Chapter 244 - 198: Hypervirulent Avian Influenza

"James Raven was in complete agreement. After intense negotiations, we reached an alliance. It wasn’t an alliance with Golden Dawn, but with the Raven Clan."

"Furthermore, James Raven revealed a list to me—a list of entrepreneurs in the East whom they had successfully infiltrated!

I understood that he probably only showed me a small part of it, but even in that small part... I saw quite a few familiar names."

Chu Bamboo scanned the names, some familiar, some not, his face devoid of expression. His scalp prickled. The only saving grace was that the names on the list were mostly involved in finance...

There were no names of the true bigwigs, the ones who wielded real power... ’Do they not exist, or did James Raven think my good brother’s status wasn’t high enough to warrant revealing them?’

Chu Bamboo personally leaned toward the idea that even if there were any, the number would be exceptionally small.

"...I returned home. With the help of the entrepreneurs on the list provided by Golden Dawn, the two companies, C and Z, began to expand at a terrifying pace!"

After that came a series of maneuvers that spun off an international-facing company, which even went public in the United States... A White-headed Eagle company, which had acquired a massive amount of stock in both C and Z companies and gained significant voting and controlling rights, was named Celestial Net!

As Chu Bamboo continued to read, his expression suddenly froze.

"The impact of the hyper-virulent avian flu was far greater than I’d imagined! Ninety percent of all chickens died. The most outrageous part was that, according to scientific research, the more chicken and eggs a person had consumed in their diet, the more susceptible they were to contracting it.

The causative agents for the flu lurked within improperly cooked eggs and chicken meat.

And it wasn’t just transmitted through diet; it could also spread through the air and water... Furthermore, the new strain’s incubation period was over twenty-five days! And it was completely undetectable during that time.

This had an unimaginably massive impact on society! Panic was widespread!"

"However, I have to admit, it was precisely because of the severe avian flu outbreak... that interpersonal contact was severed. As a result, entertainment companies, including those producing short-form dramas and the AI firm Z Company, experienced exponential growth!"

"I began research into the avian flu. Thanks to the formidable assistance Z’s AI provided in the biomedical field, I soon came into contact with a biological genius: Guan Qianyu! Her mentor was the renowned academician in the field of biology."

"...Something isn’t right. The avian flu has been spreading worldwide for over four months. I originally assumed Celestial Net Company would quickly roll out a vaccine and proceed with their nefarious plans...

But in this timeline, they’ve managed to keep their nerve the entire time!"

"No, could it be because my C and Z companies have made huge strides in this area? And since they’re also raking in massive profits from the international company, they have no intention of curing the disease? If that’s the case... I’m considering whether I should start producing the vaccine using the formula my good brother provided!"

Chu Bamboo’s eye twitched. He was finally starting to understand the inside story. From this perspective, maybe... he couldn’t blame his brother for being reckless. He had been completely backed into a corner.

Chu Bamboo sighed, watching bit by bit as his good brother walked down a road of no return.

At the same time, one thing made him suspicious. ’But Guan Qianyu... the academician’s student? For my good brother to call her a genius... she must be incredible, right? I just don’t know how old she is. But no matter how you slice it, she can’t be that young, can she? You know what... I’ll look up some information on her in a bit!’

A whirlwind of thoughts flashed through Chu Bamboo’s mind.

Then... as he read on, his gaze froze solid.

"Another outbreak of the hyper-virulent avian flu, the ensuing zombie crisis... it was a setback for me beyond all imagination...

My ally Zhao Shao and my wife Guan Qianyu died because of it. My parents died because of it... My good brother, Lin Xia, was left paralyzed from the waist down! Even his parents died...

So, so many people died!

Lin Xia never blamed me. He even comforted me, saying he knew why I had made that decision; he had even been one of those who went along with it.

If we hadn’t suppressed the avian flu back then, his parents might have died from it long ago. Being able to live this much longer, he said, was a bonus.

But I would rather he’d just curse me out! Isn’t that ridiculous of me? I thought I could save everyone, but now I see it was just a pipe dream. The more you crave that final, perfect victory, the more painful and difficult the end becomes."

"I issued a public apology. Reading all the words of condemnation, I actually felt a sense of relief and comfort... They were right to curse me."

"Mao Bear criticized me fiercely. But to my surprise, both my home country and White-headed Eagle supported me this time. I had left the country without a word, without filing any application, right after almost all my friends and family had died... It certainly scared a lot of people. But my country still offered me comfort in the end.

Their assessment was unanimous: even though the consequences were horrific, if the avian flu had been allowed to spread unchecked back then... the outcome might have been even worse than what we face now.

In any case, delaying the flu outbreak for over a decade allowed us to fully reap the benefits of the AI revolution without interruption. That... was the best part.

Of course, I later learned from Lin Xia that plenty of doubts and concerns were still circulating within the system back home. Many people wondered if it was possible I had started the disaster myself. That was just a fringe rumor, though. The higher-ups were still thinking clearly.

For one, the avian flu originated from White-headed Eagle in ’25. For another, almost all of my friends and family were dead. If I were really the mastermind behind it all, I’d have to be insane to do something like that."

Chu Bamboo was rendered speechless.

He actually felt a bit of sympathy for his good brother now. No wonder. He’d been puzzled before. As one of the top ten moguls in the world, with deep ties to both Golden Dawn and his home country, not to mention Z... how could he possibly be subjected to such public condemnation unless he allowed it?

’So... it was intentional! He wanted to be reviled, to ease his inner torment!’

Chu Bamboo sighed. This also explained, on another level, why Nuwa No. 17 still recognized his authority, even after he’d done all this.

Of course, the most critical question now plaguing Chu Bamboo was...

’Who the hell is Guan Qianyu?!’ Chu Bamboo felt his scalp prickle.

’Isn’t that the biology expert? The academician’s student, a big shot in her field? Shouldn’t she be in her thirties or forties, or even fifties? Is it the same person? Or is this just a coincidence?!’

’Jeez, my good brother can’t be that desperate, can he?’

’You’re not lacking for money or status! And... when the hell did you get married?!’

"Is there any mutual trust left between us? You get married without even saying a word? Do you have any idea how much of a shock it is for you to just drop this on me out of nowhere?" Chu Bamboo’s expression shifted constantly. He was only finding out now, after his brother’s wife was already dead?!!

A thousand words were stuck in Chu Bamboo’s throat, finally coalescing into a single one: "Fuck!"