People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Concealing it is impossible now; at the very least, they must distance themselves from Rhine Life and their connections.

Christensen frowned upon hearing this:

"Loken Williams should have been commissioned by the military."

Yara shrugged, her complaint coming from the bottom of her heart:

"You know what the military is like. When things are going well, they'll bring up any kind of heinous experiment to us, and they'll push for progress like it's their life. But once something goes wrong, they'll run away faster than anyone else."

Christensen asked again: Dad

"The Terra International Human Rights Council is under Ernst's control, and their president, Hermer, is also a long-time employee of ours. Can't we stop them?"

But Yara still shook her head: Seven

“They want to investigate thoroughly. This matter actually has nothing to do with us; it was a private collaboration between the Loken Tank Laboratory and the military. However, our inadequate oversight in this matter is undeniable. If the investigation comes to light, we will definitely be implicated.”

Yara was actually quite helpless.

She wants to regulate, but how can she regulate? Loken Tank collaborates with the military; Rhine Lab itself is forced to conduct experiments like the "Flame Demon Project" for the military. Can she simply stop Loken Tank's mission?

Now that things have gone wrong, the Terra International Human Rights Council is investigating, and they seem determined to take action even if the military comes. The military has made a hasty retreat, immediately distancing themselves from all responsibility, but what about Rhine Life?

While inadequate oversight may not be a major scandal, these are turbulent times, and Rhine Life has already suffered enough from the crackdown in the Special Administrative Region over the past few months.

It's not the small things that are scary, it's the opportunity. There are plenty of "competitors" who can't stand to see RheinLife doing well. If they fan the flames and escalate the situation, RheinLife's reputation will be ruined.

If the military were to seize this opportunity to take advantage of the situation and launch a surprise attack, Rhine Labs, Christensen's life's work, would truly fall into the hands of the military.

That was the last thing Yara wanted to see.

But Christensen didn't seem to care. After listening, she simply waved her hand: a

"Then let them investigate."

"But"

"What does it have to do with us? This matter has nothing to do with us. Just like you said, no matter how much they investigate, in the end they can only find out about inadequate supervision."

Christensen Road, U

"I know what you're worried about. The Terra International Human Rights Council might have been bribed to add some dirt on us to the investigation, right?"

Christensen smiled. Just because she didn't think about these conspiracies and schemes didn't mean she knew nothing.

Even in the original timeline, she was capable of completing her plan to fly to the heavens using the Preserver's sarcophagus without the knowledge of Saria, the military, the political world, and Rhodes Island. When it comes to scheming and manipulation, she is second to none.

If you're going to add tainted material, then so be it.

She didn't spout any nonsense like believing in Ernst, believing in Hermer, or believing in the Terra International Human Rights Council.

The first two people are trustworthy, but it's perfectly normal for an organization to have one or two bad apples. Everyone has weaknesses, and it's not impossible for someone to be manipulated into doing something against their conscience.

But that doesn't matter.

For a conspiracy to work, people must actually be willing to play along at the table with you.

Kristen had long since given up on that idea.

If the Terra International Human Rights Council conducts an impartial investigation, Rhine Life will be fine. If they have indeed been smeared, then nothing will happen.

Rhine Life Sciences, permanently withdrawing!

I'm leaving. I'm not hanging around Columbia anymore. Go have fun by yourself.

I've been wanting to stargaze in Shelag every day for ages, who wants to deal with you competitors and clients!

Moreover, whether this matter will actually escalate into a major controversy is another matter entirely.

"I will tell Ernst about this tomorrow."

Christen said slowly, reassuring Yara.

Go ahead and stir things up! I refuse to believe that anyone can cover up the sky of the Terra International Human Rights Council.

I'm going to complain to Ernst!

Chapter 649 When Man Faces Power

"He doesn't need to handle such a trivial matter."

Mark Max waved his hand, gesturing to the Tin Man.

"Whether it's the truth or slander, it's a trivial matter involving cats and dogs. Why bother Ernst with it? You can handle it yourself."

Looking at the door of the Loken Water Tank Laboratory in front of him, the Tin Man swallowed the hot dog in his hand whole and exhaled a rising breath of hot air.

That's why he's standing here.

Ernst received Christensen's complaint. Mark Max also received it.

