Imperium of Man Terra Aeterna Season 01: Rise of Humanity's War Machin

Dawn broke over Salt Lake City.

Soft sunlight crept between the buildings and tightly shut houses of the night before. One by one, the citizens began to emerge, their faces pale, eyes filled with unease.

The gunfire that had torn through the night air had left them shaken. None of them knew exactly what had happened.

It wasn't until the police broadcast a public announcement early that morning that the truth came out: a group of armed rebels had attacked the Police Department, aiming to seize weapons and take control. But thanks to swift response and thorough preparation, the assault had been completely thwarted.

---

Main Villa, Morning.

Jill had just returned. Her body was exhausted, but her gaze remained sharp. She set down her long coat and sat at the dining table across from Reuel, who was already waiting for her.

"How are they doing now?" Reuel asked, spooning up his breakfast.

"They're all locked up," Jill replied calmly.

"How many were captured?" he continued, looking directly at her.

"Around five hundred," Jill answered, her tone a bit uncertain. "Maybe slightly more."

Reuel nodded slowly, thinking for a moment before speaking again. "Their leaders will be removed. I'll send them to the Outlands. The rest... shackle them and ship them to the coast to repair the ports."

He took a sip of his coffee before adding, "The American population is too small to waste lives unnecessarily. Better to put them to work. More efficient."

Jill gave a short nod of agreement. "Good idea. I'll handle the logistics later."

A few seconds later, a young woman entered the dining room. She carried two glasses of fresh juice, placed them gently before them, then bowed silently.

Jill turned to look. "New maid you hired?"

Reuel shook his head. "No. She's... the woman Angie insisted I 'buy' yesterday."

He went on to recount what had happened on Salt Lake City's main road the day before—about the illegal auction, and how Angie had adamantly urged him to take the girl so she wouldn't fall into the hands of power-hungry predators.

Jill listened without comment. Her face didn't show much emotion—only a small nod, signaling that she understood.

Not long after breakfast, Jill stood and took up her coat once more.

"I have to go."

Without another word, she walked out swiftly, her steps steady and resolute.

A sudden projection of Red Queen's hologram appeared before Reuel.

"Big brother, Sister Alice is requesting a communication link."

"Connect her," Reuel said quickly.

Moments later, Alice's voice came through his headset.

"Reuel, I saved a woman today. But... there's something strange about her."

Reuel narrowed his eyes. "A woman? Red Queen, do you have any data on her?"

"None. Her information has been erased from all databases." Red Queen's voice was flat, but carried an air of severity.

"Alice, what's the woman's name?" Reuel asked again.

"Her name is Ada Wong. Chinese descent."

Hearing that, Reuel instantly tensed. He cursed inwardly.

Shit… Ada Wong?

That Umbrella agent? Beautiful, deadly, and slippery like a shadow.

Played by Li Bingbing in the Resident Evil film adaptation.

Why is she appearing now? Unless… Umbrella's moving faster than I anticipated.

"Alice," Reuel said, his tone sharpening. "Bring her to the villa. Be careful. She's most likely an Umbrella spy."

"Understood. I'll be back shortly."

The transmission ended, leaving Reuel deep in thought, his mind spinning.

If Ada Wong is showing up earlier than expected, that means Umbrella has initiated their infiltration phase. This isn't a coincidence. This is part of their plan.

---

Late afternoon.

Alice returned to the villa, bringing the woman she had spoken of earlier.

She was elegant and captivating. Short black hair framed a face that was sharp and full of character. A blazing red cheongsam hugged her slender frame, accentuating flawless curves like something straight out of the Resident Evil films. Sexy, mysterious, and impossible to approach easily.

"Reuel, meet Ada Wong," Alice said.

She stepped forward and gave Reuel a brief kiss before stepping aside.

Reuel studied the woman for a few moments, then gave a faint smile.

"Hello, Ada Wong. I know who you are."

Ada raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh? Have we met before?"

Her tone was light, but her eyes were clearly guarded. She didn't know this man—but he definitely knew her.

"Ada Wong, you work for Umbrella now, don't you?"

Ada's eyes widened. "You… how do you know?"

Her surprise seemed genuine. She hadn't even tried to disguise herself yet, and already her identity had been exposed.

"You're not denying it?" Reuel asked, mildly surprised.

"What's the point? The moment I walked in, you already knew who I was. That means you've either investigated me... or you've known me from before. Am I right?"

