77: Chapter 77 The female reporter insisted on an in-depth interview, so let's go a little deeper.

The elevator doors slid open slowly at the top of the Transamerica Pyramid.

Chen Yuan stepped out, still carrying the dry heat peculiar to the desert.

"Boss, that Miss Samantha has been sitting in the reception room for three hours."

Victor wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He looked restless, clearly tormented by that difficult female reporter.

"She's drunk four cups of hand-drip coffee and refused all the gifts arranged by the PR department."

"She even threatened that if we don't let her see you, tomorrow's headline will be 'Umbrella CEO Flees to Escape Punishment'."

Chen Yuan listened and chuckled.

"Interesting."

He tossed the dust-covered tactical vest to Alice. "Are reporters these days this bold?"

Alice took the vest, her voice remaining cold: "She is the youngest Pulitzer Prize candidate at The New York Times. Last year, she exposed an illegal fundraising case involving The Pentagon. This woman is a shark that never lets go once it smells blood."

Chen Yuan adjusted his shirt collar and pushed open the doors to the reception room.

Inside, a woman with neat, short blonde hair was sitting.

She was wearing a slim-fit navy blue suit with black-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose, her androgynous beauty exuding an aggressive competence.

That was Samantha.

Hearing the door open, she didn't stand up immediately but leisurely closed the notebook in her hands.

"Mr. Chen, seeing you is much harder than I imagined."

Samantha looked up, her gaze sharp as if she wanted to slice Chen Yuan open through her lenses.

"I thought you would be hiding in that basement full of biochemical monsters until the FBI broke down the door."

Chen Yuan walked over and sat down opposite her.

He elegantly crossed his legs.

"Miss Samantha, I was just handling some 'housework', I hope you don't mind."

Chen Yuan smiled and waved his hand, and Alice immediately brought over a pot of freshly brewed black tea.

"Housework?"

Samantha keenly caught the keyword, the corners of her mouth curling into a sneer. "Does that mean toying with the Air Force's F-22 in the Nevada desert, or that private armed base you illegally established in San Verde?"

Chen Yuan picked up his teacup and blew on it gently.

"That was just a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?"

Samantha suddenly pulled a stack of photos from her bag and slammed them heavily onto the coffee table.

"These are what we took on the perimeter of the Nevada base. Although blurry, you can clearly see your 'security guards' wearing illegal power armor."

"And this one."

She pointed to an extremely blurry photo. "That black shadow taking off from the base. The Pentagon says it's a bat, but my intuition tells me it's a biological weapon capable of rewriting the history of modern warfare."

Chen Yuan took a look at the photo.

It was the afterimage of a dragon taking off; it was indeed a terrible shot.

"Miss Samantha, your intuition should be used to write science fiction."

Chen Yuan took a sip of tea, his eyes playful. "Or, you should ask Colonel William. He also admitted it was just an oversized bat. Are you telling me you know more about military affairs than The Pentagon?"

"William has been bought off by you!"

Samantha leaned forward, staring into Chen Yuan's eyes. "Johnson & Johnson Group has gone bankrupt, and Pfizer is now silent as a cicada in winter. Chen Yuan, you are using some sort of underhanded means to build a shadow empire across the United States that is commercial in name but dictatorial in reality."

"I came here to uncover the truth."

She took a voice recorder from her pocket and pressed the switch.

"May I ask, does the name 'Umbrella' mean you intend to become a barrier outside the laws of the entire world?"

Chen Yuan looked at the little green light blinking and smiled very contentedly.

"Miss Samantha, you look just like an old friend of mine right now."

"Who?" Samantha frowned.

"A Golden Retriever I used to keep. When it found a bone, its eyes were just as bright as yours."

Chen Yuan put down his teacup and also leaned forward slightly.

The distance between them instantly shortened to just twenty centimeters.

Samantha could even smell the faint, masculine scent on Chen Yuan, a mixture of tobacco and danger.

She instinctively wanted to pull back, but her professional dignity kept her nailed to the spot.

"You are insulting a journalist." She gritted her teeth.

"No, this is praising your persistence."

Chen Yuan reached out, his fingertips seemingly unintentionally brushing against the hair hanging by Samantha's ear.

