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The moment of farewell came sooner and felt heavier than imagined.
When Noah was fully dressed and picked up the seemingly ordinary Tactical Backpack—which was actually filled with specialized equipment—the atmosphere in the living room felt somewhat frozen.
Claire just stood quietly by the door, helping him straighten his collar. Her sapphire-like eyes were filled with a thousand words, yet they ultimately dissolved into the gentlest gaze.
Her hand instinctively and cautiously protected her lower abdomen. That gesture was like an invisible proclamation, reminding the man about to depart that he carried more than just a mission; he carried the future of a family.
"I'll be back soon." Noah grasped her hand, feeling its softness and warmth. His voice was low and powerful.
"Mm." Claire nodded and stood on her tiptoes to plant a long kiss on his lips. "I'll wait for you. We'll both wait for you."
Sherry, who was standing nearby, also ran over and gave Noah a big hug.
"Brother Noah, you have to beat the bad guys until they're crying for their mommies! Then come back early and bring gifts for me and Sister Claire!" The young girl's voice was crisp, trying to use this method to dilute the sadness of parting.
Noah smiled and rubbed her blonde hair. The last trace of gloom in his heart was dispelled by this pure warmth.
He said nothing more, only taking a deep look at them to carve their images into his heart before resolutely turning and opening the door.
Outside, a black sedan had already been waiting quietly.
As the car door closed, Noah's world instantly switched from the warm harbor of home to the cold, murderous front lines of a battlefield... Claire watched the black sedan completely disappear around the street corner before slowly closing the door.
The large house instantly became empty and quiet.
She unconsciously stroked her lower abdomen. An unprecedented sense of insecurity flooded over her like a tide.
Reason told her that Noah was strong and could always turn danger into safety.
But emotionally, especially when she realized a small life was growing inside her, that worry was magnified countless times.
What made her even more restless was another question.
Her and Noah's bodies were no longer within the scope of ordinary humans.
Would the viruses flowing in their blood, which had undergone several mutations and Fusions, really not have an impact on this child?
This thought was like a poisonous thorn, buried deep in her heart.
"Sister Claire?" Sherry noticed her unease and walked over worriedly, gently taking her hand. "What's wrong? You don't look well."
Claire forced a smile and shook her head. "It's nothing."
But how could she hide it from the observant Sherry?
"Let's go," Claire took a deep breath and made a decision. "We're going to pay Rebecca a visit."
When Claire and Sherry appeared at the entrance of the Molecular Biology Lab at the BSAA North America Division, Rebecca Chambers was wearing a pair of thick goggles, carefully operating a high-precision gene sequencer.
Seeing them, Rebecca immediately set down her work, a bright smile appearing on her face.
"Claire! Sherry! What are you two doing here?" She took off her goggles and quickly walked over to greet them.
When her gaze fell on Claire's hand, which was instinctively protecting her abdomen, Rebecca—being a meticulous scientist who had also heard from Sherry that Noah was back—instantly understood.
"Oh, my god..." Rebecca covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes full of surprise and blessing. "Claire, congratulations! I heard from Sherry that Noah returned, but I didn't expect... this is wonderful!"
A blush crept onto Claire's face, showing both joy and a hint of shyness.
After the pleasantries, Rebecca keenly noticed the lingering trace of worry between Claire's brows.
She led the two of them to a nearby lounge area and poured two glasses of warm water.
"Claire, you look like you have something on your mind," Rebecca asked softly. "Is it because Noah went on another mission?"
"That's part of it..." Claire hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to reveal her inner worries. "Rebecca, I... I'm worried about my body. You know about Noah and me... will the viruses in our bodies affect the child?"
Hearing this question, the smile on Rebecca's face faded slightly, and her expression became serious.
This was an extremely complex subject with no precedent.
She thought for a moment, then turned to look at Sherry, who was quietly drinking water, her eyes filled with trust and reliance.
"Claire, regarding this question, I think someone here is more qualified to speak than I am." Rebecca's voice was gentle and certain. "Sherry is the expert in this field."
Claire looked at Sherry in surprise.
The girl, who had just been acting like a little sister next door, had now put down her water glass and hopped over from the sofa.
"Sister Claire, you don't need to worry!" Her face wore a confident smile, and her deep blue eyes sparkled with the light of wisdom.