Reuel nodded slowly. "You're smart. Now, will you tell me—why have you come here?"

Ada looked at him calmly. "Alright, I'll tell you. But afterward, what can you offer me?"

"Anything you want… as long as it's within my power," Reuel replied coolly.

His expression was indifferent, but in his heart, he had already decided:

If this woman is truly Ada Wong, there's no way he's letting her go.

"I need your protection," Ada said, her voice now serious. "I don't want to be captured and turned into a lab rat by Umbrella."

"And how can you be sure we're capable of protecting you?" Reuel asked.

Ada gave a faint smile. "You've already destroyed several Umbrella aircraft, and they still don't know who did it. That's more than enough assurance for me."

She lifted her chin slightly, exposing the pale skin of her neck as if to say:

If I'm wrong about you, go ahead—kill me now.

Reuel gazed at her deeply. "You know quite a bit. What else do you know?"

Ada slowly turned her head, glancing toward Alice. "I know you're strong, Reuel. But this beautiful woman beside you... her power is far beyond anything I can match. Even if both of you went all out, I doubt you could truly win."

Reuel paused. It was Alice who answered instead.

"You're not evil, Ada. But you're clearly not ordinary either. And ordinary people... are not your adversaries," Alice said, her gaze piercing.

She knew exactly who stood before her.

Anyone who could survive the horrors of zombies and the twisted games of Umbrella had a power that couldn't be underestimated.

And those who had tried—were probably corpses by now.

---

As dusk fell, the tension slowly shifted into a more serious conversation.

"I can promise you this," Reuel said calmly, "but you have to tell me the information you have."

He stared directly at Ada Wong, waiting for her answer.

The woman met Reuel's gaze in silence. He froze for a moment.

Her eyes... so sharp and beautiful. Just like in the movies.

Finally, Ada spoke. Her voice was cold, but honest.

"Umbrella hired me to find out who shot down their aircraft. In return, they promised to inject me with the antivirus."

Reuel leaned forward slightly. "Who gave you that mission?"

Ada answered without hesitation.

"The Arcadia cargo ship is currently docked off the coast of Los Angeles."

Reuel narrowed his eyes. Arcadia... That ship appeared in Resident Evil: Retribution (2012).

"Who's in charge there?" he asked again.

"The Director of Security at Umbrella," Ada said, this time with a hint of uncertainty.

"But my employer, Wesker... he was supposed to head there. I'm not sure if he's arrived yet."

Reuel gave a slow nod, then turned to Alice.

"Alice, let's go check out that cargo ship."

"Just the two of us?" Alice raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. It's a long way, and I think the two of us will be enough."

"I'm coming too." Ada's voice rang clear and firm. "Besides, they don't know I've betrayed them yet."

She now stood before them, arms crossed confidently over her chest. Steady and self-assured.

Reuel looked at her, half-surprised. "Are you sure? That place could be extremely dangerous."

Ada gave a faint smile. "Don't worry. I'm not as fragile as I look."

Reuel nodded. "Alright. Then we leave at first light."

Alice escorted Ada Wong to the guest room, while Reuel stood silently, staring at the sky as darkness settled in.

---

The next morning, they boarded a helicopter and prepared to depart from Salt Lake City.

Reuel sat in the pilot seat of the Black Hawk helicopter, while Alice and Jill took the seats behind him. Although this was his first time flying a helicopter himself, Reuel appeared calm. Thanks to the inherited memories from the Emperor of Mankind, handling a machine like this felt almost instinctive.

He wasn't wearing the usual Astra Militarum gear—that was now in the hands of Ursarkar E. Creed. Instead, Reuel wore standard U.S. military tactical equipment. Practical, functional, and not too conspicuous in the ruins of this world.

Their helicopter cruised southwest, cutting through mountains and arid desert before finally entering California's territory. The Los Angeles coastline appeared in the distance, shrouded in smoky fog and the shadows of burning buildings.

"Los Angeles ahead," Reuel said through the intercom, eyes fixed on the horizon.

From above, the city looked like a dead giant—a carcass of what used to be life, now slowly rotting. Some areas were still smoking, signs that the destruction down there wasn't quite finished. This was once the City of Angels, the global center of culture and entertainment. Now, only echoes of its glory remained—and a sea of zombies in the streets.

