Rumble...
The people protesting and rioting outside the Umbrella Industrial Park suddenly felt the ground tremble, and a series of "booming" sounds came from afar.
Soon, dozens of armored vehicles and armored personnel carriers, carrying over a thousand soldiers, quickly drove up.
Upon arrival, the thousand-plus soldiers quickly dismounted, attempting to control the protesting crowd.
Rustle, rustle, rustle...
At the same time, four helicopters swept past at low altitude, stirring up a gale on the ground, and the blowing sand forced people to close their eyes to defend themselves.
"All personnel, according to the temporary decree of the Pegros Federation Government, immediately evacuate unconditionally!"
Soldiers on the helicopters announced through loudspeakers to the crowd below, their tone stern.
"Don't be afraid, everyone! They don't dare to do anything to us!"
Among the crowd, someone stood on a car roof, holding up a "Open Authority, Hand Over Manufacturing Process" sign, directing groups of ignorant people who had lost their minds.
During this period, in protest crowds in major cities around the world, there would usually be one or more commanding figures, brainwashing and manipulating these excited, self-unaware citizens.
"Fire tear gas."
The commander of this unit ordered. They had encountered such situations several times before and were well-versed in handling them, though this time the scale was larger.
Thump, thump, thump...
Tear gas canisters arced white lines across the sky, scattering among the tens of thousands of protesters. They hissed, releasing large amounts of white, acrid smoke.
"Cough, cough..."
A chorus of coughs erupted from the crowd. People covered their mouths and noses with their hands or clothes, moving away from the areas shrouded in white mist.
"Second warning, all Pegros Federation residents, immediately evacuate unconditionally and return home."
On the foremost armored vehicle, a soldier held a loudspeaker, advising the protesters.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out from within the protest crowd. A spark flew off the armored vehicle, frightening the soldier speaking into the loudspeaker, who immediately ducked back into the armored vehicle.
Pegros did not restrict firearms; tens of millions of guns were privately owned, with almost everyone having a gun at home for emergencies.
However, due to the sparse population, the number of civilian crimes in Pegros was not as frequent or widespread as in the United States of Adime.
"Heh heh, let's see how you'll handle this now..."
In the crowd, a man snickered, pocketed his pistol, and bent down, disappearing into the crowd.
"They opened fire!!"
A rioter in the crowd shouted loudly, raising a gun and firing it into the sky.
Hearing the gunshot, the crowd of protesters became even more frenzied, throwing stones and miscellaneous objects, as well as homemade Molotov cocktails, at the military armored vehicles.
"Charge!"
Some even set cars on fire and drove the burning vehicles towards the soldiers.
The commander watched the car charging towards his soldiers, his face grim. Daring to attack the military meant they were no longer just protesters, but rioters.
And this unit was his pride and joy!
In a critical moment, the commander ordered to open fire.
"Boom!"
A flash of fire from the armored vehicle's cannon, and the burning vehicle charging towards the troops "boomed" and instantly exploded into a ball of flames. Exploding metal fragments splattered in all directions.
"Ah~!!!"
Among the surrounding crowd, many rioters were affected. Their limbs were broken, and blood flowed everywhere.
In an instant, there were heavy casualties.
The people in the protest line immediately held their breath, stopping their advance.
Such a terrifying scene made them regain a bit of sanity. The exploding car and the wailing, screaming people lying on the ground made them realize.
The military really dared to take action; they weren't just there to intimidate them.
At this moment, looking at the scene before them, even the most fanatical people couldn't help but feel fear, no longer daring to charge forward fearlessly.
"All personnel! Immediately evacuate unconditionally from this place and return to your homes!"
On the armored vehicle, the soldier re-emerged from the armored vehicle and shouted through the loudspeaker.
On an armored vehicle in the middle of the unit, the commander looked at the crowd ahead, his eyes cold and murderous.
He had received orders from his superiors before coming. The international situation was chaotic, and many dark hands were secretly pushing all this.
Aside from certain industry giants, there might even be shadows of certain countries. Therefore, they didn't need to be overly concerned about international public opinion.
Especially for those severe riots suspected to be artificially instigated, if the people at the front were not deterred, the losses caused later would probably only be greater.
