45: Chapter 45 After the battle, of course we should pop some champagne to celebrate!

Tonight, the "Jile Nightclub" truly lived up to the name "Jile."

There was no deafening heavy metal; in its place was lazy jazz.

The massive dance floor had been converted into a buffet table, piled high with top-tier ingredients air-freighted from all over the world—Australian lobster, French caviar, Japanese Wagyu beef, and Dom Pérignon champagne flowing limitlessly like tap water.

All the core members of Umbrella Corporation were gathered together for the first time.

The members of the Umbrella Guard, who had just experienced a baptism of blood and fire, were now wearing brand-new suits, clumsily learning how to use knives and forks.

Although their eating habits still resembled those of a Wild Dog that had been starving for three days, there was a hint of a sense of belonging in their eyes.

Sophia, wearing that sultry cheongsam, wove through the crowd like a true hostess.

Rosa sat in the corner, savoring red wine alone, her wild eyes never leaving the man in the seat of honor.

Natasha and Viper, that pair of "arch-rivals," were also sitting together for a rare moment; although they were still glaring at each other, at least they weren't coming to blows.

"Everyone."

Chen Yuan stood up and raised his champagne glass.

The noisy hall fell silent instantly, everyone's gaze focusing on him.

It was a look mixed with awe, fanaticism, and worship.

"I know that many of you were once desperadoes licking blood off the edge of a blade, wanted criminals being hunted down, and stray dogs who didn't even know if they would see tomorrow's sun."

Chen Yuan's voice was not loud, but it carried clearly across the entire hall.

"But from today on, you have a new identity."

He scanned the crowd, his gaze as sharp as a knife:

"You are Umbrella's people."

"This means that standing behind you is me, those five hundred war machines that don't know the meaning of retreat, and biotechnology enough to make The Pentagon wary."

"So, straighten your backs!"

Chen Yuan suddenly raised his glass high, his voice rising sharply:

"From now on, in this San Verde, we are the only ones who can bully others; no one dares to touch a single hair on our heads!"

"For Umbrella!"

"Roar—!"

The long-suppressed fanaticism erupted instantly.

"For the Boss!"

"Long live the Boss!"

Everyone raised their glasses simultaneously and downed the champagne in one gulp.

The frenzy, mixed with alcohol and adrenaline, nearly blew the roof off the entire nightclub.

"Next is everyone's favorite part."

Chen Yuan snapped his fingers.

Alice pushed a cart filled with black suitcases up to the front.

"Click."

The cases opened.

Greenbacks poured out like a waterfall, emitting a maddening glow under the crystal lights.

"This is what you deserve."

Chen Yuan pointed at the mountain of cash, his tone flat, "For those who participated in the battle last night, one hundred thousand US dollars each. For those with outstanding performance, like Iron Head, two hundred thousand."

"Tonight, party to your heart's content. I'm paying for everything."

The crowd erupted again.

One hundred thousand US dollars.

This money was enough for them to buy a luxury mansion in San Verde and keep two mistresses.

And all they had paid was a "live-fire exercise" with no suspense.

Following a boss like this, not to mention risking their lives, it would even be worth selling their souls to the devil!

The celebration began.

Chen Yuan did not participate.

He did not like this noisy atmosphere.

He enjoyed standing on high ground, watching this pack of vicious dogs he had conquered revel for him.

He went up to the rooftop terrace alone, holding his wine glass.

The night breeze was cool, blowing away the smell of alcohol on him.

The night view of San Verde was spread out before him.

This city, built upon sin and desire, was currently like a sleeping giant beast, crouching at his feet.

But he knew this was only the beginning.

Defeating a few low-class gangs and scaring off a few greedy plutocrats was nothing more than child's play in front of real state machinery.

The total annihilation of the "Black Ops" team meant that Agent James of the CIA was probably having a headache right now figuring out how to write his report.

And Colonel William of The Pentagon was simultaneously wanting to buy his "herbicide" while also being wary of that "Gundam" in his hands that could rip tanks apart.

Not to mention the Rothschilds far away in Europe, and the Russian bear watching like a tiger.

He was now like someone standing on the crest of a wave; seemingly infinitely glorious, but in reality, surrounded by enemies on all sides.

"What are you thinking about?"

A soft body pressed against him from behind, and a pair of fair arms wrapped around his waist.

It was Sophia; she carried the faint scent of a recent bath and a hint of alcohol.

"Thinking about... when I can truly get a good night's sleep."

Chen Yuan leaned on the railing, looking at the few dim stars in the sky.

"Soon."

Sophia pressed her cheek against his back, her voice gentle, "Once you turn all the enemies in this world into the corpses beneath your feet."

Chen Yuan smiled and said nothing.

He knew that day was still very far off.

...

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Huaxia, Jinghai City.

Inside a heavily guarded siheyuan.

Zhao Ya, Chen Yuan's spiteful stepmother, was currently applying an expensive face mask, filing her nails while watching the latest international news on her tablet.

"Hmph, a bunch of uncivilized barbarians."

She looked at the news report about the conflict at the Mexican border, a sneer of disdain curling at the corner of her lips.

With nothing to do, she impulsively tapped on a black app labeled "Dark Web."

It had been secretly installed on her tablet by her good-for-nothing nephew, who claimed one could see many "exciting" things on it.

On the home page, a blood-red headline instantly caught her attention.

【One Hundred Million USD Bounty! Eastern Devil 'Prometheus'!】

"Prometheus?"

Zhao Ya curiously tapped into it.

The video began to play.

Dim lights, burning tanks, corpses everywhere.

A man in a white suit was stepping on the wreckage of a tank, elegantly smoking a cigar.

The camera zoomed in.

The moment she saw the man's face clearly.

"Clatter."

The nail clipper in Zhao Ya's hand dropped to the floor, tearing the expensive silk carpet.

She stared fixedly at the face on the screen.

That face was too familiar to her.

Although it was much more mature and much colder than it had been a few years ago, those brows, those eyes, that outline...

It was clearly that bastard whom she regarded as a disgrace and whom she had personally driven out of the house—

Chen Yuan!

"Impossible... This is absolutely impossible!"

Zhao Ya trembled all over, as if she had seen a ghost.

She rubbed her eyes frantically, but the man on the screen, like a devil, slowly merged with the weak youth in the depths of her memory.

How could that loser have become like this?

Shouldn't he have starved to death in some slum in Mexico like a stray dog?

The video ended, freezing on the scene where Chen Yuan gave the middle finger.

The arrogance and disdain in those eyes, along with that coldness that viewed all living beings as ants, pierced into Zhao Ya's heart like a sharp knife.

"Ah—!!!"

A scream shattered the tranquility of the siheyuan.

"What's wrong, Madam?"

The housekeeper rushed in.

Zhao Ya was seen sitting disheveled on the carpet, pointing at the tablet, her eyes filled with extreme fear and resentment:

"Quick! Go tell the Old Master quickly!"

"That bastard... that bastard... he has returned!"