Chapter 301: Beach Bikini Holiday Time
However, Eddie brought Rebecca and Jill and others here without any qualms, calling it a vacation.
Looking at the bikinis in front of him, Eddie still found them very pleasing to the eye. This place was a day's journey from the coast, and not far from the coast was the area Jill had purchased.
Moreover, it only cost a small amount of money, spearheaded by Uncle Kenneth. Curtis, as the negotiation expert, promised to solve local employment issues and improve medical welfare, selling necessary medicines at cost price.
The environment in Africa is very harsh, and the prevalence of diseases is normal. Especially the local customs here have led to the rampant spread of AIDS.
Currently, the laboratory and factory in East Africa have been handed over to Excella. This woman's mother was an African woman, merely a plaything of her father, Kiravoska, after he drank too much, and she held no status in the family. Perhaps it was just for novelty; only true love would lead to marrying the woman.
Eddie, wearing sunglasses, sat on a beach chair, basking in the sun. Should he perhaps study botany? Getting stronger by sunbathing sounds like a plot from that old Marvel bastard book. It sounds incredible, yet it might be achievable.
Rebecca and Emma were playing volleyball, the two bikini beauties having a blast. Both sides had been enhanced by the virus, going back and forth, unable to decide a winner for a long time.
Jill, on the other hand, was whispering with Annette, and Wolf Mom Ruper occasionally offered her opinions. These three women would often gather to chat, reportedly about their future lives.
It wasn't about topics like family or career. Whether it was Jill, Annette, or Wolf Mom Ruper, none of them were the type to sit idle. After their maternity leave, they were destined to continue working; being a quiet housewife was not their style.
Christine and Michaela Schneider, the two old partners, were grilling food on the beach, also wearing bikinis. If you come to the beach to play and don't wear a swimsuit, what are you here for? To play with hammers?
Before long, a yacht quickly approached. On the yacht were Claire, Moira, and Cindy. After their short holiday, they also came to the island for a vacation.
The industry was their own, so they decided when to start work.
"Hi, Eddie, did you miss me?" Moira waved enthusiastically.
"He's asleep, exhausted," Cindy's eyesight was good; she immediately saw Eddie sleeping in the sun. She couldn't help but laugh; her mood always brightened when she saw the man.
"That lazy pig, hmph, really, like this in broad daylight, does he want to be a night owl?" Moira snorted, a little moody.
"Moira, let's go play over there, grill together. Eddie must be busy with something; you see him often anyway, do you really want to talk to him that much?" Claire teased.
"No, I don't! I don't want to see that hands-off boss," Moira lifted her head, huffing a little proudly, subtly glancing at the man from the corner of her eye, clearly not meaning what she said.
Claire didn't continue to tease her friend. Moira was not only a friend but also a sister to her.
Everyone had gathered on the island for vacation. Eddie thought of something good and immediately sat up.
"Had a nightmare?" Jill walked over with a smile, not wearing shoes, as high heels were unsuitable for the beach. She held a coconut in her jade hand, and with a poke of her jade finger, she opened the coconut, the force perfectly controlled.
"No, I had an idea. I know why the Veronica Virus incorporates plant gene fragments." A flash of wisdom flickered in Eddie's eyes, making Jill's heart beat faster.
"It's break time now, no work discussions allowed. Lazy pig, get up and play volleyball, no refusing." Moira walked over and pulled Eddie up.
"Alright, beautiful ladies, it's vacation time now. We have three days to play." Eddie nodded. He decided not to think about these things for now, to vacation with these beautiful older women for three days, and then continue working. A balance of work and rest leads to a longer life.
Europe, Umbrella French Branch. A white, beautiful woman, approximately thirty-eight years old, walked into the conference room in high heels. She was Christine Henry, the head of the branch. Her husband was a relatively close relative of Spencer, and combined with her talent and leadership abilities, she naturally rose to power.
Unlike typical marriages of convenience, Christine held an extremely strong position in her family and was also a strong woman, uninterested in anything outside of work. Even Henry would be intimidated by her cold demeanor and dare not speak to her.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been married for twenty years without a single child. As for how Henry usually lived, with money, he could live lavishly. If it weren't for Christine's outstanding ability, which brought him group dividends, he would have divorced long ago. If he couldn't provoke her, couldn't he at least avoid her?
"Report on Nemesis progress." Christine sat at the head of the conference table, put down her tablet, lit a lady's cigarette, and leaned back in her boss's chair, looking somewhat languid yet undeniably powerful.
"Currently, four samples. The most mature, Nemesis 02, has been recovered by Sergei. Of the remaining three, 03 can enter the training phase and is recommended for transfer to a military base for professional training. 04 and 05 are being prepared and are not yet ready for training; it is estimated to take six months." A bald researcher reported.
"Six months? I'm giving you three months to fully develop the Nemesis project. After completing the Nemesis project, you'll have a short break, then move on to new research projects. Also, where is Camay, who is responsible for commercial promotion? Tell him to get over here and see me!" Christine's aura was different; her dominance was unchallengeable, much like Ms. Dong's.
"Three months is too short. Currently, there aren't enough researchers. Four months is already the limit," the bald researcher said, biting his lip in resignation, his voice trembling slightly, seemingly lacking confidence when facing Christine, not daring to meet her gaze.
