzzled Enrico even more was why Wesker's photo was here, and in Umbrella's files. Could it be that... Wesker was once an Umbrella researcher before he was transferred to the Raccoon City Police Department? Enrico was suspicious. Although the Raccoon City Police Department and the S.T.A.R.S. team were funded by Umbrella, Enrico would not let Umbrella's evil deeds go unpunished. As for Wesker, if he had once been an Umbrella researcher and was now the captain of the S.T.A.R.S. team, Enrico couldn't help but suspect that Wesker was a mole sent by Umbrella to keep an eye on them in case they accidentally discovered Umbrella's secrets. This was a very likely possibility, but he needed more evidence to prove that Wesker was a mole. Otherwise, no one would believe him. Thinking this, the experienced Enrico decided to slowly probe Wesker to expose his true colors.
But just as Enrico was about to put the photo away, he suddenly heard clear footsteps behind him. This made Enrico's nerves tense up. He immediately gripped his gun and hid in a nearby corner.
"Thump thump thump..."
"Thump thump thump..."
There were two sets of footsteps. And the people were none other than Chris and Wesker. At this moment, neither of them had noticed Enrico hiding in the corner. Enrico didn't immediately recognize Chris and Wesker either, instinctively thinking they were either zombies or Umbrella personnel sent to destroy the evidence. After all, with such a big secret hidden inside, someone would surely come to destroy it. If Enrico could capture the Umbrella personnel, things would be much simpler. With a human witness, he could expose Umbrella's crimes however he wanted!
And so, neither side was aware of the other's presence. Enrico, the veteran cop, took a deep breath and immediately went into a state of holding his breath. This method allowed him to heighten his senses and focus on one thing while temporarily stopping his breathing to reduce the possibility of being discovered. After all, Enrico didn't want to be discovered by Umbrella personnel because of his nervous breathing.
"Thump thump thump..."
"Thump thump thump..."
The footsteps were getting closer. Chris and Wesker entered the lab where Enrico was hiding. But the extremely alert Wesker noticed a small detail. He immediately held up his hand, signaling Chris to stop. Wesker's cold, black sunglasses scanned everything in the lab, and his expression immediately turned grim. Wesker felt that the lab was a bit too messy, not like it had been sealed for a long time. The dust on the documents had been wiped off, as if they had just been handled. More importantly, there was a smell of sweat in the air, as if someone had just been here. After all, his senses had been greatly enhanced by the Progenitor virus, even in its initial stage.
Of course, Chris also noticed that something was off. He didn't have a nose like a dog's, but he confirmed the situation by noticing the sweat marks on the ground. When a person is under high stress, their body gives off heat and sweats from all of their pores, not just their forehead or armpits. Coincidentally, Enrico had been sitting on the floor, and a clear sweat mark had been left behind. This made Chris sure that someone had just been here, and based on the fact that the sweat marks were not yet dry, they had not left very long ago.
"Someone is here! I knew it, someone just came here!"
Chris was still naive and did not sense the danger in the air. He half-crouched down and pointed at the sweat marks on the floor. His captain, Wesker, stood still as if frozen. He did not move a muscle. This was because Wesker's nose had just picked up another, stronger scent of sweat. And that smell... seemed to be right behind them. The T-virus-enhanced Wesker, whose abilities had not yet fully awakened, could not use his super speed. Therefore, he had no way of dealing with the threat behind him.
"Don't move—!!!"
"Raise your hands and let me see them. Don't try to touch anything, or I can't guarantee that the gun in my hand will have eyes."
A sudden, sharp shout from behind, like a thunderclap, startled the naive Chris. Even Chris himself did not expect that someone was hiding behind them. In contrast, Wesker, as if he had expected this, raised his hands in a cooperative manner. He did not pull out his gun. Seeing this, Chris, seeing that his captain had compromised, had no choice but to raise his hands as well.
At this point, both men had their backs to the target. They couldn't see who it was or where they were. If they were to rashly turn and shoot, they might be killed instantly if they weren't fast enough. Therefore, there was no other option but to compromise.
But... when Wesker and Chris turned around, their expressions froze. The person who had just shouted at them was none other than Bravo team Captain Enrico Marini. Enrico himself was also stunned, never expecting that the Umbrella personnel he was looking for were actually members of the S.T.A.R.S. team.
"Hey, Captain Enrico, why are you here—?!"
"Wait, don't shoot! I'm Chris, and he's Captain Wesker. We're on the same side!"
After confirming that they were allies, the naive Chris let out a huge sigh of relief and quickly explained. But even though he was stunned, Enrico didn't immediately lower his guard. He glanced at Wesker. Until Wesker proved his identity, he would not let his guard down. After all, he had found a photo of Wesker as a researcher in the lab. This meant that Wesker had been involved in and was aware of these inhumane experiments before joining the Raccoon City Police Department as the S.T.A.R.S. team captain. It was very likely... that this guy was a mole!
"Chris, why are you here? Where are the others?"
"Have you seen the other members of the Bravo team? Are Javier and Rebecca alive? I was too careless to bring them into this hell-like Arklay Mountains. This place is full of monsters; it's a slaughterhouse for humans."
Despite his vigilance, seeing Chris, a member of his own team, Enrico couldn't help but ask about the whereabouts of the other Bravo team members. And the two people Enrico was most worried about were Javier and Rebecca, the two newcomers. Javier and Rebecca were the last to join the S.T.A.R.S. team. Rebecca had just graduated from college and joined the team as a medic. She was lax in her training and was obsessed with researching and formulating medicine, so her marksmanship and close combat skills were lacking, even subpar. As for Javier, he had only been out of the police academy and in the S.T.A.R.S. team for a few months. He was a complete rookie. On top of that, he was a stubborn and mischievous troublemaker. Although he had excellent shooting talent, Enrico was afraid that Javier would be too reckless and get himself killed. After all, he had seen many arrogant geniuses die that way.
Plus, the two of them were usually very lazy on patrol. Therefore, Enrico was most worried about them. He didn't want two young police officers to lose their lives because of his mistake. If that happened... Enrico would feel incredibly guilty. After all... it was he who had personally ordered Javier and Rebecca to partner up and go deep into the Arklay Mountain forest to investigate the Zodiac Express. He later learned that the forest was full of monsters that Javier and Rebecca could not handle on their own.
So, the moment he saw Chris, Captain Enrico couldn't help but ask about the situation. But Chris didn't know how to answer that question. It wasn't a question of whether Javier and Rebecca were alive. On the contrary... their performance was so impressive that even Chris himself felt inadequate. These two had fought their way from the Zodiac Express to the mansion and had even helped them take down dozens of Doberman zombie dogs. This was no longer just a question of whether they were alive!