Chapter 203: The Old Employees of Raccoon City

Beep— beep beep—!

The shrill, brain‑washing, endlessly repeating alarm suddenly rang throughout the bedroom.

The bedroom's layout was square and tidy.

A double bed, its head against the north wall, sat in the center of the room, with nightstands holding clutter on either side.

To the west was a wardrobe full of clothes; beside the south door stood a dressing table piled with cosmetics; to the east was a "non‑transparent" floor‑to‑ceiling window.

As the alarm sounded, the window's pane automatically switched, and soon external light finally poured into the dim bedroom.

Outside the window was a typical North‑American residential neighborhood.

On the sidewalk, some joggers in short sleeves and shorts ran, while other casually dressed neighbors, holding trash bags, walked dogs on leashes.

More residents, in suits, headed toward the garage, or were already driving away, on their way to work.

Judging by the height of the floor‑to‑ceiling window, the bedroom was on the second floor, well lit, with sunlight streaming unobstructed onto the double bed.

"Ugh…!"

Hearing the annoying alarm and feeling the glaring sunlight, the man lying on the right side of the bed furrowed his brow and buried his whole body under the covers.

However, the woman on the left side of the bed had already pulled back the blanket, smoothed her wrinkled pajamas, slipped out of bed, put on slippers, and walked toward the dressing table.

When the woman sat at the dressing table, the alarm automatically stopped, and a small holographic screen also materialized in front of the mirror.

The woman lightly touched the non‑physical screen, "~~", and gentle, relaxing music sounded in the bedroom.

Immediately after, she pulled out a wet‑type paper towel, wiped her cheek, and said to the man:

"Ai Sa Ke, dear, get up quickly. Aren't you going on a business trip? Don't miss the company's shuttle later."

The man, whom the woman called Ai Sa Ke, curled up in the blankets and gave no response, apparently still fast asleep.

The woman said nothing more, because within a minute Ai Sa Ke violently threw back the blanket, exposing his upper body and wiping sweat from his face.

Clearly he woke himself up with heat,

At that moment the woman left the dressing table, opened the door, prepared to go to the bathroom, and reminded Ai Sa Ke:

"Get up and get ready, it's already eight o'clock."

"Got it… Ni Ke."

Ai Sa Ke opened his eyes, stared at the ceiling, replied to his wife, stared blankly for a few seconds, then got out of bed.

The couple then sequentially completed their morning wash, then respectively attended to makeup and packed luggage for the trip.

Approaching 8:30.

The last to get up, Ai Sa Ke, was the first to descend from the second floor to the kitchen, made two simple sandwiches, and fetched enough milk from the fridge to fill two glasses, serving as breakfast for the couple.

8:40.

The couple sat at the dining table on the east side of the living room, eating a breakfast that wasn't very tasty but fairly nutritious, while watching the holographic TV.

The intangible TV screen hovered near the table, broadcasting Raccoon City's morning news.

Ni Ke finished the sandwich, then sipped the still slightly chilled milk, and said to Ai Sa Ke sitting opposite her:

"I've got the leave approved with the director; today we're taking our parents to the company's hospital for a thorough check‑up."

"Mm." Ai Sa Ke, also having finished, responded lightly, drained his milk, and asked, "Does the company have any research projects lately?"

"Even if there are, I don't know; I'm not a senior researcher like Supervisor Chambos, hehe~," Ni Ke laughed.

"Working at the Mother Nest isn't considered senior?" Ai Sa Ke laughed as well, "It's better than being a wandering ordinary worker like me, haha~."

"An ordinary worker earning over a hundred thousand a month," Ni Ke glanced at Ai Sa Ke.

She got up, picked up both plates and cups, walked to the kitchen sink, and asked, "How long will this trip take?"

"I don't know," Ai Sa Ke said, leaving the table, grabbing the lightweight jacket draped over the back of the sofa, and after a thought, "At most two months."

"Beep!" At that moment, a short horn sounded from outside the room.

He heard the noise.

Ai Sa Ke hurriedly dragged his suitcase toward the door, opened the shoe cabinet, and took out a pair of comfortable casual shoes.

Straightening his back after putting on the shoes, Ni Ke wrapped her arms around Ai Sa Ke's waist from behind, rose onto her tiptoes, and kissed his left cheek.

Then, softly releasing her hand, she said, "Go."

"Alright, I'll leave Mom and Dad to you."

Ai Sa Ke said goodbye to his wife, opened the door, pulled his suitcase, left the apartment, and walked toward a black bus parked by the street.

Ni Ke leaned against the door, her face showing reluctance as she watched her husband board the bus.

After watching the seemingly silent bus drive away from the block and vanish from her sight, she turned, went back home, and closed the door.

Inside the bus at that moment.

"Ai Sa Ke, you and your wife still haven't had children?"

"Yeah, the company now encourages multiple births! The more you have, the more benefits!"

"Bro, your analogy… just feels off to me."

"Hahaha~!"

The bus's seats were very spacious; over a dozen coworkers in casual attire, seated comfortably, jeered at Ai Sa Ke as he entered.

Ai Sa Ke folded away the armrest, placed his suitcase on the overhead rack, sat on the right‑hand seat, and sighed helplessly to these pals:

"We'll talk about it when we get back."

These workers were actually drivers of the Anbu Lei La Engineering Department, responsible for operating SCVs in various constructions.

The bus they rode used a fuel that wasn't gasoline nor diesel, but a special liquid hydrogen blended with a set proportion of synthetic carbon and silicon catalyst.

This fuel and its dedicated engine technology came from the Warty Pig.

The Warty Pig required only 12 liters of liquid hydrogen to travel up to 800 km, with a top speed of 150 km/h.

Although the Warty Pig is a vehicle of Umbrella's armed division, the civilian sector also uses the technology to develop various vehicles for the public.

Umbrella's new‑energy vehicle models currently hold 25% of the civilian market and are continuously expanding.

As for the impact on traditional‑fuel car companies, various oil firms, and other derivative industries?

That is not within the consideration of that group of workers.

The workers' employee ranks are not low; they know about the anomalies and the existence of alien races, and they also have a relative understanding of the company's true strength.

Therefore the workers never worry about retaliation from competitors, and even look forward to whether any reckless fool dares to step forward.

As long‑time Umbrella employees living in Raccoon City, they are fully entitled to such arrogance.

Apart from that, they only need to honestly and dutifully complete their work, enjoy the benefits the company provides, and witness the company gradually leading humanity's progress.

For example, now.

The bus left the community, entered the suburban highway, and after less than half an hour of travel arrived at Raccoon City Starport, which had been completed for over three years.

(End of chapter)