They were the state's apparatus of violence and did not need to show mercy to rioters who dared to cause trouble and incite public opinion. They would suppress them swiftly using the fastest and most brutal methods.
Every country was like this, with no sympathy, no mercy.
When the military resorted to coercive measures, completely disregarding the lives of the civilians, this war, which was not really a war, ended.
At this time, apart from the government's temporary decree being repeatedly broadcast from the armored vehicles, there was no longer any dissenting voice.
Dozens of armored vehicles formed a line, surrounding the rioting crowd. In the cold and murderous atmosphere, people slowly left the Umbrella Industrial Park under the military's control.
"Problem solved."
Pride opened his book and began to read diligently again.
The highway monitoring system transmitted all real-time feedback of the conflict between the military and the civilians to the office.
"Notify Caesar, Julius, as well as Andres, and Eric."
"We'll take care of the cleanup."
Illumi turned and walked towards the elevator. Greed and Lust followed behind him.
He had built a helipad at the headquarters, specifically for parking the company's private airships.
He said he was going to deal with Hubert Hamilton, and he wasn't just talking.
Of course, none of the people who had made a move against the Umbrella Corporation this time would be spared.
And after Illumi left, Gin Bladeley received a call from the V5 organization's headquarters.
He was ordered to go to the V5 organization's headquarters a month later to attend a special joint meeting.
During the meeting, he would have to stand on stage and deliver a speech to representatives from hundreds of countries around the world and countless journalists, and answer questions.
Not only that.
Before then, countless forces and conglomerates would try to approach him through various means: threats, inducements, theft, and so on, endlessly.
But Gin Bladeley already had a clear idea in his mind. When he stood on that stage, it would represent the future of Umbrella Biotech, and it would not and could not be in the control of any other force.
"I understand. You have free rein."
On the private airship heading to the United States of Adime, Illumi received Gin Bladeley's notification, and a mocking smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He was going to kill those who dared to contend with him for food now. Let's see who else dared to snatch from him.
The Umbrella cake, he would swallow it all alone. Not even a crumb would be left for anyone else.
This trip involved a total of seven airships, heading to major cities in various countries around the world. The target was to suppress the public opinion trend and secretly employ means to hinder the development of the Umbrella Corporation, and to deal with the conglomerates and industry giants behind it.
The seven ships carried Greed, Lust, Julius, and three others, plus Illumi himself, a total of seven people.
And he was heading to Groom City in the United States of Adime, the headquarters of In-Meina Biotech.
At the same time, Gin Bladeley also left the company and boarded an airship bound for the V5 organization headquarters.
Groom City outskirts, In-Meina Biotech headquarters.
9:30 PM.
Hubert Hamilton, the 64-year-old chairman and CEO, stepped out of his chairman's office and entered his private sightseeing elevator.
He was dressed in a grey suit, holding a briefcase tucked under his arm, clasped across his chest. As the elevator descended, he put down the briefcase and adjusted his collar in the reflection of the glass.
"Ding!"
The elevator reached the basement. Hubert tugged at his collar, revealing a calm and confident smile, and stepped out of the elevator with his briefcase tucked under his right arm.
Outside the elevator, four suited bodyguards were already waiting, protecting Hubert as he made his way to the underground parking lot.
One bodyguard pulled open the door of a black sedan. Hubert naturally bent down and entered. After Hubert got in, the other two bodyguards also entered.
The remaining bodyguard glanced at him, pulled open the passenger seat door, and sat down.
The last bodyguard's lips curled into a smile as he also opened the car door and got into the driver's seat.
Vroom...
The car engine started, and the sedan drove out of the basement, traveling along a small road away from the industrial park and onto the highway.
On the highway, cars occasionally sped past.
Hubert, in the sedan, took a bottle of red wine from the refrigerator and poured it into a stemmed glass. He gently swirled it, took a small sip, and showed an expression of enjoyment.
"Hmm... Red wine, 'New Hero' from Manasseh State in southern Pegros, is still the most classic."
The two bodyguards in the sedan said nothing, silently guarding his safety.
"Something's wrong!"
Suddenly, one of the bodyguards frowned and spoke.
"What's wrong?"
