Jenner took a deep breath and walked to the elevator.
10: Chapter 10 Dr.
Jenner took a deep breath and walked to the elevator.
Another professor shook his head: “If this technology were commercialized…” “There are no ‘ifs’ anymore.” Leon interrupted him: “The world is already over.” Silence.
Yes, the world is already over.
Dr.
Jenner took a deep breath and walked to the elevator.
The elevator door was glass, and one could see the metal button panel inside.
Next to the buttons was a row of numbers—from -1 to -11.
Eleven floors.
Dr.
Jenner gasped.
“Eleven floors?” His voice changed pitch: “We’ve worked at the CDC for ten years, and we never knew there were eleven underground floors!” “Now you know.” Leon walked over, took out his ID card, and swiped it on the card reader next to the elevator.
Beep.
The elevator door opened.
Everyone entered the elevator, and Leon pressed the -1 floor button.
The elevator descended steadily.
“Why aren’t we going to the lower floors?” Candice asked.
Leon pointed to the gray numbers on the button panel: “See that?
Only -1 is lit; the other floors are all locked.” “What is needed to unlock them?” “Authorization.” Leon shrugged: “Don’t look at me.
I was only temporarily appointed by Umbrella Corporation before the outbreak.
They said a transition period is needed before other floors can be unlocked.” “What would happen if we forced our way down?” Leon looked at the Old Professor who asked and smiled: “Take a guess.” The Old Professor swallowed hard.
“You’d be turned into a sieve.” Leon said: “The kind that can’t even be put back together.” The elevator was quiet for three seconds.
Dr.
Jenner suddenly asked: “You still haven’t told us, what exactly does Umbrella Corporation do?” Leon looked at him, then at the curious gazes of the others.
The elevator was still descending, the floor display showing: 30 seconds until -1.
That’s enough.
“Umbrella Corporation.” Leon began: “On the surface, it’s a top international pharmaceutical company that researches drugs and lets distributors sell them, never showing its face.
It develops vaccines, medicines, and cosmetics, but in reality—” He paused.
“—it is the black glove of the US government.
Biological research, viral weapons, unspeakable secret experiments—any dirty work the government needs but can’t do itself is handed over to Umbrella Corporation.” Dr.
Jenner frowned: “Viral weapons?” “The virus you’ve been studying, the virus that turned the whole world into The Walking Dead, couldn’t have appeared out of thin air.” Leon stared into his eyes: “Edwin, you know clearly in your heart, what is the Project Wildfire those Old Professors mentioned the other day?” Dr.
Jenner’s expression changed.
Candice grabbed her husband’s arm.
The elevator was dead silent.
Ding.
Floor -1 reached.
The elevator door opened, and the light from outside flooded in.
But no one moved.
Everyone looked at Dr.
Jenner.
After a long time, Dr.
Jenner finally spoke, his voice hoarse: “Project Wildfire…
was a secret research project at the CDC.
The direction of the research was…
biological weapon defense, but later, the direction shifted.” “Shifted?” “Someone wanted to research a weapon.” Dr.
Jenner closed his eyes: “A weapon that could make enemy forces lose combat capability.
It wouldn’t be lethal, it would only make people…
temporarily insane, but there was an accident in the lab.” He opened his eyes and looked at Leon: “That was the beginning of this disaster.” Leon was silent for a few seconds.
Then he walked out of the elevator.
“Let’s go.” He said: “Let’s go see the living quarters Umbrella Corporation prepared for its employees.” Everyone followed him out of the elevator.
Then, everyone was stunned once again.
If the screens in the elevator hall shocked them, then the scene before them completely subverted their perception.
This was a massive space.
No wonder it took thirty seconds to take the elevator to the next floor.
On the ceiling was a clear blue sky with a few white clouds floating by, the sunlight dazzlingly bright.