Ernst's advice was to investigate thoroughly before taking any action. Those who should be dismissed should be dismissed, those who should be handed over should be handed over, and those who should receive compensation should be compensated. Rhine Life is a large corporation, and while there are many reasons, including the unfortunate reality of the unequal relationship between the military and the company, ultimately, Rhine Life bears responsibility for inadequate oversight.

Those who were injured in the experiment, their condition is a fact, and all that can be done is to make amends as much as possible afterward. Although this is not a big deal or anything new on Terra, it carries considerable weight in Ernst's mind.

Either he doesn't know about this, or since Christensen has asked him, he has no choice but to, and will definitely, give this solution.

He certainly won't help suppress this scandal. On a grand scale, as the prime minister of a country, there's no need for him to tarnish his own reputation. On a smaller scale, if he does something and has nightmares at night, that's something even the great god Yeragand can't control.

All he could do was try to find ways to help reduce the social impact of this incident on Rhine Life.

The culprit wasn't Rhine Life. Although Ernst was angry and dissatisfied, he didn't need to watch Rhine Life be thrown into chaos by those who fanned the flames. This only served their purpose.

As for methods, there are many. The simplest is to fire a few Ursus diplomats—oops, wrong story. It would probably be better to create another trending news story.

This is simple. His trip to Colombia has yielded many headlines, and Mark Max has also promised to promote tourism in Shelag, Colombia. These can all be considered hot topics.

That's just how politics is. Many things can be big or small, complex or simple. A whole page in the newspaper might be about something that has absolutely nothing to do with ordinary people. On the contrary, sometimes a simple phrase like "Don't say we didn't warn you" is more often the case, "the fewer the words, the bigger the matter."

Ernst hinted at his meaning to Mark Max.

After all, he couldn't be too explicit. People always need to be reserved. Although Ernst was protective of his own, he couldn't directly criticize the President of Colombia on such matters, even though the president himself seemed quite happy to be criticized.

His Excellency the President was also very sensible. The moment he received a signal from Ernst's eyes and expression, he understood and nodded his pigeon head.

Then the situation became like this.

"When a friend of the boss asks for a favor, the boss has to instruct the employees. The employees then have to get up in the middle of the night to work overtime."

The tin man muttered a complaint, but it wasn't a real complaint; rather, it was more of a look of surprise.

Even if he was slow to notice, he could still sense that Mark Max's attitude towards Ernst had undergone a complete 180-degree change.

Although it may be somewhat offensive to say this, he finds it difficult to describe Mark Max's current attitude with any word other than "obedient".

What, I was just casually making a comment, and you actually managed to bewitch the president?

That doesn't make sense either. His Excellency the President is just a mechanical body. What kind of bewitching potion could he possibly drink?

The Tin Man himself was a mechanical being and had never heard of anything that could work on him.

Well, it's not entirely without effect; perhaps the allure of the Heart Demon would work?

But Ernst isn't some terrifying Sarkaz who can turn people's pupils into pink hearts with just one glance.

"Forget it, why think so much?"

He checked his equipment; the gun that had once been used to execute the "reporter" in Kazimir now lay quietly in his suitcase.

"Ernst is good to Sarkaz, and His Excellency the President is good to me. These two good things combined are naturally even better."

"If that's the case, what's the point of considering so many minor details?"

"Let this history remain shrouded in mist for now, and let's trust in the wisdom of future generations."

After closing his suitcase, the Tin Man looked up and glanced at the two moons overhead.

It was a dark and windy night.

"Gentlemen, open the door. This is the Melander Foundation."

"So, this is his solution?"

The next day, as soon as he got up, he saw the relevant reports.

The Loken water tank caught fire last night, and the direct cause of the fire was Loken Williams, the person in charge, who haphazardly connected power cords in the laboratory.

Firefighters worked through the night to extinguish the blaze and carry out rescue operations, but multiple explosions occurred at the scene, suspected to be caused by explosives that were originally stored in the laboratory. Loken Williams was suspected to be at the epicenter of the explosion. When he was carried out by rescue workers, he was already broken into several pieces with varying degrees of charring. All the other adults were burned to death, and only one girl named Felin, who was in a closed isolation room, survived.

The media arrived at the scene immediately and reported on the incident together with the scandalous rumors circulating in Tremont about the Loken water tank laboratory a few days earlier, attracting a lot of attention.

But nothing was left at the scene, so these rumors naturally remained just that—rumors.

When Ernst saw this report, he was mostly speechless.

He thought Mark Max understood, but now it seems Mark Max understood nothing at all.

