"The power to become a god is now mine!"
With these words, Wesker broke the shackles that Spencer had long bound him with. He snapped Spencer's neck. After completing all of this, he stood still, unmoving.
Spencer said he was the future, but he didn't think so. Because he never knew what the future was, he had long been lost. He was lost from the very beginning when Spencer dominated his life. He was just a puppet, and even when the puppeteer died, he didn't gain so-called freedom.
At this moment, the study door was suddenly kicked open. Alice, who had been waiting for a long time, rushed in with fully armed Soldiers.
As soon as she saw Spencer lying on the ground, her eyes narrowed. Then she spoke fiercely to Albert.
"You killed him?"
"Do you think he still has a reason to live?" Albert saw an acquaintance and immediately responded with a cold sneer.
He knew Alice, or rather, any former high-ranking member of Umbrella would know this woman.
She was Umbrella's highly anticipated weapon. But with Umbrella's collapse, this weapon had fallen into the hands of others and began to target its former Master.
"Whether he has a reason to live is not for you to decide. He is the mastermind behind Umbrella, and he must face the World's judgment. You have no right to make decisions for him."
"I have no right?" Albert scoffed, his laughter growing louder until his entire face became distorted with ferocity. "Besides me, who else has the right to decide his life or death? You?"
Alice, with a cold face, pulled out her gun and aimed it at Albert. Her eyes were filled with uncontrollable rage, which brought Albert immense pleasure. To be hated was also a form of existence.
"You're insane, Albert Wesker. I'm arresting you now for crimes against humanity. You can choose to resist, but I think you should know the consequences of resistance, shouldn't you?"
"Of course!" Albert faced the fully armed Soldiers and slowly raised his hands. "I surrender!"
Alice stepped forward and pushed him, bringing his hands behind his back to be cuffed. Although her hatred for Umbrella's people had reached a certain level, it was difficult for her to kill someone who had given up resistance. Moreover, she felt that rather than killing him, letting him endure two thousand years of imprisonment would be more satisfying.
So she abruptly pushed Albert and mocked him with a cold face.
"A very good choice. I'll visit you in prison every few years. Don't worry, if I die, I'll have my Child take my place to visit you."
"That's good, isn't it! At least someone will remember my existence." Albert also laughed. He didn't mind being mocked. To the victor go the spoils; the winner has the right to do as he pleases. This was his creed all along.
"Take him away!" Alice angrily waved her hand, and the Soldiers immediately pushed Albert away.
But Alice didn't leave. She looked at Spencer's body lying on the ground.
After a long while, she finally contacted her Superior.
"Officer, Spencer is dead!"
"Dead?" Coulson's voice, full of surprise and confusion, immediately came through, then became urgent. "Alice, did you kill him?"
"No, Officer. It was one of Umbrella's former high-ranking members, Albert Wesker. He has already been arrested by us and is being escorted back."
Hearing this, Coulson let out a long sigh of relief. He was truly worried that his subordinate might have lost control for a moment and done something so significant. He wasn't worried that Alice's actions would lead back to him; he was already used to taking the blame for his subordinates. He was worried that if Alice did something like that, her future would be over. An Agent who didn't follow the rules couldn't last long. He understood this very well.
"It's good that it wasn't you, Alice. Umbrella is finished, and the culprits have all received their just deserts. So I hope you can also let go a little. You know your life is still very long, and there's no need to waste it on revenge."
Coulson spoke earnestly, but Alice wasn't listening very carefully.
"Officer, I will bring Spencer's body back. Also, if there are any other missions regarding the t-virus, I hope you will let me take part."
Coulson opened his mouth, then sighed after a moment.
"Alright, come back first. I'll look into it."
"Thank you!" Alice said flatly. Just then, a huge roar echoed. She quickly looked out the window. She saw a fireball erupting in the clouds, followed by countless burning debris falling from the sky.
From the shape of the debris, Alice could clearly distinguish that it was a quinjet. quinjets were S.H.I.E.L.D.'s exclusive weapons. So, it was clear that the crashed one was one of the two they had brought.
