The metal door slowly closed behind them, shutting out the gray, bleak world outside.
Wu Fan walked in the lead, followed by Dr. Jenner and his wife, and the few Old Professors.
Seven survivors were left on the first floor—Wu Fan didn't intend to let them know about this secret just yet.
The corridor was long with soft lighting; it didn't feel like a basement, but rather like a passageway in a high-end office building.
On both sides were metal walls, and every few meters there was a tightly closed door, with no markings on them.
"What exactly is this place?"
Dr. Jenner couldn't help but ask.
His voice echoed in the corridor, carrying a hint of tremor.
Wu Fan was just about to answer—
"Warning."
A voice suddenly rang out.
Cold and mechanical, belonging to a young girl.
Everyone stopped in their tracks.
"Unauthorized personnel detected entering the Hive."
The voice continued, as calm as a weather report: "Total of thirteen, please leave immediately. Repeat, please leave immediately. The defense system will be activated in ten seconds."
On the ceiling, red lights began to flash.
Dr. Jenner's face turned pale: "Defense system? What defense system?"
Wu Fan raised his hand and shouted toward a corner of the ceiling: "red queen, I am Wu Fan, an S-level executive of Umbrella Corporation. I request to grant temporary visitor access to these thirteen researchers."
There was a three-second silence.
Then the voice sounded again: "Identity verification in progress... Verification successful. S-level executive Wu Fan, authorization confirmed. Granting temporary visitor access... Access granted. Welcome to the Hive, visitors."
The red light went out.
The corridor returned to calm.
Dr. Jenner let out a long breath: "red queen?"
"An AI, artificial intelligence."
Wu Fan continued walking forward: "The management system for the entire Hive. Don't mess with her; she doesn't have a very good temper."
Everyone looked at each other, but no one asked any more questions and quickly followed.
At the end of the corridor, the space suddenly opened up.
It was a circular hall with a diameter of at least fifty meters.
The dome was very high, embedded with soft light panels that illuminated the entire space.
In the center of the hall was a massive cylindrical structure—that was the elevator shaft.
Transparent glass curtain walls surrounded the elevator shaft, and through the glass, one could see the elevator car slowly ascending.
But what truly left everyone dumbfounded were the walls.
All four walls, from floor to ceiling, were massive LED screens.
What was playing on the screens?
Atlanta.
Not the post-apocalyptic Atlanta, but the one from before the end—bustling Peachtree Street, with heavy traffic and crowds of pedestrians.
The glass curtain walls of the skyscrapers reflected the sunlight, taxis wove through traffic honking their horns, and in the distance, one could see the Ferris wheel at Centennial Olympic Park.
And there was sound.
Car horns.
Sirens.
The clamor of the crowd.
You could even hear a street performer playing the guitar.
"My God..."
Candice covered her mouth, her eyes suddenly turning red.
She recognized that street.
It was a place they often went on weekends.
Dr. Jenner stood there blankly, staring at the screen for a full ten seconds, then slowly reached out and touched the wall.
His fingers touched the cold surface of the screen.
The image rippled—touch sensitivity.
"This, this is just too realistic..."
He muttered: "If I didn't remember that I was on the third basement level, I would have thought I had lost my mind and wandered outside without realizing it."
An Old Professor took off his glasses, wiped them, and put them back on: "Resolution at least 8K, refresh rate over 240Hz, this technology..."
"Developed by the entertainment department of Umbrella Corporation."
Wu Fan casually bluffed: "Used to help employees de-stress. Want to experience working in the city center? No problem. Want to experience eating lunch on the beach? That's also possible. It can even simulate rain, snow, sunrise, and sunset."
"It's insane."
Another professor shook his head: "If this technology were commercialized..."
"There are no 'ifs' anymore."
Wu Fan interrupted him: "The world is already over."
Silence.
Yes, the world is already over.
Dr. Jenner took a deep breath and walked to the elevator.
The elevator door was glass, and one could see the metal button panel inside.
Next to the buttons was a row of numbers—from -1 to -11.
Eleven floors.
Dr. Jenner gasped.
"Eleven floors?"
His voice changed pitch: "We've worked at the CDC for ten years, and we never knew there were eleven underground floors!"
"Now you know."
Wu Fan walked over, took out his ID card, and swiped it on the card reader next to the elevator.
Beep.
The elevator door opened.
Everyone entered the elevator, and Wu Fan pressed the -1 floor button.
The elevator descended steadily.
"Why aren't we going to the lower floors?"
Candice asked.
Wu Fan pointed to the gray numbers on the button panel: "See that? Only -1 is lit; the other floors are all locked."
"What is needed to unlock them?"
"Authorization."
Wu Fan shrugged: "Don't look at me. I was only temporarily appointed by Umbrella Corporation before the outbreak. They said a transition period is needed before other floors can be unlocked."
"What would happen if we forced our way down?"
Wu Fan looked at the Old Professor who asked and smiled: "Take a guess."
The Old Professor swallowed hard.
"You'd be turned into a sieve."
Wu Fan said: "The kind that can't even be put back together."
The elevator was quiet for three seconds.
Dr. Jenner suddenly asked: "You still haven't told us, what exactly does Umbrella Corporation do?"
Wu Fan looked at him, then at the curious gazes of the others.
The elevator was still descending, the floor display showing: 30 seconds until -1.
That's enough.
"Umbrella Corporation."
Wu Fan began: "On the surface, it's a top international pharmaceutical company that researches drugs and lets distributors sell them, never showing its face. It develops vaccines, medicines, and cosmetics, but in reality—"
He paused.
"—it is the black glove of the US government. Biological research, viral weapons, unspeakable secret experiments—any dirty work the government needs but can't do itself is handed over to Umbrella Corporation."
Dr. Jenner frowned: "Viral weapons?"
