While the girls were helping the rescued people recover, Alex stood off to the side, smoking slowly and watching those who had once been captured and placed in capsules—for future experiments. His gaze slid across the faces, and with each new pair of eyes, he sank deeper into thought.

Why capture people like this?

He frowned, took a drag, and reflected. The answer came quickly. These people weren’t just strong—they were fighters, martial artists, each one unique. Some had already unlocked their potential, others were just on the path toward it. But one thing Alex was certain of—they were not ordinary. They held a special value.

Even Jin Kazama—one of those who had been trapped in a capsule, waiting to become a subject for monstrous experiments. Or Chun-Li and Cammy’s old acquaintances—Zangief, R. Mika, Laura, and her brother Sean. Alex mentally traced the fates of all the ones he’d seen. Faces flashed before his eyes—familiar, powerful, broken.

And then it hit him: Wesker wasn’t behind this.

No, he was just a pawn. The real puppet master was hiding in the shadows.

All the “semi-villains” they had encountered were nothing more than servants granted demonic power. Alex was becoming more and more convinced—Davoth was hunting for potential soldiers. He was building an army, but not of mindless demons. He wanted loyal warriors. Brutal. Strong. War dogs, ready to tear apart anyone on command.

Demons, unlike humans, relied on numbers. But they lacked leaders. Even the Marauders—former Night Sentinels—were merely powerful killing machines, not leaders.

Davoth needed his own Executioner. Someone who could lead the army forward. Just like the one who had once become the nightmare of the entire demonic horde—the legendary Doom Slayer. If one man could become fear incarnate for demons, Davoth surely dreamed of creating something similar… but on his side.

And Wesker? Just a supplier. A deliveryman for bodies.

Lost in thought, Alex barely noticed more and more people coming to their senses. The girls gave short explanations of the situation, careful not to stir panic. Claire, Renka, and Miu were guiding people out of the cells, freeing those who had been held captive for months.

Alex heard the voices. Broken. Grieving. Some had lost a child. Others—a lover. A family. The horrors committed in these labs had left deep scars. People had watched their loved ones taken away for experiments… and never brought back.

The girls had to work hard not just to help physically, but to offer psychological support as well. A long road to healing lay ahead—if healing was even possible.

Rebecca Chambers, meanwhile, was leaning over an old friend—Barry Burton. He was just starting to regain consciousness.

“Barry, how are you?” she asked gently, seeing him wince in pain.

“Rebecca?… Where am I?” he muttered, holding his head.

“We’re in an underground lab. You were in a capsule, under the effect of a strong sedative,” Rebecca explained, helping him sit up.

Barry tried to focus. Fragments of memory surfaced. He remembered the zombie outbreak, how people turned into the undead… He remembered sending his wife and younger daughter Polly to a safe place, then heading out to find his eldest—Moira, to help her reach shelter.

Their reunion… Soldiers in black gear… Capture… Then—nothing.

“Rebecca… Moira…” Barry suddenly raised his voice in panic. “Where is she?! Is she here?!”

“Why are you yelling, you old fart?” came a nearby annoyed but relieved voice. “I’m here. And my head hurts too, you know.”

When Barry turned his head and saw his daughter—Moira, sitting on the floor in a lab coat and holding her head—he ignored his own pain and rushed over, wrapping her in a tight embrace.

Moira’s eyes widened in surprise — their last encounter had ended in a heavy argument, triggered by a tragic incident involving her younger sister, Polly. After that, they hadn’t spoken for a long time, only meeting again when the world started to fall apart, and Barry came to rescue her, trying to bring her to safety. Unfortunately, that was when they were captured.

“Alright, Barry, enough. I’ve already got a headache without you squeezing me,” Moira grumbled, gently pushing her father away.

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Barry replied softly, letting go of his daughter.

“And where even are we…?” Moira asked, scanning the room with a troubled look.

“Let me catch you up,” Rebecca interjected, stepping closer.

She began to explain where they were, how they ended up here, and what had been planned for them. Barry clenched his fists when he heard Wesker’s name. He realized that if not for Alex and his team, he, Moira, and dozens of others would have become the next victims of monstrous experiments.

