The Prey That Walked Right In

Three days later~

In front of the Umbrella Corporation building in New York, Sharon glanced up at the blazing sun as she quickly made her way toward the entrance.

Dressed in a black suit and pencil skirt, with glasses perched on her nose and a briefcase in hand, she looked every bit the professional. As she approached the entrance, a security guard stepped in her path.

"Ma'am, I'll need to see your ID."

The guard's expression was stern, showing no signs of emotion. Sharon brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and flashed him a shy smile.

"I'm here for an interview..."

After observing the Umbrella building for a while, Sharon had realized the security here was extremely tight. It would be impossible to sneak in without raising alarms. So, she opted for the simplest approach: an interview.

"Please show your interview invitation."

Her attempt at charming the guard failed, making Sharon respect Umbrella's security even more. She quickly retrieved the interview invitation from her briefcase. Fortunately, Umbrella was hiring, or her plan might have been impossible.

After the guard carefully examined the document, a smile finally appeared on his face.

"Welcome, Ms. Sharon. You may proceed."

"Thank you."

As soon as she stepped inside the Umbrella Corporation building, Sharon's first impressions were four words: clean and orderly.

Everyone working there moved quietly. Conversations were kept to a low murmur, and all employees wore uniforms emblazoned with Umbrella's iconic red-and-white logo.

Sharon was still taking in her surroundings, her eyes darting from one place to another, when a security guard approached her.

"Excuse me, ma'am. How did you get in?"

She had lingered too long. Without hesitation, she presented her interview invitation again.

The guard gave it a quick glance, then directed her to the recruitment room before walking away.

"This place is really strict," she muttered to herself as she headed toward the recruitment room.

What she didn't notice was the security camera above, which had begun to focus intently on her.

.....

Meanwhile, in the underground base's medical ward, Adam was attending to a unique guest. The man lying on the bed was entirely wrapped in bandages, resembling a mummy.

His bones had been shattered in the fight—he was none other than the infamous Emil Blonsky, the Abomination.

During the battle at the factory, the appearance of the G-product had left Emil with severe injuries, but he hadn't died.

Afterward, General Ross had him brought to a military hospital. However, conventional medicine couldn't heal wounds of this magnitude.

With the G-product now in Ross's hands, he was reluctant to use the Super Soldier Serum on Emil again.

Had Adam not requested Emil for his own purposes, the man would likely have languished in a hospital bed until he succumbed to his injuries.

The reason Adam had taken an interest in him was simple: he needed a subject for testing a new virus.

Adam had extracted energy cells from the Hulk's blood and fused them with the progenitor virus, creating a new serum he called the Z-virus.

However, the Z-virus proved volatile—dozens of test subjects had exploded during trials. With only a limited supply of the virus left, Adam decided it was time to test it on someone with a greater destiny.

"Mr. Adam, you can heal me, right?" Emil asked, a spark of hope in his voice.

He was a born fighter, driven by an insatiable thirst for combat. He loved it, thrived on it, and couldn't live without it.

That was why, despite being past the typical retirement age, he had falsified his records to remain in the military. Without the army, he didn't know where else he could continue to fight.

Adam smiled.

"Don't worry, Umbrella has the world's best medical team. Of course, we can heal you. But is just getting healed really enough for you?"

Emil's eyes widened with anticipation, his voice trembling. "You mean... you can make me stronger?"

"Of course. But it's dangerous. Are you sure you want to undergo the experiment?"

"How dangerous?" Emil asked cautiously. "What's the success rate?"

Adam shook his head. "So far, none. Every attempt has failed. But, according to our research, if it succeeds, you'll gain the power of the Hulk."

"Hulk? Who's that?"

At that time, the Hulk was still classified information, not yet known to the public.

"He's the green giant you fought in your last mission."

At the mention of the green giant, Emil's heart raced with excitement.

"I could be as strong as him? But... with no success so far..."

Adam's voice was soft but reassuring. "Don't worry. I'll assign the best scientific team to oversee your procedure. They'll do everything possible to ensure your safety. But the final decision is yours."

It was all a lie, of course. Adam's real intention was to gain control over Emil. If he refused to cooperate, Adam wouldn't hesitate to implant a remote-controlled bomb in his head.

"Thank you," Emil finally said, closing his eyes in exhaustion.

With a nod, Adam turned to his assistant, Felia.

"Begin the experiment."

Felia nodded and wheeled Emil's bed toward the sterile lab for the procedure. Adam was about to follow when a holographic projection of the Red Queen appeared.

"Master, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent has been detected."

The hologram then displayed Sharon's image, zooming in for a close-up.

Though she wore makeup and a different outfit, Adam immediately recognized her. She was the same agent who had confronted Alpha Team with Nick at Tony's mansion.

"What's her name?"

"We don't know, but according to her resume, it's Sharon."

"A resume? She's here for an interview?"

"Yes, master."

Adam thought for a moment, then smiled.

"Well, well. A prey that's walked right in..."

.....

In the recruitment office, Sharon didn't have to wait long before a middle-aged man entered the room.

"Ms. Sharon, correct?"

Sharon quickly stood up, offering a handshake and a sweet smile.

"Yes, that's me. Are you the interviewer?"

The man ignored her outstretched hand. "The position we're hiring for is a bit unusual. I hope you're up for the challenge. Follow me."

As Sharon followed, she asked, "Where are we going?"

"Our CEO's secretary recently traveled to Russia. She'll be gone for a while, so we're looking for a new secretary."

Sharon's heart skipped a beat. Getting access to confidential documents was easiest as a secretary. But being hired as a secretary right after walking in—it seemed too good to be true.

Before she could think too deeply about it, the man walking ahead of her added:

"Don't get your hopes up. We've already hired several secretaries, but none have satisfied the CEO. You'll probably get rejected too."

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