chsdbacks Chapter 51 Time Confirmation
Chapter 51 Time Confirmation
Leaving the streets still reeking of blood and acrid smells, Chen Haotian and Tony hurried along a relatively quiet alley. Both deliberately tread lightly, their wary eyes constantly scanning their surroundings. The alley was lined with the back walls of residential buildings; some windows were tightly shut, others gaping wide open like silent mouths. Occasionally, sporadic gunshots or, more unsettlingly, short screams could be heard from afar, but silence quickly returned; the city's vitality was being rapidly drained away by some unseen force.
"We need an information node," Chen Haotian said in a low voice, his brain like a sophisticated radar, filtering out all potentially useful information. "A newsstand, a convenience store, or... a television that can still receive signals."
"Agreed. It would be best to know the exact date today," Tony agreed, his right hand still resting on the bracelet on his wrist, his nanotech armor ready to respond at any moment. "I'm very 'curious' about the level of technology in this world, especially the company that made this mess."
At the end of the alley connected to another, slightly wider street, where the situation seemed worse. Several cars had collided, blocking part of the road, one of them still emitting wisps of black smoke. Debris was scattered on the ground, and a tipped-over trash can was surrounded by piles of stinking garbage, attracting a few flies buzzing around it. More importantly, they saw more "vagrants." Not many in number, in groups of three or five, they moved slowly at the other end of the street, their distinctive staggering gait and hoarse sounds clearly identifying them.
"Go around there." Chen Haotian made a decisive decision, pointing to a relatively intact convenience store across the street. Its glass door was closed, but through the glass, the shelves inside appeared fairly tidy. This was a potential source of information, and relatively well-hidden at that.
Using the abandoned vehicle as cover, the two moved silently through the streets like ghosts, arriving at the convenience store. Tony briefly checked the lock; it was an old-fashioned mechanical lock. "Simple." A faint light flashed on his wristband, and a few nanobots seeped out, drilling into the keyhole. A few extremely faint "clicks" came from inside, and the lock opened.
Pushing open the glass door, a stench of dust, cheap perfume, and a faint smell of rotting food hit me. The convenience store was dimly lit, with only the emergency indicator lights emitting a pale green glow. The shelves were fairly well-stocked, but some had clearly been hastily ransacked, and snacks and daily necessities were scattered on the floor.
"Separate teams to search," Chen Haotian ordered.
Tony headed straight for the back of the cashier, where there were usually small televisions or radios. Chen Haotian, on the other hand, scanned the newspaper rack by the door with sharp eyes. The rack was messy, with most newspapers and magazines scattered on the floor. He crouched down and quickly rummaged through them. Some newspapers were dated a few days ago, and the content was relatively normal, mostly local news and gossip. Until he picked up a copy of the *Raccoon City Daily*, which had several footprints on it and was dated today.
The front-page headline was not eye-catching, even somewhat perfunctory—"Multiple Violent Incidents in the City, Police Advise Citizens to Reduce Nighttime Outings." The report was vague, attributing some attacks to "unexplained mania" or "severe gang activity," while emphasizing that police had increased patrols and urging citizens to remain calm.
"The authorities are covering it up." Chen Haotian sneered, handing the newspaper to Tony, who had just walked over. His cunning mind immediately began to work; he was all too familiar with this kind of cover-up tactic.
Tony quickly glanced through it, his brow furrowing. "'Mania'? What a lame excuse. Looks like a full-blown outbreak is imminent." He shook a small portable radio he'd found behind the cashier. "This thing still has power, but most of the FM is static. Only a few official channels are still repeating similar reassurance announcements. There's not much valuable information."
"Where's the TV?" Chen Haotian asked.
"There's one in the back, the plug is off, it might have been shut down," Tony pointed to the back of the shop.
The two went behind the cashier, where there was an old-fashioned CRT television. Tony plugged it back in and pressed the power button. The screen flickered a few times, then lit up, emitting a buzzing sound. He quickly switched channels. Most channels were static, and the few that were watchable were playing irrelevant entertainment programs or outdated news.
Just when they were about to give up, Tony switched to a local news channel. An emergency notification scrolled across the screen, and a serious-looking news anchor was broadcasting:
"...To reiterate, in light of the recent spate of unexplained attacks in the city, the city government and the Umbrella Corporation have jointly issued a notice that starting tomorrow, September 28th, at 9:00 AM, certain areas will be temporarily locked down for unified 'disinfection' operations. Residents in the affected areas are requested to cooperate and stay home as much as possible, avoiding unnecessary outings. To reiterate..."
"September 28th... 'Disinfection and prevention'..." Chen Haotian's eyes narrowed, his brain racing as he retrieved fragments of memory about the original Resident Evil plot. "The Hive incident occurred on the night of September 22nd. The virus leaked to the ground through the air circulation system, requiring a certain period of incubation and spread... In the movie, Alice lost her memory after the Hive incident, then woke up at home on the morning of September 28th, soon encountering the STARS team and entering the Hive together..."
He abruptly looked up at Tony, his tone resolute: "It's September 27th, afternoon. There are less than 24 hours until the so-called 'disinfection'—which is the Umbrella Corporation's plan to thoroughly clean Raccoon City. And the Hive's entrance is nearby!"
Tony instantly understood, his face turning extremely grim: "This city will be nuked in less than 24 hours? And we're right here in this city!" Even Tony Stark, who had seen it all, felt a chill run down his spine at the prospect of this impending, devastating purge. This was even more frustrating than when he faced the Chitauri army, because this disaster stemmed from humanity's cold-blooded ruthlessness and scheming.
"That's right, time is of the essence." Chen Haotian stood up, his eyes sharp as knives. "We must enter the Hive before the cleansing begins, get what we want, and then leave. The forced teleportation that threw us to this point in time doesn't seem to be entirely random, but rather some kind of... 'urging'."
He walked to the convenience store entrance and looked out through the glass door at the gloomy sky and the deathly silent street. In the distance, another faint scream came, quickly swallowed by the wind.
"Umbrella Corporation..." Chen Haotian murmured, a cold, calculating smile curving his lips. "Now that we're here, we can't leave empty-handed. Tony, we need a plan, a plan that allows us to impersonate insiders and walk right into their lair."
Tony walked over to him, also looking out the window. His nonchalant expression had vanished, replaced by the focused calm of a top scientist and strategist. "Infiltration, disguise, technological suppression… these are our strengths. The question is, where to begin? We need identities, we need equipment, we need the exact location of that Hive entrance."
"In the original storyline, the entrance to the Hive was disguised as a villa, inhabited by high-ranking employees of the Umbrella Corporation. Alice was one of them," Chen Haotian recalled. "Based on the city map in the newspaper and my memory, I can roughly pinpoint the exact coordinates of the entrance. As for their identities and equipment..." His gaze swept across the street, finally settling on the faint outline of a building in the distance bearing a police insignia.
"Perhaps the local law enforcement agencies will 'generously' provide us with some conveniences." Chen Haotian's tone carried an unquestionable certainty, the confidence of a top student who had grasped the key points and a high-IQ individual who controlled the situation, which also implied the adventurous spirit of a playboy and the ruthless style of a cunning individual.
Time: Afternoon of September 27th. Location: Raccoon City. Target: The Hive. Countdown: Begin.