Chapter Eighteen: Recuperation

On his return, Wang Jing brought back the powered exoskeleton designed specifically for him. Once home, he went to visit Alice and her clones, who were still confined in the quarantine tents as their tests were not yet complete. Fortunately, they had food, water, and internet access, and with so many clones of herself for company, Alice’s clones showed no signs of impatience.

After leaving the quarantine tents, Wang Jing was promptly pulled back by Song Guohua to continue hauling supplies. Two days later, the base’s storage was nearly overflowing, but by then, the process had become routine—Wang Jing could swiftly transfer cargo simply by sitting in place. To prevent any repeat of a biohazard outbreak, Wang Jing was required to don his custom exoskeleton armor from the Wandering Earth universe, along with all available weaponry. While this lessened the load he could carry each trip, his safety was considered paramount.

The following days passed without any unexpected dimensional shifts like before. Three days later, the examination reports for all the Alice clones were in: none showed any sign of carrying the infectious t-virus.

Once released, the Alice clones, led by the original Alice, began intensive training on the empty ground beside the base. Their regimen included firearms training, close combat, the use of powered armor, and telekinesis. When the clones practiced telekinesis, the soldiers responsible for security—and those off-duty—couldn’t help but gaze over with envy.

Of course, the research teams seized the opportunity to collect data on this supernatural ability. To study the effects of the t-virus on the Alice clones’ genes, a joint research group was formed by various governments. Although called a “group,” its size rivaled that of a large laboratory, as they weren’t just studying telekinesis—reflexes, healing abilities, reaction speed, strength, and mental states all demanded investigation.

Because of this, the base’s construction was further expanded. With more resources committed, the teams of workers grew, and the new base changed by the day. To meet deadlines, work ran around the clock, with machines operating continuously and workers rotating every eight hours. Thanks to these measures, progress never lagged despite the grueling schedule.

Meanwhile, aside from his daily cargo runs, Wang Jing also transported many people—including scientists, politicians, and negotiation teams. According to Song Guohua, the two sides intended to deepen their cooperation, including sharing technologies for space shuttles and space station construction. Both sides dispatched scientists, forming a dedicated technical group to support Wang Jing and help organize the acquired technological data.

The first major achievement was modifying the White Queen’s core programming, ensuring her sole allegiance to the Interworld United Government.

This Interworld United Government had also been established during this period to facilitate communication between the two governments. Heeding Song Guohua’s advice, Wang Jing began training with Li Xian and Liu Peiqiang after work, learning various combat techniques. For safety, they were always the ones to spar with Wang Jing, skipping any anti-strike drills. After all, Wang Jing’s body was linked to all of humanity; a single injury to him could mean countless people on the main plane might suffer or even die. Imagine if a driver’s right foot was suddenly struck mid-drive, and he didn’t brake in time—it would be disastrous, not to mention the risk for pilots.

The Interworld United Government was actively seeking a solution to this problem. The best option was to use robots for dangerous jobs, leaving humans to focus on safe tasks. Although making such robots was possible, the prohibitive cost was a major barrier.

After a month of rest, Wang Jing was ready to enter the Resident Evil universe again. The trained Alice clones were now adept with weapons and telekinesis. In the newly expanded central quarantine chamber, over two hundred Alices and special forces, all clad in powered exoskeletons, stood ready to cross over with Wang Jing.

First, Wang Jing, accompanied by Li Xian, Liu Peiqiang, Wang Lei, Li Yiyi, and the original Alice, initiated the crossing. In the blink of an eye, the six of them appeared—not inside the Hive, but in a gigantic crater.

The next instant, the Geiger counters in their exoskeletons began shrieking. To avoid deadly radiation, Wang Jing immediately brought everyone back. He then donned a radiation suit, took an off-road vehicle, and crossed over again.

Back in the crater, he floored the accelerator and sped out, only stopping when the Geiger counter readings fell back to safe levels. He stepped out and looked back. Where once there had been an empty desert basin, there was now a huge circular pit—the Hive base had vanished without a trace.

Wang Jing didn’t need to guess who was behind it. “They really went so far as to destroy an entire base just to get rid of me. They certainly think highly of me,” he muttered.

After bringing Li Xian, Liu Peiqiang, and the others back, the six of them headed toward Raccoon City in the off-road vehicle.

As soon as Wang Jing left the pit, an Umbrella Corporation satellite spotted them from the sky. In the underground Hive beneath Tokyo, the Red Queen’s virtual image appeared before Wesker. “Target has been sighted on the outskirts of the Las Vegas base ruins.”

A satellite image appeared. Slicked-back hair, black sunglasses, and an expression of icy indifference—Wesker spoke coolly: “Capture them.”

“I’ll issue orders to the nearest security forces,” the Red Queen replied.

Five minutes later, on the offshore Arcadia cruise ship, three Osprey transports took off, heading rapidly in Wang Jing’s direction.

Inside the off-road vehicle, Wang Jing, his backside battered by the rutted road, grumbled, “This place doesn’t even have a decent road. Next time, I swear I’ll travel by plane.”

“Then you’ll have to make do with a Hummingbird helicopter—only two seats, and it might not even be faster than we can drive,” Liu Peiqiang said with a laugh.

“Then let the research team hurry up and develop a six-seater helicopter,” Wang Jing retorted.

“Helicopters aren’t like cars. If a car breaks down, you just stop on the road. If a helicopter fails, odds are it’s a total disaster,” Liu Peiqiang replied.

“Still better than this,” Wang Jing said, rubbing his armor-clad backside.

At that moment, Liu Peiqiang suddenly grew serious. “Three Osprey helicopters ahead—likely Umbrella operatives.”

From the passenger seat, Wang Lei grabbed the binoculars. Spotting the Umbrella logo, he shouted, “Umbrella aircraft! Prepare for battle!”

Liu Peiqiang immediately swerved, narrowly dodging incoming bullets.

“Li Yiyi, take them down!” Wang Jing shouted to Li Yiyi across from him.