53: Chapter 53 not only failed to steal the recipe, but also got himself killed.

When Elena opened her eyes again, she smelled a strong scent of disinfectant.

She was lying on a pure white laboratory table, wearing a matching pure white hospital gown. The surroundings were no longer that terrifying "Monster Zoo," but a clean, bright medical room filled with a sense of futuristic technology.

Sunlight streamed in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, warm and dazzling.

"Awake?"

A gentle voice sounded from nearby.

Elena turned her head and saw Chen Yuan.

He was sitting on a chair by the window, holding a steaming cup of coffee in his hands, with that harmless, boy-next-door smile on his face.

It was as if the demon who had stuffed her into the cultivation pod earlier was just a nightmare.

"You..."

Elena tried to sit up and was surprised to find that her wrist, which had been crushed, was completely healed, without even a single scar left behind.

Not only that, she felt her body was filled with unprecedented strength. Her vision had become extremely sharp; she could even see the veins on the wings of a fly hundreds of meters outside the window.

"Don't be nervous, I injected you with something good."

Chen Yuan put down the coffee cup, stood up, and walked over to her. "A weakened version of the T-Virus enhancer, plus... a little bit of 'insurance.'"

"Nano-control bugs, right?"

Elena's eyes were very calm, terrifyingly calm. She could feel that an invisible shackle seemed to have appeared deep within her brain.

She still retained her memories and thoughts, but as soon as she had a thought detrimental to Chen Yuan, that shackle would tighten sharply, bringing an agonizing pain as if her soul were being torn apart.

"It seems you are smarter than Natasha."

Chen Yuan nodded, not surprised. "Then, smart Miss Elena, you should know what to do now."

Elena was silent.

She looked at the man in front of her.

Powerful, mysterious, cold, and temperamental.

Resistance was a dead end.

Submission might still offer a glimmer of hope for survival.

"I understand."

She got off the laboratory table, stepped barefoot onto the cold floor, walked up to Chen Yuan, and slowly knelt on one knee.

It was an extremely standard medieval knight's salute.

"Master."

Her voice lacked its previous arrogance and allure, leaving only absolute submission.

"Very good."

Chen Yuan nodded with satisfaction and reached out to help her up. "From today on, you are no longer Pfizer's 'Black Widow,' but Umbrella Corporation's... sharpest blade."

He walked to the communicator and pressed the connect button.

"Victor, prepare a new set of clothes for her, and an encrypted phone."

"Yes, boss."

...

Half an hour later.

Elena, having changed into a black professional suit, looked even more cold, glamorous, and capable than before. She stood in front of the office's floor-to-ceiling window, holding the encrypted phone in her hand, and took a deep breath.

"Boss, what should I say?"

"Just say you succeeded."

Chen Yuan sat on the sofa, holding a glass of red wine, his tone so relaxed it was as if he were rehearsing a stage play. "Tell them you used a honey trap to handle that stupid Easterner, but he is very wary and only willing to reveal a part of the basic formula."

"But to get the core formula, you need a large sum of money to 'bribe' the core technical personnel around him."

"How much?"

"Fifty million USD." Chen Yuan held up five fingers. "It can't be any less; any less wouldn't fit Pfizer's status."

Elena looked at Chen Yuan, her eyes complex.

This man was not only going to steal their technology but also scam them out of their money.

He was simply a devil who ate people without spitting out the bones.

The call was connected.

"It's me."

Elena's voice instantly switched to that state filled with exhaustion and weakness, but also a hint of triumphant excitement—even an Oscar best actress winner would feel inferior.

"...Yes, boss, I succeeded."

"...But he is very cunning and only gave me a part of the basic purification formula for 'Dali'..."

"...Yes, I need money. Fifty million. To bribe the chief scientist in his laboratory. As long as the money arrives, I guarantee I will put the complete formula on your desk within three days."

On the other end of the line, Pfizer's CEO, Mr. Mike, almost jumped off his chair when he heard the word "success."

"Fifty million? No problem!"

He agreed without even thinking. "I'll have finance transfer it to you immediately! Elena, you did a great job! You are Pfizer's hero!"

"As long as we get the formula, we can not only recover our losses but also monopolize the market in return! By then, that damn Chen Yuan will only be able to kneel and beg us to acquire his crappy factory!"

Hanging up the phone, Elena leaned weakly against the wall, feeling as if all her strength had been drained.

"Ding."

Almost simultaneously, Chen Yuan's phone received a notification message from the Swiss bank.

【Your account ending in xxxx received a deposit at xx:xx: 50,000,000.00 USD】

"Good efficiency."

Chen Yuan shook his phone, the smile on his face brilliant. "It seems Pfizer's finance department is much more capable than their R&D department."

"Now, send the 'gift' over."

"Gift?" Elena was stunned for a moment.

"Of course."

Chen Yuan pulled a USB flash drive from his pocket and tossed it to her. "That is the 'core formula' worth fifty million USD. We operate with integrity; having received the money, we must deliver the goods."

Elena inserted the USB drive into the computer, half-doubting.

Inside, there was only one encrypted file.

【Formula Name: green peace】

Elena: "..."

She looked up at Chen Yuan, her eyes filled with extreme shock and... a trace of pity.

Not for herself, but for the Pfizer headquarters far away in New York.

Developing a "powerful herbicide" formula that could corrode tanks as the core technology for "Dali"...

She could already imagine how magnificent Mr. Mike's expression would be when that splendid "fireworks show" happened in Pfizer's laboratory.

This wasn't just losing both money and people.

It was simply losing the wife and the soldiers—and setting one's own house on fire in the process.

"Send it."

Chen Yuan walked behind her and patted her shoulder gently. "By the way, tell them that to show our sincerity, I allow them to use this 'upgraded version' of Dali for free, without paying patent fees."

Elena's fingers were trembling.

She pressed the send button, feeling as if she had pressed Pfizer's self-destruct button.

Just at the moment the email was sent successfully.

In Chen Yuan's mind, that familiar system prompt sounded once again.

【Ding——】

【Detected that a key political figure's trajectory has intersected with the Host...】

【New mission released: The Fall of the Texas Pearl.】

A new mission panel popped up on Chen Yuan's retina.

On it was a photo of a woman.

Blonde hair, capable, proud eyes, standing on a podium, with the Stars and Stripes and countless flashing magnesium lights behind her.

【Mission Target: Ivanka Strange】

【Identity: Daughter of a Texas real estate tycoon, Harvard Law School graduate, currently running for Texas Senator. Political stance: Hardliner, advocates for cracking down on illegal border trade and "grey zone" enterprises.】

【Mission Requirement: Make her yours.】

Chen Yuan looked at the familiar yet strange woman in the photo and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Ivanka?

She actually exists in this world? And is running for senator?

"Interesting."

Chen Yuan touched his chin, his eyes becoming playful.

Gangsters, drug lords, tycoons... these are all just small-time play.

True power is always held in the hands of those who make the rules.

And now, someone who is about to make the rules has delivered herself to the door.

"Red Queen."

Chen Yuan's voice was low and powerful. "Pull up all the information on this woman for me. I want to know everything about her, including what temperature coffee she drinks every morning and what color underwear she wears."

"Understood."

"Also..."

Chen Yuan glanced at the sky outside the window that was gradually darkening, and a hunter-like smile curled at the corners of his mouth:

"Help me check, what public schedule does she have recently?"

"Found it." Red Queen replied quickly. "Tomorrow night, at the San Verde Convention Center, there is a charity banquet held for 'children with congenital heart disease.' She is one of the organizers."

"Heart disease?"

Chen Yuan's smile grew wider.

"That really is... too coincidental."