Chapter 411: The Weight Of Kings

The waves lapped gently against the yacht’s metal hull, producing a sound that echoed a heartbeat,muffled by layers of steel and glass.

Inside the conference room, ten individuals sat in silence, illuminated by the soft blue light from holographic projectors set into the floor.

They appeared worn out, their bodies tense with anxiety. A subtle scent of brine mingled with cool metal filled the air. Not a word was spoken; no one even cleared their throat. They were simply waiting. Waiting for him.

At exactly 11:00 PM, the hologram flickered back to life. Arthur appeared, just as he had the previous evening,standing tall, composed, and with an unreadable expression.

His demeanor was firm and his gaze unyielding. The blue light bathed the sleek table and shimmered in their weary eyes. For several moments, he remained quiet. The stillness in the room felt heavier than any spoken word.

At last, he broke the silence. “Good evening.” The simplicity of his greeting cut through the tension like a knife. “I trust you’ve gone over your files.”

No one replied; their silence said everything it needed to. Arthur looked around the room, taking in their faces one by one. Darius’s jaw was tightly clenched. Lira’s hands shook slightly under the table. Mira had bloodshot eyes from sleepless nights. Korin and Joran didn’t even raise their heads.

Arthur continued, his voice calm and unwavering. “Every crime. Every experiment. Every lie buried beneath your boardroom floors,I know them all.”

Darius clenched his fists, the muscles straining against his skin as he muttered, “You’ve made your point.”

Arthur didn’t flinch. “No,” he replied calmly. “I’m only just getting started.”

The hologram shifted again, revealing new visuals that illuminated the conference room, this time, sharp news headlines ready for release.

The stories froze them in their seats:

’Helix Global Killed 200,000 With Faulty Drug Trials.’

’Pandora Health Falsified Cancer Data for Profit.’

’NexGen BioSolutions Used Forced Labor in Verdania.’

’Aetheris Medical Holdings Funded Illegal Genetic Weaponization.’

The images and texts floated above them, bright and irrefutable. Arthur’s voice remained level, but it carried a heavy weight.

“If I press a single key,” he said softly, “you won’t even have a place to be buried.” His words landed quietly, yet they resonated with a profound truth.

Mira Hel was the first to break the stillness, her voice shaking as she asked, “What do you want from us?”

Arthur held her gaze, his expression almost gentle but resolute. “I already told you,” he replied plainly.

The words settled in the room, heavy as gravity. No one dared to move. The environment felt constricting, with the distant sounds of the servers and the waves fading into a palpable silence.

Then, out of the quiet, Darius Veyne stood up.

His voice trembled with a hint of defiance. “You think control equals peace?” he asked, his breath shaky.”You believe this manipulation makes you a savior?”

Arthur remained unfazed. “No,” he replied coolly. “It makes me inevitable.”

The response hit like a hammer. Others flinched, and Darius’s courage faltered under the weight of Arthur’s words.

Arthur stepped closer in the holographic image, his tone sharpening. “You built your empires on addiction and despair. You charged the dying for the privilege of suffering. And now, when I take away your power, you label me a tyrant.”

A heavy silence enveloped the room.

Senna Voss spoke up first, her voice low and resigned. “We’ll cooperate.”

Lira followed, her face pale. “You leave us no other choice.”

Rook Kael let out a bitter laugh. “So what are we now? Your puppets?”

Arthur turned slightly, his expression unreadable. “No. You’re still the Ten Giants, at least in name. You’ll continue to operate as usual; the world will think nothing has changed.”

A hollow silence filled the room once more.

Beneath their masks of compliance lay simmering feelings of anger and humiliation. These were individuals who had never submitted to anyone, and yet now they couldn’t even bring themselves to look him in the eye.

Arthur could see it clear as day on their faces, in their heartbeats, and through the subtle metrics that Evolon fed him in real time.

He understood their thoughts.

“I know you’re all wondering,” Arthur said in a calm voice, “about managing struggling companies.”

A few heads lifted in surprise.

He offered a slight nod to acknowledge their curiosity. “Allow me to assuage your worries.”

With a flick of his wrist, ten new files materialized above the table, hovering like tempting invitations.

“Within these files,” Arthur explained, “are ten treatments for diseases that no one else has been able to cure,each one worth more than all of your companies combined.”

The room was still.

“Please,” he encouraged softly. “Take a look.”

Hesitation swept through the room, but their curiosity and greed soon overpowered their fear.

Mira was the first to reach out, tapping the illuminated icon in front of her. As the file opened, it revealed streams of data: genetic sequences, formulas, and designs for nanocell delivery systems. Her jaw dropped in disbelief.

“This… this can’t be real,” she whispered.

Rook Kael leaned in, his usual bravado replaced by awe. “Is this… an autoimmune restoration model?”

Arthur remained silent, letting the weight of the moment sink in.

Korin Veyd muttered to himself, “This is light-years ahead of anything we’ve encountered…”

Lira slid her fingers over the projected data, her voice trembling. “Some of these cures, these diseases don’t even have names yet…”

Arthur watched them quietly, hands clasped behind his back, as the blue light from the holograms flickered across his face.

“You will use these,” he stated finally. “Manufacture them, distribute them, save lives. In the process, you will rebuild what you have destroyed.”

He moved closer, lowering his voice as he emphasized his authority.

“From this point forward, when the world heals, it will do so through my guidance,and through you.”

Silence enveloped the room once again, but this time it was tinged with an uncomfortable mix of admiration and defeat.

Arthur glanced at Darius, who had slumped back in his chair.

“You see, Darius,” he said, “I don’t wish to erase you. I plan to repurpose you.”

Meeting his gaze, Darius replied hoarsely, “You’re constructing an empire built on the illusion of mercy.”

Arthur’s expression grew stern. “Empires are nurtured by necessity, not kindness.”

His words lingered in the air like smoke.

He allowed a moment for this to resonate before he continued.

“Understand this,” Arthur said in a steady, precise voice. “I’m not asking for your allegiance; I’m demanding continuity. You cannot exist outside of me anymore.”

He paused again, letting the silence stretch between them.

“If you fail, you will disappear,” he warned. “If you succeed, you will endure forever.”

None of them dared to argue.

As Arthur’s hologram flickered slightly due to server adjustments, the light caught in their eyes.

He looked at them one last time, maintaining a calm façade throughout.

“Welcome,” he said quietly, “to the new era of medicine.”

Then, the hologram faded away.

The room fell dimmer, and the soft, rhythmic sound of the ocean returned.

For what felt like an eternity, none of them moved.

The glow from the holographic data still hung in the air, casting shifting shades of blue across their faces.

Mira Hel stared at the formula before her as if it were a specter. “This… changes everything,” she murmured.

Rook Kael nodded slowly, agreement clear in his expression. “He’s given us our future.”

Darius Veyne leaned back in his chair with a look of contemplation. “No,” he replied quietly. “He’s claimed it for himself.”

Outside those glass walls lay an endless, dark sea,calm yet ominous. Somewhere beyond the horizon, power had shifted forever.

For the first time in history, control over medicine belonged entirely to one man: Arthur Osborn.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep