Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Mad Scheme

“If this plan succeeds, it will easily stir up public panic and trigger chaos in the stock market, causing the Nasdaq to plummet. Through capital maneuvering and leveraged short-selling of US stocks, we’ll reap unimaginable profits! Then, when the White House delivers a speech to stabilize public sentiment, a brand-new pharmaceutical company will suddenly announce the development of a vaccine for the Ripple Virus. At just ten dollars a dose, we can rake in another wave of funds. By pooling these new funds with the windfall from shorting the market, we’ll turn around and push the index back up. After the public calms down, the over-suppressed Nasdaq will inevitably rebound. With the major financial groups and the government joining forces to rescue the market, US stocks will surely surge—and we’ll cash in yet again. After all these maneuvers, each of us will walk away with at least a billion dollars!”

Christine spoke in a feverish rush, then suddenly roared, “We’re talking about a billion dollars! Yet because of your sudden appearance, it all vanished like a mirage. If our plan had gone smoothly, and this matter resolved, the glory and rewards from the White House would also have gone to me and Du Fulin. Public opinion and the official commendation would have shot us to the top—maybe even straight up two ranks to become supervising agents! Our plan was flawless—absolutely flawless!”

In her agitation, Christine grabbed the hippie by the collar, grinding out the words, “I should have killed you!”

The hippie nodded. “You’re right, you really should have.”

With that, his eyes rolled back and his head lolled to one side—he was dead.

Christine was stunned. Instinctively, she shook the hippie, but he had already become nothing more than a lifeless heap.

“Damn it, what the hell is going on?” Christine clutched her head, on the verge of a breakdown.

Across the parking lot, Gao Ning and his two companions opened their eyes simultaneously. They exchanged glances, then, in silent accord, glanced at the mansion across the way and sat quietly in their seats. Granny Liu started the car, heading for Mario’s Tavern.

The information they had obtained tonight had left the three of them in shock.

They had never imagined that the situation in this world would take such a wild and astonishing turn. As Christine had said, if their plan succeeded, they’d gain fame and fortune overnight—climbing from mere wage slaves to the upper echelons of society in one leap. As for how many lives would be lost in the ensuing turmoil, or how many years the American economy would be set back, or how many would go bankrupt—those were simply not their concern.

No one spoke in the car, each lost in thought, replaying Christine’s words in their minds. Gao Ning, meanwhile, sent a silent command to the three soldiers he had stationed in Banning’s estate, instructing them to move at once.

His timing was impeccable.

After receiving Christine’s call, Dr. Simms had argued briefly, but upon hearing of Du Fulin’s death, he was so terrified that he immediately complied—destroying all documents and most of the virus samples, saving only 500 milliliters of the pure virus with a special device.

He didn’t stop there. Before leaving the underground lab, he personally pressed the self-destruct button—an essential fixture in any illicit laboratory.

When Dr. Simms finally emerged from the lab, clutching the special device and escorted by two burly bodyguards, gunfire rang out. The two guards were shot through the forehead, killed instantly, their bodies tumbling back down the stairwell like rag dolls.

Petrified, Dr. Simms thought he was surrounded by the CIA. He threw up his hands and dropped to his knees, shouting, “Don’t shoot, please don’t shoot! I’m the core of this whole operation—I’m a virologist, I developed the Water Mosquito Virus, I know its structure inside out, I can help you make a vaccine, it’ll work, I swear—”

Before he could finish, two American soldiers rushed up and knocked him out with the butt of a rifle. Teeth flew, and Dr. Simms spun through the air before crashing back into the basement.

The soldiers grabbed the special device and retreated at once.

They had run barely a dozen meters when the heavy swimming pool exploded. Fire and debris shot out, but the shockwave was immediately extinguished by hundreds of tons of water. The ground shook, but not a wisp of black smoke escaped into the air.

The commotion drew everyone’s attention, giving the soldiers an easy escape.

And at that moment, Gao Ning had no idea that the soldiers were bringing him an unexpected gift.

He was sitting at Granny Liu’s private bar, side by side with Liang Bing. It was already the dead of night, and those whose energy had yet to be spent had gone off with their companions to enjoy what was left of the evening. Mario’s Tavern was finally quiet; only the three of them remained.

Before Gao Ning and Liang Bing sat another round of drinks—this time, supposedly a French vintage. Granny Liu introduced it with great pride for over a minute, though Gao Ning didn’t catch a single word.

Suddenly, Liang Bing said, “Looks like we’ll have to abandon this mission.”

Granny Liu nodded without surprise. “It’s probably for the best. The situation has become far too dangerous—rushing in now wouldn’t be wise. What do you say, Xiao Gao?”

“I think I should just go home and get some sleep,” Gao Ning replied, checking his watch. Only three hours remained until dawn.

He hadn’t expected so much drama to unfold in a single night. Truth be told, he was exhausted.

Granny Liu nodded. “I was just wondering if I should send a corpse over to Banning’s estate once the cooldown ended—but it seems that won’t be necessary now.”

Liang Bing looked up in confusion. Granny Liu gestured with her chin toward the television overhead.

Both of them turned as the volume was raised.

“Breaking news: It’s now 3:20 a.m., while most of us are deep in sleep. But just twenty minutes ago, at the private estate of Sethrich Banning—the CEO of one of the world’s five largest water resource companies, the Banning Group—a major explosion occurred. Fortunately, the blast was near the swimming pool, and the shockwave was smothered by the rushing water before it could spread. The extent of the damage is currently unknown. However, given the high profile of the victim, this incident is different from those in the past. If even the homes of top billionaires aren’t safe, does this mean that New York’s security will once again become a hotly debated issue? How will the police explain this? Let’s wait and see. We’ll continue to follow this story and bring you updates as they come.”

The three exchanged glances and quietly parted ways.

Enough excitement for one night—it was time to get some sleep.