Chapter 32 — Takeoff
The next morning, Amy led Rick, Sean, and Glenn to an unremarkable metal door inside the CDC base.
This was the entrance to the Hive.
The door slid open with a quiet mechanical sound, revealing a downward-sloping corridor. Cold metal walls stretched forward, evenly lit by soft white lights. Every few meters, the red logo of Umbrella Corporation was stamped on the wall like a warning—or a mark of ownership.
Rick frowned slightly as he stepped inside.
Sean followed without a word.
Glenn hesitated for half a second, then walked in as well.
The door behind them closed automatically.
The sound of locking metal echoed through the corridor.
Wu Fan walked in front of them, calm and steady, as if he had walked this path countless times.
"Follow me," he said simply.
They moved forward for about two minutes before the corridor suddenly widened.
And then—
They stopped.
All three of them froze in place.
Above them was a vast open chamber, stretching upward more than ten stories high. The ceiling curved like a dome, and all around them were massive glass-like walls showing the outside world.
Sunlight, clouds, distant buildings, moving traffic—
It looked completely real.
Glenn blinked.
"Wait… aren't we underground?"
Sean stepped closer to the wall and reached out.
His fingers touched something cold and perfectly smooth.
A screen.
Not a window.
His expression tightened.
"It's fake," he said quietly. "All of it… is an illusion."
Rick didn't touch the wall. He just looked around slowly, taking everything in.
Then he turned to Wu Fan.
"Where are we really?"
Wu Fan didn't stop walking.
"This is the Hive," he said. "The underground facility of Umbrella Corporation. This is just the entrance level."
He didn't explain further.
Because there was no need.
The more they knew, the more questions would come.
So he simply continued forward.
The others had no choice but to follow.
Deeper into the Hive
The next corridor was wider, more industrial. Bare metal walls stretched forward, broken only by emergency doors and red warning lights spaced at regular intervals.
Glenn kept looking around, still processing what he had seen.
"Underground… and it still has this much space?"
Wu Fan didn't answer.
After several minutes of walking, they reached the end of the corridor.
A massive reinforced metal door stood in front of them.
Above it was a yellow warning sign:
[Danger: Aircraft Operation Area]
[Unauthorized Entry Prohibited]
Rick's eyes narrowed slightly.
Sean's posture stiffened.
Glenn looked nervous now.
Wu Fan took out his access card and swiped it.
The door opened slowly with a heavy mechanical groan.
A wave of warm air rushed out immediately, carrying the sharp scent of aviation fuel.
The Helipad
What appeared before them made all three of them stop completely.
A massive circular hangar.
At least two hundred meters wide.
The ceiling was extremely high, reinforced with metal structures that could open like a mechanical shell.
And in the center—
A helicopter.
Gray. Heavy. Military-grade.
SA330 Puma.
Glenn's mouth slowly opened.
"Is that… a helicopter?"
Then he noticed the weapons mounted on it.
Missile racks on both sides.
A rotating cannon under the nose.
His voice cracked.
"Those are… missiles?"
Wu Fan nodded casually.
"Anti-tank missiles. Eight rounds. And a machine gun with five hundred rounds."
Sean stared at it in silence.
As a police officer, he understood enough.
This wasn't transport equipment.
This was a weapon of war.
Rick walked closer and placed his hand on the landing gear.
Cold metal.
Real.
Not an illusion.
He slowly turned his head toward Wu Fan.
"What exactly is Umbrella Corporation?" he asked again.
Wu Fan met his gaze calmly.
"You'll understand when the time comes."
That was all he said.
Takeoff System Activation
Suddenly, a deep mechanical sound echoed above them.
All four of them looked up.
The massive ceiling began to move.
The dome split apart.
Panels slid open slowly, revealing a growing gap of sky above.
Light poured in.
At the same time, a mechanical female voice echoed through the hangar:
"System ready."
"Concealment disengaging."
The opening widened.
Blue sky replaced metal.
Sunlight poured directly into the hangar, illuminating the helicopter like a stage spotlight.
Wu Fan stepped toward the aircraft.
"Stop standing there," he said. "Get on."
One by one, they climbed aboard.
Rick first.
Then Sean.
Then Glenn.
Wu Fan followed last.
The hatch closed behind them with a heavy thud.
Launch
The engine started.
A deep mechanical roar filled the cabin.
Outside, the rotor blades began to spin faster and faster, turning into a blur.
The entire aircraft vibrated slightly as it lifted.
Slowly, the platform beneath them rose.
They passed through the opening in the dome—
And sunlight hit them completely.
For a brief moment, everything went silent except for the wind and rotor noise.
Then—
They were outside.
Outside the CDC
Five hundred meters away, hidden beneath what used to be a forest, a hidden platform rose from the ground.
The trees around it had already been cleared.
A helicopter sat on top, rotors spinning violently, kicking up dust and debris.
Then it lifted.
And flew forward.
Toward the CDC.
The Base Reaction
The guards outside the fence were the first to notice.
At first, it looked like a shadow in the distance.
Then it grew larger.
Closer.
A helicopter.
Real.
One of them shouted immediately:
"Hey! Look at that!"
People gathered, pointing upward as the aircraft roared overhead.
And then someone saw the markings.
Umbrella Corporation.
The crowd erupted instantly.
"Is that theirs?"
"They have helicopters?!"
"And missiles too?!"
"What kind of company is this?!"
Excitement spread through the base like wildfire.
Different Reactions
Merle stood among the crowd, cigarette in hand.
He squinted at the disappearing helicopter.
A slow grin appeared on his face.
"Damn," he muttered. "Boss, that's insane."
Andrea stood in the training field, staring at the sky.
She suddenly remembered everything Amy had told her.
At the time, she didn't believe it.
Now she wasn't so sure anymore.
This place… was not what she thought.
Inside the Helicopter
Glenn pressed his face against the window, eyes wide with excitement.
"This is insane… my first helicopter ride is a gunship?!"
Sean sat quietly, watching the world outside shrink beneath them.
Rick leaned back slightly, thinking.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"Sean."
"Yeah?"
"Who is this Wu Fan, really?"
Sean didn't answer immediately.
He looked out the window for a moment.
Then said calmly:
"I don't know."
"But one thing is clear…"
He paused.
"Following him might be the only way we survive this."
Rick said nothing.
Because deep down, he felt the same.
Ahead of them, the skyline of Atlanta slowly appeared through the haze.
A city full of death.
And possibly—
their future.