"Officer, we've been attacked. The plane carrying Albert Wesker has been destroyed. I suspect there's another group of people nearby, and they've rescued him. We need backup, Officer!"
Alice reported the situation promptly. At this moment, there were only two vigilant Soldiers beside her. Her manpower was completely insufficient. If those hidden guys attacked them, Alice had no confidence in protecting her remaining subordinates.
"I understand. You stay put. I'll send people to support you immediately. Remember, safety first." Coulson finished speaking and then fell silent. Alice knew he was going to arrange the rescue, so she hung up the communication directly and turned to join the ranks of the vigilant.
All they had to do now was wait. But for Albert, what he had to do was choose.
At this moment, he was in the cabin of a plane, which was moving rapidly through the clouds, heading in a direction he didn't know. In front of him, a man looked at him and said with a smile.
"Hello, Mr. Wesker. I believe this is our first meeting. I apologize for startling you."
Albert touched his hands, which had just been freed from handcuffs, and glanced at the Soldiers standing on either side of the man. These two Soldiers had previously worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., represented by Alice, but in the blink of an eye, they had killed their comrades and brought him onto this plane. This made him very curious. He wanted to know which organization had the ability to contend with S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Who are you? Penetrating S.H.I.E.L.D. is not something an ordinary organization can do."
The man smiled and invited Albert to sit down. He solicitously poured Albert a glass of wine, then slowly explained.
"Our organization has a long history and a very close relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. And like it, we have always been hidden behind the scenes. You don't need to delve too much into our history; you just need to know that we share the same goal as S.H.I.E.L.D., but we have different ideas."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is foolish and blind. But we are very clear-headed. Humans are pathetic creatures; they need a strong figure to stand before them, to lead them, to protect them, so they can feel happy and live better in this World. They need a protector, a guide. And our purpose is to fulfill that role."
"Cut off one head, and two more shall take its place. This is our motto. We symbolize ourselves with HYDRA, so you can call us HYDRA!"
"HYDRA?" As a representative of the new human selected by Spencer, Albert naturally possessed extremely high intelligence. From the man's recent narration, he recalled some extremely secret information. "Weren't you defeated by Captain America? Why?"
"Friend, did you forget what I just said?" The man's smile was full of triumph. "Cut off one head, and two more shall take its place. HYDRA never dies. We merely lay low for a period after Hitler's demise. And now, it's time for our resurgence."
A super organization that once served the warmonger Hitler was revived, and it even extended its tentacles into the colossal body of S.H.I.E.L.D. Such power left Albert a little speechless. Compared to HYDRA, Umbrella was truly a bit insignificant.
"Then, what do you want with me?" Albert asked, already guessing the group's intentions. But he still needed confirmation.
"We know Mr. Wesker is a very rare talent, and talents like you are precisely what we urgently need. So when we learned you would encounter some minor trouble, we took the liberty of helping you, and at the same time, showing you our sincerity."
He pointed to the Soldiers beside him, who still had the blood of their former comrades splattered on them.
"We need your join in. Mr. Wesker, your inherent abilities, and your research on the t-virus. These are all things we need. And as long as you join us, we will give you rewards beyond your imagination. Power, money. These are not problems. HYDRA never treats its own people badly, especially capable ones!"
"Of course, we won't force you. We just hope you can make a careful decision!"
At this point, the man crossed his legs, clasped his fingers, and looked at Albert with a half-smile, seemingly waiting for his reply. Behind him, the two Soldiers had silently raised their guns. His meaning was already clear. Cooperate, or refuse. Of course, different choices would lead to different outcomes.
Albert watched all this calmly. After a moment, he smiled and raised his cup.
"Why not? I'd be happy to join you."
"Excellent, Mr. Wesker!" The man clapped his hands with a smile. "You won't regret it, HYDRA never lets anyone regret! Welcome to HYDRA!"
The two ambitious men smiled and clinked their cups, signifying that a long-hidden behemoth had finally revealed its claws. Yet, no one was aware of this situation.
The World was changing, and changing rapidly. No one knew what kind of darkness lurked beneath this turbulent storm. And by the time it revealed itself, it was often too late.