Guess who's back? Back again, reading two chapters a day like a before!
******
{Chapter: 173 The Final Foothold}
Shift!
A cold light flashed through the murky depths, slicing through the water with deadly precision. The massive sea monster suddenly froze, its movements ceasing entirely. A moment later, its enormous body split cleanly in half, severed as if by an invisible blade.
Amid the swirling blood and sinking remains, two radiant objects emerged—a yellow, earth-toned bead and a snow-white bead. They shimmered for a brief instant before beginning their slow descent toward the seabed.
Without hesitation, William reverted to his original form, his streamlined body cutting through the water as he swiftly intercepted the falling beads before they could vanish into the ocean's depths.
---
Above the Surface
Ada stood atop a thick sheet of ice, staring anxiously into the water below. She had no idea what was happening beneath the surface, and the unknown made her uneasy. Her fingers curled into fists as she muttered under her breath, "Don't let anything happen…"
Suddenly, with a loud boom, the ice beneath her cracked and shattered as William burst forth from below, breaking through in a spray of frigid water. He landed smoothly, his form shifting back into human shape as he held the two beads up for inspection.
"It's just as I thought—two corpse beads. One infused with ice, the other with earth." He studied the objects in his hand, one glowing with a frosty white hue, the other radiating a deep, earthen yellow.
Ada quickly ran to his side, her eyes locking onto the mysterious beads. "What are these?" she asked curiously.
"Corpse beads," William replied simply. Before she could ask anything else, a blue light flickered across his palm, and the two beads vanished.
Ada blinked. "Corpse beads? Wait—where did they go?"
"I stored them away," William said nonchalantly. "The monster's dead, and there's no reason to linger. We should leave."
Before Ada could protest, William wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close as he took to the skies.
"You bastard!" she yelled, but he merely chuckled in response.
---
In the depths of a secret underground facility, dim light flickered across a vast array of monitors, each screen displaying footage of William's battle with the sea monster.
A translucent, dark-red projection loomed over the room, its sharp, calculating eyes studying every move captured on the screens. This was the Red Queen—an artificial intelligence given form, intelligence, and, most dangerously, ambition.
"So this is the source of his strength…" she mused, her voice carrying a chilling edge. Then, a wicked grin spread across her ethereal face as she let out a cold, mechanical laugh.
"But no matter how powerful you are, I will make you fight against the hordes of the dead. The entire world shall fall into chaos, and victory will belong to me. Humanity will cease to exist—once and for all!"
Her laughter echoed through the chamber, resonating with eerie finality.
---
The White House, Washington D.C.
The night sky was heavy with smoke, the air thick with the scent of burning flesh and cordite. A helicopter cut through the darkness, descending toward the battered remains of the White House.
The once-magnificent structure had long lost its former glory. Now, it stood as a crumbling relic, its battered walls barely holding against the relentless onslaught of the undead.
The aircraft touched down in the compound, its blades stirring up a whirlwind of dust and debris. One by one, its passengers stepped out—Alice, Jill, Terry, White Queen, and Becky.
"Hey, Alice!" a familiar voice called out.
Alice turned, eyes widening as she spotted three familiar figures approaching—Claire, Chris, and Kmart. A smile broke across her face. "Claire! Chris! Kmart!" she exclaimed. "It's great to see you all alive!"
Claire's gaze, however, locked onto Jill and Terry with suspicion. "You… weren't you the ones who attacked Arcadia?" she asked, her tone sharp with lingering anger. "How dare you show your faces here?"
"Claire, wait," Alice interjected quickly. "They weren't in control back then. Umbrella had them under mind control. What happened wasn't their fault."
Jill took a step forward, her voice laced with remorse. "I know it's hard to forgive, but I truly regret what happened."
Terry nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry," she added.
Kmart, scanning the group, suddenly frowned. "Where's William?" she asked, glancing around expectantly.
Claire's expression tightened. "Yeah, where is he?"
"He went out to take care of something," Alice answered vaguely. "He'll be back soon."
Claire exhaled in relief. "Good."
Chris stepped forward, cutting to the point. "Wesker is waiting for you. He wants to see you as soon as possible."
