"None of that matters. Didn't you hear what he just said? He said they've already developed a new drug, one that can treat the vast majority of diseases. That's the real key here, all right?"
"That can't be possible, can it?! What kind of drug could do something like that? Even if Einstein were alive, he couldn't pull that off."
"That's hard to say. Did you see how confident he looked just now? I'd bet he wasn't lying to us. He really has that kind of confidence and backing."
"Then what do we do? If that's really true, then our original plan of staying out of it if this didn't work out is finished."
"Once he really releases that drug, every last one of us will have to change industries."
For a moment, with Killian's attitude and the mysterious new drug hanging over them, the normally laid-back presidents all started panicking.
For them, as long as their companies did not lose money and continued developing steadily, that was enough. They were content to let things happen as they came.
But now... forget steady growth. It would already be a blessing if they were not squeezed out, bankrupted, and forced to transform entirely.
"Then... should we just agree?"
At that moment, Levin, the president of AstraZeneca, the weakest among the world's top ten pharmaceutical companies, spoke softly.
After all, judging by Pioneer Technology's current momentum, their final outcome would likely be no different from those small pharmaceutical companies that had already been acquired by them: either bought out or driven out.
"Sigh, maybe that's the only option."
"After all, they even managed to create Baymax. Every time I look at that thing, I keep wondering, is that really something modern technology should be able to build?"
"But there's no helping it. Their technology is stronger. If we're behind, we get beaten. That's just how normal market competition works."
After hearing Levin's suggestion, another president with graying hair let out a long sigh and spoke.
He was already getting old and would be retiring in a few years. All he wanted now was to hand the company over intact to his children. As for ambition and striving forward, he no longer had any interest in that at all.
"Sigh. I can agree to it. But I want one condition. After we sign the contract, I want to see the so-called product he's talking about."
"Even if we lose, we should at least lose knowing exactly what we lost to."
As the others gradually agreed one after another, the last remaining holdout looked at the overwhelming trend and finally voiced his final condition helplessly.
"Of course. After all, this isn't a small amount of money."
"If we're going to invest, then as investors, we ought to know what we're investing in."
This time, no one objected. Instead, they all nodded in agreement.
Then, when Killian pushed the door open and entered again...
"Mr. Killian, we accept your terms. But please allow us to make one request."
"Otherwise, I don't think these old friends of mine will be able to sleep peacefully when they go home."
The group finally gave in to Killian, while Laszlo, acting as their representative, spoke with a bitter smile.
"Of course."
Looking at their defeated expressions, Killian could already more or less guess what they were about to ask for. After all, he had dangled such an enormous bait in front of them earlier. There was no way they would not bite.
And just as Killian had expected, Laszlo asked to see the miraculous drug Killian had been talking about.
To show their sincerity, they even signed the cooperation agreement on the spot under the witness of both parties' lawyers.
And the two hundred billion dollars would arrive the very next day.
Afterward, Killian led them to a medical laboratory.
Inside were more than a dozen people who had been tortured to the point of unimaginable suffering by all kinds of severe illnesses, some of whom had already been declared beyond saving.
They had all seen the pharmaceutical company under Pioneer Technology publicly recruiting clinical trial volunteers and claiming that the treatment could address many serious diseases, so they had come holding on to their final shred of hope.
After all, if Pioneer Technology could create all sorts of black technology, especially a future robot like Baymax, then maybe treating their illnesses was not impossible either.
"How are things going now?"
At that moment, Killian, who had brought the presidents into the observation room through a private passage, asked Samuel, the person in charge.
"Boss, all the volunteers are already in place. Here is the list of names and relevant materials. They include HIV, tumors, stomach cancer, esophageal cancer in its early, middle, and late stages, as well as diabetes, kidney failure, leukemia, and many other severe diseases covering almost every major critical illness worldwide."
"As for compensation, every volunteer participating in the clinical trial will receive a one-time payment of ten thousand dollars. If they agree to follow-up monitoring afterward, that amount will be increased to fifteen thousand dollars per year. Everyone here has agreed to that."
After hearing Killian's question, Samuel immediately gave his report.
After all, most of these people had already been ravaged by illness to the point where they no longer looked human. Forget this kind of generous compensation, even without a single dollar, they still would have come.
But when the presidents, who all understood the pharmaceutical industry well, heard that Killian's clinical trial included so many severe diseases, even including late-stage cancer and HIV patients, they could not help exchanging stunned looks.
Before coming here, they had thought that when Killian said his drug could treat most diseases, he meant minor things like colds and fevers, or at most something for stomach problems or headaches.
What they had not expected was to be confronted with a scene like this the moment they arrived. Patients of every kind of condition were gathered here. It was as though all the major disease categories they might see in a lifetime had suddenly appeared in a single room.
Some of them still had IV needles and treatment lines in their bodies, while many others had lumps across different parts of their bodies, no bigger than quail eggs, caused by all kinds of prior treatments.
Even for men as experienced and well-traveled as them, the sight still struck them deeply.
But none of them said anything. As long as they could confirm these were real patients and not actors hired by Pioneer Technology, that was enough.
Then one of the presidents at the far end checked the volunteer list and sent a message from his phone.
Killian noticed it, but did nothing to stop him.
Inside Pioneer Technology, every message someone tried to send would be screened and filtered by Baymax. Anything containing sensitive terms would be blocked immediately.
Not to mention that through the glasses he was wearing, Killian had already seen the contents of the message the man had sent.
"Very good. Then let's begin."
With a faint smile, Killian spoke to Samuel.
After receiving Killian's instructions, Samuel put on a white lab coat and walked through the side passage into the clinic.
(End of Chapter)
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