Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

Simply firing or dismissing her might be the best-case scenario; in a more serious case, the board might choose to imprison Saria to manage the risk. And what will happen next, faced with that shocking and alluring girl, is self-evident.

Colombians are like that; unlike the Chinese, when faced with major decisions, they think of themselves first rather than the collective. Celia and Muels weren't close, but she had a very good relationship with Monica from the technical department. Even Monica, who valued "privacy" highly, introduced her to her prized student, "White Owl."

From Monica's tone, it was clear that she had no intention of handing over the document, which could potentially endanger Saria's life, to the company's higher-ups. She intended to protect her friend, even if it meant sacrificing the company's interests.

Saria has a good friend.

Muirses sighed, but at the same time, she also had to endure Monica's questioning gaze.

Monica wondered if she also had a "good friend".

"So why did you tell me this?"

Muirses sighed helplessly, pulled over a chair, and buried her head in Monica's chest. From her own perspective, and given her lack of connection with Saria, she naturally preferred to hand over the information to her superiors in exchange for a substantial reward. But Monica's actions were tantamount to a veiled threat, an attempt to drag her onto a dangerous path.

What else could Muels do? Follow the example of a protagonist in a wish-fulfillment novel, turn his back on his friend who had helped him many times, and just break off the friendship?

That's impossible. It's not easy for someone as warm on the outside but cold on the inside as her to make a close friend, so how could she just cut ties like that? Even in Yan, where collective interests are valued, such a heroic act as sacrificing family for the greater good is still a "minority" worthy of praise, let alone in a country like Colombia where personal gain is valued. Muels' values ​​do not support her behavior of "snatching the USB drive from Monica and handing it over to betray her friend for personal gain".

Seeing that Muels had made his decision, Monica finally felt relieved. She didn't want to coerce her friend into making such a decision, but Muels was, after all, someone sent by Director Henry to investigate the matter. If she didn't bring her into the fold, Seria would also be in trouble afterward.

Moreover, both morally and logically, Monica couldn't let Muelsys be dragged into this mess without knowing the truth. Since Monica was determined to protect Seria, she should let Muelsys, who had the right to know the truth, make a choice as soon as possible.

If she chooses to inform her superiors, Monica has no choice but to do her best to help Seria and the little girl escape the pursuit of Rhine Life and the state legislator. If Muirses chooses not to report it...

"I'm sorry, Miu Miu, I promise you, I'll do anything you ask for."

Muels, slightly surprised, lifted his head from his voluptuous chest, glanced at Monica, and after a moment, replied:

“I’ll remember this favor, and you’ll have to repay it sooner or later. Also, don’t expect me to cover for you for long. If Director Henry asks, I can only help you cover it up three times at most. If you and Seria don’t resolve things properly during those three times, then don’t blame me.”

"understand!"

...................

"Ding-dong, we've arrived at the floor."

The AI ​​in the elevator gave a friendly notification and opened the elevator doors. Outside was a futuristic-looking conference room.

Just like a war room in a science fiction movie from my previous life, the first thing I saw was a long, rectangular mahogany table with a huge black sphere embedded in the center, along with a display panel-like device hanging from the ceiling. Wayne judged that it was probably a projection device.

The table was already full of people, with only one empty seat at the far end near the head of the table. An autonomous drone displaying the VEEN logo floated in front of Wayne, guiding him to the empty seat that didn't actually need guidance, and blocking Kal'tsit from following.

"Madam, may I ask who you are?"

Soon, an old, thin man who looked like a waiter came to Kal'tsit with a tray and politely asked her questions.

Kal'tsit frowned and looked at Wayne. Wayne blinked, about to say, "She's my secretary," when Kal'tsit interrupted him.

“I am his wife.”

"It'll be easier for family members to enter, don't misunderstand!" Kal'tsit said, giving the stunned Wayne a subtle glare. At the same time, she silently said to herself, "Theresia, I'm sorry. This is just a temporary measure."

"Is he a relative of the shareholder?" The waiter looked knowing, but still didn't let them through. Instead, he stepped aside to make way, offering a gentlemanly smile as he said:

"Please come this way. Ladies are all resting in the special lounge. We will meet all your needs and ensure that you have a safe and comfortable experience during the shareholders' meeting. This is RheinLife's responsibility."

Kal'tsit slightly opened her mouth?

Family rest room? What's going on?

She raised her hand, feigning confusion, and pointed to a shareholder with his back to her and the woman beside him not far away, asking:

"But that gentleman wasn't..."

The gentleman glanced back and explained:

"Oh, that's the shareholder's secretary. The shareholder has a bad memory, so he asked his secretary to be present to help record the meeting minutes."

secretary.....

"puff."

Wayne couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Kal'tsit's face was as gloomy as an old woman going through menopause, experiencing her period, and feeling a bit constipated.

So all my apologies to Theresa were for nothing?

