In an instant, Umbrella became the hottest topic in the world.
Politicians, businessmen, civilians, and even religious figures began to denounce the once-massive entity. Even though it had once spanned the globe, even though millions relied on it for their livelihoods, it couldn't avert its fate of destruction.
The supreme courts of every country issued arrest warrants and search warrants for Umbrella companies within their borders at lightning speed. The UN Security Council even notified the International Criminal Court, authorizing the arrest of all senior personnel associated with Umbrella on charges of crimes against humanity.
The military and police swiftly shut down all of Umbrella's businesses. All employees below management level were forcibly laid off and sent home. Those above management were immediately arrested and detained, facing lengthy interrogations and investigations.
Of course, some vicious individuals chose to resist, but these private armed forces were no match for the state's instruments of violence. To appease the public, all countries, under the coordination of the UN Security Council, unified their stance. They would deal with these resisting individuals as they would terrorists. This meant that they would not compromise, even if they held hostages, and immediate execution became the most common outcome.
And this was just the political sanction. Economically, all of Umbrella's liquid assets were frozen. The government's actions stimulated the sensitive nerves of capitalists, and everyone holding Umbrella shares began frantically selling their stocks. At this time, no one dared to associate with Umbrella in any way.
The stock market plummeted, even causing huge fluctuations in the global financial system. The fall of a behemoth was bound to cause a massive wave, which was not surprising. It was even within some people's expectations. Zhou Yi was waiting for this opportunity. When this monstrous wave began to subside, it would be his time to swallow the sea. And now, only a little bit more was needed.
And soon, this last little bit was also filled. This was the first time Zhou Yi began to praise the government's efficiency.
Once high and mighty, the Umbrella's board members were arrested thanks to the efforts of special forces and intelligence agencies around the world. They were stripped of all human rights due to crimes against humanity. Money, naturally, was one of those rights.
This caused their shares to vanish from the stock market at an alarming rate. To quell the economic turmoil caused by Umbrella, various countries were forced to sell these shares at rock-bottom prices to compensate for the losses of the unemployed. And this was the opportunity Zhou Yi had been waiting for.
He began to buy up these shares, at prices so low they were almost insulting. Soon, he had accumulated a significant stake, enough to completely control all of Umbrella's affiliated companies.
This was two months after the Raccoon City incident, when everything had settled down.
Zhou Yi's actions surprised many. When some countries prepared to judicially auction off the seized Umbrella enterprises, they found that these assets, which should have become worthless with Umbrella's stock collapse, had a new owner.
A group called Coronal had acquired them, and the owner of this group was the world's richest young tycoon - Zhou Yi. He was now qualified to wear this title because some busybodies had tallied his various resources and found that he had edged out Tony Stark by a narrow margin, taking the top spot.
Everything seemed calm on the surface, but under the surface, there were undercurrents. Zhou Yi's acquisition drew the attention of the CIA, but S.H.I.E.L.D. stepped in to block them. Some jealous individuals even manipulated public opinion, calling Zhou Yi's actions profiting from disaster.
However, the survivors of Raccoon City provided the best defense for Zhou Yi. Thousands of survivors identified Zhou Yi as the leader who had led them to survive, saving him from public condemnation and transforming him into a shining, positive figure.
The public's praise for him was endless, leading to a surge in Coronal Group's stock prices. Although it couldn't reach Umbrella's peak, it far surpassed its peers.
People began to recognize this ordinary hero for the first time. Through the accounts of the survivors, his courage, fearlessness, strength, and leadership began to resonate with them. This gave him immense fame and a large following in a short time.
The tangible results of this were that Time magazine invited him to be the cover figure for the year. The British Foreign Office suggested to the Prime Minister that the Queen bestow knighthood on this wealthy man who had made such a great contribution. The President of the United States also invited him to visit the White House and clearly expressed his desire to have dinner with him.
It was evident that this guy, who was about to be swept into the trash heap, wanted to borrow Zhou Yi's soaring reputation to salvage a bit of popularity for himself.
Zhou Yi declined the idiot's invitation. Compared to the president, he preferred the clever dog he kept. Furthermore, he didn't have time to deal with this guy right now.
He was busy because he was rebuilding Raccoon City. However, Raccoon City had been renamed Radiant City, and Radiant City had become the headquarters of the newly established Coronal Group.