“Who is this Alex you keep talking about?” Moira asked skeptically, glancing at Rebecca.

“That’s him,” Rebecca nodded toward the side. “I don’t even know how to explain it… if you don’t see it with your own eyes, it sounds like pure nonsense.”

Barry and Moira turned to look where Rebecca had indicated. They saw a tall young man who looked surprisingly youthful. He wore traditional Japanese clothing, a katana at his waist, and a cigarette between his fingers. Rebecca continued, explaining what Alex was capable of.

The more she said, the harder it was to believe any of it, but the look in her eyes made it clear — she wasn’t exaggerating. Barry couldn’t understand how someone so young could not only be so powerful but also so intelligent — to the point that even Rebecca, a recognized genius in medicine, acknowledged his superiority.

“Moira! You’re here too!?” a familiar voice called out, and Claire rushed over, hugging the girl.

“Claire! Thank god you’re okay. After we were all sent to different locations, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” Moira replied with relief, returning the hug.

Claire nodded and immediately began asking how Moira had ended up here. Moira briefly explained what she remembered, gesturing toward her father and calling him by name — Barry, which made him frown slightly. Barry recognized Claire — Chris’s sister, whom he had worked with many times. They exchanged a warm greeting.

Meanwhile, Alex was pulled from his thoughts by Claire’s shout and… a finger poking his cheek. It was Juri, smirking mischievously. But Chun-Li quickly shoved her aside, not letting her get closer to Alex. Before a fight could break out between the two women, Alex raised a hand to stop them.

At the same time, Miu and Renka were helping others reach the main chamber, gathering all the rescued people in one place. Suddenly, the sound of quick footsteps echoed from the corridor behind them. Everyone turned abruptly and saw a group of people in strange, futuristic combat gear.

Before the startled and wary survivors could react, a busty woman — hard not to notice — rushed out from the group. She was followed by two twins, dressed in matching outfits and wielding melee weapons. Their movements were eerily synchronized and unnatural, as if they weren’t quite human.

“Alex! I came to help!” Shizuka shouted cheerfully and crashed into him at full speed.

Shizuka tackled Alex, hugging him tightly and kissing him on the cheek with a satisfied smile. He didn’t mind — on the contrary, he was glad to see her. Despite her slightly airheaded nature, Shizuka was well-equipped and well-protected. Even if she had made her way in alone, it was unlikely anything could have stopped her.

This naive, yet surprisingly sweet girl could easily walk through the entire lab on her own and come out unscathed. Moreover, thanks to her insane luck, she could very well accidentally eliminate all the enemies without even realizing it.

“Yo, looks like there are more people here than we expected,” Soap said, removing his helmet.

“Yeah, that’s true. Unfortunately, most weren’t as lucky,” Alex replied quietly, shaking his head.

“You won’t be able to save everyone, kid. You can’t be everywhere at once,” Price said, giving Alex a pat on the shoulder.

“Believe me, I know that better than anyone,” Alex responded, gently pulling away from Shizuka’s embrace.

While Alex was giving orders, the others began evacuating the survivors. Medics were tending to the wounded — those in critical condition were carried away on stretchers by soldiers and members of the Sun-Woo clan. Most of the injured were suffering from dehydration, malnutrition, or beatings — guards had been using violence to suppress resistance. The children, in particular, were in bad shape, and they were prioritized for transport to the surface.

Shizuka was darting between the children, checking their conditions and providing first aid to ensure safe transportation to the aircraft carrier.

“What did this busty girl eat to grow such a chest?” Juri smirked, nodding toward Shizuka. “And is she also dating your husband? Doesn’t that bug you?”

“First of all, no one really understands how Shizuka managed to grow such a chest,” Chun-Li rolled her eyes. “And secondly, Alex is not just my husband. He also… well, let’s just say, he gets close to other girls.”

“Hah, sharing him, huh? So he must be a monster in bed. Come on, tell me how it is?” Juri continued to provoke with a mocking grin.

