Chapter 80

"Mr. Zhou, there's an old saying in China: 'An honest man doesn't speak in riddles.' You really don't need to be so cautious," Alfred said with a relaxed expression as he took out a glass, poured two glasses of wine, and pushed one to Zhou Yi. "Your identity can't stand up to scrutiny, can it!"

"Go on, let's hear it!" Zhou Yi sat down. Since his hidden identity had been discovered, he could only take things one step at a time.

"There aren't many people in the world capable of developing that kind of metal armor. Mr. Tony Stark doesn't have the time, and Little Osborn is still studying in England. So, the remaining targets are few," Alfred said with a confident smile. "Just by monitoring the relevant research institutions, it's easy to draw such a conclusion."

"Tell me, what do you want from me to keep this secret buried forever?" Zhou Yi asked coldly. "Is it just one hundred million dollars?"

"No, no, no. Mr. Zhou, you may not understand my intentions. I'm not extorting you," Alfred waved his hand, putting on an innocent look. "I'm just seeking cooperation. That identity is just a stepping stone for me. I don't want to use it to get anything from you. I've already said, I just want a deal."

"Deal, you say deal. I don't think any information is worth one hundred million dollars." Zhou Yi picked up the glass and took a sip, slightly easing his tone.

"For ordinary people, this information might not be worth that much. But for a New York superhero or a billionaire like you, it's definitely worth more than its weight in gold." Alfred picked up another glass. "Of course, your credibility as a person of your stature is worth my advance payment."

"Go ahead, if you really mean to make a fair deal." Zhou Yi raised his glass and assumed a listening posture, waiting for Alfred to reveal his billion-dollar information.

"Perhaps you already know about the experiments Mr. Damaginos has been conducting. He once obtained a virus sample, which is the key to all his experiments. And you, it seems, have been looking for the source of this virus sample, haven't you?"

Nodding, Zhou Yi confirmed Alfred's guess. Alfred continued.

"The virus sample comes from the British vampire family, the Victor family. Of course, further clues will need to be found by you."

"Do you think such information is worth one hundred million dollars?" Zhou Yi sneered, showing his dissatisfaction. Exchanging such superficial clues for a hundred million dollars was sheer delusion.

"This is just an appetizer, a small token of my goodwill. I mentioned this clue because it's closely related to the main course I'm about to discuss. However..."

"I'll arrange it. One hundred million dollars will be transferred to your account within twenty-four hours." Zhou Yi, already impatient, directly offered the price. Of course, he had the confidence to do so, as the Ashford family, a noble family that had existed for hundreds of years, wouldn't cheat him over such a sum.

"You're a straightforward businessman. Of course, so am I!" Alfred smiled. "The main course is no ordinary thing. Believe me. If you handle it properly, perhaps the Umbrella Corporation will be under your name."

"Umbrella isn't some simple entity. Are you sure you're not joking?" Zhou Yi became serious. If Alfred wasn't joking, this information was indeed worth the price. Of course, the premise was that the details of his information would achieve the effect he claimed.

Alfred had a confident expression and began to explain his information in detail to Zhou Yi.

"Umbrella is a company with immense power, and I believe Mr. Zhou Yi is well aware of this. Its industries cover medical, biological research, and weapons development. Although it's not as large as Stark and Osborn, it's definitely one of the world's leading giants."

"How many secrets such a company might have, people like us generally know some of the inside information. These things might not be suitable for public exposure, but they are not secrets to us."

"However, Umbrella has a dangerous project, a true secret that many people know little about. But as a descendant of the founder of this company, I do know some of the details. This secret poses a significant threat to the world."

"Threat? You're not joking, are you?" Zhou Yi felt that Alfred was exaggerating. Threats were everywhere in this world, and even Osborn had several large nuclear power plants. If they had problems, they would also pose a significant threat.

"A real threat, more terrifying than nuclear bombs," Alfred said. "A few nuclear bombs might not have a significant impact on the world, but if the results of this secret were to leak, the number of human casualties could far exceed those of nuclear bombs!"

"Biological weapons?" Zhou Yi sat up straight. If it was something like mustard gas, a type of biological weapon banned by international law, it could indeed be a powerful tool to shake this giant. However, it would only shake it; to go further would not be easy.

