Under the cold white light, William Birkin clutched a briefcase containing the G-Virus sample. His eyes, however, were fixed on Annette and Sherry, held at gunpoint nearby.
In his arms lay the fruit of many years of research. Before him stood his wife, his partner, and his beloved daughter. Even a man like William Birkin faced an impossible choice.
William glanced at Matthew, standing not far away. He could still see gun muzzles aimed at them from outside the door.
"Talk... how do you intend to talk?" William suddenly asked.
Matthew calmly pulled over a chair. He gently placed the trembling Sherry, who was on the ground, onto it.
"William, do you know who asked me to come this time?" Matthew looked at him.
"...It's Spencer, isn't it!" William gritted his teeth. He looked ready to tear Spencer's throat out if he were present.
"That's right." Matthew sighed deeply. He then spoke earnestly of his troubles.
"As the de facto controller of Umbrella Corporation, he has the right to assign me tasks, even if I don't want to follow his instructions." Matthew continued. "Do you know how he instructed me at the meeting this time? 'Retrieve the G-Virus sample. If you resist, you can be directly eliminated...' That's your current boss."
"So?" William Birkin was somewhat puzzled.
"William, you are a talent, and even more so, a smart man." Matthew's gaze was direct. "Your boss treats you like this; haven't you thought about changing bosses?"
William was startled by these words. He looked at Matthew. "You mean..."
"Exactly. Since your current boss only cares about research results, why not come under my command?" Matthew offered. "The resources he can provide you, I will still provide. Not only that, I will also guarantee the personal safety of you and your family. The prerequisite is that you share the G-Virus research results with me."
"Impossible! The G-Virus can only be mine!" William rejected the demand without a second thought.
Seeing William's stubbornness, Matthew sighed helplessly. "Alas... That's truly a pity."
"William, you still don't understand one thing. If I just kill you, the G-Virus will still fall into my hands." Matthew's voice was calm. "If I didn't value your talent, I could have simply followed Spencer's orders, killed you, and taken the G-Virus."
"But the reason I didn't do that, allowing you to still stand here and negotiate with me, is entirely because I highly recognize you and don't want a genius to fall like this."
As he spoke, Matthew drew a pistol from his waist. He aimed it at William.
"William, do you know? People... first and foremost, must be alive." Matthew's voice was low. "Only by being alive can you negotiate, can you go out and enjoy the world. Once you're dead, everything is gone, including the family and research results you care about."
William stared at the gun muzzle pointed at his head. Matthew's words echoed repeatedly in his mind. 'Once dead... everything would be gone...'
"Daddy..." Sherry's voice trembled. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at William.
William's body trembled violently. His gaze fell upon his tear-filled daughter, then shifted to his wife, Annette, who stood silently beside them, her eyes complex.
Perhaps Matthew's words had taken effect. Or perhaps it was his desire for his family and for life that made him change his mind.
After a moment of struggle, as if all his strength had been drained, he spoke in a hoarse voice. "...I agree."
He immediately raised his head, flames of hatred burning in his eyes. "However, I have one more condition."
"Please speak." Matthew holstered his gun.
"I want Spencer to pay the price he deserves!"
"I promise you, but not now." Matthew took the heavy briefcase from William's hand.
He gestured to the tactical squad waiting outside the door. Fully armed team members filed in, beginning to swiftly and orderly pack up all the experimental data and G-Virus samples within the laboratory.
"Dr. William, please rest assured. I will build you a laboratory even more advanced than this one, and your salary will be doubled." Matthew promised. "Not only that, I will fully support your ambitions, your family will be properly settled, and your lovely daughter will receive the best education. So... please, Dr. William."
Matthew made a gentlemanly 'after you' gesture towards William.
Before leaving, Matthew took all the G-Virus samples from the research facility. He then activated its self-destruct device.
As the helicopter successfully ascended, the entire research facility, with a roar, transformed into a massive fireball.
On the helicopter, William Birkin gazed at the research facility, now a sea of flames in the distance. He remained silent for a long time.
The firelight reflected in his pupils, a blazing anger directed at Spencer.
...
Afterward, the news of "William Birkin's death" quickly spread. Upon receiving the news, Spencer immediately contacted Matthew.
He asked if the G-Virus had been acquired. Matthew's reply was: "The G-Virus samples were all destroyed by William Birkin before I arrived. Only some G-Virus research data and some semi-finished G-Virus products remain."
To prove his words were true, Matthew even specifically sent a video from a recorder. Of course, this video was actually fabricated by Matthew after he returned to the company.
The scene in the video was one he had ordered to be built one-to-one according to the underground research facility. He even specifically invited William Birkin to cooperate in acting.
They created a scene where William Birkin attempted to pull out a gun to resist, only to be shot dead by Matthew.
Spencer didn't have many doubts about this meticulously fabricated video. In his eyes, William Birkin would indeed do what was shown in the video.
But none of that mattered. As long as he had the G-Virus sample research data, manufacturing the G-Virus was only a matter of time.
In the following days, he kept his promise. He set up a laboratory for William Birkin, even dedicating an entire floor of the company to him.
He privately invited many biology and genetics researchers to study the G-Virus together. This act of keeping his word also slightly changed William Birkin's perception of Matthew.
...
The explosion caused by the destruction of the underground research facility left the local government of Raccoon City utterly swamped. The local government had to investigate the strange illnesses appearing in the Arklay Mountains on one hand.
On the other, they had to reassure the city's residents that the explosion was nothing more than an unusually simple accident. To quickly quell the situation, the city government ultimately blamed the gas company.
Thus, a few days later, a news report appeared: "[Investigation has revealed that the cause of this explosion was improper internal management by the gas company, with excessively high pipeline pressure and years of disrepair, leading to a violent explosion. After multi-party verification, the explosion caused no casualties, only damage to some buildings.]"