Chapter 124: Death is Eternal
On the dock, the cranes roared as their orange booms moved slowly, lifting containers emblazoned with Umbrella's white Umbrella logo onto the transport ship aminaia moored at the berth.
David Ford leaned against the ship's railing, a half-burned cigarette held between his fingers.
The smoke rings were instantly scattered by the sea breeze. He squinted at the last row of containers being hoisted; the bright red "Biohazard Level 3" labels on the sides were particularly eye-catching in the rain.
"Hey, Tom!" he shouted to a colleague tying ropes nearby. "Did you see the news? I heard Umbrella caused a massive medical accident in the US. An entire city was leveled by a nuke!"
Tom didn't even look up, the rope in his hands snapping loudly. "What did you say? Oh right, Raccoon City, wasn't it? I heard it was a missile. What country drops a nuke on its own city?"
"It's all the same," David sneered, flicking his cigarette ash. "I heard Umbrella's virus research lab blew up, and everyone in the city turned into man-eating monsters. The government had no choice but to use a nuke to wipe the slate clean once and for all."
Tom finally stopped his work, walked over, and took the cigarette David offered. After lighting it, he took a deep drag. "For real? Is Umbrella really going under this time?"
"Probably," David said, crushing the cigarette butt and throwing it into the sea. "Forget the US government going after them; they lost a core branch and countless research data. Look at how the stock is crashing. Damn it, I was an idiot and bought five hundred shares last month. Now I've lost everything."
"Who hasn't?" Tom sighed with a troubled look. "I don't know how much longer this job will last. Even if Umbrella isn't any good, the pay is three times what other shipping companies offer. If it collapses, my whole family will be out on the streets."
As the two were chatting, the ship's broadcast suddenly crackled to life. The captain's raspy voice echoed through the speakers: "Attention all crew, attention all crew! Loading is complete. Report to your stations immediately. We cast off in ten minutes for Rockfort Island. Repeat, casting off in ten minutes!"
"Let's go, let's go, back to work." Tom patted David's shoulder and turned toward the cabin.
David took one last look at the containers marked with danger signs, a strange sense of unease rising in his heart. He felt that this voyage was somehow different from the previous ones.
Every time they went to Rockfort Island before, there were at most two or three security guards accompanying them. This time, however, twelve Umbrella security personnel in black combat gear and masks had boarded the ship. They were all armed with MP5 submachine guns, and their gazes were as cold as knives.
The security captain led his men through a check of all the cabins before stopping at the entrance to the cargo hold. He whispered a few words into his walkie-talkie, left two guards at the door, and led the rest to the upper deck.
No one noticed that the moment the security personnel turned away, two figures darted through a surveillance blind spot under the crane. Like two agile cats, they silently slipped into the ventilation ducts deep within the cargo hold.
Jill leaned against the cold metal wall of the duct and let out a soft breath. She listened as the footsteps outside faded away before giving Chloe a "clear" gesture.
Chloe nodded and took off her baseball cap. Her short, light brown hair was wet from the rain and stuck to her forehead. She closed her eyes, and the superhuman perception granted by the virus instantly spread out, taking in the life signals of the entire ship.
"Twelve security guards, distributed across the deck, the bridge, and the cargo hold entrance," she whispered. "Eighteen crew members, all on the upper levels. No other abnormal life signals."
"Good." Jill took a map out of her backpack and glanced at it by the light of a flashlight. "We'll stay in this ventilation duct and wait until we reach Rockfort Island to find a chance to get off. Remember, unless it's absolutely necessary, we must not reveal our identities."
Chloe hummed in agreement, reaching out to touch the maple leaf amulet hanging around her neck. The cool wooden texture always helped calm her restless heart.
As the aminaia left the Port of Marseille and sailed toward Rockfort Island deep in the South Pacific, a military transport plane bearing the Umbrella logo broke through the thick clouds over the Antarctic continent, slowly landing on the snow-covered runway of the Antarctic Base.
The cabin door opened, and Hunk was the first to step down. His black combat suit still bore the soot of Raccoon City, and a gas mask covered his face, leaving only a pair of cold eyes visible.
