Ada Wong felt a chill as Morpheus's piercing gaze locked onto her.
Instinctively, she believed him—this question was indeed a matter of life and death.
If possible, she wanted to live, not die.
After a moment's hesitation, she spoke her truth. "Honestly, I'm just a collaborator with Wesker, not an Umbrella employee."
"So, I don't know much about what the Tokyo branch is up to."
Morpheus gave a cryptic smile, about to speak, but Ada cut him off, continuing, "That said, knowing Wesker and Umbrella, whatever the Tokyo branch is planning is likely nothing good—probably something downright vile."
"Umbrella started as a biopharmaceutical company, so I'd guess they're capturing homeless people for inhumane experiments."
"This kind of thing is common in this world. Big pharma often hires homeless people for drug trials. The homeless know the deal."
"Desperate ones sign agreements, taking a gamble to turn their lives around."
"As for whether they survive, only fate knows."
She paused, staring intently at Morpheus.
"Wesker's an extremist, and Umbrella's a top-tier multinational, more ruthless than most pharma companies."
"In their eyes, this branch often seen as lesser."
"So, the branch here might be conducting large-scale human experiments."
"That's my guess."
Morpheus nodded slightly. "You're sharp, Ada Wong. Your guess is close. The Tokyo branch is indeed planning large-scale human experiments, but do you know how many people are involved?"
Ada shook her head.
Morpheus said, "Take a guess."
She hesitated. "Maybe a few thousand, or possibly tens of thousands."
"No, an entire nation," Morpheus replied.
Ada let out a confused "Huh?" and stared at him, bewildered.
Morpheus elaborated, "The Tokyo branch plans to release a virus. If it spreads, it could engulf all of Japan, killing over a hundred million people."
Ada's expression shifted dramatically. "Impossible. That's absolutely impossible."
"Oh? Why not?"
"Umbrella's not stupid. If this got out, they'd be public enemy number one, facing charges of crimes against humanity."
Ada insisted, "No one would tolerate such madness. No matter how powerful Umbrella is, they'd be completely dismantled. No one would escape."
Morpheus countered, "What if Umbrella has backing?"
"No one could shield them from that fallout."
"What if it's a devil?" Morpheus pressed.
Ada froze again. Devil? A metaphor, or…
"A real devil, straight out of myth," Morpheus clarified.
"Those things actually exist?"
Ada found it hard to believe. This world was chaotic, sure, but gods and devils? That was too far-fetched.
Morpheus said calmly, "They exist. Not only that, they're backing Umbrella. The company's top brass have fully aligned with a devil, planning to use a virus to wipe out humanity."
"Japan is their testing ground."
Ada opened her mouth to speak but couldn't. She shook her head vigorously, refusing to believe Morpheus. It was too outrageous, too far beyond common sense.
Devil? Destroying humanity?
Just one guy's word. Ada would rather believe it was Morpheus's delusion than reality.
Otherwise, it was too terrifying.
"I don't believe you,"
Morpheus smiled. "I didn't expect you to."
Ada blinked, confused. What did that mean?
He didn't care if she believed him, yet he told her all this. Was he toying with her?
As her irritation grew, Morpheus continued, "I told you this to see if you're in on it or just acting. So far, I see no cracks in your story."
"So, I believe you're clueless about this."
"Congratulations, Aunt Wong, you've kept your life."
Ada was stunned, a wave of dread washing over her. He'd been testing her.
How insidious.
Thankfully, her spy training held up, and she quickly suppressed her unease. "So, what's next? What are you going to do with me?"
Morpheus said, "I'm going to turn you."
"???"
Was that something you just say out loud?
Morpheus snapped his fingers, releasing her from her paralysis.
As Ada stretched her stiff limbs, he continued, "Whether you believe me or not, everything I said is true. Umbrella's backed by a devil, aiming to destroy humanity."
"I want you to return to Umbrella's headquarters and investigate what's going on there."
"Don't look into the devil—others are already on that."
"Just find out how many viruses Umbrella's hiding."
"What do you say to that?"
Without hesitation, Ada replied, "Can I refuse?"
"Of course."
"Really?" She didn't buy his generosity.
Morpheus nodded. "I keep my word. But since you know too much, I'd have to keep you in the Tokyo branch, with a lock to ensure you can't leave."
Ada realized his game. "So, you're imprisoning me. I knew you weren't that kind."
Medea, overhearing, let out a scoff. "With what you've done, the Boss could kill you and be justified. Keeping you in Tokyo is already a mercy."
Ada sneered, "So I should thank your Boss?"
"No need," Morpheus said. "It's what I do."
"..."
She wasn't praising him! Was this guy dense?
Or maybe he understood but just didn't care.
Facing someone this impervious—and unbeatable—gave her a headache.
He was a tough opponent.
But she didn't want to be caged in Tokyo. Did she really have to defect?
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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