Chapter 89: Unlocking Levels Six and Seven
Milton Mamet stood outside the office, palms sweating.
He didn't understand why he was nervous. He had faced the Governor, seen furious crowds in Woodbury Square, and watched the Tyrant rise from flames with its gray eyes fixed ahead.
Yet standing before this ordinary wooden door made his heart pound uncontrollably.
The door opened.
An Asian man looked up from behind the desk. He was much younger than Milton expected.
His sleeves were rolled to the elbows. Maps and documents covered the desk, and the ashtray overflowed with cigarette butts.
He looked like an ordinary office worker from before the apocalypse.
"Milton Mamet?"
Wu Fan pointed toward a chair.
"Sit."
Milton sat down.
Wu Fan pushed over a document. It was Milton's full profile from the Prison—academic background, research papers, virus studies, and his work under the Governor involving walker behavior and infection research.
Everything was listed clearly.
"You want to participate in vaccine research?"
Milton nodded.
"I see hope in it. That vaccine... it can stop the dead from turning into Walkers."
He hesitated briefly.
"I want to contribute something to humanity before the end."
Wu Fan stared at him for several seconds before picking up the phone.
"Send Edwin in."
After hanging up, he said simply,
"Follow Edwin. He'll arrange your work."
Milton froze.
That was it? No tests? No interrogation? No probation period?
Before he could ask anything, Wu Fan had already lowered his head to study the map again.
Edwin entered moments later.
"New researcher," Wu Fan said without looking up. "Show him around."
Edwin glanced at Milton and nodded.
"Follow me."
Milton quickly stood and followed him out.
The corridor was silent. Guillermo stood guard near the door and nodded toward him.
Milton returned the gesture.
They rode the elevator down to Basement Level Three before walking through the same passage connected to the underground train station.
At the hidden elevator inside the fake Hive building, Edwin pressed the button for Basement Level Four.
As the doors closed, Milton caught his reflection in the metal. His glasses sat crookedly, his hair was messy, and beside Edwin's spotless white lab coat, he looked like a refugee.
He adjusted his glasses nervously.
The elevator opened.
Basement Level Four.
Milton stepped out and stopped instantly.
The corridor was spotless and brightly lit. Not a single shadow remained.
Heavy metal doors lined both sides, each marked with red biohazard symbols. Through reinforced glass windows, Milton saw laboratories filled with microscopes, centrifuges, incubators, and advanced machines he had only read about in scientific journals.
Automated gene analyzers. High-resolution electron microscopes. P4 biosafety cabinets.
Every piece of equipment looked brand new.
At the far end of the corridor, dozens of researchers in white coats worked nonstop.
Some studied samples beneath microscopes. Others recorded data or operated unfamiliar machines.
The air smelled of disinfectant mixed with something else.
Hope.
Edwin stopped walking.
"Your workstation is there. Review the materials and learn the procedures first. You already have access to the vaccine progress archives. Ask me or Candice if you need help."
Milton nodded and walked toward the empty desk.
A computer waited there with the Umbrella Corporation logo glowing on the screen.
He sat down and opened the research files.
The records were incredibly detailed—from the first serum tests to the Elpis-I clinical trials. Every stage had been documented carefully.
His eyes moved faster and faster across the data.
But his mind stayed focused on one question.
Just how much had Umbrella hidden underground?
...
Wu Fan stood by the window, watching people line up below for vaccination.
The transparent system panel floated before him.
Points balance: 307,440.
Merle and Shane had earned massive rewards from the Fort Benning operation. Tens of thousands of walkers had sent his points skyrocketing.
He switched to the Hive expansion page.
Level Six: Classified Research Area / High-Risk Isolation Lab / Mutant Research — 60,000 points.
Level Seven: Clone Memory Implantation / Cloning Pods / Sleep Pods — 80,000 points.
Golden lock icons glowed on the screen.
Wu Fan selected Level Six.
[Hive Level Six unlocked. Remaining points: 247,440.]
His finger paused before Level Seven.
Eighty thousand points could buy a platoon of Tyrants. Multiple Ospreys. Entire subway lines.
He still pressed it.
[Hive Level Seven unlocked. Remaining points: 167,440.]
Unlock complete.
Wu Fan inhaled deeply and opened the store interface.
The previously locked SSS-rank section had become available.
Weapons. Vehicles. Biological weapons.
The list seemed endless.
He scrolled downward until reaching the biological weapon section.
Bio-Dragon. Manufacturing time: five hours. Requires another five hours of feeding to mature into a giant dragon. Lifespan: 32 hours. Cost: 50,000 points.
Wu Fan imagined a massive winged monster rising from a culture tank and blotting out the sky.
He continued reading.
Giant Mutant Shark. Manufacturing time: five hours. Controlled entirely by Umbrella Corporation. No lifespan limit. Cost: 100,000 points.
Wu Fan paused.
No lifespan limit.
Meaning it could survive forever unless he destroyed it himself.
Too bad Atlanta wasn't near the ocean.
He kept scrolling.
Giant Licker. Manufacturing time: five hours. Lifespan: 48 hours. Extremely high defense; bullets ineffective against the head. Cost: 10,000 points.
Wu Fan cursed under his breath.
All land creatures had time limits.
The ocean monster got permanent life.
What kind of ridiculous balance was this?
He closed the store and stared outside.
The vaccination lines had dispersed. Only a few workers remained chatting in the square below.
The setting sun cast long shadows from the perimeter walls, bathing the base in orange-red light.
Wu Fan reopened the system panel and selected the feature he had wanted most.
Umbrella Global Orbital Satellite Network.
Unlock Requirement: SSS Authority.
After unlocking, Red Queen's core system can connect to satellites orbiting Earth, enabling global monitoring, bio-signal detection, walker horde analysis, missile guidance, and intercontinental communication.
Cost: 100,000 points.
Wu Fan stared at the number silently.
One hundred thousand points.
Combined with today's other upgrades, he had already spent nearly a quarter-million points.
He closed the panel and crushed the cigarette against the windowsill.
First distribute the vaccine.
First clear Atlanta.
First take Georgia completely under control.
One step at a time.