181: Chapter 181 A New Journey: The Declaration of War by Pharmaceutical Giants

Morning light pierced through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the ward, casting pale golden spots on the white bedsheets.

Su Wanqing opened her eyes.

She felt as if her body had been hollowed out, but her heart was so full it was about to overflow.

Chen Fan sat by the bed, holding three swaddled bundles in his arms. His movements were extremely gentle as he placed the three little ones by the pillow one by one.

"Awake?" Chen Fan's voice was very low.

Su Wanqing nodded, her gaze falling on the three wrinkled little faces. She reached out, her fingertips gently touching the eldest's tiny fist.

The infant's fingers instinctively gripped her index finger.

"They're so small." Su Wanqing's eyes grew moist.

"They'll grow up," Chen Fan said.

Su Guohua pushed the door open and entered, holding a thermos. Chen Nianyao followed behind, carrying a sketchbook.

"Wanqing is awake?" Su Guohua walked to the head of the bed, looking at his three grandsons, the wrinkles on his face spreading into a wide smile. "The eldest looks just like you did when you were a child; the features are carved from the same mold."

Chen Nianyao leaned closer to the edge of the bed, staring at the second child for a long time: "This one looks like Dad."

Su Wanqing smiled and turned her head to look at Chen Fan: "Have you named them yet?"

Chen Fan shook his head: "We'll decide together once you're awake."

Soft voices drifted from the ward; the autumn rain outside had stopped.

...

On the other side of the ocean.

The boardroom of Prometheus Company's headquarters.

Smith, the Chairman of the Board, stood by the floor-to-ceiling window holding a coffee. He looked at the New York skyline outside, a confident smile on his face.

"How much longer until the countdown for the new drug's launch?" Smith turned and asked.

The technical director opened a folder: "Forty-eight hours left. All production lines are running at full capacity, and the first batch of products will roll off the line early tomorrow morning."

Smith nodded, walked to the conference table, and tapped his fingers on the surface: "How are the preparations for the press conference?"

"Invitations have been sent out, and three hundred major global media outlets have confirmed their attendance," the PR director reported. "We will announce the clinical data for the new drug at the press conference and seize the market before Huihuang Group."

Smith smiled with satisfaction: "Very good. Any news from Anna's side?"

"The data she sent back shows that Huihuang Group's 'Life No. 1' has a fatal flaw," the technical director said. "Our new drug has been optimized specifically for this flaw, so we can directly compare them at the press conference."

"Perfect." Smith put down his coffee cup. "Send word down; I will personally host tomorrow's press conference."

...

10:00 AM the next morning.

The scene of Prometheus Company's new drug press conference.

Smith walked onto the podium in a crisp suit. The audience was filled with reporters, their cameras and microphones pointed at the stage.

The giant screen behind him lit up, and the Prometheus Company logo rotated slowly.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Smith spread his arms. "Today, we will witness another revolution in the history of medicine."

He pressed the remote, and the screen switched to a 3D model of the new drug.

"This biological agent, named 'Eternal Life No. 1', has undergone five years of research and development with an investment of over thirty billion dollars. It can—"

Before he could finish his sentence.

The screen image suddenly flickered.

Smith frowned and turned to look at the technicians.

The technicians rushed onto the stage, frantically pressing buttons on the remote.

The screen didn't recover; instead, it switched to an emergency broadcast from an international news channel.

The female anchor's voice came from the speakers: "Breaking news. Three authoritative organizations—the World Health Organization, the US FDA, and the European Medicines Agency—have jointly issued a notice stating that Prometheus Company's upcoming drug 'Eternal Life No. 1' has shown severe adverse reactions in clinical trials, leading to organ failure in seventeen trial participants, three of whom have already died."

The crowd below instantly erupted.

Reporters rushed toward the podium with their microphones.

"Mr. Smith, is this true?"

"Has Prometheus Company concealed clinical data?"

