50: Chapter 50 Business Warfare? No, I'll just physically eliminate them.

The night was ink-black in Long Island, New York.

This was the top-tier wealthy district in the United States, and the air was filled with the sweet, cloying scent of fermented money.

Waves lapped against the private beach, making a splashing sound that masked certain unspeakable whispers.

In the Pharmaceutical Factory office, three thousand kilometers away from San Verde, Chen Yuan was wearing a pair of custom-made VR goggles, holding a joystick in his hand.

A playful arc hung on the corner of his mouth, as if he were playing a realistic 3D game.

"Full left rudder, reduce altitude."

He whispered softly.

Thousands of miles away, that mechanical dragonfly, only the size of a thumb, traced an eerie arc in the night sky.

It ignored the infrared alarms and patrolling bodyguards around the mansion, gliding silently to the windowsill of the second-floor master bedroom like a ghost from hell.

Through the dragonfly's compound eye camera, 4K high-definition images were transmitted in real-time to Chen Yuan's retina.

In the image, on the luxurious European-style bed, two pale bodies were intertwined.

The male lead was none other than the Johnson & Johnson Group CEO, Robert Johnson, who usually appeared sanctimonious and full of moral platitudes.

As for the female lead, she was clearly not the wife he had brought to that charity gala; judging by her age, she could even be his daughter.

"Tsk tsk, still going strong in your old age."

Chen Yuan whistled. "It seems this old guy eats his own little blue pills quite often."

He wasn't in a hurry to record; instead, he maneuvered the dragonfly through the window crack and landed it on the expensive crystal lamp by the bedside.

Full-band audio recording activated.

The panting and teasing in the room became instantly audible.

"Honey, you're so bad."

The blonde young model lay on Robert's chest, tracing circles on his flabby stomach with her finger. "I saw the news. That Chinese person's Pharmaceutical Factory is about to be ruined by you, right? I heard his medicine is poisonous?"

"Poisonous? Ha!"

Robert lit a post-coital cigarette, his face displaying that repulsive arrogance peculiar to capitalists. "Baby, that's just a PR tactic. In fact, it's just a common stimulant; at most, it just makes people a little sleepless."

"Then why..."

"Because he moved my cheese!"

Robert took a sharp drag of his cigarette. Through the swirling smoke, his expression turned ferocious. "That damn yellow-skinned monkey, his medicine works too well! It works so well that our anti-fatigue medication sales have plummeted by 40%! If I let him keep selling it, I'll have to get out of this position!"

"So, regardless of whether his medicine is poisonous or not, it must be 'highly toxic'."

Robert pinched the young model's cheek, smiling sinisterly. "I've already bribed a few key figures at the FDA, and an official 'test report' will be issued tomorrow. By then, not only will he go bankrupt, but he'll also have to go to federal prison to pick up soap."

"Wow, you're so bad, I love it."

The young model let out a cry of admiration, and the two rolled together again.

On this side of the screen.

Chen Yuan took off the VR goggles and rubbed his sore brow.

"Brilliant."

He clapped his hands and turned to Alice on the side. "Did you record it all?"

"The whole process, 4K lossless quality, surround sound."

Alice shook the data disk in her hand, her stunning face devoid of expression. "Additionally, Red Queen has thoughtfully edited a 'highlight version' for you, removing those eye-straining action scenes and keeping only the core 'trade secrets'."

"Very good."

Chen Yuan stood up and walked to the liquor cabinet to pour himself a glass of whiskey.

He looked at the pitch-black night outside the window, the smile in his eyes gradually receding, replaced by a chilling gleam.

"Mr. Robert thinks this is business war."

"Spreading rumors, smearing, using administrative power... what a classic routine."

Chen Yuan swirled his glass, watching the amber liquid spin against the glass wall. "Unfortunately, the one he met is me."

"I don't know what PR is, and I don't know what crisis management is."

"I only know..."

Chen Yuan tilted his head back and downed the drink in one gulp, then slammed the glass heavily onto the table:

"If I can't solve the problem, I'll solve the person who created the problem."

"Send it out."

He ordered Alice, his voice icy and devoid of temperature. "Send a copy to the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and those media outlets that usually curse us the most."

