135: Chapter 135 The sky has fallen, time to pick up the money.

[Ding! Hidden mission "Collapse of Eden" has been completed.]

[Mission Evaluation: Perfect.]

[Reward obtained: 100,000 R&D points. Current total R&D points: 478,000.]

As the system's crisp notification tone slowly faded from his mind, Chen Feng leaned back into his wide executive chair, not even bothering to lift an eyelid.

Before him, a monitoring wall composed of dozens of screens flickered like a kaleidoscope, flashing images from all over the world.

CNN, BBC, Reuters... the headlines of every major global media outlet were bloodily occupied by the words "Eden Island."

"Scandal of the Century! Super-rich Epstein's Devil's Island!"

"Political Earthquake! Over thirty congressmen and high-ranking officials involved!"

"Wall Street is wailing! How should the financial giants on the list handle themselves?"

Countless sanctimonious faces were pixelated, only to be restored in high definition by angry netizens using technical means and publicly executed on social media. The stock market's K-line charts were a terrifying sea of green, and the stock prices of countless companies were plummeting.

The entire Western upper-class society had been turned upside down by Chen Feng's move of pulling the rug out from under them.

The phone on the desk rang at an inopportune time, with the name "Weber" jumping on the screen.

Chen Feng answered the call and pressed the speakerphone button.

"Chen, you really are a madman."

Chen Feng smiled, picked up the coffee on the table, and said in a relaxed tone, "What, are you scared?"

"I'm nearly ninety years old, and besides, I've never set foot on that damn island. What do I have to be afraid of?" Weber let out a hearty laugh from the other end. "I just didn't expect you to play so big, kid. You've directly poked a hole in the sky!"

"It's only when the sky falls that it's easy to pick up money," Chen Feng said faintly, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Well said! Very well said!" Weber's voice suddenly rose. "I haven't been this satisfied in my entire life! You have no idea—the sack I use to hold money is about to burst! United Shield Health Insurance's stock price dropped seventy percent! My people have already entered the market, while those idiots are still selling off, thinking the company is going bankrupt. Hahahaha!"

Weber laughed like a child, completely lacking his usual restraint as an old-school gentleman.

"And those medical equipment companies on the list—their CEOs were still crying on TV last night about being wronged, only to be taken away by the FBI early this morning. My people have already contacted their boards of directors. For thirty cents on the dollar, we can swallow them whole! Chen, do you know what this means? Next month—no, maybe in just two weeks—a medical network covering twenty percent of the U.S. market will belong to us!"

"Not bad," Chen Feng's evaluation was concise.

Weber's laughter gradually died down, and his tone became a bit more serious. "However, those old guys in the Alliance are in a lot of trouble right now. Except for that old fox Howard, everyone else is more or less tainted; they all visited Epstein's island in the early years. They're like mad dogs now, searching everywhere to find out who leaked the secret."

"I guessed as much," Chen Feng's tone remained unruffled. "That's why I put them on the list too."

There was silence on the other end of the line.

It took Weber several seconds to react, and he gasped, "You... you even schemed against them?"

"Mr. Weber, what I need are their resources, their connections, and their channels—not the people themselves." Chen Feng set down his coffee cup, his voice turning cold. "They're old, their minds are no longer clear, and they still think it's decades ago when they could do whatever they wanted. This world needs a new order, and the old order should be buried in the dirt."

"..."

Weber fell silent again.

After a long time, he let out a long sigh, his tone filled with complex emotions: awe, reflection, and even a trace of fear.

"Chen, I no longer know how to repay what you've given me. This health, this... new life, is something I couldn't buy with any amount of money." Weber's voice became low and sincere. "From now on, should you have any need, the remaining resources of the Alliance will be at your disposal."

"I'll keep that in mind."

After hanging up the phone, silence returned to the office.

He could tell that Weber's gratitude came from the bottom of his heart.

Yet, for some reason, he felt a slight sense of "owing" in his own heart.

Yes, he had used Neo-Genesis to cure Weber's terminal illness, allowing a man with one foot in the grave to regain a healthy body.

But so what?

This was only health, not time.

Weber was nearly ninety. No matter how healthy his body was, his life was still rapidly slipping away. He had given him the armor to charge into battle, but he hadn't given him the lifespan to enjoy the fruits of victory.

This ally, who had provided him with countless protections and blocked countless hidden arrows and overt attacks, had not yet been given what he truly wanted.

"Damn, how did I end up owing a favor?"

Chen Feng laughed at himself, stood up from his chair, and walked to the massive floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside was the bustling night view of Los Angeles, with lights from ten thousand homes making it as bright as day.

But his gaze seemed to penetrate this urban jungle, looking toward a deeper, more distant place.

He summoned the system interface in his mind.

A dazzling array of technology trees unfolded before his eyes, with countless projects shimmering with enticing light.

From ruisu to Neo-Genesis, he had already unlocked quite a few things, any of which would be enough to change the world if released.

But now, these things seemed a bit dull in his eyes.

His gaze bypassed the conventional projects that were already unlocked or waiting to be unlocked, finally resting at the very top of the technology tree.

There, two icons were emitting completely different lights, like a confrontation between god and demon.

One icon displayed a spiral DNA structure, surrounded by a soft golden halo, looking as if it were newly born.

—[Eternal].

That represented the forbidden realm of life's ultimate mystery, the key to reversing time and returning life to its peak.

The other icon was a cluster of viral cells burning with dark red flames. In the core of the flames, one could faintly see a strange, blooming red flower. The fire seemed ready to burn through the entire screen, emitting an aura of destruction, madness, and rebirth.

[T-Veronica Virus].

One was the wine of immortality that every emperor dreamed of.

The other was the flame of doomsday, sufficient to drag the entire world into a sea of fire.