Alice said nothing. She just stared downward, eyes sharp, scanning for any signs of life. But all along their aerial path across the city, she didn't see a single soul left alive.

"There's someone there," Ada Wong said, pointing to a tall building in the distance.

Alice followed her gaze. "Yeah. There's definitely someone up there." The top floor showed signs of activity. But what stood out more was the horde of zombies swarming the lower floors like a moving sea of rotten flesh.

"Reuel, can we get there?" Alice asked without taking her eyes off the building.

"Coincidentally, this helicopter's out of fuel," Reuel replied nonchalantly. "I was actually looking for a place to land and refuel."

Reuel steered the helicopter toward the building.

However, Ada Wong kept watching him with growing curiosity. During their trip, they had already stopped multiple times to "refuel." But not once had Ada seen where the fuel came from—no tanks, no refilling equipment, no spare supplies inside the helicopter. It was as if the fuel just... appeared out of nowhere.

Quietly, her suspicion toward Reuel deepened.

---

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of that tall building—which turned out to be the downtown Los Angeles prison as seen in Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)—

A scruffy-looking man was observing the sky through an old telescope. His eyes widened as he spotted the black dot rapidly approaching in the sky—a helicopter.

"Shit…" he muttered under his breath.

He quickly turned, knelt down, and dug into the dirt under his makeshift tent. From the hiding spot, he pulled out an old metal whistle. He blew into it sharply.

Fweeeet! Fweeeet! Fweeeet!

Three loud whistles pierced the silence. The sound echoed through the dark prison floors.

"It's a helicopter! A military chopper!" shouted a short man, running toward the rooftop.

Two other men—a middle-aged guy in a wrinkled suit and a big Black man with a brawler's build—also emerged from the rubble, gazing up at the sky with expressions full of hope and disbelief.

The helicopter hovered low, then landed gently on the rooftop with a muffled thud.

"Wup-wup-wup-wup…" The rotor's iconic sound echoed as it slowed.

The door swung open.

Reuel jumped down first, weapon ready. He was followed by Alice, Jill, and Ada Wong. They stood on the prison rooftop, wind from the helicopter still swirling softly behind them, facing the survivors now beginning to emerge.

"Are you from Arcadia? Are you here to save us?" Bennett Sinclair asked, full of hope.

The man in the suit ran up to Reuel, his voice rushed and heavy with emotion.

"No. We came from somewhere else," Reuel replied curtly.

Reuel's eyes narrowed. He recognized the man—Bennett Sinclair, the scheming traitor from Resident Evil: Retribution (2012), the one who stole Alice's plane. Reuel had zero interest in small talk.

"Hey, I'm Luther," said the tall man approaching them with a friendly demeanor.

"Hi. Name's Reuel," Reuel replied.

"I'm Alice," Alice added.

"Ada Wong," said the armed woman calmly.

"My name's Ortiz," said the man who had blown the whistle earlier.

"Crystal Waters," said a woman with bright red hair, stepping forward, her voice brimming with enthusiasm.

"You're from Arcadia, right? That place has food, water, and safe shelter, doesn't it? We heard it on the radio," Crystal said hopefully.

"No. We're not from Arcadia. We're heading there too," Ada Wong replied, shaking her head slowly.

Bennett stepped forward again, his expression demanding.

"Then your helicopter can take us there, can't it?"

"The chopper's out of fuel. It's not usable right now," Reuel answered flatly, though his eyes were sharp. He knew this man could become a problem.

In the back of his mind, Reuel had already made a calculation: if this guy posed a threat, he'd need to be eliminated early—before the cancer in his body gave him too much time to screw things up.

"What? Out of fuel? Then your whole trip here was pointless," Bennett sneered before turning away, disappointed, leaving them behind.

Alice turned to Luther. "What about Arcadia—the one you mentioned?"

"It came from a radio broadcast. They said there's food and water. The place guarantees safety and protection," Luther answered.

"Arcadia's offshore. You can see it with the telescope," he added, handing a telescope to Alice.

Alice pointed it toward the horizon. In the distance, a massive ship with the word ARCADIA painted across its side rocked gently in the ocean.

She lowered the telescope and stepped closer to Reuel. "Reuel, when are we going there?" she whispered softly.

"Hold on," Reuel replied as he pulled Alice into a gentle embrace. "We need to make sure there's no trouble coming from these people first."

Alice nodded, fully understanding what he meant.