Marvel: Umbrella Corporation

*Knock, knock...*

A sharp series of knocks sounded at the conference room door.

Maria maintained her stoic expression, preparing to continue her presentation, but the door was already pushed open.

"Apologies, we're late. Oh, crap! Are you guys watching a horror movie? Why are you showing something like that?"

The speaker was Tony, followed closely by Banner.

At the head of the table, Nick Fury frowned and said, "Take a seat and save your comments until the presentation is over."

Tony noticed the displeased expressions around the room and opted to remain silent. He and Banner quickly found seats.

Maria resumed her explanation.

"These split-mouthed zombies might not surpass ordinary ones in terms of strength and agility, but their resilience is significantly enhanced."

"Regular punches, blunt weapons, or even standard bullets are insufficient to neutralize them. Only armor-piercing rounds can effectively damage them."

The projector displayed footage of split-mouthed zombies being struck with various tools and weapons.

Despite being knocked over, the zombies quickly got back up, seemingly unscathed.

"This morning, one of our agents in Arne City discovered a surveillance video. I'll play it for you as a reference."

The projection changed to a recording from a street-facing store camera. The footage showed a quiet afternoon with a sparse crowd of pedestrians.

Suddenly, everyone stopped in their tracks, all staring in the same direction.

Moments later, chaos erupted as people began fleeing in terror. A hulking creature, over two meters tall with its skin entirely missing to reveal crimson muscle, entered the frame.

The creature fired deadly laser beams at a distance, cutting down humans with ease. After each kill, it would consume portions of its victims before moving on to the next.

After devouring more than a dozen people, the creature's body swelled, growing white, armor-like protrusions resembling bone. Then, it lifted its head and looked directly at the camera.

The screen flashed white, and the footage ended in darkness.

Maria turned off the projector.

"We've confirmed the existence of an evolved variant of the split-mouthed zombie. It also appears to possess rudimentary intelligence. Our mission is to capture this evolved zombie, with priority given to taking it alive."

At the mention of capturing the creature alive, murmurs broke out among the newly recruited mutants.

"Capture it alive? They're sending us to our deaths."

"Exactly! This thing has powers. One misstep, and we're all doomed."

"This is an impossible mission."

Maria said nothing, and Nick remained silent as well. Their gazes fell on Lorna.

With Erik still hospitalized, the mutants took their cues from Lorna, the most powerful among them. Sometimes, her words carried more weight than Nick's orders.

"I'll consult with my father and see what he says," Lorna finally said.

Normally, Lorna was decisive, but the sheer danger of this mission left her hesitant. Still, owing the agency ten billion dollars meant she had little choice.

Nick neither nodded nor objected to her response.

Privately, he felt disappointed with the mutants. Their allegiance to Erik and Lorna far outweighed their commitment to S.H.I.E.L.D., reducing them to a quasi-autonomous group within the organization.

Even so, he tolerated their presence—not for their combat abilities but because he sensed an uncontrollable force growing within S.H.I.E.L.D. itself. Recruiting the mutants was a contingency, a safeguard against that unknown threat.

After some deliberation, Lorna and the mutants left the room, leaving Nick with Maria, Natasha, Tony, Banner, and a short-haired woman.

Tony and Banner exchanged curious glances at the unfamiliar woman.

Noticing this, Nick introduced her: "This is Daisy Johnson, also known as Quake. She joined S.H.I.E.L.D. last month."

Tony smirked, his gaze drifting to Daisy's chest. "Doesn't seem all that 'quake-y' to me."

"Ha!"

Banner chuckled softly, while Daisy blushed at Tony's teasing. As a newcomer to S.H.I.E.L.D., she still felt awkward in such settings.

Nick continued, ignoring the banter: "Regarding the zombie outbreak in Baldwood, what are your thoughts?"

"Someone's experimenting with a zombie virus in Baldwood."

"And the results seem pretty effective."

"But no matter what, this is a crime against humanity."

"We must stop this disaster."

Throughout the discussion, Tony remained uncharacteristically silent.

Over the past month, his research on a new element had stagnated, leaving him in a dark place. According to Jarvis's calculations, he had only two months left to live.

Facing his impending death, Tony had thrown himself into hedonistic distractions—wild parties and public demonstrations of his suits.

The thought of attending this meeting hadn't even crossed his mind; it was only Banner's insistence that brought him here.

Eventually, the meeting concluded, and Tony and Banner left the headquarters.

"Wait," Nick called out as they exited the building, quickly catching up.

"I need to talk to you, Tony."

Tony glanced at Banner, who nodded in understanding. The scientist walked ahead, leaving Tony with Nick.

"What is it?" Tony asked.

"I know you're feeling hopeless right now, but there's someone who might be able to help with your palladium poisoning."

Tony's eyes flickered with a trace of interest. "Who?"

"Adam, the chairman of Umbrella Corporation. I'm not fond of Umbrella or their methods, but their biotechnology is unparalleled—better even than Oscorp. Adam might have a solution to your problem."

"Umbrella…"

Tony lowered his head, his expression unreadable. "I'll think about it."

He walked away without looking back.

Of course, Tony already knew about Umbrella's capabilities.

He had considered reaching out to them before approaching Oscorp, but Norman Osborn had insisted palladium poisoning was incurable.

Combined with some past grievances, Tony had decided against it. But now, he wondered, perhaps it was worth a try.

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