This city, once desolate because of the virus, was still quiet, but it had welcomed its rebirth. Zhou Yi transferred most of his research institutions to this city and also recruited elites from around the world to join this new company. Coupled with the citizens who were unwilling to leave the city, the newly born Radiant City was actually not much inferior to the former Raccoon City.
Moreover, Coronal inherited most of Umbrella's departments and was involved in armaments, medical care, and biological research and development. Although the biological development department had to be monitored by government personnel because of the T-Virus, this was insignificant to Zhou Yi.
He was different from Umbrella; he didn't need to rely on the low-class means of viruses to gain profits. The research institutions under him were enough to support this massive framework, making it a true corporate giant.
Today was the day the Coronal Group's headquarters officially began operations. This was important to Zhou Yi because it signified the establishment of his business empire and the completion of the largest cornerstone of his grand plan.
And for most of the city's citizens, it was equally important. Because Coronal had replaced Umbrella as their paymaster. They didn't have to worry about Coronal being as ruthless as Umbrella because its owner was a man of noble character.
Zhou Yi did indeed behave nobly in this matter. He repaired the broken Raccoon City free of charge and provided new jobs for those who had lost their jobs because of Umbrella. This was also the reason why countries around the world tacitly approved of his acquisition of Umbrella; his appearance resolved a significant portion of the crisis, both economically and in terms of employment.
Although, to be clear, he had only shut down Umbrella for two months and changed the name. He also gave those former low-level Umbrella employees a two-month unpaid vacation, but that didn't stop the workers from being grateful to him. People thought he was noble, and noble people always win trust; that wasn't surprising. That's just how the world worked.
At the Coronal Building's ribbon-cutting ceremony, Zhou Yi and his assistant were dressed to the nines. Also invited was the new mayor of Radiant City, Mr. O'Brien Schuster. He was a representative sent by the government to monitor Coronal.
The government was worried that Coronal would become another Umbrella, so they had to place someone they trusted in this position no matter what.
As for the former mayor, he was already in prison with the former leaders of Umbrella. They were awaiting a prison sentence of over two thousand years.
Furthermore, there was the new police chief of Radiant City, Ms. Jill Valentine. This wasn't something Zhou Yi had arranged; he had no intention of interfering with government positions. However, Jill's appointment wasn't unexpected.
Because of her performance in Raccoon City, coupled with her numerous accusations against Umbrella's conspiracies, she had become a heroic figure second only to Zhou Yi. With strong public support, this woman, barely twenty-three years old, easily rose from a SWAT officer to the police chief of Radiant City. From a politician's perspective, this was a meteoric rise. But for Zhou Yi, it was perfectly normal.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony proceeded smoothly; no one was foolish enough to interrupt the event. In fact, if anyone dared to do so, the people below, who relied on Coronal Company for their livelihood, would tear him to pieces. Disrupting someone's livelihood was akin to killing their parents, a universal truth throughout history and across cultures.
After the ceremony concluded, Zhou Yi stood before a podium. This was a speech to the world, a speech witnessing the birth of a corporate giant. Standing there, Zhou Yi was composed, looking at the crowd below and the many media outlets that had come to witness the event. Confidently and calmly, he said:
"Welcome, gentlemen and ladies. Welcome to witness the birth of Coronal. I know that you all have many thoughts about this newborn, because its birth is deeply connected to the deepest evils of the world. Here, I can clearly announce to the world. Coronal is a completely different company from Umbrella. Our existence is to benefit this world, not to bring disaster and chaos to this world."
"Therefore, I declare that from today onwards, the weapons development department that Coronal has taken over from Umbrella will be completely disbanded, and all members will be incorporated into the newly established energy development department. At the same time, that infamous biological research department will also be merged into the medical research department, with the same members. This is my attitude. I don't like war, and I don't like those twisted and evil things. So, I hope that the company under my command is clean, and can withstand scrutiny under the sun."
"Its existence should be for the peace of the world, the progress of humanity, and the prosperity of the Earth. It does not need war, nor will it profit from war. It should be clean, allowing everyone who benefits from it to stand tall and proud. It won't be like those people who are still in prison now. Sorry. They need to sit for two thousand years, and they will be reviled for two thousand years. This is really unfortunate news."
The crowd erupted in laughter. Evil being punished was something everyone was happy to see.
-----------------------
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