The next morning, Oscorp held a press conference.
"Mr. Osborne was like a guiding light, illuminating the path forward for Oscorp. Through his vast knowledge, he developed countless dicines, saving innurable lives."
A man in a black suit stood at the podium, his expression one of deep sorrow.
"We deeply mourn Mr. Osborne's passing."
After a mont of eulogizing, the attendees lowered their heads in silence.
A full minute later, the mourning ended, and the man imdiately transitioned to the next announcent.
"In addition to honoring Mr. Osborne, today we have another major announcent—Umbrella Corporation has officially entered into a strategic partnership with Oscorp.
Now, let us welco Miss Luna."
A round of applause followed.
Luna, dressed in a sleek black evening dress and matching high heels, walked onto the stage with a bright smile.
"On behalf of Umbrella Corporation, I extend our deepest condolences for Mr. Osborne's passing.
It is truly unfortunate that, on his way to et our chairman, he encountered a group of robbers.
Our chairman, Mr. Adam, was devastated upon hearing this news. Out of his sense of guilt and responsibility, he has decided to strengthen the collaboration between Umbrella and Oscorp."
The reporters—who had already received their envelopes of incentives—quickly erupted in applause.
"Mr. Adam is such a good man!"
"Yes, truly touching."
"He's the greatest philanthropist in the world!"
Despite the excessive praise, Luna remained composed, her smile unwavering and devoid of any guilt.
Shortly after, the press conference concluded successfully, and Luna, along with her entourage, proceeded to the boardroom for a shareholders' eting.
At the head of the table sat young Harry Osborne, his face filled with grief.
Still reeling from his father's sudden death, he was dazed and unresponsive.
"Young Master Harry... Young Master Harry..."
After several calls, Harry finally responded.
"Ah? Sir, what is it?"
"Miss Luna from Umbrella Corporation has arrived. We can begin the shareholders' eting."
"Oh... Oh, okay, let's start then."
The older board mbers around the table exchanged glances, their eyes filled with disdain for the eleven-year-old.
Soon, the eting comnced.
The first order of business was, of course, selecting a new CEO.
Since Harry knew nothing about corporate matters and had no say in the voting, the position naturally fell into Luna's hands.
However, instead of taking the role herself, Luna appointed one of her subordinates, a woman nad Katy.
Katy was a white woman with long brown hair, slightly shorter than Luna at about 1.65 ters tall, but with an exceptionally curvaceous figure.
Despite being only nineteen, she had an extraordinary business mind. A product of Umbrella's orphanage program, she had skipped several grades and recently graduated from Umbrella University.
She had spent the past year under Luna's ntorship. Though lacking extensive experience, her loyalty was unquestionable.
Sitting at the head of the table, Harry had no objections to Katy becoming CEO.
Throughout the rest of the eting, he remained silent, his head bowed.
Had Norman Osborne lived longer, he would have gradually grood trusted aides to support Harry, ensuring a smoother transition in the event of an ergency.
But now, at only eleven, Harry was nothing more than a puppet.
At Luna's suggestion, several board mbers even recomnded that Harry focus on his studies and reduce his involvent in the company.
Harry showed no reaction to this either.
By the ti the eting ended, it was clear to everyone—Osborne Enterprises had changed hands.
.........
[March 2011]
Umbrella's military division finally unveiled its next-generation Sentinel robots.
With the Brotherhood of Mutants and the X-n wiped out, and the Hellfire Club suffering heavy losses, the global mutant population had declined significantly.
Under Senator Robert's directive, the new Sentinels were no longer programd to target mutants exclusively but were now focused on broader threats, including humans.
As a result, the second-generation Sentinels did not feature the ability to absorb and replicate mutant powers. Instead, they were upgraded with improved flight systems, enhanced firepower, and advanced laser weaponry.
Overall, the new Sentinels weren't drastically different from the first generation, apart from their increased durability, firepower, and flight speed.
The price, however, was slightly higher—each unit now cost $1.99 billion.
This pricing was carefully adjusted under Senator Robert's recomndation, as $2 billion per unit would have exceeded his procurent authority.
Initially, Adam estimated that the U.S. governnt would purchase a maximum of 100 units at this price.
To his surprise, the military imdiately placed an order for 300 units.
This signaled an ominous premonition to Adam.
The Middle Eastern Alliance had been acting increasingly defiant lately, making it likely that the U.S. was preparing to return to its old habits—war.
With national debt rising, a conflict seed inevitable as a ans of shifting economic pressure.
But as a businessman, Adam had no interest in politics. His only concern was ensuring that Umbrella's weapons factories in Raccoon City operated at full capacity, delivering one Sentinel per day.
Of course, if he let the Red Queen AI take full control of production and fully automate the process, the factory could churn out ten Sentinels per day.
But that would be unnecessary.
After all, producing ten a day might raise too many questions.
...........
[August 2011]
War ca even sooner than Adam had anticipated.
By the ti 150 second-generation Sentinels had been delivered, the U.S. accused the Middle Eastern Alliance of severe human rights violations and the use of biochemical weapons against minorities.
This was the strongest warning yet from the U.S. governnt.
The ssage was clear: Cease using biochemical weapons, or we will intervene.
To strengthen its stance, the U.S. rallied its allies, leading countries like the UK, Japan, and Germany to join in condemning the Middle Eastern Alliance.
The accused nations, however, denied the allegations, claiming innocence and inviting international inspectors to conduct investigations.
But the U.S. responded with blatant coercion.
"Investigations require funding. If you want us to send inspectors, lower your oil prices and cut ties with Russia and China. Then we'll have the budget for an investigation."
Infuriated by this shaless demand, the Middle Eastern Alliance stood firm, asserting its sovereignty and right to choose its allies.
By the end of August, the U.S. formally declared war, citing the Middle Eastern Alliance's alleged war cris and treaty violations.
The first wave of attacks was carried out by 100 second-generation Sentinels.
On the first day alone, these machines wreaked havoc, destroying dozens of fighter jets, radar stations, and killing thousands of soldiers.
As for losses?
Zero!
Only a handful of Sentinels sustained minor damage, which was easily repaired for continued deploynt.
War had begun, and Umbrella's creations were proving their worth.
______________________
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