"What should we do? Let's find a good restaurant and start eating. Now is the time to build our empire; our foundation is solid, and there's still a lot of room for growth. If we work hard when we're young, we can lie back and count money later." Eddie stood up, flicked his finger, and the finished cigarette butt flew ten meters directly into the trash can, a perfect shot, showing his control had improved another notch.
At the same time, on Tortuga Island, Alex, dressed in a pure white women's suit, stepped out of a helicopter. She wore wine-red open-toed high heels, her expression one of aristocratic elegance mixed with pride.
Spencer had raised Alex like a daughter, and the deep-rooted aristocratic background was what gave Alex her noblewoman's temperament. Although Spencer merely saw Alex as a tool, Alex, in turn, saw Spencer as nothing more than an ATM.
Alex, who had just disembarked from the plane, was carrying a box containing three samples of the T-Veronica Virus. She had personally visited the Antarctic Research Facility, and nothing could stop her.
"Welcome back, Miss," the butler, Stewart, bowed respectfully.
"Hm, how is Eddie doing?" Alex nodded, walking back to the laboratory in her high heels, carrying the box. She needed to start researching something to report to Spencer.
"The young master has confronted Simmons of the Federal family. Currently, the young master is allied with Kaplan and General Morgan," Stewart verbally relayed the information he had gathered to Alex.
Alex frowned. "Simmons? How did Eddie get involved with Simmons? He's not easy to provoke." But after reading the report, she smiled, a very happy smile, with a hint of pride in her beautiful eyes. This was her man, her husband; he never lost.
"Alright, you may leave. Give me the list of those spies and informants. It's time to deal with them. Hmph, one must learn respect for the Queen!" A fierce glint flashed in Alex's beautiful eyes. She was not a good person, a bad woman whose hands were stained with blood.
At the celebration banquet, a party hosted by Kaplan, Eddie appeared openly. It didn't matter if reporters photographed him.
The clinking of glasses and lively atmosphere of the banquet made Eddie a little uncomfortable. At a protected table, Kaplan was drinking and laughing with Simmons, and the atmosphere didn't seem tense.
Eddie didn't know why Simmons was there. He was trying to figure out a way to break their alliance. Only by defeating Simmons would he be qualified to prove his strength to Ada. The goal of having Sister Wong bear his children was still a distant one.
"Are you Eddie, the one who invented the inhibitory drug?" A light, proud female voice came.
He turned his head to see a blonde woman in a white coat standing before him, her expression very proud, with a slight resemblance to Ada's silhouette, but only a slight one. She wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but not bad either.
"I am. If you want my autograph, I don't have time right now." Eddie raised an eyebrow. The visitor had ill intentions.
"Heh heh, an autograph! Do you even deserve it?" The blonde woman still snorted proudly, her expression utterly disdainful.
"Are you sick? Whose dog is this, barking wildly without supervision? I'll kick you and smash your dog's head, then get the hell out!" Eddie started swearing. Pitying women? Sorry, not possible.
The blonde woman was extremely annoyed. "I, Carla Radames, chief researcher at Simmons's laboratory. You are nothing but a charlatan. The things you produce have no real technology."
"Heh heh, no technology? You can try it. Idiot, you like Simmons, do you think others don't know? The taste of unrequited love must be quite nice!" Eddie was a little surprised. So, the woman in front of him was the future Sister Carla, commonly known as fake Ada.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Hmph, when you can't argue, do you resort to changing the subject like this?" Carla's expression was extremely disdainful.
This gave Eddie a strange illusion. Wasn't it said that Carla secretly loved and admired Simmons? Was his information wrong?
It wasn't wrong, but Carla had only just been recruited by Simmons and hadn't fallen in love at first sight. And now, eighteen-year-old Carla was very annoyed. She remembered Eddie, not because of love, but because of hatred.
"Whatever you say. Did you come to me just to say these useless things? If you have the ability, you can develop it too, but I don't think Simmons would let you focus your energy on that!" Eddie then whispered, "William in Europe will only trample your so-called pride underfoot; he is the true authority in virology."
"William?" Carla's expression became even more disdainful. "I will soon create a new, stronger serum. You will kneel before my invention and worship my talent!"
"Oh? Is that so? I feel like you, a flat-chested woman, are lying to me!" Eddie laughed heartily. Carla was indeed a genius, a genius capable of creating viruses. But so what? He wasn't bad either. When geniuses clash, who will emerge victorious is still unknown. Don't be so arrogant, young lady!
Chapter 271: Carla Provoked
"Tsk, that's just how it is. You want to defeat me? Tsk, just compete in the field of science. Don't you dare to bet? Never mind, you don't have the ability or authority to decide. I don't talk to poor people!" Eddie waved his hand, not interested in Carla.
"Hmph, don't get ahead of yourself. How do you want to bet?" Carla crossed her arms, her eyes sharp.
"You can't represent him. Let Simmons talk to me. You're just an employee. Being an employee is always being an employee. It's better to be your own boss. You're not qualified yet." Eddie laughed and walked away.