Chun-Li ignored her and tried to walk away. Her patience was wearing thin, but she held herself back. Alex observed this with mild concern, hoping that if a fight did happen, it would be on the aircraft carrier and not in the middle of the evacuation.

Feeling that his presence wasn’t needed just yet, Alex decided to venture deeper into the complex. He suspected there might still be people, or something more interesting, left in the further sections of the lab. He beckoned Red and White to follow as he passed by Claire, Rebecca, Moira, and Barry, nodding at them as he went.

Deep in the facility, his attention was drawn to a massive metal door.

“What’s behind this?” he asked, addressing Red.

“According to the map, there should be a wall here,” she replied, frowning.

“If instead of a wall, we see a door, then they’re hiding something. It could be something dangerous… or maybe it’s just a dead-end to confuse the curious,” Alex mused, stroking his chin.

“Old reports mention an artificial life project,” White spoke up, scrolling through the archives.

“What kind of project?” Alex glanced at her.

“An attempt to create artificial life with special abilities: telepathy, teleportation, rapid regeneration. But all the subjects were extremely aggressive, the experiment was deemed a failure, the subjects were destroyed, and the project was shut down. All personnel involved were either fired or… eliminated to prevent information leaks.”

Alex raised an eyebrow and pulled out his phone, reading through the report that had been sent to him. The more he read, the more he was convinced: the lead scientist of the project had clearly lied. If the door existed, then someone or something was still there. Perhaps one of the subjects had survived.

“Maybe we should take a look inside. Who knows, there might be something… interesting,” he said with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

But before he could open the door, Rebecca’s voice echoed through the room:

“Hey, cupcake! I brought a gift!”

Everyone in the room turned at Rebecca’s shout. Those who weren’t familiar with her saw a girl with bright green hair and a wide grin, resembling a true gremlin. What caught their attention the most was the fact that she was literally covered in firearms, like a walking arsenal.

Alex noticed Rebecca, Rika, Valmet, Chiquita, Ada, and Revy. A slight smile appeared on his face, though he didn’t immediately understand what “gift” she was referring to. Rebecca caught his gaze, standing at the end of the hall near the massive iron door, and, with the same mischievous look, strode toward him.

“All finished, girls? You found all the scientists pretty quickly,” Alex asked with a slight smile.

“Was there even anything to find? These bastards huddled together like rats and hid behind the strange soldiers. Without their toys, they were no more than targets,” Revy sneered.

“Did you find anything useful?” Alex asked calmly. After all, he had given the order to eliminate all the scientists.

“Sweetheart, did you forget who I used to be? I was a spy. My hands just gravitate toward information. So, I ‘borrowed’ a little something. And I deserve a reward for that,” Ada said, wrapping her arms around his neck and looking him in the eyes with a flirtatious gaze.

Alex smirked, leaned toward her ear, and began to whisper. As he spoke, a satisfied smile spread across Ada’s face, one she couldn’t suppress. The other girls, irritated that Ada was getting all the attention again, dragged her aside with disgruntled expressions and also demanded their “compensation.” Alex promised each of them would get what they desired. Satisfied with this answer, they calmed down.

“Alright, now tell me, what’s the gift you brought me?” Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, right, this idiot,” Rebecca said with a smirk, nodding over her shoulder. “He used others as human shields and tried to escape. I thought maybe he’d be useful to you.”

Alex turned his gaze behind her and saw a man bound up as if he were being prepared for a sacrifice. He was being dragged by GIR, MIMI, and Stitch. Alex still couldn’t understand where this trio had developed the habit of dragging people around like hunting trophies, but deciding not to focus on that, he motioned for them to bring him closer.

The trio “dropped” the prisoner at Alex’s feet. He kicked the man onto his back and squinted slightly—he recognized the face.

“William, motherfucker, Birkin… Didn’t expect to see you alive. According to all the records, you’re listed as dead. Of course, it’s trendy to resurrect and eat people these days, but still—surprise,” Alex smirked, squatting down next to him.

“That’s why he seemed familiar,” Ada recalled. “I was supposed to steal the virus he created. But the mission got canceled, and I lost a decent paycheck… because of his death.”