"The virus you've been studying, the virus that turned the whole world into The Walking Dead, couldn't have appeared out of thin air."
Wu Fan stared into his eyes: "Edwin, you know clearly in your heart, what is the Project Wildfire those Old Professors mentioned the other day?"
Dr. Jenner's expression changed.
Candice grabbed her husband's arm.
The elevator was dead silent.
Ding.
Floor -1 reached.
The elevator door opened, and the light from outside flooded in.
But no one moved.
Everyone looked at Dr. Jenner.
After a long time, Dr. Jenner finally spoke, his voice hoarse: "Project Wildfire... was a secret research project at the CDC. The direction of the research was... biological weapon defense, but later, the direction shifted."
"Shifted?"
"Someone wanted to research a weapon."
Dr. Jenner closed his eyes: "A weapon that could make enemy forces lose combat capability. It wouldn't be lethal, it would only make people... temporarily insane, but there was an accident in the lab."
He opened his eyes and looked at Wu Fan: "That was the beginning of this disaster."
Wu Fan was silent for a few seconds.
Then he walked out of the elevator.
"Let's go."
He said: "Let's go see the living quarters Umbrella Corporation prepared for its employees."
Everyone followed him out of the elevator.
Then, everyone was stunned once again.
If the screens in the elevator hall shocked them, then the scene before them completely subverted their perception.
This was a massive space.
No wonder it took thirty seconds to take the elevator to the next floor.
On the ceiling was a clear blue sky with a few white clouds floating by, the sunlight dazzlingly bright.
In the distance, one could see the skyline of high-rise buildings.
Nearby were rows of neat detached villas—red tiles, white walls, with lawns, and garages.
The lawns were neatly trimmed, and there were cars parked in front of some of the doors.
Asphalt driveways wound through them, and street trees were planted along the roads. You could even hear birds chirping.
"OMG..."
Candice's legs went weak, and she almost knelt down.
Dr. Jenner supported her, his own hands shaking as well.
The few Old Professors all had their eyes widened, mouths open wide enough to fit an egg.
"Am, am I dreaming?"
Candice muttered: "Edwin, pinch me."
Dr. Jenner pinched her.
It hurt.
It wasn't a dream.
Wu Fan stood behind them, watching this group of people who were shocked into speechlessness, a strange feeling rising in his heart.
When he first watched Resident Evil 5, he was even more shocked than they were.
"Welcome."
He said, spreading his arms: "Welcome to the Umbrella Corporation employee living quarters, the first level of the entire Hive. It covers 100,000 square meters and can accommodate one thousand employees and their families for long-term living."
He pointed to the villas: "Independent housing, two hundred square meters each, three bedrooms and two living rooms, fully furnished. Over there is the community center, with a supermarket, restaurant, gym, and swimming pool. Further that way are the school, clinic, and a small farm—hydroponics, artificial lighting, enough to supply fresh vegetables for the entire living area."
He turned around and pointed to a patch of lush green grass in the distance: "That's the park. There's an artificial lake where you can fish, as well as jogging paths, basketball courts, and tennis courts."
Finally, he pointed to the ceiling.
That "sky."
"It's all LED screens, the same technology as in the elevator hall outside, but larger and more detailed. It can simulate the changing seasons, day and night, and even rain, wind, thunder, and lightning—whatever you want."
Silence.
Deathly silence.
Then an Old Professor suddenly laughed.
The laughter was strange, like crying.
"We were up there researching how to save the world..."
He said, tears streaming down his wrinkles: "Umbrella Corporation had already built a world down here."
Another professor squatted down and touched the "lawn" on the ground.
It was real grass.
Living grass.
"Is there soil underneath?"
He looked up and asked Wu Fan.
"Underneath are nutrient layers and drainage systems, and below that is concrete."
Wu Fan said: "The entire floor surface has been specially designed to support plant growth."
The professor stood up, looking at this artificially created world before him, and muttered: "It's too crazy... too crazy..."
Dr. Jenner supported Candice, and they walked forward slowly.
They passed a villa and looked through the window to see the living room inside—sofa, TV, dining table, no different from an ordinary home.
The only difference was the red Umbrella Corporation logo on the wall.
"These houses..."
Candice asked softly: "Has anyone ever lived here?"
"There were."
Wu Fan said: "But on the day of the outbreak, everyone was evacuated in an emergency. Now, they are empty."
Candice was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned around and looked at Wu Fan: "Can we live here?"
Wu Fan looked at her.
This woman in her thirties had fear, anticipation, and a little bit of hope in her eyes.
"Of course."
He said: "That's the reason I brought you here."
He turned around and addressed everyone: "From now on, this is our base. That CDC upstairs is just a cover; our true home is here."
"We need to deal with the Walkers outside and the survivors upstairs, but first, we need to survive, and here—this place can let us survive."
He paused, looking into those aged but wise eyes.
"Also, didn't you want to research a vaccine? There are more advanced laboratories below, but they will only be open to you once I unlock the authorization. You can use the CDC laboratory for now! However, you must join Umbrella Corporation."
The Old Professors looked at each other.
An old man with completely white hair stepped out and extended his hand: "I am Abraham, CDC Virology Department Director. I was also involved in Project Wildfire."
Wu Fan shook his hand.
"Welcome to Umbrella Corporation, Dr. Abraham."
Dr. Green nodded, then turned to the others and said: "What are you standing around for? Go choose your houses."
A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.
The laughter echoed under this artificial sky, carrying the relief of having survived, and a hint of uncertainty about the future.
But at least for now, they were very satisfied with their current living space, rather than being forced to commit suicide or escape by the oppressive environment of the few hundred square meters of the CDC. They were alive today.
Wu Fan stood in place, watching those people walk toward the empty villas.