Chapter 21: Dark Clouds Behind the Scenes

Inside a secret underground surveillance room, dim lights cast a cold white glow across the walls. Dozens of surveillance screens were densely arranged in front of the console, flickering with faint light.

Albert Wesker, dressed in a black tactical suit with one hand in his pocket, stood before the console. His golden eyes stared coldly at the footage of the speeding train on the screen, his face devoid of any emotion, as if everything in the world was within his grasp.

Beside him, William Birkin wore a white researcher's lab coat, his fingertips tightly clutching an experimental report. His brow was furrowed, and he stared at the screen with an anxious expression, his eyes behind his lenses filled with incomprehension and doubt.

The communicator in front of them crackled with static, connecting them to USS Delta Team, who were on mission. The air was thick with an oppressive and eerie atmosphere.

As the most elite special forces unit under the Umbrella Corporation, USS Delta Team had always carried out the most secretive and dangerous elimination missions.

At this moment, two team members had already infiltrated the train area. One of them silently moved to the exterior of the lead carriage, leaning against the cold iron plating. After confirming there were no abnormalities in the vicinity, he picked up his walkie-talkie and reported to the surveillance room in a low, steady, and forceful voice:

"This is Delta Team. We have successfully secured the train. No large-scale target movements detected. Awaiting further instructions."

A clear report came through the walkie-talkie. A faint, cold curve tugged at the corner of Wesker's mouth as he responded indifferently, "Received. Stand by on-site and await subsequent elimination orders."

William Birkin finally couldn't contain himself. He took a step forward, leaning closer to Wesker, and asked in a hurried tone with ill-concealed confusion, "This makes no sense. The source of the T-Virus leak was clearly the Spencer Mansion laboratory, and security measures have always been strictly controlled. How could it have leaked out?

Furthermore, the scope of contamination has actually spread to the train three miles away. This completely defies the logic of viral transmission!"

Facing William's questioning, Wesker's face remained impassive, his gaze growing even colder. He slowly turned his head to look at William beside him, his voice devoid of warmth and filled with unquestionable resolve:

"That is not important at all. We don't need to trouble ourselves with investigating the cause of the virus leak or its transmission path. Our only mission now is to ensure that no word of this gets out and to completely erase all traces."

He paused, his gaze returning to the surveillance screen, his voice as cold as ice: "Destroy the train. Destroy it completely. Leave no survivors, and leave not a single shred of evidence of the virus leak."

Looking at Wesker's cold expression, William's heart sank, but he also understood there was no extra time to dwell on the reasons. He could only remain silent.

Wesker picked up the walkie-talkie again and asked the USS member on the other end in a deep voice, "Answer me, how far are you from the nearest train siding? You must steer the train toward the siding in the shortest time possible and execute the destruction plan."

"Received. Estimated arrival at the nearest siding is about ten minutes le—huh?"

The member's steady response came to an abrupt halt, his tone shifting to one of shock and confusion. Immediately after, everyone in the surveillance room could clearly hear a series of fine, slimy wriggling sounds from the walkie-talkie, so dense it made their skin crawl.

"What's going on? What happened?" Wesker's brow furrowed slightly as he immediately followed up, a trace of barely perceptible gravity finally entering his voice.

But what responded to him was no longer a report from the team member, but a series of rapid and frantic gunshots, followed by heart-wrenching, fleeting screams. Finally, only the harsh crackle of static remained; communication was completely severed.

On the surveillance screen, the originally clear image instantly turned into static, and nothing on the exterior of the lead carriage could be seen anymore.

Wesker stared at the black screen, his golden eyes narrowing as a cold, murderous aura radiated from him. William's face also changed drastically; he clearly hadn't expected the elite USS team to encounter such a sudden turn of events.

Meanwhile, behind the connecting door between the train's engine and the first carriage, Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen pressed themselves tightly against the cold iron door, holding their breath. They had heard the conversation, gunshots, and screams outside perfectly clearly.

The two exchanged a look, both seeing shock and gravity in the other's eyes. So the conspiracy of the Umbrella Corporation was behind all of this; they had intended to destroy the entire train and eliminate the evidence from the very beginning.

They waited quietly for a moment until there was absolutely no sound outside. After confirming there was no danger, they cautiously pushed open a crack in the door and looked out.

The corpses of the two USS members lay on the ground outside the engine, their bodies bitten beyond recognition by a swarm of leeches. They had long since stopped breathing, and those lethal leeches were still slowly wriggling over the corpses, emitting a strong, foul stench of rot.

"It's those leeches from before. These things really are everywhere," Billy said in a low voice, his cold gaze sweeping over the corpses.

Rebecca clenched her fists, her heart filled with anger and lingering fear. If they hadn't hidden behind the door in advance, they would have been the ones meeting a tragic end right now.

She suppressed the emotions in her heart and nodded to Billy. "Let's go, quickly. We need to get into the driver's cab. We can't let their conspiracy succeed."

Lightening their footsteps, the two cautiously stepped over the two corpses and quickly entered the train's driver's cab. The cab was filled with sophisticated control instruments, the dashboard flickered incessantly, and data for the high-speed train kept jumping. The deafening friction between the wheels and the tracks filled the air, and the entire train was jolting violently.