In the next second, Sherry's entire temperament changed abruptly.
The liveliness and playfulness of a young girl vanished instantly, replaced by the calm, focus, and rigor of a top-tier scholar.
In an instant, she seemed to switch from an innocent Genius girl to a chief scientist capable of running a top-level laboratory.
"First, we need to clarify a fundamental concept." Sherry's voice became steady and clear, filled with professionalism.
"A virus, as a non-cellular life form, does not exist fundamentally to kill its host, but to live in symbiosis with it. This involves the two core instinctive characteristics of all living things: survival and reproduction."
She held up two fair fingers and continued to explain.
"A virus cannot survive independently; it must parasitize living cells to complete self-replication. Therefore, from an evolutionary perspective, a virus that rapidly kills its host is a failure, because it cuts off its own chain of reproduction. The ultimate goal of a successful virus must be to reach some form of coexistence agreement with the host."
Claire listened very intently. Sherry's theory was simple yet profound, overturning an ordinary person's perception of viruses.
"Then... what about those zombies and monsters?" Claire raised a question.
"Excellent question." Sherry nodded approvingly.
"That is the crux of the matter. The progenitor virus originally discovered by the Umbrella Corporation, and the series of viruses developed from it like the t-virus, have activities that are simply too strong. When they invade a human body, they induce extremely violent cell division and recombination. This speed and intensity far exceed the limits of what normal human cells can withstand, ultimately leading to massive cell death and tissue collapse."
"At the same time, because viral gene fragments are forcibly injected into the host's genetic information, it leads to the breaking and erroneous recombination of the host's DNA chain. Mutability is infinitely magnified, eventually giving rise to various 'Bio-Organic Weapons' that lose all reason and are left with only primal aggressive desires. But you must understand, this is not the virus's 'intention,' but rather a result of it losing control."
Sherry walked to a whiteboard, picked up a pen, and quickly drew several complex molecular structure diagrams.
"However, the situation for you and Brother Noah is completely different." She turned around, her eyes shining as she looked at Claire.
"The viruses in your bodies have undergone multiple mutations and Fusions. Most importantly, they have reached a perfect balance with your own powerful life force and... unique genes. The virus has activated your cells, granting you strength and recovery far beyond normal people, while your bodies have in turn 'domesticated' the virus, suppressing its destructiveness and making it a part of your bodily functions."
"Therefore, the conclusion is that the viruses in your bodies have reached a'symbiosis agreement' with you. It is now a part of your body, just like an organ. It won't harm you, and naturally, it won't harm a homologous life form birthed from your combined genes. So, you don't have to worry at all."
Sherry's words were like sunlight breaking through the clouds, instantly dispelling all the gloom in Claire's heart.
She let out a long sigh of relief, feeling her entire body relax.
However, at the moment she completely relaxed, her keen mind caught an overlooked detail in Sherry's words.
"A result of losing control... induced mutation..." Claire murmured these words, and a thought that made her shudder suddenly surged up.
She looked up, her gaze sharp as she looked at Sherry and Rebecca.
"If creating those monsters was just a byproduct and a failure of Umbrella's research process... then their true purpose for researching these viruses was actually..."
Sherry and Rebecca glanced at each other, both seeing a hint of solemnity in the other's eyes.
Ultimately, it was Sherry who picked up the conversation, her voice carrying a hint of a sigh.
"Umbrella's scientists discovered the'symbiotic' potential of viruses long ago. Based on the different characteristics the virus mutated in different hosts, they performed screening and induced mutations to artificially create monsters with specific abilities—the series of Bio-Organic Weapons you are familiar with. But all of that was just a byproduct to deceive the public and earn research funding."
She paused, then spoke the ultimate answer hidden behind all the conspiracies and bloodshed.
"Umbrella's true goal was to research 'Eternal Life.'"
"Eternal life?" Claire felt her heart skip a beat.
"Yes, eternal life." Sherry's expression was incredibly serious.
"All multicellular organisms on Earth face an insurmountable ultimate limit—cellular telomeres. Every time a cell divides, the telomeres shorten a bit. When they shorten to their limit, the cell can no longer divide, leading to aging and death. This is the 'death program' written into the genes of all life."