"I've already thought of the headline: 'Pillow Talk of the Johnson & Johnson CEO: How I Used Lies to Destroy a Chinese Enterprise'."

"Since he likes playing with public opinion, I'll let him go viral globally all at once."

...

Early the next morning.

When the first ray of sunlight shone into that Long Island villa, Robert was still in his dreams.

He was awakened by a frantic ringing of the phone.

"Who is it? Do you want to get fired?"

Robert grabbed the phone in annoyance, and before he could flare up, the roaring voice of the board chairman came from the other end:

"Robert! You pig! Look at what good deeds you've done!"

"What?" Robert looked bewildered.

"Turn on the TV! Now! Immediately!"

Robert grabbed the remote control in a panic.

On the screen, the morning news was broadcasting an emergency bulletin.

The familiar anchor said with a serious face: "...Early this morning, a private recording of Johnson & Johnson Group CEO Robert went viral on the internet. In the recording, Robert personally admitted that the accusations against 'Umbrella' were completely fabricated..."

The screen cut away.

Although it was mosaicked, that familiar voice, that familiar bedroom background, and that arrogant line, 'Regardless of whether it's poisonous or not, it must be highly toxic'—every word felt like a heavy hammer, smashing hard onto Robert's skull.

"Clatter."

The remote control fell to the floor.

Robert felt the sky falling.

It's over.

Everything is over.

Not only his position, but also the century-old reputation of Johnson & Johnson Group, had vanished into thin air in these few short minutes.

Siren sounds came from outside the window.

Not just the police, but also investigators from the Securities and Exchange Commission, and countless reporters who had smelled blood, had surrounded his villa tightly.

"This is... business war?"

Robert collapsed on the bed, the face of that Eastern youth he had never met appearing in his mind.

No.

This is not business war.

This is a slaughter.

...

San Verde, Pharmaceutical Factory office.

Chen Yuan watched the Johnson & Johnson Group stock price collapsing like a diver on the screen, with no trace of joy on his face, only a sense of matter-of-fact calm.

"Boss, Johnson & Johnson is finished."

Victor rubbed his hands excitedly. "The CEO resigned, the stock price was cut in half, and the FBI has intervened in the investigation. Now the internet is full of voices cursing them, and our 'Dali' has instead become a 'conscience product' persecuted by capital, and sales have directly doubled!"

"As expected."

Chen Yuan said calmly. "This kind of old-fashioned enterprise looks huge, but it's actually rotten to the core inside. As long as you give it a gentle push, it will collapse on its own."

"However..."

He frowned and turned his gaze to another screen.

It showed the dynamics of Pfizer.

Strangely, as an ally of Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer was unusually quiet during this turmoil. No statement, no PR, and they hadn't even withdrawn their original short-selling funds.

It was like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, patiently waiting for the next opportunity to strike.

"Boss."

The silent Red Queen suddenly issued a warning. "Abnormal personnel movement detected."

"Pfizer headquarters just dispatched a private plane, with San Verde as its destination."

"There is only one person on the plane."

A photo popped up on the holographic projection.

It was a woman.

Blonde with blue eyes, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and dressed in a well-tailored professional suit. She looked like a sharp, capable high-level white-collar worker, or an intellectual professor at some university.

But Chen Yuan keenly caught a hint of familiar dangerous aura from her seemingly calm eyes.

That was the scent of his own kind.

"Name?" Chen Yuan asked.

"Natasha Romanoff... oh no, that's an alias."

Red Queen corrected. "Her real codename is 'Black Widow'. A legend in the world of commercial espionage; it is said that any company she targets ends up with not even a bone left."

"Black Widow?"

Chen Yuan looked at the intellectual beauty in the photo, a playful arc hooking at the corner of his mouth.

Johnson & Johnson plays hard, so Pfizer plays soft?

Honey trap?

Or a mole?

"Interesting."

Chen Yuan stood up, straightened his collar, and gave a gentlemanly smile to himself in the mirror.

"Since the guest has already arrived, we cannot be impolite."

"Alice, get ready."

"Clean up our 'high-tech laboratory'. Remember, put out more bottles and jars that look very impressive but are actually useless."

"Since she wants to watch a show, let's accompany her and put on a good one."