"Is that so? No matter how strong power is, it's still just power. To suppress power, you must have even stronger power. Flesh and blood cannot contend with thermal weapons. Do you want to try the latest stun gun? Thirty thousand volts, even Nemesis wouldn't survive a shot from this gun." Christine took out a strange pistol.
Eddie smiled; he didn't take Christine's threat seriously. He snapped his fingers at Lisa. She proactively offered him an herbal cigarette. With another snap of his fingers, the cigarette lit automatically. Using invisible ultrasonic waves to light a cigarette, a cigarette igniting out of thin air was like magic. The effect was stunning, and it looked very pretentious.
Christine's beautiful eyes flickered a few times, clearly puzzled. She was just an ordinary person and couldn't sense ultrasonic or infrasonic waves, especially since they weren't directed at her, making it even more impossible for her to hear them. "A magic trick? A good illusion. Your magic is splendid. Won't you consider my suggestion?"
Eddie shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the slender, beautiful woman in her thirties who still looked like a young girl. "Before that, I want to ask you a question."
Christine sneered, "I'm not interested in whether Umbrella goes bankrupt. The Wato Island branch has already closed. The head of the research institute, Ichiro Koizumi, cheaply sold off the facilities to Eastern Europe. And the research institute in the Eastern Europe branch was attacked, resulting in a biochemical leak, and its equipment was emptied."
"All of this signals Umbrella's crumbling morale. But do you think this is all? Those fools who left don't know how powerful Umbrella still is. A portion of the pirates are funded by Umbrella. And the missile silos—do you think Umbrella is that simple?"
"You don't understand Umbrella's power at all. Your hasty departure had an element of opportunism. The faster you left, the cleaner you could wash your hands of responsibility. But that's only if you survive. Just now, I received intelligence that the family of the head of the Wato Island branch, five generations of his family tree, has been wiped out, brutally dismembered and fed to dogs." Christine curled her lips into a cruel smile.
The Wato Island branch? What did the deaths of the people there have to do with Eddie?
"Soon they won't have that experience. Imagine terrorist attacks breaking out all over the world. When most regions suffer such disasters and heavy losses, how many people will still support Umbrella? If they don't even have their lives, what are they supporting? Wake up. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving." Eddie's expression seemed very bored.
He thought Christine was a smart woman, but now it seemed she was a bit foolish. In terms of academic talent, Christine and Alex might be similar, but in terms of overall perspective, she was far behind.
"Wait until you can withstand this wave of attacks before you say anything. Umbrella's revenge will begin very soon." Christine said, then pulled the trigger.
A flash of electricity shot out. Eddie had already evaded it in advance. Human speed cannot match lightning; one must evade beforehand.
After firing a blank, Christine threw a smoke bomb, and her figure suddenly split into two. "When you survive, we'll have a second round of negotiations. If you truly have the ability, I might consider cooperating with you."
Eddie raised his hand, stopping Jessica and Lisa's attacks. That strike was just Christine's warning, a warning not to covet her body, that she was not to be trifled with, and not to harbor any impure thoughts.
"Let's start with a cooperation. If anyone infiltrates your research institute for investigation recently, send them to Rockfort Island. Don't worry about anything else. For Alex's sake, I won't hold this against you." Eddie's eyes sharpened as he saw that no one remained after the smoke cleared.
The real Christine had already reached the restaurant entrance, wearing a lady's hat that obscured her exquisite face. "I'll consider it. Goodbye."
In the room, the smoke dissipated, leaving only a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on the ground. It was presumably a communication device left by Christine.
The glasses still carried a hint of perfume and looked similar to ordinary glasses, but contained unknown high-tech components.
"Heh, women. I bet she didn't pay the bill. I won't either. We'll go through the ventilation shaft." Eddie didn't care how Christine left. Anyone who could become a research institute director had some ability, unlike John, the foolish director of the Executive Training Center, who was easily charmed by Aunt Wang.
When Christine returned to the headquarters building and found that the other party hadn't paid either, she laughed, "Are they even going to skip out on a meal worth hundreds of thousands? Truly unwilling to suffer a loss, hmph."
After leaving the restaurant, Eddie called Ye Minzhi, the representative from Shén Yà Pharmaceutical, on the plane. This Eastern woman might not compare to Ada, but she possessed a unique charm.
"What could make such a busy man like you call me?" Ye Minzhi's call was quickly connected. In private, Ye Minzhi wasn't as cold as she was during meetings, and faint screams could be heard from the other end of the line.
Eddie's expression was peculiar. "Did I interrupt something good?"
"Pfft, you're really funny. I'm dealing with a traitor who sold out company interests. Giving him a memory he'll never forget. Just tell me what you need; I'll definitely help you with anything I can, and the price won't be a penny less." Ye Minzhi beckoned to a subordinate, and a bodyguard handed her a watermelon knife.
The next second, the hand moved, and the knife fell. A man's scream, filled with immense pain, came from the other side. The sound of the scream made even Eddie feel a bit unnerved.
Clang. Ye Minzhi dropped the watermelon knife. "Drag him away for experiments. Don't waste a good specimen."
After instructing her subordinate, Ye Minzhi chuckled, "Alright, great doctor, let's discuss what you need. There's an old Eastern saying: 'No business, no visit to the Three Treasures Hall.' You also have Eastern blood, so we're half-compatriots."
