117: Chapter 117 T-Veronica Virus

In the early morning in Los Angeles, before the sun could dispel the stench of blood on the ranch, the internet had already completely exploded.

Janet, who had originally been packaged as an "environmental warrior," was exposed in all her ugliness under the high-definition lens.

The ferocity with which she brandished the hydraulic cutters to sever the chains, and the baseness of her pushing aside her companion to flee when the herd charged out, were analyzed frame by frame by netizens and turned into various memes dripping with mockery.

"Is this what you call liberation?!"

"Umbrella Corporation was so wronged. They were quarantining sick cattle, and these lunatics insisted on opening the gates. How is this any different from going to a biochemical laboratory and releasing poison?"

"Where's Janet? Come out and walk a few steps? Don't you love animals? Why don't you give that black bull a hug?"

The public opinion on Twitter and Facebook shifted instantly.

Netizens who were condemning Umbrella for "animal abuse" half an hour ago now wished they could personally send Janet to the guillotine.

Top floor office of the Umbrella building.

Tony Liu rushed in like a whirlwind, brandishing a thick file in his hand, the excitement in his eyes shining through even the dark circles on his face.

"Boss! It's done!"

Tony slammed the file onto Chen Feng's desk, his voice loud enough to shatter the ceiling.

"The legal department has already submitted the lawsuit, and just now the court accepted it. We are suing the Animal Liberation Front and its core members on charges of: illegal trespassing, terrorist acts, destruction of biosafety facilities, and causing major property damage and casualties."

Chen Feng held his coffee, his eyes scanning the cover calmly: "How much is the claim for damages written as?"

"One billion US dollars!"

Tony held up one finger and chuckled.

"I told those lawyers to write it to the max. Not only do they have to pay for our cattle, they also have to pay for our brand damages, employee emotional distress, and even the fuel costs for those helicopters were included. Even if these environmental lunatics sell their kidneys, they'll have to work for us in prison for the rest of their lives to pay off the debt."

Chen Feng took a sip of coffee and said indifferently: "A small fry like Janet isn't worth getting this excited about. What about United Shield Health Insurance?"

At the mention of this, Tony smiled even more deviously.

"This is the main event. Boss, look here."

He flipped to the third page of the lawsuit and pointed to a name circled in red.

"Green Leaf Future Foundation."

Chen Feng raised an eyebrow.

"In the lawsuit, we listed this foundation as a co-defendant on the grounds that they funded this terrorist attack."

Tony lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of pleasure in seeking credit.

"Sarah acted very quickly. Through our connections, she directly obtained the bank statements of this foundation for the past three months. Just one week before Janet's operation, an anonymous donation of two million US dollars was deposited into their account. And the person behind this foundation, although they used three layers of shell companies, the signature at the very bottom is none other than the sister-in-law of United Shield Health Insurance Vice President Oliver."

"Is the chain of evidence complete?" Chen Feng put down his cup.

"Absolutely!"

Tony slapped his thigh.

"I have already sent this transaction record to several mainstream media outlets. Now the whole Federation knows that this so-called animal protection operation was actually a commercial terrorist attack funded by United Shield Health Insurance. This is no longer competition; this is a crime!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a news flash from the financial channel suddenly popped up on the large screen on the office wall.

On the screen, the stock price chart of United Shield Health Insurance was plummeting like a cliff.

"...Affected by this scandal, United Shield Health Insurance's stock price has triggered three consecutive circuit breakers within just one hour of opening, with a drop of 45%! Many analysts on Wall Street state that United Shield Health Insurance is facing an unprecedented credibility crisis and legal risk, and its board of directors has urgently convened a meeting..."

"Boss, that old man Fisher just sent me a text message."

Tony shook his phone, his expression strange.

"He said he has already mobilized three billion US dollars in short positions, ready to give them another push before United Shield Health Insurance completely collapses. He also asked if you are interested in swallowing up their offline pharmacy channels when United Shield Health Insurance goes into bankruptcy liquidation?"

Chen Feng stood up, walked to the window, and overlooked the bustling Los Angeles.

"Tell Fisher I want the pharmacy channels, but he has to be responsible for handling those troublesome unions and debts. As for Oliver..."

Chen Feng sneered.

"I heard his heart isn't very good? Then let him look at the stock price a few more times; don't let him kick the bucket so soon. There are many fun things waiting for him in prison."

"Understood, I'll go do it right now!"

Tony rushed out and closed the door behind him.

The office returned to silence.

Chen Feng stood alone by the window, and a crisp system prompt suddenly sounded in his mind.

"[Ding! Detected that the host has perfectly resolved a large-scale public opinion crisis through information asymmetry and biotechnology, and dealt a devastating blow to hostile forces.]"

"[Hidden task: 'The Price of Hypocrisy' completed!]"

"[Calculating rewards...]"

"[Congratulations to the host for obtaining: 50,000 Research Points!]"

"[New Tech Tree path unlocked: T-Veronica Virus]"

Chen Feng's eyes sharpened.

50,000 research points were certainly generous, but what really made his heart race was the newly unlocked virus blueprint.

T-Veronica Virus.

In the history of Resident Evil, this was an extremely special virus variant.

It was improved by Alexia Ashford by combining queen ant genes and plant genes.

Unlike the crude logic of the T-Virus, which only knew destruction and mutation, the T-Veronica Virus emphasized a kind of "sociality" and "strict hierarchical" control.

It could allow the host to retain their intelligence while gaining the ability to control insects and even generate extremely high-temperature flames.

Most importantly, it could establish a form of absolute rule similar to a hive mind.

"Has it finally arrived..."

Chen Feng looked at the gene sequence flickering with a ghostly blue light in his mind and muttered to himself.

If the Plaga Parasite is the chain to control cannon fodder, then the T-Veronica Virus is the scepter to forge an elite class.

He was just about to delve into the prerequisites for the virus's research when his private mobile phone on the desk suddenly vibrated violently.

Chen Feng answered the phone, and before he could speak, a low and slightly hoarse voice came from the other side.

"Chen, the commotion you've caused this time is even bigger than I imagined."

It was Clark.

That retired four-star general, Umbrella's most important partner in the military currently.

Chen Feng leaned back in his chair, his tone relaxed: "General, I am just legally protecting my private property. In the U Federation, doesn't cutting someone else's fence and letting their cattle go require paying a price?"

"Don't give me that bureaucratic talk."

Clark's tone held a hint of impatience, but even more, it contained a deeply hidden excitement.

"I watched that live stream video. Although it was only a few minutes long, my biological experts told me that the physical fitness, explosive power, and resistance to damage of those cattle have already transcended the limits of the natural world."

He paused, his voice dropping extremely low.

"That serum... since it can be used on cattle, can it be used on humans?"