"Then four months. Do it well, and I will personally hand you the bonuses, which will be double the usual amount. Although the company is facing some difficulties, once your research is complete, everything will turn around. You will be the pioneers, enjoying the highest treatment!" Christine's expression was arrogant with a hint of entitlement, yet it didn't cause resentment, only fear.
Chapter 302: Six Hundred Million Dowry
At this point, they needed to rely on selling biological weapons to sustain themselves. Arms dealers' orders usually amounted to billions, oh no, that's for top-tier arms dealers; ordinary arms dealers deal in orders of hundreds of millions of dollars.
As for arms dealers with orders in the hundreds of thousands, apologies, they are not called arms dealers; they are not worthy.
The top-tier Tyrant series product, the Nemesis, already possessed enough power to be sold. However, due to its extremely high price and maintenance costs, mass production was not realistic.
Christine was very clever. She decided to find a different approach, using the Nemesis to handle specific difficult problems. This was akin to a different kind of mercenary. The Nemesis's combat power was stronger than any other biological weapon, and during its rampage, it could also create zombie mutations, thereby causing a series of panics.
Some things humans couldn't do, the Nemesis could. To maintain the French Branch, this was also a last resort.
"Understood, Director." The bald researcher's eyes lit up upon hearing the promise. Not everyone had the integrity of Dr. Mueller, pursuing their own artistic creations. Most researchers still needed small amounts of money to live. Without money, what kind of feelings could they talk about?
Meanwhile, at the Travis Family castle, the European headquarters, Anruka returned to the castle and immediately proposed to the Elder Council the matter of marrying off Excella.
This was originally not allowed; every family member should bring benefits to the family.
However, Anruka presented a compelling reason to persuade the Elder Council: marrying Excella to Eddie and providing a dowry fund.
The benefit was in the pharmaceutical market. He could share the latest research drugs with Eddie's Mysterious Pharmaceutical. By utilizing the characteristics of the T-Virus to develop drugs that inhibit various intractable diseases, monopolizing these drugs could bring astonishing profits.
At the same time, with Eddie's assistance and the data he possessed, he could secretly control the market share of biological weapons. Anything that could make money had to be done.
As long as it brought benefits to the family and did not harm its reputation, it was acceptable.
Anruka also mentioned that the latest research mechanism could be used for life extension experiments, which held great appeal for the aging elders in the Elder Council.
"How can you be sure that your life extension plan will succeed?" asked Kaina, a female elder. She was Excella's grandmother. Although married out, she still retained the Travis surname, not following her husband's family, but continuing to work within the family.
Anruka took out the digestive tablets Eddie had given him. "These are digestive tablets given by Eddie, an exclusive formula. They allow people to consume large amounts of food without feeling nauseous, and the absorbed energy can be stored in the body, enabling the user to maintain abundant physical strength."
"What does this have to do with life extension?" Kaina continued to question. She was very displeased that this fellow was marrying off her highly regarded granddaughter, Excella, but unfortunately, he was the heir and was destined to inherit the position of family head if no mistakes were made.
"Eat more, and your body will naturally be better. Many illnesses can be resolved. In this world, the money from women, children, and the elderly is the easiest to earn; they all have various needs. As long as we can solve the diseases of the elderly, coupled with eating more and having abundant physical strength, then we can achieve the goal of life extension. This is only the first step." Anruka's expression was very confident.
Eddie had indeed discussed life extension experiments with Anruka. Such well-reasoned scientific experiments indeed made it difficult for people to doubt. No one could be certain about such matters, but at least there were traces to follow, making people believe it was real.
"If it can be achieved, this is indeed acceptable. Anruka, you have convinced us, but we need to see results. How long do you need?" another elder, Brent, asked.
"Two days. Each month I need one billion in funds. This fund will be drawn from new revenue. If the profits from the operations exceed one billion, the surplus will be returned to the family. If it's not enough, the family doesn't need to supplement it; it will simply be drawn from the new channels, not burdening the family." Anruka proposed another condition.
All six elders exchanged glances. Even the incredibly wise Kaina could not refuse the temptation of life extension. No one wants to die, especially the upper-class nobles who are accustomed to being at the top.
"Anruka, you have convinced us. We unanimously decide to approve your proposal. Although the Elder Council cannot discuss private emotions, Excella is my most cherished and intelligent granddaughter. For you to marry her off like this, I demand you give her a dowry of three hundred million." Kaina snorted.
"I can offer six hundred million. Didn't the Easterners say,'six-six-smooth-sailing'? Six hundred million is very generous. Or perhaps six hundred sixty-six million six hundred sixty-six thousand six hundred sixty-six US dollars?" Anruka proudly raised his head. "This amount of money is nothing to me."
"Good, then it's settled." Kaina did not give the other party a chance to object. If he wanted to show off, he had to pay the corresponding price.
Walking out of the conference room, Anruka was in a good mood. He didn't care about the six hundred million expenditure; he cared more about the position of Travis Family head heir.
Besides Excella, no one could compete with him. Kicking out a major threat and securing his own position. Why wouldn't he be happy about such a thing?
At Gionne Pharmaceutical, Excella expressionlessly handed over her duties. Her expression was calm, seemingly without any sadness.