July 29, 2025 · The Frozen Lotus Temple, Mount Song (Songshan), Henan Province, China · 09:00 CST
The matte-black helicopter descended through the thin mountain air like a predator returning to its nest. Its rotors beat a steady rhythm against the snow-dusted peaks, sending powdery white clouds swirling across the landing pad. The automatic hangar doors hissed open, swallowing the aircraft whole.
The side door slid open with a metallic clack. Chris Redfield stepped out first, his heavy boots hitting the polished concrete with authority. Short-cropped hair streaked with grey, a thick beard framing his jaw, the signature tactical vest of the Hound Wolf Squad stretched across his broad frame. Eyes sharp and weary from years of fighting nightmares, scanning the vast subterranean hangar with quiet disbelief.
Behind him came the rest of the squad — Rolando, Dion, Charlie, John, and Emily — all in full tactical gear, rifles slung low. Jill Valentine exited last, dressed in a crisp formal outfit: tailored black blazer over a white blouse, slim dark trousers, practical boots. The professional look of a woman who had traded combat fatigues for strategy rooms but still carried the weight of every horror she had survived.
The entire squad froze as the scale of the facility hit them. Blue-lit corridors stretching into the mountain like veins of ice. Advanced holographic consoles humming softly. Ancient temple architecture fused seamlessly with technology that had no business existing outside a classified programme.
Rolando let out a low whistle. "Damn… I've seen black sites before, but this? This is on another level entirely."
Dion nodded, eyes wide. "This makes every BSAA base we've ever used look like a garage."
Charlie grinned nervously. "Nice place. Real nice. Kinda makes you wonder what else is up here."
John scanned the ceiling. "Far beyond anything Umbrella ever built. This is next-generation."
Emily exhaled slowly. "Professor Chambers has some serious secrets."
Chris and Jill exchanged a knowing glance. They had been here before, but the scale still pressed down on them.
The inner lab door hissed open. Rebecca walked out in her white lab coat, tablet in hand, her expression professional yet warm — the calm confidence of someone who had survived Arklay, Raccoon City, and everything that followed.
"Chris," she said, nodding. "Jill. Thank you for coming so quickly. I gave you a Code Red for a reason."
"What happened, Rebecca?" Chris asked, voice low and serious. "Is this about Elpis?"
"Something worse than Elpis," Rebecca said. "Alen will explain everything."
Before anyone could press further, footsteps echoed from the hallway. The squad tensed.
A voice cut through the air — calm, cold, and carrying that unmistakable clinical edge.
"It's been a while, Chris."
Alen stepped into the light — dressed for the field, the Midnight coat open, the titanium arm catching the blue ambient light at the gold-inlaid joints.
Chris's eyes widened. The entire Hound Wolf Squad visibly paled. Jill, who had met him before, simply offered a small nod — she was used to the resemblance, but even she felt the weight of it.
Chris recovered first, stepping forward with a mix of disbelief and reluctant respect. "Jesus Christ, Alen… what the hell happened to you? You look like Wesker. No — you look like his goddamn twin brother. The aggressive genes really kicked in."
Alen's lips curved into the faintest clinical smile. "Bingo. This is my curse. I cannot change it."
They shook hands — two warriors who had once been on opposite sides of the same nightmare, now bound by necessity.
Rolando's hand hovered near his weapon. "Captain… why are you shaking hands with your nemesis? Didn't you kill him in that volcano?"
Chris raised a hand, signalling the squad to stand down. "No. This is Alen Richard. Biological son of Albert and Alex Wesker. Older brother of Jake Muller. We call him Victor Frankenstein — because he is a one-man apocalypse."
Emily's voice was hushed. "What do you mean, Captain?"
Jill stepped in, tone calm and precise. "Virologist, mycologist, hacker, programmer, black-ops operative, detective, mastermind, strategist — all in one. He has the mind of two Weskers combined. And he's Rebecca's husband."
The entire Hound Wolf Squad's mouths fell open in unison.
"Wait — what?" Emily managed.
