Human Glory Endures Forever

The massive conference hall seemed to have been pressed on mute; everyone stared at Duncan in unison.

Duncan stood in the center of the hall, slowly turning in a circle as if he wanted to see through the hearts of everyone present.

Those who made eye contact with him would instinctively look away, unable to meet the gaze of eyes that radiated such an intense aura.

There was a confidence emanating from within Duncan, a sense of superiority that rivaled the gods.

This superiority stemmed from his own unique experiences and the slight arrogance that came with being a transmigrator.

Even though he had been injured twice in quick succession after crossing over due to some impulsive decisions, suffering for a very long time.

But regardless of whether Duncan would be beaten down by society in the future and have his arrogance stripped away, at the very least, he could currently use his overwhelming presence to completely intimidate this group of slightly insecure opportunists.

"Umbrella Corporation, from January to September of this year, has a net profit of approximately 800 billion dollars. By the end of this year, that figure should reach one trillion!"

Duncan paced the conference hall, talking about money while his eyes scanned every camera broadcasting the event live.

The words he was about to say were not meant for these boring capitalists; they had prepared such a fine stage for him, and if he didn't take advantage of it, he would be doing a disservice to his current status.

"Everyone would be moved by this set of numbers. Umbrella is wealthier than many people, even wealthier than some small nations! Who could not be moved by this to do something crazy?"

Duncan turned with a smile, pointing at the people in the gallery, "You can't, you can't, and you can't either... none of you can!"

The group of capitalists in the gallery were pointed out by name, their faces twisted with rage. Two of them, unable to contain their temper, stood up and left the hall immediately.

The politicians and congressmen who weren't singled out showed no reaction. They wouldn't dare to argue; they were all clever people who knew how to play dumb, and their core philosophy was: if you have money, you are great.

After mocking those capitalists, Duncan turned back to face the ordinary people on the other side of the cameras, who were already speechless:

"I can!"

"A long time ago, Umbrella Corporation was already thinking about what the meaning of money is. We have so, so much money; we have more money than ordinary people can imagine. My personal net worth alone is enough to buy a small country, but why do I possess so much money, and what can I do with it?"

Duncan kept bringing up money, aiming to make his words deafening and strike directly at the hearts of ordinary people, leaving them dizzy and their blood pumping.

In a small bar in San Antonio, Texas.

A crowd of customers was gathered around, watching Duncan's "money-filled" declaration.

These people were all gritting their teeth, angry yet amused, but there was nothing they could do about Duncan. They could only vent to each other in the bar and make some anti-wealth declarations.

"Hahahaha!"

Just as everyone was wearing their "anti-wealth" faces, a sudden burst of laughter drowned out the low cursing in the bar.

The crowd looked toward the sound and saw a middle-aged man in a plaid shirt and a baseball cap.

After the slightly stout middle-aged man saw everyone looking at him, he pointed at Duncan on the television as if showing off: "I even had a financial dispute with this guy back in Raccoon City. I didn't expect that after a few months, he'd be daring enough to challenge so many people."

"Hey, I remember now!" A patron suddenly slapped his forehead and rushed over to Old Kendo: "Isn't this that big fat sheep you're always talking about?"

Old Kendo got a bit anxious upon hearing this and retorted: "When did I ever say such a thing! If that gets out, don't you dare slander me! You must have misunderstood; I only said Boss Duncan was generous and never cared about money!"

"Alright, if you want me to keep quiet, you'll have to buy me a couple of drinks!" The patron chuckled, taking the opportunity to fleece Old Kendo.

The surrounding regulars, seeing a chance for a freebie, also began to jeer and cheer.

Old Kendo found it hard to refuse, and since he had made a decent profit in Raccoon City, he wasn't short on drink money. However, seeing the figure on the TV, his eyes rolled, and he said: "If you want me to buy drinks, do you dare to make a bet with me!"

The surrounding people became interested and kept asking.

"Bet on what!"

"Look at you acting all smug, no matter what it is, I'll bet with you today!"

"Hurry up and say it, I'm waiting for you to buy me a drink!"

Even the owner behind the bar joined in with a laugh.

Old Kendo pointed at the wall-mounted TV behind the bar, or more accurately, at Duncan on the screen, and said: "Let's bet on him—bet on whether he's going to give us money! I bet he will!"

"Then I bet he won't!"

"Old Kendo, you really have a wicked heart, but I bet he will too!"

"Let's be honest, Kendo is definitely setting us up! Everyone, don't believe him!"

"Shit!" Old Kendo laughed and raised his fist playfully, then said: "If I win, I'll buy you drinks tonight, but if I lose, I'll buy you drinks for three days!"

"Yay!"

The crowd cheered, then continued to watch Duncan's speech, becoming more and more focused, eventually falling into a state of silent shock.

While the people in the bar were setting up their bets, Duncan was introducing the history of Umbrella Corporation.

"Umbrella sits on billions in wealth. In the past, we only focused on how to make money grow, but now we are wondering: when money is no longer in short supply, is it still important? Returning to the previous question, what is the meaning of money?"

Duncan paused, facing the quiet people in the hall, and said earnestly: "Money is an equivalent created for trade. It is precious, yet not so precious. What supports this equivalent is the credibility of a nation, not some specific object. Therefore, to me, money is a form of trust!"

"Now, I alone possess the trust of most people on this planet. What kind of response should I give to this trust? I think I have found the answer..."

Duncan pulled three small silver beads from inside his clothes and controlled the Red Queen to dim the large lights in the conference hall.

The three silver beads slid from his hand, and upon hitting the floor, they automatically formed a triangle. Immediately, a brilliant image of the starry sky was projected from within the beads.

Those who were previously confused were startled by the sudden appearance of the holographic projection, each of them wearing an expression of astonishment as they reacted to this technology that defied their imagination.

In an era where ordinary people were still using button-based mobile phones, in an era where computer monitors were not yet liquid crystal displays, in an era where the old and the new had yet to fully transition!

The holographic technology Duncan threw out was like alien technology that had abruptly appeared on Earth; it was unheard of and unseen!

The average person's understanding of cutting-edge civilian technology was limited to faster internet speeds and smaller device sizes.

The shocking effect of the suddenly appearing holographic technology was like going to sleep with a pager and waking up to a full-screen 5G smartphone; it was beyond their comprehension.

Duncan saw the shocked gazes of the people around him, his tone firm and resolute, "I want to say... that opening up new horizons for humanity to enter the universe is the best response Umbrella Corporation can give to everyone's trust!"

It took humanity three million years to go from being prey chased by wild beasts to dominating the Earth today.

Humanity has only five thousand years of recorded history, and the explosive development of human technology has only spanned a mere few hundred years.

In these short few hundred years, some people think that humanity will be destroyed by its own unbridled extravagance?

What I want to say is, as long as I am here, that will never happen!

We will fly out of Earth once again and land on the moon to collect new energy sources. We will also descend upon Mars and build brand-new cities.

I want to lead humanity out of the solar system, I want humanity to no longer be confined to its home planet, and I want all people of Earth to be able to proudly shout while conquering the universe: The glory of humanity shall last forever!"