"No, don't mention compatriots. Compatriots meet compatriots, and backstab them. I want to live a bit longer. Thank you, please don't say compatriots; I also don't want to shoot you." Eddie laughed heartily.
"Hehehe, you really are humorous. Alright, I'm not one of those socialites who like gentlemen." Ye Minzhi's laughter carried a hint of impatience. Her relationship with Eddie wasn't particularly good, so she wouldn't engage in idle chatter.
Chapter 324: Shén Yà Pharmaceutical's Ye Minzhi
"Your appetite is truly enormous. Our small companies can't get our hands on such things. You're really overestimating me with those words." Ye Minzhi nudged the blood-stained watermelon knife with her high heel. She had just used that knife to turn a male traitor into a 'missy.'
"You are very mysterious. Easterners have always been mysterious. You have a way." Eddie was thinking about his East Africa base; at least he shouldn't be blown up by a missile like that fool.
"Your idea is very good, but you really are overestimating me. If you have the ability, you can infiltrate the The Pentagon's District 13 Research Institute. All of the Western Federation's research data is there; you can find whatever you want." Ye Minzhi walked to the bar, picked up some black tea, and smiled faintly.
"Alright, if there are any cooperation projects, remember to find me. I'm very interested." Eddie wasn't surprised; he was just trying. Such patented technology is monopolized; how could it be easily obtained?
"This is just the beginning. I heard that Umbrella also has a Veronica Virus developed fifteen years ago that can be used to control infected people. Don't you think this is very interesting? What if it's used on Zhang Zhenshan!" Ye Minzhi coaxed, taking out a lady's cigarette and lighting it, letting the hot smoke refresh her.
"That's a product of the Ashford Family, independent of management. Even Umbrella hasn't touched their stuff. A product destined for failure, what's there to pay attention to? Let's leave it at that. I have things to do. I'm hanging up." Eddie said, then hung up the phone. Should he be developing some defensive equipment?
Hearing the dial tone, Ye Minzhi scoffed, "Heh, men. He doesn't even know about a brand new business opportunity like the Veronica Virus. I don't know if he's foolish or trying to play the mantis stalking the cicada."
Returning to the cruise ship, Eddie found Emma and January busy and called a meeting with them.
"You think that to build a satellite, we must have missile silos. With our current strength, we can't do that yet. And I also want a missile defense system, at least to ensure our safety, so that envious people don't try to deal with us." Eddie expressed his concerns.
January walked over in her high heels, placing her jade hand on Eddie's forehead. "You don't have a fever. What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Pfft, Eddie is not wrong, it's just a bit whimsical." Emma was also amused.
"I'm serious, alright, ladies? Don't you think this is right?" Eddie was a bit speechless.
Suzuki Yoko also said after she had enough of laughing, "We know, but it's not possible right now. Eddie, your idea is very good, but for now, we need to take it slow. Launching a satellite requires approval; you can't rush it."
January, with her cool, short, golden-flecked hair, wearing a bikini, smiled charmingly. "Eddie, I know you want to fulfill my wish. But this kind of thing can't be achieved in a short time. Haste makes waste, just like our dream of immortality; it needs to be taken one step at a time."
"Our?" Eddie asked back.
"Of course! Did you think it was just you? I'll be with you, don't worry." January suddenly became very gentle.
"Why? You weren't like this before." Eddie's expression was a bit odd.
"Because you're the first person who didn't mock me and helped me work towards my dream, just like I didn't mock your dream." January explained faintly. Sometimes, all it takes is a single acknowledgment to quickly bridge the gap between two people.
January's dream was to own her own satellite to fulfill her hacking ambitions. With satellite positioning and transmission, she was confident she could infiltrate even the most impregnable locations.
This seemed incredibly funny. A woman with no money or power wanting to own a satellite was simply delusional. It was like Eddie's proposal of immortality—who would believe you, you old rascal, you're up to no good.
"Alright, but what's with this bikini outfit?" Eddie's expression was a bit strange.
"It's cool for work. Don't overthink it, you idiot." January snorted. Her working hours were very flexible, but she wasn't quite used to wearing high heels.
"But the problem you mentioned does exist, but I'm already prepared. If missiles are launched, my detection system will alert me. It's easy to calculate where they're heading based on the missile's trajectory. This is also a form of defense." January said confidently.
"You're quite impressive. We still have too much time to do. Let's stay busy for now. After I deal with the Veronica Virus, I'll give you a second round of enhancements, and then we can do other things." Eddie was willing to take on the risk of being attacked, especially from that cunning Spencer, who was very insidious.
After the meeting, back in the lab, Eddie looked at the data. If he wanted to develop the best defense, it was himself. If he could research a combined T+G Virus, the legendary electrical effects, then war defense could truly be achieved. At least he could survive a missile strike.
However, that feminization effect was indeed a bit problematic. The T+G Virus wasn't a simple one plus one; it was about fusion and upgrading, different from his own situation. Pure physical enhancement didn't have any particularly outstanding features.
Tap, tap, tap. Christine walked over in her high heels. "What are you thinking about? Annette told me to call you for dinner."
"I'm thinking about something. Let's go, finish dinner first. It's really troublesome; eating like this every day isn't ideal." Eddie felt he had a ton of things to do in the future. A golden finger would be great right now.
"After dinner, I still have to give you special treatment. I'm more troubled. You gained, I lost." Christine said faintly, glancing at the man with her beautiful eyes, who was taking advantage and still acting innocent.