Chapter 8: Wesker's Departure

On the second basement level of the Arklay Research Facility, the pale lights remained eternally unchanging.

Chloe leaned against the corner of the isolation chamber, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the long-faded needle marks on her arm.

Months had passed since the last T-ε Virus outbreak. William's monitoring of her had become increasingly dense, and the frequency of sedatives and blood draws continued to rise.

She was like a plant kept in a glass jar, supplied with the means to survive, but also providing a continuous stream of samples.

She had long since grown accustomed to the two sounds here: the low hum of instruments and the distant roars of Lisa from the third basement level.

She had also grown accustomed to two gazes.

One was fanatical, the other cold.

But on this day, the atmosphere in the air shifted slightly.

Steady footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor. It wasn't William's hurried and anxious pace, but one that was rhythmic, cold, and carried an unquestionable sense of pressure.

It was Albert Wesker.

He was still wearing that black suit, his sunglasses concealing all emotion in his eyes. He simply stood outside the glass chamber, quietly watching the little girl inside. This time, he didn't just give a brief assessment or a cold scan as usual; he stayed for a long time.

Chloe looked up slightly, meeting his gaze through a layer of cold glass.

She couldn't see through this man, even though she knew everything about him, including his end. He wasn't obsessed with data and experiments like William, nor was he fearful and cautious like the researchers of The Ark.

Wesker looked at her as if he were looking at a weapon that could be categorized, registered, and deployed in the future—calm and completely devoid of emotion.

“William,” Wesker suddenly spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the silence of the laboratory.

William was hunched over the console checking Chloe's blood samples. Hearing this, he didn't even look up: “What is it?”

“The transfer order from headquarters has arrived.” Wesker's tone held no ripple of emotion, as if he were speaking of a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him. “As of today, I am being transferred from the Arklay Research Facility to the company's Intelligence Department.”

William's movements came to a sudden halt. He finally looked up, a rare look of bewilderment on his face: “The Intelligence Department? Is this Mr. Spencer's idea?”

“I applied for it myself,” Wesker replied faintly, his tone flawlessly steady. “Continuing to stay at Arklay would only cause unnecessary suspicion from the higher-ups. The company's next focus is Raccoon City. By taking the initiative to go there and handle the undercover layout, I can put Mr. Spencer's mind at ease.”

He didn't reveal a single word of his true purpose, using loyalty, avoiding suspicion, and following arrangements as reasons to lock all his real schemes firmly in his heart.

What he wanted wasn't a transfer, but an escape; not an undercover mission, but a path to freedom prepared for himself.

William didn't think much of it, assuming Wesker was simply catering to Umbrella's next strategic move.

He opened the folder Wesker handed him.

The document wasn't long. It was formal, cold, and rigorously worded, with the Umbrella headquarters letterhead at the top, complete with serial numbers and security classifications. He scanned it line by line, his face gradually sinking.

Mr. Albert Wesker:

Following review by headquarters and personal verification by Mr. Oswell E. Spencer, the following transfer order is hereby issued:

1. Effective immediately, you are relieved of your duties as Security Chief and Subject Supervisor at the Arklay Research Facility. Your on-site management rights for internal research projects at Arklay are terminated.

2. You are transferred to the Umbrella Intelligence Analysis Department as the Strategic Lead for the Raccoon City region, to execute undercover missions for the company's long-term layout in Raccoon City.

3. The security level for core subjects at the Arklay Research Facility remains at the highest level. Among them, Subject S01 will be taken over entirely by Mr. William Birkin for research. Mr. Wesker retains remote data access rights but will not participate in on-site management.

4. Subject S01 is a core material for the Project Elpis, possessing irreplaceable research value as a vessel. Any form of irreversible damage, loss of control, or escape is strictly prohibited. The research process must maintain complete records, to be encrypted and uploaded to headquarters periodically.

5. This order takes effect immediately and shall not be delayed.

Issuer: Oswell E. Spencer

William gripped the paper, his knuckles tightening slightly.

He wasn't surprised that Wesker was leaving, but rather that the transfer order was written so thoroughly. Wesker was completely withdrawing from the site, and S01 was being handed over entirely to him.

“Intelligence Department... Undercover in Raccoon City?” William repeated in a low voice, looking up at Wesker. “Mr. Spencer is putting you below the surface.”

“Below the surface, it's more convenient to execute the company's will.” Wesker's tone had no ups or downs, still using a perfect mask of loyalty to cover everything. “The police system in Raccoon City will be reorganized. Umbrella needs one of its own in a key position. My going is the most appropriate choice.”

He and Wesker had worked together for many years, one responsible for research and the other for control, having long since formed a balance that required no words. Wesker's departure meant that from this moment on, Chloe—this S-class top-secret sample—would be entirely his responsibility alone.

“I understand.” William finally lowered his head, looking back at the jumping data on the screen. “The research on S01 cannot stop. Her neural resistance, the T-ε stabilization patterns, vessel compatibility... all must continue to be explored in depth.”

“I am well aware.” Wesker's gaze fell back onto Chloe, carrying one last assessment. “This sample is a priority personally designated by Mr. Spencer. She is more important than anything else in Arklay, including that monster on the third basement level.”

He paused, his voice dropping lower, carrying a hint of warning that also sounded like a handover.

“I will maintain remote monitoring with the highest clearance and check her status regularly. William, do not let your fanaticism override safety. She can be researched, but she cannot be destroyed, and she certainly cannot escape.”

William frowned but did not argue: “I know what I'm doing.”

Wesker said no more.

He took one last look at Chloe inside the isolation chamber.

The little girl still sat quietly, eyes downcast, like a harmless, docile, and non-threatening young animal. But only Wesker knew that beneath this calm lay a level of composure and endurance far beyond her years. He vaguely felt as if this little girl knew everything.

This was a subject who knew how to disguise herself, how to endure, and how to wait for an opportunity.

She was a hundred times more dangerous than Lisa.

“Watch her closely.” Wesker left his final words, turned, and walked away.

The black figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor. The sound of footsteps gradually faded and never rang out again.

The laboratory returned to a deathly silence.

Chloe slowly raised her head and looked in the direction where Wesker had left.

1991? That's not right. Wesker shouldn't become the captain of the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team until 1996. Did he leave the Arklay Research Facility this early? It's true that the Raccoon City Police Department will be reorganized; by then, the higher-ups will all be replaced by Umbrella's people.

William walked to the glass chamber and looked at Chloe, his face once again showing that nearly greedy fanaticism.

“From today on, no one will interfere with my research anymore.”

“We will find the secrets inside your body... no matter how many methods we use.”

The vent of the isolation chamber vibrated slightly, and the concentration of the familiar sedative gas was quietly turned up a notch.

Chloe tightened her fingertips.

Wesker's departure was not a liberation.

It was a different, deeper kind of imprisonment.

From now on, only William remained in control of her edge of losing control.

And only drugs and endless experiments remained.

Outside, the Arklay Mountains remained silent.

But inside the cage, while one cold gaze was gone, a more suffocating loneliness had taken its place.

She knew that the long, dark years with no one to look in on her had truly begun.