250: Chapter 250 Marionette

In Manhattan, New York, inside the first-floor hearing hall of the Federal Building.

The aisles were packed with cameras and microphones.

Today's hearing was being broadcast live across the entire internet, with the core agenda being the review of the legality of the Umbrella Corporation's Medical Special Zone.

Hundreds of reporters sat below, along with spies sent by major financial conglomerates.

Old Rockefeller's top agent, Representative Mike, sat in the front row, wearing a sharp suit and crossing his legs.

He felt the phone in his pocket; Old Rockefeller had just sent a text message telling him to keep a close eye on things and make sure to strip away Umbrella's disguise today.

"Next, let us welcome Senator Senator Steven to speak."

Wearing a dark blue suit, Senator Steven strode up to the podium.

The fat congressman followed behind him, both of them looking ruddy-faced and full of energy.

Mike raised an eyebrow at Senator Steven from the audience and made a "fire away" gesture.

Senator Steven adjusted the microphone and cleared his throat.

Inside the one-way glass private box on the second floor.

Chen Feng leaned back on the sofa with his legs propped up on the coffee table, peeling a tangerine.

Sarah stood behind him, holding a tablet in her hands.

"Boss, the viewership ratings have broken records."

Sarah looked at the data on the screen.

"The old money must have spent a fortune buying traffic."

Chen Feng tossed a tangerine segment into his mouth. "Very nice. It saves us the promotion and distribution costs."

Downstairs, Senator Steven began to speak.

"Dear friends from the media, colleagues."

"Over the past two weeks, I have conducted an in-depth investigation into the Umbrella Corporation's Medical Special Zone."

Mike nodded repeatedly from the audience. Yes, that was the tone. Hurry up and expose all those dirty secrets about the illegal experiments.

"The results of the investigation astounded me."

Senator Steven's voice went up an octave.

The reporters' camera lenses all zoomed in on him.

"I truly never expected that in this era ravaged by cancer, there would actually be an enterprise willing to invest trillions of dollars to establish a completely free, fully transparent medical utopia!"

Senator Steven slammed the table and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Umbrella's Medical Special Zone has not only committed no tax evasion, but has actually subsidized a massive amount of public medical resources!"

"This is the light of humanity!"

"It is the pride of the U Federation!"

The hall instantly fell dead silent, save for the faint hum of the cameras.

The reporters looked at each other, forgetting to even press their shutters.

Mike's crossed leg froze in mid-air, and the smirk on his face stiffened.

What was going on?

This wasn't how the script was written!

He had just accepted a fifty-million-dollar check last night. How could he defect today?

"Senator Steven!"

"Did you take the wrong medicine?"

Mike leaped up from his seat, his voice low, tense, and strained as he roared at the stage, "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"I am perfectly sober, Congressman Mike."

Senator Steven turned his head and stared straight at him. "The ones who are not sober are those who maliciously smear Umbrella for their own monopolistic interests."

"For example, the Rockefeller Financial Group behind you."

These words crashed into the hall, and the crowd instantly erupted into a buzz of discussion.

The reporters surged toward the podium instantly, their microphones almost shoving into Senator Steven's chin.

"Senator Senator Steven, are you saying the Rockefeller Financial Group is the mastermind behind this?"

"Do you have any evidence?"

The fat congressman leaned into the microphone, pulled a thick stack of documents from his briefcase, and slammed them onto the table.

"The evidence is right here!"

The fat congressman pointed at the documents. "These are the transaction records of three pharmaceutical companies under Rockefeller purchasing smear campaigns from major media outlets!"

"And there are also audio recordings of them attempting to bribe us to commit perjury in Congress!"

Mike's head buzzed, his legs went weak, and he slumped right back into his chair.

It was over.

Completely over.

These two hadn't come to investigate Umbrella; they had come to dig a grave for Rockefeller!

In the private box, Chen Feng burst out laughing as he watched the chaotic scene downstairs.

"These parasites are quite useful. They even mimic the exact speaking tones. It's a pity they can't win an Oscar."

Sarah handed him a tissue.

"Dr. Samantha said that these parasites retain the host's speaking habits and intellect. Aside from absolute obedience, they are no different from normal humans."

Chen Feng wiped his hands, stood up, and walked to the glass window.

Downstairs, Mike had already been escorted out by several security guards, and the reporters were frantically throwing questions at Senator Steven and the fat congressman.

"Boss, there's movement on Old Rockefeller's side."

Sarah looked at her tablet. "His personal doctor was just urgently summoned to the manor. Word is his blood pressure spiked to two hundred."

"Only two hundred?"

"It seems the old guy has a pretty strong heart."

Chen Feng smiled. "Notify Alan to take advantage of this wave of public opinion and short those pharmaceutical companies under Rockefeller's name."

"I want half of their market value wiped out before dark."

"Understood."

Chen Feng stretched and turned to walk out.