Following behind him were several new members of the USS Alpha Team. They were elites selected from various special forces, and their eyes were filled with awe for the "Grim Reaper" Hunk.
The pilot of the transport plane leaned against the cabin door, watched Hunk's back, and shouted with a smile, "Only you left again, Reaper."
Hunk didn't look back, but his pace faltered for a moment.
The pilot continued to himself, "You always manage to return safely alone, no matter how terrifying the battlefield. That hell in Raccoon City... Theta Squad is gone, and not even their bodies could be recovered."
Hunk stopped, pulled a military dagger from his waist, and slowly toyed with it in his palm. The cold blade reflected the harsh Antarctic sunlight.
"Reaper?" His voice came through the gas mask, carrying a hint of imperceptible fatigue and bitterness. "Am I really unable to die?"
The pilot was stunned; he hadn't expected this emotionless killing machine to say such a thing. He opened his mouth to say something but ultimately remained silent.
Hunk sheathed his dagger and turned toward the base entrance. His team members immediately followed, their footsteps in perfect unison.
In the command room of the Antarctic Base, a staff member in a white research lab coat handed a mission briefing to Hunk.
"Captain Hunk, here is your mission," the staff member's voice carried a hint of nervousness. "Higher-ups have ordered you to escort a large B.O.W. containment capsule from the Antarctic dock to Rockfort Island."
Hunk took the briefing and scanned it quickly. It only contained the time and location of the mission; the information regarding the B.O.W. inside the capsule was blank.
"What's in the capsule?" Hunk looked up and asked coldly.
"This... I'm not sure either," the staff member wiped cold sweat from his forehead. "Commander Alfred Ashford of Rockfort Island personally issued the order. He said you only need to be responsible for the escort and don't need to know what's inside."
Hunk's eyes darkened. He had just crawled out of the hell of Raccoon City and had witnessed countless teammates die horrific deaths because of unknown B.O.W.s. He was instinctively wary of missions with such opaque information.
"I must know what is inside," Hunk's voice left no room for doubt. "This concerns the safety of my team. If I don't know the threat level, I cannot guarantee the successful completion of the mission."
"I'm sorry, Captain Hunk," the staff member said awkwardly. "Commander Alfred explicitly stated that no information is to be revealed to anyone. If you have questions, you can contact him directly."
Hunk was silent for a moment, then took out his communicator and dialed the encrypted channel for Rockfort Island.
"This is Hunk."
A voice with a neurotic laugh came from the other end: "Oh, the famous Reaper Hunk. What, do you have an issue with my mission?"
"What's in the capsule?" Hunk asked bluntly.
"Heh, it's a surprise," Alfred's voice carried a hint of mockery. "You just need to deliver it safely to Rockfort Island. Don't worry, as long as you're obedient, it won't hurt your team."
"I refuse to execute a mission with opaque information," Hunk said coldly.
"Refuse?" Alfred's voice turned icy instantly. "Captain Hunk, don't forget that you are an Umbrella soldier. A soldier's duty is to obey orders. Either execute the mission or wait to be court-martialed and shot along with those traitors."
The communicator was hung up.
Hunk gripped the communicator tightly, his thoughts unknown. He looked back at the young team members behind him; their eyes were full of trust.
Finally, he slowly lowered the communicator.
"Prepare to depart," he said in a low voice.
Three hours later, an icebreaker carrying Hunk's team and that massive black containment capsule left the Antarctic Base, sailing toward Rockfort Island.
The containment capsule was secured deep within the ship's hold, surrounded by monitors and sensors. Hunk stood guard next to the capsule, submachine gun in hand, his eyes alertly fixed on the container.
Two days later, the icebreaker arrived at Rockfort Island.
Hunk did not linger, choosing instead to end the mission and immediately leave this unsettling familiar place.
Standing by the ship's railing, Hunk watched Rockfort Island recede into the distance. The military base on the island loomed in the thick fog like a crouching giant beast.
He thought back to his training days here, remembering the comrades who had trained with him but had long since sacrificed their lives.
He tightened his grip on his gun, his expression complex.
He had a premonition that Rockfort Island might be doomed just like Raccoon City.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the North Atlantic, the aminaia was cutting through the surging waves, heading for Rockfort Island at full speed.
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