“Hey, who is he?” Valmet asked, looking between Alex and Ada. “It’s clear Alex knows everyone. But since Ada was supposed to steal something from him, spill it—who is he?”

“William Birkin—a virologist, one of the developers of the G-virus. He started working for the Live Corporation at 16. He tried to compete with Alexia Ashford, who was only ten at the time, but couldn’t surpass her. He was suspected of being involved in the death of James Marcus. Later, S.T.A.R.S. took over the investigation because there were reports that young Marcus’s body was found near the Corporation’s Training Center, where, according to eyewitnesses, he was searching for something,” Red answered, pulling up the information from the archive.

Alex nodded—everything matched the original storyline, except that in this universe, the main culprit was the Live Corporation. Learning more about William, the girls looked at him as if he were the scum of society. After all, he had killed his mentor and felt no remorse at all.

Alex wasn’t interested in why William was still alive—it didn’t make sense. Instead, he reminded the girls that it was Rebecca Chambers who had dealt with James Marcus back then, when he had turned into a monster. The girls nodded and shifted their gaze to the other Rebecca, the one who was currently helping the medics tend to the survivors.

It was hard to imagine that such a fragile-looking girl could have done something like that. But their green-haired gremlin, Rebecca—she could definitely pull it off. She probably wouldn’t even bat an eye at blowing up an entire mountain just to bury a monster under rocks.

Meanwhile, Alex touched William to read his surface memories. Most of them were worthless—just labs, routine work, rare meetings with Wesker, where the latter only reported the progress of experiments. But one memory caught Alex’s attention. It was connected to a room behind him—and a woman who was the embodiment of every second man’s wet dream. This made Alex smile slightly.

“Let me guess,” Revy spoke up. “You read his memories and found something?”

“Got it right,” Alex nodded. “Just the surface ones. If I dug deeper, he’d already be convulsing, and then he’d turn into a useless vegetable.”

“So, he’s no longer useful to us?” Chiquita asked, pulling out her pistol.

“Oh no, my love,” Alex smiled. “He hasn’t gotten the punishment he deserves yet.”

The girls immediately perked up. They were curious about what punishment Alex had in store for William. He was still in a semi-conscious state, and Alex, giving him a light pat on the cheek, brought the man back to reality. William’s gaze cleared, and he immediately recognized Alex. In turn, Alex understood that William was fully aware of who stood before him. No wonder—one of his memories showed him ordering to capture Alex for experiments. Though that never came to pass.

“Hello, William, my boy,” Alex said, removing the gag from the man’s mouth. “Surprised, aren’t you? To come face to face with the one you wanted to use as a test subject.”

“False savior…” William hissed with disdain. “You really think everything you do matters? All your efforts are a pathetic attempt to save a dying scum. I’ve seen a god… His power is something your primitive mind can’t comprehend.”

Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise and laughed. The girls, hearing William’s words, couldn’t suppress their smirks. They found it amusing that this arrogant scientist referred to the creature as a god—after all, the real god, in their view, was one, and he was about to become their father-in-law.

“Ah, William, my boy,” Alex said mockingly, leaning closer to his face. “Who drilled this nonsense about ‘false savior’ into your head? Unfortunately, it’s the other way around. I’m much worse than you can imagine… and far more dangerous than your tiny brain can comprehend. My powers go far beyond anything your god could offer.”

“What…?” William’s voice faltered as he finally looked at the face of the person before him.

William’s eyes widened in horror. What he saw before him instilled in him genuine, primal fear. Standing before him was a man… or rather, a creature, whose face was hidden in shadow, but from the darkness, rainbow-colored eyes gleamed, and a wide, unnaturally toothy grin sparkled. No human could smile like that.

William’s body began to tremble. He felt an animalistic terror as he stared at the creature. His instincts screamed one thing: run. But he was bound, and even if he were free, he probably wouldn’t be able to escape. Everything he had faced before didn’t inspire this kind of fear. Only now did he notice the yellow puddle forming beneath him, staining his pants.

The girls didn’t see Alex’s face, but William’s expression told them everything.

