Chapter 41: First Exploration of the Arklay Research Facility

In the early hours of July 24, 1998, the torrential rain in the Arklay Mountains had ceased. Puddles flowed across the ground, carrying the scent of mud and blood as they seeped into the Arklay Research Facility, hundreds of meters underground.

The elevator landed smoothly, and the metal doors slid open slowly. An odor more pungent than that of the Spencer Mansion or the mines wafted toward her—the strong scent of disinfectant mixed with the sickly sweetness of virus culture medium, the stench of rotting flesh, and the slimy, fishy smell left by Leech mucus, weaving together into a nauseating stench.

Jill gripped her handgun tightly and stepped slowly out of the elevator, her gaze quickly scanning the surroundings to take in every detail of this new danger zone.

Compared to the eerie, retro style of the Spencer Mansion and the dilapidated desolation of the mines, the Arklay Research Facility was an entirely different sight.

The corridor was made of silver-white metal, with closed laboratory hatch doors lined up on both sides. The walls were covered with complex wiring and the iconic umbrella logo of the Umbrella Corporation. Emergency lights emitted a flickering dim yellow glow, casting alternating light and shadow down the long hallway.

Shattered laboratory glassware and yellowed documents were scattered on the floor alongside dried black bloodstains. Viscous Leech trails remained in the corners and door cracks. Occasionally, a few zombies dragged their mangled bodies along, letting out low, hoarse growls that bore witness to the catastrophe that had occurred here.

This was precisely Umbrella Corporation's hidden underground core biological weapons research and development base, the source of all the conspiracies.

Jill's heart felt heavy. The secret letters found earlier in the Spencer Mansion, George Trevor's suicide note, and the truth about the traitor revealed by Enrico before his death—all clues pointed to the research facility before her. She had to find more evidence here, find a way out of this land of death, and, more importantly, root out the traitor hidden within the team.

She lowered her body, using the laboratory equipment on both sides of the corridor as cover, moving gracefully to avoid the wandering zombies without making a single unnecessary sound.

After the successive fierce battles in the Spencer Mansion and the mines, Jill's physical strength was heavily depleted, and her ammunition was nearly exhausted. She knew she couldn't afford to rush into combat; preserving her strength was the key to survival.

After walking down the corridor for a while, a metal plaque labeled "Archives and Records Room" came into view. The hatch door was slightly ajar, and no sound came from within.

Jill felt a stir in her heart. The records room would surely contain Umbrella's experimental records and R&D documents—all key evidence to indict them for their crimes. Without hesitation, she slowly pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The records room was more spacious than she had imagined, but also more chaotic. Rows of metal filing cabinets lay toppled on the floor, and a large number of documents were scattered everywhere, many soaked by water or scorched by fire, rendered incomplete.

Several desks were shattered and tilted, and the computer screens were all pitch black, having long since lost their functionality. The air was thick with the smell of moldy paper mixed with a faint scent of blood.

Jill switched on her flashlight, the beam sweeping across the documents on the floor as she bent over to carefully search through them, trying to find useful information.

First, she picked up several experimental records. They were filled with observation data on T-Virus infectees and cultivation logs for zombies and Hunters. Every line was saturated with the cold-blooded madness of the Umbrella Corporation, recording countless inhumane experimental processes. It made Jill's fingertips turn cold, and the anger in her heart grew more intense.

She continued searching and, deep inside a drawer of an intact desk, she felt a hard folder.

The surface of the folder was clean and undamaged. Jill opened it immediately. Inside was a stack of organized confidential documents. The top one was labeled 【TOP SECRET: S01 Symbiotic Subject Periodic Observation Report】.

Jill held her breath and quickly scanned the contents. The handwriting was clear and the records detailed: Subject No. S01, an exclusive carrier for T-Virus live symbiotic experiments. Included in the experimental program since childhood, held long-term in the High-Encryption Laboratory on Basement Level 2 for multiple top-secret experiments, including virus adaptability and memory transplantation feasibility.

The subject possesses extremely high virus tolerance and has achieved an unconventional symbiotic state with the T-Virus. Requires regular injections of a specific S01 Inhibitor to maintain vital signs. The disposal procedure was not executed after the experiment was terminated. Vital signs remain stable. Danger level rated as Unknown High-Risk.

The end of the document included a schematic of the laboratory's location, clearly marking the specific position of the encrypted lab on Basement Level 2. It also featured a bold warning in red: Non-core authorized personnel are prohibited from approaching. The subject's mutation tendencies are unknown, posing an unpredictable threat.

Subject S01, T-Virus symbiosis, Unknown High-Risk, Basement Level 2...

Jill's brow furrowed as she carefully tucked the report away. Recalling Lisa, whom she had encountered in the Spencer Mansion—that experimental monster who had been modified beyond recognition and lost all reason—she instinctively judged Subject S01 to be a dangerous mutant creature just like Lisa, completely twisted by the virus.