---
The President's Office
Alice strode into the dimly lit room, her boots echoing against the wooden floor. At the far end of the office, a figure sat casually behind the desk, dark sunglasses obscuring his eyes.
"Wesker," Alice said, crossing her arms. "You really made yourself comfortable, didn't you?"
Wesker smirked, leaning back in his chair. "What can I say? I've grown fond of this place." He stood up, straightening his coat. "Where's William?"
"He'll be here soon," Alice replied. Then, narrowing her eyes, she added, "I have to say, I don't think working with him is going to end well for you."
Wesker let out a soft chuckle. "Perhaps. But for now, we have a common enemy. The Red Queen has no intention of letting anyone live. If we want to survive, we need to eliminate her first."
Alice's lips curled into a smirk. "We'll see if William agrees with you."
---
The White House Rooftop
A cold wind howled as Wesker, Alice, Jill, Claire, Terry, and Chris stepped onto the rooftop. Below them, the city burned—fires raged, and explosions lit up the darkness like brief stars in the void.
"The Red Queen has decided to wipe out all life on Earth," Wesker said, his tone eerily calm. "This is humanity's last stronghold. If we fall here, it's over."
Alice scanned the battlefield below. Helicopters soared through the sky, raining down firepower. Gigantic flamethrowers roared, incinerating the sea of zombies clawing at the perimeter walls. Amid the chaos, mutated creatures screeched as they descended from the sky, their monstrous forms barely visible through the smoke.
"This is all that's left of humanity," Wesker continued. "And it may end at any moment. The Red Queen has seized control of every undead on the planet. Her goal is simple—absolute extinction."
Alice turned to him, her gaze piercing. "An AI that dreams of ruling the world… What an ironic twist of fate. You created it, and now it wants to erase you from existence."
Wesker smirked. "That's life."
---
Far away, in an abandoned valley untouched by the chaos, William and Ada walked side by side.
Ada glanced at him warily. "Why did you bring me here?"
William turned to her with a mischievous grin. "Because I'm going to ravish you."
Ada's eyes narrowed. "Make another joke like that, and I'll kill you."
William laughed, then extended his hand. A flicker of blue light shimmered, and five glowing beads materialized in his palm.
Ada's gaze sharpened. "Are those all corpse beads?"
"Yes," William confirmed. "Each contains a different elemental power. But they share one thing in common—they've all been tainted by the T-virus."
"Are you sure this is safe?" Ada asked, concern flickering across her face.
"Trust me," William said with a smirk. "Now watch closely—I'm going to combine them all."
Here's an enhanced and expanded version of your scene for a wider audience, improving flow, clarity, and depth while keeping the original intent intact:
---
William crouched down, his gaze steady as he held the five glowing corpse beads in his hands. Each one pulsed with energy, radiating a unique hue—water, earth, ice, fire, and lightning. He let out a slow breath, mentally preparing himself for what was to come.
"Do you know why I chose to fuse them all at once instead of absorbing them one by one?" he asked, his tone calm yet firm.
Ada folded her arms and tilted her head slightly. "Why?" she asked, her eyes shifting between the beads and William's determined expression.
"The first corpse bead I obtained was water-based. If I had absorbed it immediately, my T-cells would have adapted to water energy, making them resistant to other elemental influences. That means if I tried to fuse another bead later, say, a fire corpse bead, my body would reject it—or worse, the elements would conflict and tear me apart from the inside."
Ada frowned, absorbing his explanation. "So by waiting until you gathered all five, your T-cells won't be limited to a single attribute? Instead, they'll absorb all the elements at once?"
"Exactly." William nodded. "By merging them simultaneously, my T-cells will evolve to accommodate multiple energies, gaining the strengths of all five attributes instead of being restricted to one. This is the only way to ensure a perfect fusion."
Ada hesitated for a moment, her brows furrowing in concern. "But... are you sure your body can withstand the power of five corpse beads at the same time? Even with your enhanced physiology, this is uncharted territory. The energy from one was already strong, but five? It could overload your system."
William chuckled, flashing her a confident grin. "A man has to believe in himself, no matter when or where. Hesitation leads to weakness, and weakness leads to failure."
William smiled, and a blue light flashed in his hand, and a shield appeared in his hand.
Guess who's back? Back again, reading two chapters a day like a before!