Albert Wesker did not survive Raccoon City. At least, not officially. Umbrella’s internal records listed him as KIA following the Arklay Incident. S.T.A.R.S. believed he died beneath the Tyrant’s claws. The U.S. government never questioned the report. His body was never recovered. Wesker ensured it stayed that way. In the weeks following September 1998, Wesker remained completely unseen—no physical presence, no traceable communications, no financial activity. He understood something critical: Instead of acting directly, Wesker began operating through intermediaries—corporate mercenaries, defectors, and spies already embedded within Umbrella’s rivals. These assets answered not to a name, but to a voice, filtered through scrambled feeds and dead-drop systems. This was the birth of Wesker’s shadow network. He acted as the primary external contact for the "Organization's" most skilled spy, Ada Wong. Wesker immediately took over the role via a secure computer feed. On October 1st, as the city faced imminent nuclear sterilization, he contacted Ada. Upon confirming she had secured a tissue sample from the mutated William Birkin, Wesker directed her to a specific Umbrella helicopter. This flight was ferrying Colonel Sergei Vladimir and an executive out of the zone. Ada hitched a ride on the exterior, successfully escaping the blast with the G-Virus sample in hand. With G-Virus secured, Wesker no longer needed to remain entirely passive. The rival organization activated its private paramilitary arm: H.C.F.

Unlike Umbrella’s U.S.S., H.C.F. was designed for aggressive extraction, not containment. Wesker assumed a leadership role—not publicly, but operationally—guiding their raids against Umbrella facilities across the globe. Data, viral samples, prototype B.O.W.s—anything of value was seized or destroyed. Umbrella began bleeding assets. But Wesker was not finished. There was one virus he still needed to confirm. With the G-Virus secured, Wesker turned his sights toward another biological holy grail: the T−Veronica virus, developed by the genius Alexia Ashford. He led the H.C.F. A highly trained paramilitary group, in a full-scale assault on Rockfort Island, an Ashford-owned Umbrella facility.

Ahead of the main strike, H.C.F. saboteurs planted explosives that intentionally released a T-Virus strain into the island's ecosystem, turning the garrison and prisoners into zombies to sow chaos. While H.C.F. aircraft leveled the infrastructure, Wesker personally joined the ground teams to locate a T−Veronica sample. Though he initially found nothing, he discovered an unexpected bonus: Claire Redfield was being held in the island's high-security prison. Realizing Claire was the perfect lure to draw out his hated rival, Chris Redfield, Wesker decided to toy with her rather than kill her immediately.

As Claire approached the Ashford Palace, the air grew cold. She sensed a presence behind her—a man who moved with a grace that was no longer human. Wesker stepped out of the shadows, his eyes hidden behind his signature dark lenses, a predatory smirk playing on his lips.

"Greetings... You must be the lovely Claire Redfield!" He has a cold smile as he walks closer, his presence radiating a suffocating sense of power.

"Let's just say I'm a ghost... Coming back to haunt your... dear brother. But it seems there's not much explaining to do, is there? I was the one who attacked this island. Who'd have thought you'd be hanging about? All the better for me."

He stops just a few feet away, his voice dripping with malice.

"Now that the cat has dragged in this nice surprise, your ever-so-caring brother will definitely show up. I must thank you for being such good bait."