His alertness immediately caught the attention of Hubert and the other bodyguard.
"The car is too fast!"
Hubert and the other bodyguard looked out the window upon hearing this. The roadside flowers, trees, and even the guardrails were already blurred to the point of being indistinguishable.
This speed far exceeded the maximum speed limit on the highway.
"Calling Golden, calling Roel."
The two bodyguards quickly pulled out their pistols and loaded them, while simultaneously trying to call the two bodyguards driving in front, but there was no response in their earpieces.
"One with the body~"
In the driver's seat, the suited bodyguard stepped hard on the accelerator. The music player was turned up to maximum volume. In the passenger seat, the two suited bodyguards were slumped sideways in their seats.
Their eyes were blank, and they were unconscious.
"Boss, a heavy truck will be approaching from the front in thirty seconds."
A young, energetic female voice echoed in the suited bodyguard's earpiece.
"I already see it."
The suited bodyguard responded. His golden hawk eyes narrowed, locking onto the heavy truck still in the distance.
Thirty seconds later, the heavy truck and the black sedan met as scheduled. The suited bodyguard violently swerved the steering wheel to the left.
Screech!
Wail!
The truck driver, driving, looked at the black extended sedan that suddenly turned in front of him. Frightened, he slammed on the horn and swerved the steering wheel frantically. Accompanied by a piercing screech of brakes and a loud horn, the two vehicles inevitably collided.
CRASH!!!
At the moment of impact, the truck's front and the car's front made a huge sound. The car windows shattered with a crack, and countless tiny glass fragments splattered onto the people inside the car.
And the front of the sedan was completely smashed due to the impact.
Creak...
Illumi, his entire body covered by the strongest shield, pried open the metal pressing on his thighs and body, and crawled out of the flattened driver's seat. He looked at the two bodyguards in the passenger seat, who were already crushed into a pulp.
Splash...
Illumi used his hand to push away the glass fragments on the car window and looked inside. Hubert and his two bodyguards were already covered in blood, and even their ribs had pierced through their bodies.
Illumi felt no emotion from them; they were all completely dead.
"An occasional accident isn't bad either."
Illumi spread his arms wide, and a large amount of black shadows shot out from beneath his feet, transforming into a giant black eagle.
Leaping onto the giant eagle's back, under his control, the giant eagle "boomed" and flapped its wings, soaring high into the sky.
"Boss, I've already canceled the bounty Hubert posted on the black market by hacking into his personal computer and cracking the password."
"Excellent, Riley."
Illumi praised softly. Riley's computer skills were growing stronger with time.
Her potential was immense, and it wouldn't be long before she surpassed Ikuzape.
Over the next week, the headlines of major newspapers around the world were dominated by the deaths of the helmsmen of certain pharmaceutical industry giants or certain conglomerate tycoons.
Most ordinary people just considered it an accident. Only a small number of people realized that it was an assassination incident in a premeditated business operation.
The deaths of these people put a heavy鎖 on the hearts of many restless individuals.
A month later, Gin Bladeley symbolically brought more than ten bodyguards and set foot on the V5 organization's headquarters.
The V5 organization's headquarters building originally had construction funds of less than ten billion Jenny.
Three years ago, the five strongest great nations in the world allocated hundreds of billions of Jenny to renovate and maintain it, which is how the current V5 organization headquarters building came to be.
The interior walls of the hall were curved, the roof was a cable-stayed structure, covered by a dome, and the building adopted a glass curtain wall.
The front and rear facades both used dark green heat-absorbing glass curtain walls with aluminum alloy frames, and the end gables were faced with white marble.
The building's shape was simple, its colors bright, and its textures contrasted strongly.
Outside the headquarters building, a large number of reporters and media had already gathered, waiting for the key personnel who were about to attend the upcoming joint meeting.
Vroom...
A convoy of seven black multi-functional SUVs stopped in front of the V5 headquarters building.
Reporters saw Gin Bladeley get out of the car and immediately swarmed him frantically. Over a dozen bodyguards in suits instantly surrounded Gin Bladeley, blocking their approach.
Gin Bladeley had a powerful aura. In the direction he intended to go, the crowd would instinctively part, creating a gap for him to pass through.
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