“Looks like he pissed himself,” Revy smirked, pointing at the puddle.

“Heh, weakling. Cuppy scared him a little, and he already crapped himself,” Rebecca added with a grin.

Alex leaned close to William’s ear and whispered softly:

“William, my boy… You understand that death is a release. But you won’t just die. I’ll send you straight to my brother’s domain, where you’ll suffer endlessly. Day after day, year after year… You will relive your sins over and over until you are ground to dust by time.”

William trembled even more, his breathing became erratic. The girls were curious about how Alex planned to send him straight to hell, since, as far as they knew, Alex’s brother was none other than Lucifer. But Lucifer wasn’t in hell right now… There were many questions, and they decided to ask them later, once they dealt with the current matters.

“I see you’ve realized everything. Now, William, my boy… you’re going to help me with something,” Alex said, grabbing him by the hair.

He dragged him toward the door, behind which was a room that wasn’t marked on any map. Alex had seen this place in William’s memories—this was where Lady D. was, the one he wanted to see.

Reaching the retinal scan panel, Alex slammed William’s face into the console. Blood sprayed, but the doors didn’t open. Continuing to hum a tune, Alex, with grim pleasure, repeated the strikes, as if taking payment in blood for a “ticket to hell.”

“Alex, I don’t want to disappoint you, but if you keep pounding his head like that, the door definitely won’t open,” Valmet said with a heavy sigh. It was clear he wasn’t doing this out of necessity.

“My dear, this is the delivery fee. Or do you think they transport people to hell for free?” Alex smirked, slamming William’s face into the console once again.

“Wait, don’t people automatically end up there if they’re sinners? Or how does this work? Is there even a heaven and hell in this world? Or is it the same for all worlds?” Revy asked, slightly confused.

Alex’s hand froze, giving William a brief reprieve. The question genuinely interested the girls—except Rebecca, who couldn’t care less. She’d already heard the answers before and had even met Alex’s father, so such questions about existence didn’t bother her. But Red and White were looking at him with clear curiosity.

“Heaven and hell exist. But much depends on the specific universe,” Alex began, stroking his chin with his free hand. “In most worlds, they’re abstract concepts. In others, they’re very real places. For example, the world of Brunhilda, or the one I came from. If heaven and hell are absent in a specific universe, the soul enters a reincarnation cycle and begins life anew—in another reality. Take Takashi, for instance. He used to be David, and now he’s Komuro Takashi. Heaven and hell might just be transit points before the next cycle.”

“What are you guys rambling about?” A woman’s voice came from behind.

The girls, still processing Alex’s answer about Heaven and Hell, turned their heads and saw Juri—wearing the haori that had recently disappeared from Alex’s shoulders. The mystery of the vanished clothing solved itself: now it was on her. Noticing their surprised looks, Alex simply waved his hand and introduced Juri to the others.

“This is Juri. An old… acquaintance of Chun-Li,” he said with a smirk. “Rival of Chun-Li, to be exact.”

But Revy narrowed her eyes and, nodding toward Juri, immediately asked the question that was hanging in the air:

“Why, exactly, is she wearing your haori?”

Alex sighed heavily and nodded toward Juri.

“Well, just look at what she was wearing,” he replied, raising an eyebrow. “Those bandages barely cover the necessary areas… and that’s being generous.”

“So, what are you doing here?” Juri asked again, gazing at the group with lazy interest.

“We’re trying to open the door,” Alex replied nonchalantly, once again slamming William’s face into the console. “At the same time, we’re contemplating the meaning of life, existence, and all that stuff.”

“And what’s the answer to this eternal question?” Juri squinted, smirking.

“Forty-two,” Alex and Rebecca answered in unison, exchanging a meaningful glance and a knowing grunt.

The other girls looked at them suspiciously, not understanding the point. Alex didn’t explain anything—the meaning was only clear to the chosen few… or those who had read certain books or seen that particular movie.

At that moment, with another dull thud, the console finally accepted the fingerprint. A hiss echoed, and the metal door slowly began to rise. William’s body collapsed to the floor with a disgusting sound, and his head—now a bloody pulp—finally proved that the express ticket to hell had been fully paid.