Billy walked quickly to the console, his gaze scanning the various data and control buttons. His face instantly became incredibly grim. He stared intently at the speedometer and said to Rebecca in a deep voice:

"This is bad. The train's speed is out of control, far exceeding the safety threshold. If it keeps going at full speed like this, it'll derail and crash on its own before they can even lead it to a siding. We'll all die!"

"Is there any way to stop it? We have to brake the train!" Rebecca's heart tightened as she hurriedly asked, her eyes full of urgency.

"There is, but it can't be operated from the driver's cab alone," Billy explained hurriedly, pointing to the password control system while quickly flipping through the console's operating instructions.

"The train's emergency braking system is a dual-control operation. Corresponding passwords must be entered at both the rear deck of the fifth carriage and the driver's cab. Both sides must operate simultaneously to activate the emergency brakes; operating either side alone is useless."

The situation was urgent and allowed for no delay. Billy made a split-second decision and pointed to the door of the cab. "I'll stay here, hold the cab, and be responsible for the password entry on this side. You head to the rear deck of the fifth carriage immediately. Watch out for lurking zombies and leeches on the way. Be extremely careful! Notify me the moment you arrive, and we'll operate in sync!"

"Alright, I'm going now!" Rebecca didn't hesitate for a second. Gripping her gun, she turned and rushed out of the cab, running quickly toward the fifth carriage.

The train continued its frantic dash, the jolting of the carriages growing more severe. The lights in the corridors flickered on and off. Rebecca sprinted all the way, remaining constantly alert to her surroundings. When she encountered the occasional zombie, she quickly shot and dealt with them, not daring to stop for even a second.

But just as she passed the carriage where she had previously discovered Edward's body, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

The spot where Edward had fallen was empty; only a pool of dried blood remained.

Rebecca's heart instantly constricted, and an ominous premonition enveloped her entire body. Her hands and feet went cold as a terrifying thought emerged in her mind.

Enduring the sharp pain in her heart, she followed the drag marks on the floor, walking forward step by step, each one incredibly heavy.

Sure enough, in a dim carriage ahead, she saw that familiar figure.

Edward Dewey lay in the middle of the aisle. His once-vibrant face had turned a deathly gray, his eyes were cloudy and lifeless, and his skin was covered in hideous wounds. The comrade who had once fought by her side had now turned into a mindless zombie.

Hearing the noise, he slowly raised his head and let out a low growl at Rebecca, struggling to lunge toward her.

"Edward..." Rebecca's voice instantly choked up, and tears blurred her vision. Her hand holding the gun trembled uncontrollably; she simply couldn't aim at her former comrade.

She had watched with her own eyes as Edward drew his last breath; she had held her comrade's cold body, feeling powerless. Now, she had to personally finish off his zombified shell. Immense grief and despair instantly overwhelmed her.

Edward approached step by step, long since devoid of his former consciousness, leaving only the instinct to attack. Rebecca took a step back, closing her eyes tightly as tears slid down her cheeks.

She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to be calm, repeating in her heart over and over: I'm sorry, Edward, I can't let you suffer this pain anymore...

She snapped her eyes open, her gaze filled with resolve and sorrow, and she tremblingly pulled the trigger.

The gunshot rang out, and Edward slumped to the ground, completely motionless.

Rebecca froze in place, tears falling silently. She gave Edward's body a deep bow, not daring to stay for another second, and turned to continue her dash toward the fifth carriage. Only one thought remained in her heart: she had to stop the train; she couldn't let Edward's sacrifice be in vain.

Sprinting all the way, she finally reached the rear deck of the fifth carriage. An independent password entry device was located here, perfectly corresponding to the system in the driver's cab.

She immediately picked up the walkie-talkie, her voice carrying an unsuppressed sob yet remaining incredibly firm: "Billy, I've reached the rear deck. The password entry device is ready. We can operate in sync!"

"Received. I'm ready on this end. You can input."

Billy's voice came through the walkie-talkie. Rebecca wiped away her tears and quickly pressed the password keys. In their different locations, the two completed the password entry simultaneously.

Instantly, a piercing emergency braking alarm sounded in the driver's cab. Billy used all his strength to violently pull the train's brake switch!

The high-speed train was suddenly forced into emergency braking. The wheels ground against the tracks, throwing off blinding sparks and emitting a deafening screech. The entire train body shook violently, as if it were about to fall apart.

The immense inertia sent items inside the carriages flying everywhere. Rebecca grabbed a nearby handrail tightly to barely keep her footing.

The out-of-control train hurtled frantically toward a secret, dark tunnel ahead. The tunnel entrance was piled high with discarded obstacles, making it completely impassable.

A few short seconds later, the train's engine slammed into the obstacles. The massive impact instantly swept through the entire train, and the carriages overturned with a roar. The thunderous sound of tearing iron, shattering glass, and collapsing machinery intertwined, exploding in the depths of the dense forest.

Smoke and dust filled the air, and ruins lay everywhere. The speeding train had finally come to a complete halt, falling into a dead silence.