Or rather, he might have understood, but he clearly misunderstood Ernst's explanation of "shifting the focus," giving Loken Water Tank a real boost in the "hot topics."

Well, now the news hype has turned into physical hype, and Loken Williams clearly couldn't handle it; he's practically forgotten.

Ernst had never met that man. He wouldn't sympathize with the beast who used children for human experiments; all he would say was "good riddance."

But this incident still reminded Ernst.

Mark Max treated him with respect, but his mannerisms were still those of Mark Max.

A tyrant may be willing to be unreasonable, but he won't reason with people. He may understand Ernst's spirit, but he may not necessarily follow Ernst's lead unless Ernst gives a specific and clear order.

Why do I say that? Because Mark Max did indeed complete the task Ernst assigned him.

The "heat" died down, and the news of Loken's water tank being turned into Loken opening the water tank. Loken Williams was dead, and all the documents in Loken's water tank that might cause trouble for Rhine Life were gone. He even made a special broadcast early in the morning to remind everyone to be careful with fire and electricity, further solidifying his image as a people-friendly and caring president.

Rhine Life will not be implicated, and the chief culprit has been eliminated. Although Ernst is not clear about the specifics, the fact that he did not come to see me early this morning suggests that something is probably going on for him.

Perhaps they are working to purge those stubborn elements within the military who always like to cause trouble.

And the child who was injured in the experiment was indeed saved by Mark Max, in accordance with Ernst's wishes.

This is definitely risky, since the child's survival means she might know something. Although a ten-year-old child being tested might not know the secrets of the Loken Tank, her very existence is still a threat and could be used by others with ulterior motives as another weapon.

If Ernst hadn't tried to save her, she would probably have been burned to death too.

But now, she has survived and, as the sole survivor of the fire, is receiving treatment at Tremont City Hospital under considerable protection.

Thirdly, it is foreseeable that she will receive top-tier medical resources under Mark Max's supervision. Given Columbia's scientific level, the negative effects of the experiments on her should be eliminated. Her future, barring unforeseen circumstances, will also be secured.

Colombia has opened doors for him, giving him the green light all the way.

This is power, Mark Max's basic answer to Ernst.

He knew everything, and he completed the targets Ernst set, just not in the way he had envisioned, but he still accomplished them nonetheless.

However, Ernst felt a little uneasy.

Not for any other reason, but simply because the power he now holds is far too great.

Unlike the power of life and death judgment held by the Heavenly Pivot, which Ernst clearly knew what choice to make because "life" and "death" ultimately boil down to just two options, Ernst couldn't possibly choose "yes" if he still wanted to live.

But the gap is too large for someone like Mark Max.

Colombia is a large country, vastly different from Selagar. Here, there's no social environment where everyone knows each other and lives in harmony, nor is there a Jeragunda watching over them, ensuring everyone is at least concerned for Selagar's good. The interests here are ten, a hundred, a thousand times more complex than in Selagar. Once a choice is made, it may not involve life or death, but it can bring about enormous changes to the country and even the world.

If Ernst was the prime minister in Shelag, then in Colombia, Ernst played the role of Jeragund.

Moreover, it was a "Jelagand without Ernst, in charge".

The supreme deity.

Ernst felt that if he were to order Mark Max to immediately transfer all of Colombia's financial reserves into his account and for Colombia to declare war on Victoria, he would agree without hesitation.

It feels amazing to be like God, almost like having superpowers and being omnipotent. It's so exhilarating.

Even the so-called "solely supreme" emperors of ancient times did not have an experience like Ernst's. After all, they still had to consider their own objective conditions, whether their treasury was sufficient, whether anyone would rebel, and whether they would be dissuaded by their court officials and advised by the people.

But Ernst wouldn't. He wasn't even commanding his own country. Mark Max, this pre-civilization AI, also possessed unimaginable power, almost capable of fulfilling Ernst's "all desires."

But it was precisely because of this that Ernst became even more vigilant, even fearful.

"Those whose virtue does not match their position will surely suffer calamity." This is an old saying. Indeed, he felt that his virtue was far superior to that of the anthropomorphic creatures on Terra, but sudden wealth is still a great test of human nature!

This power is heavy, and it must be used with utmost care!

It is a true double-edged sword. When using it, you must not only consider the gains and losses, but also yourself.

Ernst knew many people who, after finally gaining immense power, gradually lost themselves and eventually reached the point where they "didn't dare spend a single penny."

He didn't want it to come to that.