Alen adjusted his sunglasses with a single precise motion. "You said too much. Shall we discuss why I called you here? Follow me."
He turned and led them down the corridor into the main living area. Holographic monitors flickered to life as everyone took seats. The atmosphere grew heavy.
Alen stood at the head of the room. "Chris. Jill. Before anything else — Jessica Sherawat and Raymond Vester. I killed them both in Cuba. Permanently."
Chris's face hardened instantly. "You what? Those two went offline years ago. Jessica was Tricell through and through."
"Because they were working for Frederic Downing," Alen said, voice flat. "Jessica was carrying the last viable T-Abyss sample — and traces of Uroboros. Rebecca will fill you in on the rest."
Rebecca stepped forward, tablet in hand, expression grave. "Frederic Downing wants to upgrade T-Abyss with Raccoon City Syndrome — the latent t-Virus effects. This hybrid would infect both land and marine life simultaneously. You know what T-Abyss can do from the Queen Zenobia, Chris. Entire coastlines turned into breeding grounds for aquatic horrors. They were targeting Cindy Lennox because she carries dormant RCS antibodies. Downing met with Victor Gideon about this. He's using him as a pawn to perfect the fusion."
Chris leaned forward, fists clenched. "This is really bad. T-Abyss on land and sea both — this is madness. Elpis was already a nightmare. Now this?"
"Raid mission," Alen said. "Switzerland. Private estate in the Alps."
Rolando raised an eyebrow. "How do we find his exact location?"
"I already have it," Alen said. "Pulled from their phones and files after the Cuba operation. And don't underestimate him. He presents as incompetent. That is the mask. Inside he is a psychopath who will betray anyone the moment they stop being useful. We all know the type — the most dangerous version of the Umbrella employee. The one who is never the most obvious threat in the room."
Chris exhaled slowly. "I agree. You've already got the location. Four steps ahead as always. Thank you for sharing it this time."
Alen gave a single nod. "I've already sent you the coordinates. Let's get prepared."
Charlie grinned. "Raid mission. Oh, it's been a while. Let's do this, Captain."
Chris stood. "Give your weapons to Alen. He upgrades them. He is the best weaponsmith I know."
Alen looked at the six rifles and four sidearms being laid across the planning table in a row. A brief pause. "Every time you come here you hand me the guns, Chris."
"Because you're good at it," Chris said. "And I missed your upgrades."
Emily leaned toward Jill, voice low but audible. "Miss Valentine — why are you all acting normal around him? I know you had PTSD from Albert Wesker, but he has the same face. Why are you friendly with him?"
Rolando nodded. "I'm curious too, ma'am."
Jill smiled faintly, glancing at Alen. "Because Alen isn't that person. Yes — he has the cold, calculated, clinical, stoic look. But he doesn't have the god complex, the arrogance, the narcissism, or the ego. He hates what his parents became. He forgave Chris and me for what happened back then — he knows it was necessary. He fights every day to destroy the legacy of his parents. And Rebecca loves him as much as she ever loved her work. The main point is — he's free. He isn't Albert Wesker or Alex Wesker. He is Victor Frankenstein."
"Why do you call him that?" Emily asked.
"Because he can do the impossible alone," Jill said. "No team. No backup. One-man apocalypse."
Emily glanced at Alen again, a faint blush creeping under her helmet. "He's… kinda attractive, not gonna lie. Those ocean-blue eyes."
Rebecca, standing directly behind her, cleared her throat with a teasing grin. "Really? Why don't you tell him yourself?"
Emily jumped, face turning bright red. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean — you should be angry!"
Rebecca laughed softly. "Not exactly. He has already had a first wife, and then me. He has had a few women in his life. I don't mind it because he handles everything equally — but he does get reckless sometimes."
Emily exhaled in relief. "Oh… okay. Thank you for not being mad."
The team began preparing — weapons laid out, maps projected, strategies forming. The Frozen Lotus Temple, once a sanctuary of silence, now hummed with the energy of people getting ready to end a nightmare.
The phantom had called his allies.
And the final hunt for Frederic Downing was about to begin.
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