Am I not losing out?

Is it too late for me to change my tune and say I'm a secretary?

"This way, please."

The waiter spoke again. Kal'tsit clenched her fist imperceptibly, nodded reluctantly, gave Wayne a look that said, "Be careful while I'm gone," and turned to leave with the waiter.

"Now that everyone is here, I hereby declare the 33rd Rhine Life Annual General Meeting officially open. I, Henry, the Executive Director of this Technology Expo, will now give you a brief overview of the plans for this major event."

Chapter Thirteen: Here is the Dragon Slayer Before Becoming a Dragon

The main venue for this technology expo is located in the newly expanded Silicon Valley Core Area Technology Expo, while the secondary venue is situated in the heart of RheinLife's circular headquarters. The expo is divided into three main phases, starting with an opening ceremony where representatives from RheinLife, the organizer, deliver speeches and conduct public promotion.

That's right, it's about publicly promoting their own products. That's why tech companies all over Silicon Valley are scrambling to win the right to host the tech expo. Although they all firmly believe that good wine needs no bush, even if it's the same good wine, one company has the opportunity to conduct public advertising and promotion covering all of Terra, and can even hold the expo at their own company, while the other can only watch helplessly, hoping that the other company won't use this as an excuse to make things difficult for them. Isn't that a huge difference?

In a technology city where opportunities and competition are intertwined, the importance of resources is self-evident. Often, one step down is equivalent to step down again, which means talent loss, stagnant development, declining profits, corporate losses, and even bankruptcy and mergers.

Sitting in the shareholders' seat, Wayne propped his head up and listened to the long and impassioned speech, and he actually felt a little "fired up".

The second phase is an opportunity for major companies to publicly showcase their research achievements. Many technology companies will use this opportunity to promote their research results accumulated over the past three years, covering a wide range of fields – virtually every imaginable area. During this time, a large screen in the center of the exhibition hall will display real-time updates on the latest transaction figures of each company. This undoubtedly promotes competition, and the company with the highest transaction figure will have the opportunity to give a concluding speech at the closing ceremony of the third phase. Similar to RheinLife, they can also promote their own brand.

However, under normal circumstances, Rhine Life, the organizer that has attracted attention and gained a lot of hype from the opening ceremony, should be able to easily take the top spot in transaction volume at the closing ceremony. In other words, Rhine Life is likely to win both ways, winning twice.

"And our goal is to achieve a complete victory at this expo! To utterly defeat our competitor, Loken Water Tank!"

To Wien was somewhat surprised that a company would be publicly named at a shareholders' meeting. After all, even gangs don't usually name a particular gang when planning their future strategies, saying things like, "Our next target is to take you down." After all, relationships are always important in the underworld.

However, it seems that capitalists probably don't have this kind of thing among themselves.

After listening to Director Henry's presentation, it was time for a Q&A session. Seeing that most shareholders were merely whispering among themselves and no one was asking questions, Wayne pursed his lips and raised his hand:

“Mr. Henry”

“Hello, Mr. Wayne, it’s a pleasure to see you at this conference that concerns the future development of Rhine Life.” Henry immediately turned around and replied with a genuine smile: “Do you have any questions? I will answer them for you in detail.”

Wayne was slightly surprised by the enthusiastic attitude, but he still asked seriously:

"What research products will Rhine Life Sciences be showcasing at this technology expo? Or rather, who gave you gentlemen such great confidence that Rhine Life Sciences will be the biggest winner of this expo?"

Upon hearing Wayne's words, several of the older shareholders frowned, seemingly wanting to stand up and say something, but Henry stopped them and stepped in to explain on Wayne's behalf:

"I apologize, gentlemen, although Mr. Wayne's words were somewhat blunt, they hit the nail on the head. Considering that this is his first time attending a meeting, I feel it is necessary to give Mr. Wayne a detailed introduction to the flagship product that Rhine Life will be launching this time."

Henry reached out and, with practiced ease, almost glancing at the screen beneath him, effortlessly pulled up the file on "Ace," then pointed to the 3D holographic projection displayed in the hollow of the conference table and explained to Wayne:

"32-8B, the Saver, an Oripathy inhibitor. The pinnacle of technology from Rhine Labs, it boasts an astonishing 80% inhibition rate against the spread of Oripathy. This means that with regular injections of this revolutionary product, 80% of Oripathy sufferers can lead normal lives! Furthermore, experimental results show that even when personnel using this reagent enter areas with high concentrations of Originium dust, it effectively protects our employees from Oripathy infection! This is a masterpiece, a masterpiece capable of changing the world!"

Henry opened his arms wide, praising him almost fanatically. At the same time, his gaze never left Wayne's face; he smiled, thoroughly pleased with the surprise on Wayne's face, and then delivered his concluding remarks:

“Mr. Wayne, Rhine Life is a young research company full of dreams, hopes, and the future. Our mission is to ‘use our hands as a blade to change the world.’ Investing in us will be the wisest choice you have ever made!”