Carla was very angry, but Eddie's words planted a strange idea in her mind. She was unwilling to be just a researcher; she yearned for a bigger stage, to acquire the capital to confront Eddie.
How can an employee contend with a capitalist? Once this thought arose, it quickly began to sprout in Carla's heart. Climb up, reach a high enough position, and take revenge on that annoying man, Eddie!
Carla had tried to crack the drugs that inhibit leukemia and cancer, but all attempts failed. Even using the T-Virus, it would inevitably fail, and the result of failure was a dead end.
On the other side, Kaplan merely looked at Simmons with a fake smile. "I'm not interested in your cooperation proposal. In the election three months from now, I will contend with you. You've been in office for a long time, three years; it's time to step down."
Simmons's expression was sinister. "This is ultimately an internal family matter. Haven't you noticed that Morgan and those trashy Eddies are not on our side? You're inviting outsiders to deal with your own people."
"Outsiders? Heh heh, isn't the history of the Western Federation one of constantly absorbing foreign cultures to enrich itself? What unique culture does it have? Those Native Americans? How do you know they won't become part of the family?" Kaplan sneered. His professional team had already provided answers for dealing with the other two allies.
Instead of forcibly destroying their alliance, why not choose to deepen cooperation and absorb them into their own forces?
There are many types of cooperation, and the oldest and most solid way is undoubtedly marriage!
"You will destroy the family sooner or later!" Simmons snorted angrily and turned to leave. He didn't want to continue talking and had guessed what the other party intended to do. He needed to calm down for a while and come up with the best way to deal with these two guys.
At the celebration, there were plenty of enchanting women, from dignified noblewomen to glamorous courtesans. Many people tried to strike up conversations with Eddie, but he ignored them; his interest wasn't there.
Christine was very curious and asked in a low voice, "Eddie, do you not even need to pretend anymore?"
"I don't have time to waste with those people. You're enough. Let's go. We're going to find those Senators; there are still things to deal with. Today will be very busy." Eddie scoffed. Christine was already beautiful; why would he look at those common women?
In another corner, Rita, dressed in an evening gown, was accompanying a middle-aged man. The two looked somewhat similar, so this man should be Rita's father, also a Senator in the Senate, an elite among elites.
"Dad, this is Eddie Cai, the great hero who saved me from Raccoon City. Eddie, this is my father, Bridges." Rita smiled as she introduced the two.
"Hello, Senator, it's a pleasure to meet you." Eddie smiled and extended his hand.
"Hello, Dr. Eddie, thank you very much for saving my daughter. Rita told me you plan to have her be your Chief Financial Officer?" Bridges was a very steady middle-aged man, his expression meticulous, much like a standard English gentleman.
Eddie nodded, took out a cigarette, and offered it. "That's right, I plan to have Rita be my Chief Financial Officer. My company will gradually rise. With future global operations, I definitely need someone I can trust to manage my finances. I think Rita, with whom I've shared life-and-death experiences, is the most suitable choice."
Bridges lit the cigarette and found it to be unique. "What kind of cigarette is this?"
"Herbal cigarettes. The profit in the cigarette industry is very high, and sales are huge. If I can eliminate the problem of smoking being harmful to health, I can capture eighty percent of the global cigarette market. And subsequently, I will invest in agriculture, which can effectively solve the recent issue of displaced people." Eddie laid out his plan.
This was a series of interconnected plans. To vigorously develop these herbal cigarettes, it was necessary to cultivate medicinal herbs on a large scale. Cultivating herbs required leasing large tracts of land, hiring workers, and scattered processing industries, all of which are effective means to boost economic development.
As a Senator, Bridges knew that many problems were financial problems. If everyone had money, the problems would be simple to solve. Poverty breeds discontent; ultimately, it's because of poverty.
Moreover, by supporting this, he could gain more public support. In the Federation, public support was paramount. Even to become the first person in the Federation, electoral support was needed.
"This is a very good plan, and your invention is excellent. However, I still hope you can continue to develop some drugs, lowering drug costs, common drugs. I am planning to develop a medical welfare program. If you can achieve that, I will allow Rita to work for you," Bridges said with certainty.
"So, this is a transaction, right? I pay a heavy price in drug development, and in return, I get your daughter?" Eddie's expression was playful. Was this selling a daughter?
"Are you unable to do it?" Bridges retorted.
"It sounds easy, but in reality, it means cutting drug profits. It's unrealistic to make capitalists pay entirely. Do you think I would do that?" Eddie wouldn't be a fool.
"You will do that. It will help you steadily seize the market for this drug," Bridges suggested.
Currently, even a packet of cold medicine is ridiculously expensive, with astonishing profits. Only by lowering profits can citizens afford them, and Bridges, by securing this welfare, can gain greater public support. This is exchanging a daughter for a future, which is also beneficial to Eddie and allows him to make money, just not as exorbitant profits.