Chapter 64: The Disaster Begins

At 11:45 PM, the automatic doors of the core laboratory slid open as William Birkin rushed in. His white lab coat was stained with blood, and he tightly clutched a silver encrypted briefcase containing the complete G-Virus samples and experimental data.

Annette followed close behind him, her face a mask of tears and terror as she gripped his arm desperately.

"We have to go, now! It's the USS! The Umbrella Corporation is here to steal your G-Virus! We have to escape through the underground tunnel!" Annette's voice trembled violently.

William Birkin shoved her hand away, his eyes bloodshot. "Damn the US military! Why haven't they sent anyone to extract us yet?"

Just as he finished speaking, the ventilation ducts and doors were breached simultaneously. Four USS members in full combat gear and gas masks stormed in, their rifles aimed squarely at William Birkin.

"Dr. William Birkin, please cooperate and come with us," the lead operative barked sternly.

William Birkin's face turned deathly pale. "You think I didn't know you were coming? This is my life's work! I won't give you anything!" He instinctively backed away, his hand surreptitiously reaching for the handgun at his waist.

"Dr. Birkin, we are only following orders. I'm asking you one last time..."

Standing on the far left of the team was a newcomer who had just joined the Alpha Team for this mission. Seeing William Birkin draw his gun, his nerves snapped. Without thinking, he pulled the trigger.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A rapid succession of gunshots exploded within the confined laboratory, the sound deafening. Bullets peppered William Birkin's abdomen and chest. Blood erupted instantly, staining his white lab coat red and splashing across the laboratory bench in front of him.

"Cease fire!" Hunk's sharp command came a second too late. He whipped his head around to glare at Martinez, the coldness in his eyes enough to freeze someone solid. "Who authorized you to fire?! The mission objective was to capture him alive!"

The newcomer trembled, barely able to hold his rifle, and stammered a defense: "Cap... Captain... he drew a gun! He was going to shoot you! I..."

William Birkin collapsed heavily onto the cold floor. Blood pooled from his mouth, his eyes grew unfocused, and the rise and fall of his chest became increasingly faint.

Annette let out a piercing scream and tried to rush toward him, but a stray bullet grazed her shoulder. She was thrown against a nearby piece of equipment, her forehead striking a metal edge. Her vision went black, and she lost consciousness.

The laboratory fell into a sudden, deathly silence, broken only by William Birkin's dying gasps and the newcomer's ragged breathing. The other two operatives looked at each other in a panic.

The mission to capture the target alive was a total failure. They had killed the man the Umbrella Corporation wanted, and no one knew what to do next.

Only Hunk remained as steady as a block of ice. Without even glancing at the dying William Birkin on the floor, he walked behind the laboratory bench, picked up the silver briefcase, and opened it to check. The virus samples and the encrypted hard drive inside were intact.

He then pulled out an encrypted radio and dialed the private line for the Umbrella Corporation headquarters, reporting the situation in a level voice. "Sir, we are inside, but the usual complication occurred. The target resisted, and we were forced to terminate him... Yes, sir..."

Thirty seconds later, he hung up and turned to the three operatives, delivering new orders without a hint of emotion: "Latest orders from HQ: Abandon the live capture. Prioritize recovery of the virus samples and evacuate the NEST immediately. The core area will initiate a Level 1 lockdown in ten minutes. We have eight minutes to extract."

The newcomer visibly relaxed, and the other two operatives snapped back to attention, instantly entering combat mode. Hunk handed the briefcase containing the G-Virus to the deputy leader, then stepped toward the blast door and said coldly, "Check your gear. Clear the extraction route. We move in three minutes."

The four men didn't give the man on the floor another look, nor did they spare a thought for the unconscious Annette. They turned and quickly evacuated the core laboratory. The blast door slid shut behind them, leaving behind only pools of blood and the dying William Birkin.

Propped against the wall, William Birkin felt the blood pouring from his wounds as his consciousness began to fade, but he still gripped the concentrated G-Virus vial hidden on his person.

He refused to accept this. He wouldn't let his life's work be stolen, and he certainly wouldn't die like this.

Using the last of his strength, he tremblingly tore open the vial's sealed packaging, plunged the needle into his arm, and violently forced the entire dose of the G-Virus into his body.

After the injection, his hand went limp. The needle hit the floor, and his consciousness plunged into total darkness.

It was at this moment that the unconscious Annette finally woke up.

Leaning against the equipment, she stood up unsteadily. Blood dripped from the wound on her forehead as her blurred vision scanned the floor. Then, she saw a sight she would never forget for the rest of her life.

William Birkin was slowly rising from the pool of blood. His body was twitching uncontrollably, his skin turning an eerie grayish-blue. His wounds were healing at a visible rate, and his frame began to swell slightly.

He threw his head back and roared, his voice raspy and crazed: "The G-Virus is mine! It's my life's work! No one can take it! I'm going to... kill you all!"