But what he clearly hadn't expected was that Wayne's surprise wasn't due to the Oripathy inhibitor launched by Rhine Lab, although the drug was indeed powerful enough to surprise Wayne. What he found even more unbelievable was that Rhine Lab had actually launched this drug!

I'm not seeing things, am I? Rhine Life?

Did he go to the wrong place, or was what he was seeing just another pharmaceutical company disguised as Rhine Life, such as "Rhode Island Pharmaceuticals"?

Wayne's first reaction was disbelief. He even suspected that Rhine Life had seen through his disguise and deliberately fabricated such a lie to deceive him. But one person can lie, but a group of people cannot. Wayne glanced at the shareholders present. Everyone, even those who knew about this beforehand, couldn't help but show admiration. Only a very few people seemed to have thought of something and looked worried.

The two elderly men who had just tried to criticize Wayne for not fulfilling any shareholder responsibility were now acting with the fanaticism of believers, as if they saw in this miraculous invention the hope of realizing their "corporate ideals".

Wayne had seen this fanatical expression far too many times during his push for religious reform; it couldn't be faked.

In other words, they genuinely considered this as RheinLife's trump card at this technology expo.

In July 1092, Rhine Life, the future giant of Colombia, had not yet gone astray. Just as Director Henry praised it, it was a young company that brought together "ideals," "hope," and "future," striving to change the world, and had even uttered its first cry!

Surprising, breathtaking, and equally heartening.

Wayne took a deep breath and silently deleted his original plan to casually mention Rhine Labs in the report exposing Loken's water tanks. He didn't need to attack such a company and such a group of people, equating them with evil.

Wayne nodded, and just in case, he asked:

"And what about our pricing?"

"The company has certainly taken into account the difficult situation of ordinary people with Oripathy. In fact, the company has reduced production costs to the greatest extent possible. We will sell Saver inhibitors at only 1.5 times the price of other Oripathy inhibitors on the market. Although the profit is small, we are determined to ensure that all Oripathy patients have the opportunity to be reborn."

That's an exaggeration. Even though it's only 1.5 times the original price, it's still a price that most patients with mineral stones can never reach in their lifetime.

However, Wayne had no grounds to criticize the price as too high. Research and development cost money, production cost money, and advertising cost money. Moreover, it was something like an Oripathy inhibitor. Although it was not a cure, it had an 80% probability of inhibiting the progression of the disease and also had a strong preventive effect. It was already a miracle drug, so it was conceivable that the cost was astronomical. If it weren't for the boost from the science expo, Rhine Lab would likely have faced a loss. Although the price was high, it was already quite reasonable.

"Amazing."

Wayne said it from the bottom of his heart.

This is a good thing. He met the dragon slayer before he became a dragon, and now he finally understands why Saria, Himeru, White Owl, Medivh... MacArthur... in short, the little penguin... so many outstanding scientists chose Rhine Lab to dedicate their youth to it.

It must be said that if such a company existed, and if such a company could continue to exist, it would indeed be very attractive.

Wayne couldn't help but think that Rhine Lab's rise to prominence was probably due to the popularity of its products at this expo.

Chapter Fourteen Theresa: Wow~

Shareholders' family lounge.

Kal'tsit sat gracefully on the sofa, surrounded by a group of middle-aged noblewomen who were greeting her familiarly.

"Young lady, how come you're so young? You're married at such a young age?"

A middle-aged woman named Volper asked curiously, shaking her head slightly as she spoke, seemingly feeling sorry for Kal'tsit.

"To be targeted by an old man over fifty at such a young age, it's really... sigh, Colombia, people's hearts have changed."

The tone of his voice, whether openly or subtly, was one of indignation on Kal'tsit's behalf.

Even more terrifying, the ladies nearby all nodded in unison. They raised their fists, seemingly ready to avenge the "young and beautiful" Film "girl" and condemn the despicable capitalist who was preying on a young woman.

However, the more indignant, passionate, and compassionate they became, the more embarrassed Kal'tsit felt.

Because the more she listened, the more she felt something was off. Why did she keep feeling like these people weren't cursing Wayne, but cursing her, Kal'tsit?

Speaking of age, she could probably add up the ages of the shareholders' families present and then square it. She certainly wasn't young, nor was she beautiful. Kal'tsit considered herself to be only somewhat attractive, far from being a true beauty that could topple kingdoms. However, she always preferred to win people over with her charisma... ahem, we've gone off-topic. What kind of charisma did she have to win over? She wasn't trying to seduce anyone.

The phrase "young and handsome" is probably more fitting to describe Wayne. He's ranked second in terms of looks in the Aslan pride, and is also one of the youngest and most attractive members of the entire pride. He perfectly fits this description in every way.