The subject was being held in the most central area of the research facility, and its danger likely far exceeded Lisa's. This caused her to instantly heighten her vigilance, secretly preparing herself for a sudden attack.

The mention of the specific S01 Inhibitor and the fact that the experiment was terminated without disposal also made Jill vaguely feel that there were even more hidden secrets behind this subject.

After dealing with the experimental report, Jill's gaze fell on an intact Slide Projector in the corner. Such equipment usually contained visual records of the facility's personnel and experimental projects; perhaps it hid more unknown secrets.

She stepped forward quickly, checked the equipment's wiring, and tentatively pressed the start button. With a faint hum of electric current, a clear image was slowly projected onto the blank screen in front of the projector.

The first few slides showed internal experimental scenes of the facility. The images were filled with cold instruments and sealed experimental chambers, exuding a heart-wrenching sense of oppression.

Jill stared intently at the screen, her eyes remaining vigilant. However, when the next slide appeared, she froze in place, her pupils shrinking violently.

It was a group photo of Umbrella's research personnel. The background was the main hall of the Arklay Research Facility. A line of small text was labeled at the bottom of the photo: Summer 1991, Commemorative Photo of All Personnel, Biological Weapons R&D Department, Arklay Research Facility.

In the image, dozens of research personnel in white lab coats stood in neat rows. Standing on the left side of the crowd, a tall young man was unmistakably Albert Wesker!

The Wesker of that time was younger than he was now. He wasn't wearing his S.T.A.R.S. tactical uniform but a clean white lab coat. His face was cold and his gaze deep. Even in a crowd, he exuded a sense of detached chilliness. There was no hint of a smile on his lips, and his eyes hid ambitions and shrewdness that others could hardly detect.

Standing beside him was a young man with glasses and a gloomy expression. The two stood side-by-side, clearly the core R&D personnel of the facility at the time.

Jill stared fixedly at the image on the screen, her hand gripping her gun unconsciously tightening until her knuckles turned white.

She had always known Wesker had worked for a large pharmaceutical company, but she had never imagined it was Umbrella's biological weapons R&D department!

This photo completely confirmed all the suspicions in her heart. Wesker had never belonged to S.T.A.R.S. from the very beginning. He had infiltrated the team and led them into the Arklay Spencer Mansion as part of a long-standing plot!

He was a mole planted in the team by Umbrella, the traitor Enrico had spoken of, and one of the culprits who had pushed everyone into a desperate situation!

The testing in the Spencer Mansion, Enrico being silenced in the mines, Barry's abnormal behavior... all the suspicious points were instantly linked together, and all the irrationalities had an answer.

Every move Wesker made, every word of concern, was a carefully planned disguise. From start to finish, he had been executing a plan for Umbrella, treating the entire S.T.A.R.S. team as lab rats for T-Virus biological weapons!

Jill gripped the photo tightly, her knuckles white, as anger and a cold chill surged through her heart.

The captain she had always trusted was actually the traitor who had pushed her and her teammates into the abyss of death. This sense of betrayal chilled her heart even more than facing those mutant monsters.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and tucked this vital photo away along with the experimental report. These two pieces of evidence were enough to completely expose Wesker's true face and Umbrella's monstrous crimes.

At this moment, Jill was already aware that an unknown high-risk subject was hidden on Basement Level 2 and had confirmed Wesker's identity as a traitor. Her vigilance and caution were raised to the absolute maximum.

She organized her weapons, checked her remaining ammunition, gripped her handgun, and followed the route directions from the experimental report, turning to walk out of the records room toward Basement Level 2.

The emergency lights continued to flicker, and the dead silence in the corridor was suffocating. Jill's footsteps echoed clearly in her ears, each step taken with extreme caution.

She remained constantly aware of the movements around her, prepared at any moment to fight mutant monsters like Subject S01. The words from the experimental report and Wesker's appearance in the photo flashed through her mind, her eyes firm and cold.

She had to go to Basement Level 2. On one hand, she needed to find the facility's escape route and more evidence; on the other hand, she wanted to confirm what kind of existence that imprisoned subject really was.

Following the metal stairs all the way down, the passage to Basement Level 2 became increasingly narrow, and the sickly sweet scent in the air grew heavier. The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet—no zombie growls, no monster movements, only Jill's steady footsteps interweaving with the sound of water dripping from distant pipes.

Turning the final corner, an alloy security door, deformed by Leech corrosion yet still firmly closed, suddenly appeared before her. An electronic screen on the door flickered with a faint light, clearly labeled: High-Encryption Laboratory.

This was precisely the place where Subject S01 was held.

Jill immediately ducked behind a nearby wall, slowly poked her head out, gripped her handgun, held her breath, and focused all her attention on that heavy alloy door. Her nerves were strained to the limit as she waited silently for the deadly threat that might emerge from behind it.