"Let's go, the show is over."

"It's time to head back."

"Back to headquarters?"

"No, to the seventh underground floor."

Chen Feng said, "Let's go see our new friend, Nightmare."

"It's no use just looking terrifying; we have to take it out for a spin to see if it's actually any good."

Sarah followed his lead.

"Who do you plan to test it on?"

"Old Morgan suffered such a massive setback in Antarctica. With his temper, there's no way he'll swallow this insult."

Chen Feng stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the seventh basement floor. "He will definitely investigate who is behind all this."

"For Nightmare's first feast, let's have it dine in Old Morgan's backyard."

...

Long Island, New York, the Rockefeller Estate.

A priceless antique vase was smashed against the wall, shattering into pieces.

Old Rockefeller clutched his chest, a raspy gasp escaping his throat, his face turning a dark, purplish red.

On the television screen, Senator Steven was still bitterly denouncing the dark reign of the old money families.

"Traitors!"

"Those two sons of bitches!"

Old Rockefeller pointed at the screen, his finger trembling. "I gave each of them fifty million!"

"They took my money and actually dared to bite the hand that fed them!"

The butler stood aside, trembling as he handed over the blood pressure medication and water.

"Sir, please calm down."

"Congressman Mike has already been taken away for investigation, and our stock... has hit the limit down."

"Chen Feng... It must be Chen Feng's doing!"

Old Rockefeller popped the pills into his mouth and washed them down with water. "What on earth did he do to make two senators defect overnight?"

Right then, the red secure phone on the desk rang.

Old Rockefeller picked up the phone, and Old Morgan's gloomy voice came from the other end.

"Have you seen the news?"

Old Morgan asked.

"I saw it."

"I was set up by that yellow monkey."

Old Rockefeller gritted his teeth.

"It's not just you."

"My people in Antarctica were completely wiped out."

Old Morgan's voice was freezing cold. "The Russians stole my things."

"But I feel like something is off. There were defective Umbrella weapons at the scene."

"You suspect Chen Feng was pulling the strings behind the scenes?"

"I'm certain it was him."

"Not only does this kid want a monopoly on medicine, but he also wants to stretch his hands into military industry and genetics."

Old Morgan snorted coldly. "We can't let him stay this arrogant anymore."

"We can't rely on that useless President Clark. We have to take matters into our own hands."

"How do we do that?"

"It's not like you haven't seen those monsters around him."

Old Rockefeller felt a bit of hair stand on end as he recalled the woman who manipulated fire.

"Even monsters have weaknesses."

Old Morgan's voice sank. "I spent a fortune bribing a researcher inside Umbrella."

"Tonight, I will obtain the blueprints of their underground base's ventilation system."

"As long as we pump neurotoxin in..."

Old Rockefeller's breathing quickened slightly.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Get ready to take over his assets."

Old Morgan hung up the phone.

...

Los Angeles, Umbrella's seventh underground floor.

Chen Feng stood in front of the explosion-proof glass.

Inside the isolation chamber, Nightmare stood quietly in place, without any rise and fall of breath.

Samantha tapped a few times on the console, and the door to the isolation chamber slowly opened.

"I have locked its sense of hunger, so it is currently in standby mode."

Samantha walked over holding a tablet. "Boss, how do you want to test it?"

Chen Feng looked at Nightmare.

"To what extent can it mimic?"

"As long as it devours the target, it can replicate even fingerprints, irises, voices, and micro-expressions exactly."

"Furthermore, it can extract the target's short-term memory."

Chen Feng smiled.

"Red Queen, pull up the security layout of Old Morgan's manor."

A complex 3D architectural diagram was immediately displayed on the large screen.

"Old Morgan just spent money today to bribe a low-level researcher of ours to pull some petty tricks."

Chen Feng pointed to a red dot on the diagram. "This is his trusted butler, Henry."

"He has been with him for thirty years and knows all his secrets."

Sarah understood Chen Feng's meaning.

"You want Nightmare to replace Henry?"

"Bingo."

Chen Feng snapped his fingers. "Old Morgan loves bribing moles, so I'll send him an extraordinary one."

Chen Feng walked up to Nightmare.

The G-Virus eye on Nightmare's shoulder suddenly snapped open, its dark gold pupil staring at Chen Feng.

"Go to New York."

Chen Feng looked at that eye and issued the command, "Devour Henry and become him."

"Then, bring me back the password to Old Morgan's safe."

Nightmare made no sound.

It merely bowed its head slightly. The bone blade on its right arm dissolved into a puddle of black slime, flowing down its thigh to its feet, and then its entire body melted into the shadows of the underground ventilation vent, vanishing.

"This thing..."

Sarah looked at the empty floor. "It looks a bit disgusting, but it's incredibly useful."

"This is only the beginning."

Chen Feng turned and walked toward the elevator. "Once it strips Old Morgan of his last secrets, that's when the real show begins."