"What explanation do you have for the families of the deceased?"

Smith's face turned ashen. He threw down the remote in his hand and turned to look at Anna.

Anna stood at the side of the stage, her face deathly pale.

"Unplug the power!" Smith roared.

Technicians rushed to the control console and pulled the plug.

The screen went black.

But the commotion below did not stop.

...

At the same time.

The homepage of The Wall Street Journal's official website refreshed.

The headline of the lead article was in blood-red characters: "Prometheus Company Fraud Scandal Fully Exposed: Spies Stole Fake Data, Executives Fabricated Experimental Reports."

The beginning of the article released an audio recording.

Anna's voice was clearly identifiable: "Mr. Smith, I have obtained the core data of Huihuang Group."

Smith's voice followed immediately after: "Very good. Activate Plan B immediately. I want to ruin Huihuang Group's reputation."

Below the recording were surveillance screenshots of Anna meeting Chen Muyang in the library, as well as high-definition images of her copying the USB drive.

The final paragraph of the article directly publicized internal emails of Prometheus Company fabricating clinical reports.

In the emails, the technical director clearly wrote: "The data isn't pretty enough; modify it according to the board's requirements."

The internet instantly boiled over.

The media outlets previously hired by Prometheus quickly turned against them in the face of ironclad evidence. Twitter, Facebook, and major forums were filled with condemnations against Prometheus Company.

"This is the face of capital!"

"Treating human lives like a joke, they must be severely punished!"

"Huihuang Group is the truly conscientious enterprise!"

...

The US Stock Market opened.

Prometheus Company's stock price plummeted.

The opening price was directly 15% lower, and then it continued to crash.

Five minutes later, the circuit breaker was triggered.

On the Wall Street trading floor, traders stared at the plunging K-line chart; no one dared to place a buy order.

"It's over, Prometheus is completely finished this time."

"I heard that dozens of countries around the world are preparing to sue them."

"With sky-high compensation claims, their capital chain definitely won't hold up."

...

Imperial Capital International Hospital.

Inside the VIP ward.

Chen Fan's phone vibrated.

He glanced at the caller ID, walked to the window, and picked up the phone.

"Dad," Chen Muyang's voice came through, "Prometheus's stock price hit the circuit breaker, and dozens of countries are preparing to sue them. Preliminary estimates suggest the compensation amount exceeds five hundred billion dollars. Their capital chain is completely broken."

Chen Fan looked at the sky outside the window, his voice calm: "Close the net. Have Pangu Biology enter the field and take over Prometheus's global market share entirely."

"Understood." Chen Muyang hung up the phone.

Huihuang Group's capital machine roared to life.

Tens of billions of dollars in capital flooded the market, beginning to swallow the vacancies left by Prometheus.

...

Half an hour later.

Huihuang Group's official website released an announcement.

"Statement Regarding Pangu Biotechnology's Comprehensive Takeover of Prometheus Company's Global Market Share."

The content of the announcement was concise and clear:

"Given that Prometheus Company has seriously violated pharmaceutical industry standards, Pangu Biotechnology will comprehensively take over its market share worldwide. We promise that all products will undergo the strictest clinical trials, and we will never let such a tragedy repeat itself."

Ten minutes after the announcement was issued.

Peers in the pharmaceutical industry saw the acquisition announcement and stopped their actions against Pangu Biology one after another.

No one dared to jump out at this time.

Prometheus's fate was right before their eyes.

...

Inside the ward.

Chen Fan hung up the phone and walked back to the bedside.

He leaned down and picked up the eldest from Su Wanqing's arms.

The infant's eyes were closed, making a slight murmuring sound.

Su Wanqing looked at Chen Fan and asked softly: "Is it all handled?"

Chen Fan nodded: "Yes, it's all handled."

He placed the infant back beside Su Wanqing and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Outside the window, the sky over the Imperial Capital was as blue as if it had been washed.