The head of the Life Foundation's publicity department was scrambling.
He knew the scandal was irreversible and only hoped to minimize the damage to the Life Foundation.
However, neither he nor Carlton Drake anticipated that the netizens, wielding keyboards and delivering virtual punches, would be so fierce and swift.
Within a few hours, netizens had united to leave messages on the San Francisco City Government's official website.
Even the White House website's message board instantly gained thousands of messages related to the homeless, demanding the White House order a thorough investigation into the matter.
At the same time, a group of people who had long disliked the Life Foundation, along with those eager to cause trouble for the San Francisco City Government, joined forces to pressure the city government.
The Bugle.
Anton sat in his office, staring at the various rumors on his computer screen, his expression strange.
Things were getting a little out of control.
Online public opinion was rapidly fermenting. The situation at the Homeless Shelter had spread to most websites, as if it had become a celebratory frenzy for netizens.
The Life Foundation was the sacrifice.
With the capabilities of The Bugle, they could certainly stir up this topic, but the explosion of popularity to this extent was far beyond Anton's expectations.
Anton vaguely sensed that it wasn't just The Bugle targeting the Life Foundation.
The Bugle was just the one flipping the table.
There were many shadowy figures behind the scenes, secretly working hard to fuel the fire.
Those Shadowy Figures, sneaking up without a word and disregarding all rules of engagement, had tacitly joined forces with The Bugle, surrounding the Life Foundation.
Thinking about it, it made perfect sense.
The Life Foundation had risen to prominence very quickly, and they also held numerous new pharmaceutical patents. With so much at stake, it was inevitable that they would attract the envy of many competitors.
It's human nature to resent the success of others.
Even without any personal animosity, countless people would be happy to see the Life Foundation fall.
The Life Foundation was a massive cake.
Its collapse would provide an opportunity for countless people to grab a piece of that cake.
And The Bugle, led by Anton, was the one wielding the cutlery, poised to take the first slice.
"So that's how it is, they're using someone as a tool."
Anton stroked his chin, muttering to himself, "From the Rocket Crash Incident, it's clear these Shadowy Figures are eyeing the Life Foundation. Otherwise, Carlton Drake wouldn't be rushing to attend all sorts of interviews and programs to stabilize the company. He's clearly warning those Shadowy Figures..."
"But, you're going to be disappointed this time, Drake!"
He smiled.
Clack, clack, clack!
Betty, heels clicking, sashayed over to Anton.
"Today's newspaper sales are three times the average of last month. It seems a lot of people are waiting for us to keep exposing things, thanks to the online buzz."
She looked excited, reporting the situation. "The Life Foundation just contacted us. They want us to stay silent, preferably to distance the Life Foundation from the Homeless Shelter. They're willing to pay a hundred million dollars to shut us up."
"A hundred million dollars?"
Anton was taken aback, sighing in admiration, "That's a big move."
"Also, they have an additional condition," Betty added. "Fire Eddie Brock. If we want the one hundred million dollars, that condition has to be met."
"Let them eat shit."
Anton was blunt, scoffing in derision.
Knowing that the Life Foundation was now facing not just one, but possibly several Shadowy Figures, Anton wasn't so concerned about their counterattack.
What he was thinking about now was simply finding a way to save Eddie, who was trapped.
"It's time to add fuel to the fire."
Anton looked at Betty and smiled, "You understand what I mean."
"Of course."
Betty nodded seriously.
On the other side, in San Francisco, Phil received orders from Anton and hired two people to put up banners on the street.
"Dignity is Priceless! Resist the Life Foundation!"
"Tear Down the Homeless Shelter! Homeless People are Human Beings, Not Beasts to be Kept!"
He organized a protest.
Many people on the street gradually joined in.
This incident erupted in a short amount of time, but the evidence was irrefutable, leaving the Life Foundation with no room to argue.
Adding to this were the disgusting propaganda materials from before, making many citizens of San Francisco feel deceived.
And so, the parade quickly grew in size.
Phil, working behind the scenes, guided the parade to the Homeless Shelter first.
The Homeless Association's security was powerless to stop them.
Although they had clubs, they were no match for the sheer number of people surging forward.
The true conditions inside the Homeless Shelter were finally exposed for all to see.
Local San Francisco self-media outlets, video bloggers, and others, all carrying cameras, recorded the scene, looking as though they had struck gold, each one incredibly excited.
Many more people were filming with their phones.
This batch of material immediately sent the Homeless Shelter skyrocketing up the trending topics.
This wave of attacks was like a storm, leaving the Life Foundation with no defense, unable to clear their name any further.
At the same time, The Bugle's official statement released another piece of news, which almost shocked the national media.
Countless netizens shifted their focus from the Homeless Shelter to the Life Foundation.
The Bugle revealed: The Life Foundation had signed volunteer agreements with the homeless that the homeless couldn't understand, and which were fundamentally unequal. They used illegal and non-compliant operations to conduct human experiments on the homeless.
Over the years, the reason the Life Foundation had developed so rapidly was because they had secretly conducted countless human experiments.
In this process, tens of thousands of lives were lost.
The Homeless Shelter was the Life Foundation's "pig farm," prepared for their human experiments, waiting to be harvested at any time.
This news report was like a depth charge, once again causing an uproar.
Although The Bugle's exposé didn't provide any concrete evidence, the situation at the Homeless Shelter, witnessed by countless people, effectively corroborated the truth of the report.
Someone interviewed the homeless.
As expected, they learned that many people had signed agreements with the Life Foundation and were subsequently taken away.
According to the interviewed homeless, those who signed the agreements never returned after participating in the Life Foundation's experiments.
The Homeless Shelter staff claimed that these individuals had returned to normal lives.
However, when someone pressed them, asking for the current locations, names, and specific information about these homeless individuals, the staff refused, citing personal privacy.
This further confirmed the truth of the exposé.
In an instant, The Bugle, under the banner of justice, gained significant fame.
Life Foundation became a complete failure, a pariah in the celebratory frenzy of countless netizens and the media.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Phil once again organized a demonstration, leading a group of San Francisco citizens who were calling for justice, to the Life Foundation's experimental base.
His goal this time was to rescue Eddie.