"However, there is one exception: cancer cells. Cancer cells can produce an enzyme called 'telomerase,' which constantly repairs telomeres, allowing for infinite division and achieving 'eternal life' at the cellular level. The appearance of the progenitor virus allowed Umbrella's founder, Spencer, to see another possibility. A possibility to activate cells, repair telomeres, and break the limits of life to achieve individual immortality without cancer."
The truth was laid bare before them.
All the slaughter, all the conspiracies, the destruction of Raccoon City, the deaths of countless people... the source of it all was simply a madman's greedy desire for eternal life.
Claire finally understood.
She completely understood why this matter would touch the nerves of the two giants of the East and West, making them willing to set aside their differences and cooperate.
"So that's how it is..." Claire leaned back on the sofa, dazed. "No wonder... no wonder even they..."
...Meanwhile, far from the mainland, on the vast and boundless high seas.
A ship painted white with the words "North Star Ocean Scientific Research Vessel" printed on its hull was cutting through the deep blue waves, silently sailing toward a set coordinate.
On the deck, the sea breeze was biting, kicking up salty mist that slapped against one's face.
Noah, dressed in black tactical gear, leaned against the ship's railing, his gaze calmly fixed on the distant horizon where the sea met the sky.
Beside him stood Feng Ling, also in tight-fitting combat gear.
The sea breeze blew her capable short hair into a bit of a mess, but her posture remained as straight and steady as a spear.
Not far from the two of them, a white man in dark combat gear was nonchalantly wiping a large-caliber handgun in his hand.
He looked to be in his twenties, with unruly short blonde hair and a bit of stubble on his chin. His blue eyes were filled with a wild, untamable spirit.
He was the top agent sent by the American side for this mission, Bruce MacWeen.
"I still don't get it," Bruce said, the slide of his handgun clicking as he pulled it back. He spoke with an obviously questioning tone, his gaze sweeping over Noah and Feng Ling.
"To deal with one madman and a ship full of the walking dead, we need three people? I'm enough on my own."
His words were full of the confidence—or rather, the arrogance—typical of a top agent.
Feng Ling didn't even lift an eyelid, merely saying flatly, "Morpheus D. Duval, former high-level executive at Umbrella, expert in viral application and psychological warfare. His choice to hijack the 'Spencer' was no accident. That ship is itself a floating military fortress and biological laboratory. Intelligence shows that besides t-virus infectees, there are at least two or more types of new BOWs on board. Underestimating the enemy is the beginning of mission failure."
Bruce curled his lip, clearly unimpressed by the lecture.
"OK, OK, lady, you're the pro." He shrugged, then turned his gaze toward the silent Noah, the corner of his mouth curving.
"Hey, pal, what about you? Some 'Asia-Pacific Regional Head' for the BSAA? Sounds like a desk job for a clerk. Have you ever even used a gun?"
Facing this blatant provocation, Noah finally turned his head slowly.
He wasn't angry; he just looked Bruce up and down with a calm gaze that seemed to see through everything.
His voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly cut through the whistling sea breeze.
"Bruce MacWeen, codename 'Vulture,' belongs to the Special Anti-Biochemical Warfare Unit under the U.S. Strategic Command. Expert in solo infiltration, hand-to-hand combat, and firearms. Personality: solitary, arrogant, accustomed to acting alone. Mission completion rate: ninety-two percent, but thirty percent of those missions caused collateral damage exceeding expectations."
The smile on Bruce's face froze instantly.
For the first time, a look of shock appeared in his unruly eyes.
This information was top secret! How could this Eastern man know it so clearly?
Noah ignored his shock and continued in a flat tone, "For this operation, we are a team. If you want to act alone, I don't mind knocking you out and tying you up in the cabin before the mission starts. That way, at least I can ensure you won't ruin our plan."
The sea breeze seemed to turn even colder at that moment.
Bruce stared into Noah's bottomless eyes. From that calm gaze, he could read no emotion.
He didn't doubt for a second that this man, who looked like a clerk, would actually do exactly what he said.
The corner of Feng Ling's mouth twitched upward slightly.
Just then, a crew member's voice came from the lookout post.
"Report! Target vessel spotted at three o'clock! The 'Spencer'!"
The three of them looked in that direction simultaneously.
On the distant horizon, a white ghost as massive as a mountain was floating quietly in the grey twilight.
The ultra-luxurious cruise ship now looked like a giant mausoleum on the sea, exuding an aura of omen and death.