Annette instinctively drew the handgun from her waist and aimed it at William Birkin, her hand shaking as tears flooded her eyes. Looking at her unrecognizable husband, her finger rested on the trigger, but she couldn't bring herself to pull it.

After over a decade of marriage, she ultimately could not go through with it.

William Birkin didn't even look at her. His body continued to twitch and mutate, having already transformed into his g1 form. He stumbled out of the laboratory, chasing after the direction Hunk's team had taken, his mind consumed by the obsession of revenge and reclaiming his samples.

Annette lowered her gun, wiped away her tears, and quickly followed. She still loved William Birkin and refused to believe he was beyond saving. A sliver of hope remained in her heart; she had to find a way to wake him up and change him back to the way he was.

Ahead, G1 William Birkin moved like a ghost through the corridors of the NEST. The USS team was attempting to evacuate.

Hunk was in the lead, carrying the virus case, with the others following closely. Suddenly, a dark shadow leaped down from a ventilation duct.

"What is that—" Ricardo's sentence was cut short as G1's claws ripped open his chest, sending internal organs spraying outward.

Martinez screamed and opened fire. The MP5 bullets struck G1's mutated skin, only kicking up sprays of blood without being able to penetrate.

"A B.O.W.? It's the Doctor!" Hunk retreated calmly. "Scatter! The target is infected!" G1 William Birkin let out an inhuman roar and lunged at Martinez.

The newcomer was pinned to the ground, claws piercing his shoulder. Blood splattered everywhere as the virus was injected through the wound, and Martinez began to convulse.

Hunk tried to shoot, but G1's speed was too great; a sweeping blow forced Hunk back several meters.

The briefcase containing the viruses fell to the ground. The T-Virus and G-Virus samples inside scattered across the floor and were crushed under G1's foot, their liquids flowing out.

Annette hid around a corner, witnessing everything. Her heart pounded as she quickly pulled out her communicator and dialed her daughter's number.

At Raccoon City East Elementary School, classes were still in session, but outside, things were already descending into chaos.

"Sherry! Baby, it's Mommy!" Annette's tone was as calm as she could manage, yet it carried an unmistakable urgency.

"Don't ask why, just go home right now! In my vanity drawer, there's a necklace; I've hidden a micro-sample of the G-Virus inside it. Take it and go straight to the police station! It's relatively safe there. Wait for Mommy to find you! Don't go outside, and don't trust anyone! Mommy loves you!"

On the other end of the line, Sherry's voice was youthful yet terrified. "Mommy? It's so loud at school... the teachers say there's a riot... Where's Daddy? Where are you?"

"Just listen to me, Sherry! Go, now!" Annette hung up, tears falling. She couldn't let her daughter be dragged into this, but the G-Virus sample had to be protected—it was their last hope.

Ahead, G1 William Birkin had completely finished off Ricardo and Martinez. Their two corpses were twisted and deformed as G-Embryos began to breed rapidly within them.

Hunk was the sole survivor. Using smoke grenades and the terrain, he narrowly managed to escape the pursuit and vanished into the elevator shaft leading to the surface. G1 roared but did not continue the chase; his attention was drawn by Annette's scent.

Annette stepped out from her hiding place, holding a specially-made syringe. It was a prototype S01 Inhibitor William Birkin had developed specifically for the G-Virus, based on Chloe's T-Virus suppression technology.

She took a deep breath. "William... it's me. Stop... let me help you." G1 turned around, his massive frame blocking the light, his claws dripping with blood.

But when he saw Annette, a flicker of struggle passed through those crimson eyes. Annette rushed forward and accurately plunged the needle into his mutated neck muscle, pushing in the full dose.

The effect was rapid. G1's body convulsed violently, his muscles began to retract, his claws shortened, and the tumor-like growths on his skin gradually smoothed out.

William Birkin's consciousness briefly returned. He slumped to his knees, gasping as he looked up. "Annette... you... shouldn't have come... the G-Virus... it's too strong... I feel... it wants me to... reproduce... spread..."

Annette hugged his shoulders, her voice trembling. "I know, darling. I'll find a way. The S01 Inhibitor is working. We'll get through this together..."

"No!" William Birkin shoved her away, though the movement was much gentler than before. His eyes began to redden again, his voice filled with painful restraint.

"I... can't hurt you... or Sherry... Get away, Annette... while I can still control it..." He staggered to his feet and turned to sprint down another corridor. His silhouette quickly vanished into the darkness.

Annette chased him for a few steps but then stopped. She knew that while a remnant of his humanity remained, the G-Virus's reproductive instinct—the primal urge driving the host to find a new host, implant an embryo, and ensure eternal evolution—was waking up.

It was like a wildfire, consuming whatever was left of William Birkin's reason. In the distance, another low roar echoed, mixed with the sound of twisting metal. Annette gripped her handgun, tears falling, but she did not stop moving.

"William... I won't give up on you. Our family... will be together." The laboratory alarms grew louder as the green mist of the T-Virus leak began to spread through the hallways. The nightmare of Raccoon City had only just begun.