"Exactly, biological weapons. More precisely, a biological virus. A virus that can open up a new era!" Alfred gave a clear answer.

The moment he said this, Zhou Yi immediately thought of the monster that Yasu had become, a terrifying transformation completed through virus experiments.

"Decades ago, my grandfather, Edward Ashford, and his friends discovered an ancient biological virus in a remote area of Africa. This virus, found in a plant called the Sunflower Staircase, was a previously unknown virus with the ability to alter the chromosomes of biological cells. In some ways, it could even promote the evolution of life."

"After discovering this virus, my grandfather and his friends founded the Umbrella Corporation. They kept this virus as the company's highest secret and have been developing it for decades. Unfortunately, after my grandfather's death, my incompetent father could no longer maintain his position in the company. Now, the Ashford family has been marginalized in Umbrella, and we have been pushed out of the virus development."

"So you can sell Umbrella's secrets without any qualms?" Zhou Yi's face showed a mocking expression. He had a new understanding of this European nobleman.

"Betrayal is never due to a lack of loyalty, but because the price is too high! For the Ashfords, Umbrella has no value left. Why not use its inevitable demise to gain more benefits for ourselves?" Alfred candidly admitted his thoughts, displaying the true style of a noble, someone who would stop at nothing for profit.

"Sorry, but I haven't seen any signs of Umbrella's imminent demise yet." Zhou Yi coldly interrupted, not wanting to discuss this issue with Alfred.

"My friend, patience is a virtue." Alfred showed great tolerance towards his benefactor, patiently explaining. "Where were we? Right, the core of Umbrella, the Progenitor Virus."

"It has great power, but current technology makes it difficult to fully develop. Umbrella has been working hard on it and has already achieved results in some areas. Want to guess in what areas?"

"Definitely not in the medical field." As a weapons merchant, Zhou Yi naturally knew what was truly profitable for a company. "They used this virus to develop biological weapons?"

"Exactly, my friend. You are very wise!" Alfred smiled with ill intent. "Under the lure of profit, they abandoned the correct path of the Progenitor Virus and chose a dangerous route. The current leaders of Umbrella have reached an agreement with important figures in the U.S. military. They want to use this virus to perfect the U.S. military's super soldier program. However, they didn't expect to develop a dangerous thing."

"This biological weapon has an extremely terrifying contagiousness and mutagenic ability. The information I have proves that if it's not effectively contained, even a minor outbreak could turn a city into a dead city!"

Shocked by Alfred's information, Zhou Yi first tried to organize his thoughts and then asked.

"Such a dangerous thing, I don't believe Umbrella doesn't have a sufficiently tight security system. As long as they protect it well, the problem you mentioned doesn't exist."

"In theory, that's true! But there are always exceptions, right?" Alfred smiled. "I know that I'm not the only one with designs on this. Many of them are not just selling information; many of them have the intention to destroy Umbrella. For this, they have sent elite spies. Remember, even the strongest castle can't withstand internal collapse. Think about it, once the secret leaks and the crisis erupts, what will happen to Umbrella, which will have to bear the responsibility?"

"If what you say is true, then I can say this deal is barely fair. Now, I have only one last question." Zhou Yi stood up and asked, leaning on the table.

"Go ahead, my friend. I'm very willing to complete the final part of this deal!"

"Where is the place where they are researching biological weapons? Don't tell me you don't know. I know you still have some security forces under your control. In such an important place, Umbrella must have strong security. This information can't be unknown to you!"

"You're right. I know where it is. But does it matter to you? My friend, you just need to wait and see, and then wait to acquire Umbrella. You don't need to know the answer to this question."

"I need this answer!" Zhou Yi was firm.

Alfred chose to compromise. This unimportant question wasn't worth affecting his relationship with Zhou Yi.

"Lakeland! My friend, it's deep underground in the city built by Umbrella!"

"Very good! Then, goodbye, Mr. Alfred. If possible, I really don't want to do such a deal with you again."

"I hope so too. The Ashford family can't rely on others to survive forever." Watching Zhou Yi's sharp figure turn and leave, Alfred muttered to himself. "I promised Alexia to revive the Ashford family."

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