Samantha trembled slightly, as if she had been electrocuted.

"Do you want to know the truth?"

Chen Yuan's voice dropped low, carrying a bewitching magic. "The truth is often heavier than lies. These slender hands of yours may not be able to carry it."

Samantha's breathing became a bit rapid.

She found that the debate skills she prided herself on couldn't even be used to half their potential in front of this man.

He was too composed.

So composed that it made her feel afraid.

"Don't try that on me."

Samantha forced herself to maintain her aura and snorted coldly. "I've seen dictators more brutal than you, and conspirators smarter than you. But I've yet to see anyone walk away unscathed after being on the front page of The New York Times."

"Since you are so confident, why not change the way you conduct the interview?"

Chen Yuan withdrew his hand and leaned back against the chair.

"Change the way?"

"The current conversation is too dry."

Chen Yuan pointed out the window. "The night view of San Verde is nice. Should we go sit at my 'Jile Nightclub'? There, some truths will be seen more clearly."

Samantha looked at Chen Yuan's calm and composed manner.

She knew.

If she left like this today, she would gain nothing.

But if she followed him, it might be an adventure from which there was no turning back.

Risk and reward.

She weighed them rapidly in her mind.

"Fine."

Samantha switched off the voice recorder and looked directly at Chen Yuan. "But I'll say this upfront. If you try to bribe me, or threaten me..."

"I won't."

Chen Yuan stood up, adjusted his collar, and smiled brightly.

"I will only make you understand that some interviews need to be a bit more 'in-depth'."

The night in San Verde was bright with neon lights.

Inside a private box on the top floor of Jile Nightclub.

Samantha watched as Chen Yuan skillfully opened a bottle of red wine worth ten thousand gold.

The luxury here exceeded her imagination.

Every inch of air exuded the power belonging to top predators.

"Mr. Chen, let's talk about the issue of 'Dali' drinks circulating on the black market."

Samantha held her wine glass but didn't drink.

"That's not urgent."

Chen Yuan swirled the red wine in his hand, watching the surveillance footage hanging on the wall.

In the surveillance.

Several gang bosses who usually walked sideways in San Verde were now behaving as obediently as elementary school students, lining up at the service desk to buy expensive "potions".

"This is one of the truths you wanted."

Chen Yuan pointed to the screen. "I have established a new order here. No bloodshed, no riots. Everyone gets what they need. Isn't this better than the San Verde of the past?"

"An order controlled by drugs is called slavery!"

Samantha retorted.

"Slavery?"

Chen Yuan chuckled, his eyes suddenly becoming incomparably cold. "Samantha, you live in the skyscrapers of New York. Have you seen the slums here? Have you seen the junkies who would kill for fifty dollars?"

"I gave them the motivation to live. I gave them a reason not to go out and rob."

"This is called salvation."

Samantha was speechless.

She found that Chen Yuan had a set of values of his own that were extremely self-consistent.

This kind of person is the most terrifying.

Because they truly believe they are doing the right thing.

Three rounds of drinks passed.

Samantha's cheeks were slightly flushed.

She found that no matter how she looked for flaws, the answers Chen Yuan gave were always flawless.

He was not only impeccable in business, but also a dancer who moved with ease on the edge of law and ethics.

"It seems I really can't ask anything today."

Samantha put down her wine glass, a flash of unwillingness and a trace of madness in her eyes.

She was someone who could use any means necessary for a big story.

She looked at Chen Yuan, at this man who was within arm's reach and radiating an aura of taboo.

"Mr. Chen, you are really charming. But also really dangerous."

Samantha stood up and slowly walked around the table.

She stopped in front of Chen Yuan and reached out to take off her glasses.

Without the obstruction of the glasses, the ambition and desire in those eyes could no longer be hidden.

She bent down, her red lips close to Chen Yuan's ear, her warm breath accompanied by an air of determination.

"I want to know the real truth. Not just the data written on paper."

Samantha's fingers rested lightly on Chen Yuan's shoulder, her voice slightly hoarse from excitement.

"Even if... I need to pay a price for it. Or... a greater price."

She looked directly into Chen Yuan's eyes, her tone carrying the madness of a final gamble.

"Mr. Chen, would you mind having a more 'in-depth' interview?"