“There are traps in there, or a laser corridor, right?” Rika asked, pointing at the dazzlingly white passage behind the door.

“Possibly. But it’s better to be safe,” Alex replied, slapping his hand against the wall.

Smashing the nearest panel, he confidently stepped forward, clearly eager to finish things in the lab and finally deal with Wesker—the next genius who fancied himself a god.

As he walked, Alex turned to Juri.

“How’s the evacuation going?”

“Most of them have already been taken out,” Juri shrugged. “And those who were in the same situation as me—are moving out on their own. On foot.”

Alex nodded. His gaze flicked to GIR, MIMI, Stitch, and Wolf—the trio who seemed to be enjoying the chaos in the lab more than anyone else.

“Looks like you rushed with killing William,” Ada said, smirking. “There’s another scanner.”

The girls laughed. No one felt any sympathy for William. Alex also smirked and simply spread the metal doors with his bare hands as if they were curtains. Behind them opened a spacious room—William’s personal laboratory.

“Someone’s here… And damn, it’s huge. Especially the chest—bigger than Shizuki’s,” Rika muttered, pointing at the woman in the tank.

Intrigued, the girls moved closer. Alex also stepped forward—he wanted to see Lady D. with his own eyes. And, to be honest, she looked even better in person than in the game and in the memories.

He knew what kind of personality he would have to deal with. Alcina couldn’t stand men, and she had plenty of reasons for that. But how did she end up in Wesker’s hands? Alex suspected that Heisenberg had something to do with it—he had hated both Alcina and Mother Miranda from the very start.

“Who is this woman?” Valmet asked, turning to Alex, Red, and White.

Only these three—Alex, Red, and White—could give a precise answer to the question that was on everyone’s mind. Alex, however, was still lost in thought, observing Alcina, who rested in the fluid-filled capsule.

If Lady Dimitrescu is here, he thought, then what happened to Miranda and the rest of the gang? Alex quickly scanned the room—he didn’t see Alcina’s daughters. This could only mean one thing: they were dead.

Piecing together a possible chain of events, he concluded that Heisenberg had teamed up with Wesker, essentially selling Alcina and the rest of them out for his personal gain. After all, Heisenberg had always been ambitious and prone to betrayal.

Realizing that he wouldn’t get an answer from Alex, the girls shifted their attention to Red and White—the ones who surely knew who the woman in the glass capsule was.

“Alcina Dimitrescu, known as Lady Dimitrescu,” Red began calmly. “An aristocrat who lived in an unnamed Eastern European country. She resided in a family castle built by her ancestors in the Middle Ages. According to reports, she suffered from a genetic blood disease, which she was cured of after swearing allegiance to a woman named Mother Miranda.”

“An aristocrat with a castle…” Revy drawled, thoughtfully eyeing Alcina. “But why is she so tall?”

“A parasite known as ‘Cadou’ was found in her body,” White added. “It gave her a range of abilities, including regeneration, superhuman strength, and, essentially, immortality.”

“Whose side is she on?” Valmet asked, turning her gaze to Alex. “I remember you mentioned her… I think she worked with the Corporation?”

“It’s not that simple,” Alex replied, lighting a cigarette. “It seems she was betrayed and sent here as an expendable asset. And there’s only one person capable of doing that—Heisenberg. Essentially, a pathetic parody of Magneto. She had three daughters. If they are truly dead… I don’t even want to imagine how she’ll react when she finds out.”

“Is there anything you don’t know?” Juri asked with a slight smirk, looking at Alex.

“Who knows,” he shrugged nonchalantly.

Juri scoffed and lightly punched him on the shoulder for such a silly answer. Meanwhile, Alex continued staring at Alcina. Releasing her was tempting, but dangerous. On one hand, he was curious, but on the other, he wasn’t sure he could make a deal with a woman who despised men.

He was absolutely certain: if any man on the team made a careless joke or showed disrespect, they’d meet the fate of a neatly sliced-up meat set.

The girls patiently waited for Alex to make his decision.

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep