Three Promises

Duncan's speech reached its climax after he unveiled the holographic technology and shouted, "Long live the glory of humanity!"

Countless viewers behind their screens did not know what Duncan's words truly represented, but they could all feel a shiver run from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads at that cry of "Long live the glory of humanity!"

This slogan seemed to possess a magical quality, elevating the souls of everyone watching the broadcast to a different plane.

The silent, shocking impact of this moment would likely become a profound memory for many.

Duncan had successfully gained a batch of casual fans through this rhetoric, but he knew that slogans alone were not enough to make people follow him with unwavering loyalty.

Therefore, he had to establish many, many welfare plans, implement them one by one, and constantly attack the corrupt elements of society, at the very least to dominate public opinion.

He had to provide stability to the hesitant, food to the wanderers, goals to the lost, and faith to the aimless!

"Now, I stand here, before hundreds of millions of people across the world, to make three promises!"

In a bar in Texas...

All the patrons had forgotten to drink; their eyes were filled with anticipation. The noisy bar, usually bustling during business hours, had become so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

After Duncan finished stating that he would make three promises, he delayed the follow-up. As time passed, everyone couldn't help but clench their fists in tension.

They didn't know if they were nervous about the outcome of their bets or about the promises Duncan was about to make.

As they waited in anticipation, Duncan on the television finally spoke his "three promises."

"The first promise: Fairness!

I want all the hardworking people of the world to receive what they deserve!

Ordinary construction workers should be able to live in the houses they build with their own hands! Workers on automotive assembly lines should be able to drive the cars they assemble themselves! Restaurant servers should also be able to eat hearty meals at the places where they work!

I can guarantee that as long as you work for the Umbrella Corporation, you will receive your due share of the fruits of your labor!"

Whoosh!

An uproar erupted in the bar, and before the commotion could die down, the second promise arrived.

"The second promise: Safety. The Umbrella Corporation will build its own cities, and every resident living in these cities must undergo a strict screening process.

There will be no guns, no drugs, and no racism in these cities. Everyone will be able to live under the sun without worrying about someone pulling a gun from their clothes to shoot at you! Your children will also receive the best education in these cities. If you are employed by the Umbrella Corporation, medical and educational expenses will be free.

In the cities built by the Umbrella Corporation, everyone can pursue the happiness they desire, provided it is within reasonable limits and permitted by the rules."

Hiss!

The people in the bar gasped again, exclaiming at the sheer ambition of the Umbrella Corporation!

Gun control had always been an unsolvable dilemma in this land of the free. Although it wasn't nationwide control, implementing it in individual cities would be the first step toward victory.

With a pioneer leading the way, ordinary citizens who were tired of life-threatening situations would surely call for their own cities to follow suit, and then those politicians would have a headache.

"The third promise: Peace!

The energy within Earth is limited; this is a conclusion scientists reached a long time ago.

But what many people don't know is that the solution to energy anxiety is right above our heads!

The moon contains various elements that can be converted into energy, and I believe many people are aware of this."

The holographic projection displayed a view of the moon; the vastness of deep space and the desolate lunar surface always brought a sense of awe to humanity.

Duncan pointed at the surface of the lunar model, and suddenly, a base filled with a sci-fi aesthetic appeared.

"Therefore, within the next five years, the Umbrella Corporation will complete a lunar landing. Within ten years, we will complete the construction of a space station and a lunar base, transporting resources from the moon back to Earth so that humanity will no longer be trapped by energy shortages!"

After hearing these three promises, the viewers' minds went from initial shock to current numbness.

The first promise of fairness was easy to solve.

The second promise of safety was also feasible, given the Umbrella Corporation's immense financial resources.

But this third promise sounded a bit like a science fiction movie to them. Yet, the person saying it possessed high credibility, making it very much worth looking forward to.

Having said so much, Duncan felt a bit parched, but it still wasn't enough. What he had said wasn't grounded enough; he needed to provide something more practical.

Speaking of practical, what could be closer to everyone than the electricity they used every day?

"If you think that timeline is too long, we have a brand-new clean energy solution before the plan is even completed—pollution-free, harmless... cold fusion reactors!"

The hologram projected a model of the Ark Reactor. On the television, Duncan pointed at the cold fusion reactor model, "This is the latest product from the Umbrella Corporation: a controllable cold fusion reactor. Building a standard large-scale cold fusion reactor can provide power to all the people of New York for one year. Its construction cost is only 1 billion dollars, with annual maintenance fees not exceeding two million. Once the energy is exhausted, the consumables can be replenished.

With the electricity generated by two cold fusion reactors, the cost spread across the entire city would mean an ordinary household's electricity bill for ten days would be less than 1 dollar!

We will put them into use in the cities built by the Umbrella Corporation first, and cooperation matters for other cities will be negotiated with local authorities later. In the near future, with the use of these brand-new cold fusion reactors, electricity prices will no longer be a burden for any family!"

Whether it was the group of rednecks in the bar or the bystanders in front of their televisions, everyone was shocked by Duncan's bold words.

Passionate slogans and vague goals were no match for tangible, concrete benefits.

Ordinary people always made up the majority of the world; as long as you gave them what they wanted, they would dare to follow you and secure absolute public opinion for you.

Electricity bills, an expense as mundane as it gets, were suddenly being promised at a near-free rate. Their shock was the same as finding out a liter of gasoline only cost 10 cents.

This was followed by a wave of ecstasy. Anyone who truly owned a large house knew that electricity was something that could easily lead to huge expenses; it was definitely a significant portion of living costs.

The Umbrella Corporation's reputation among the public was instantly cleansed of all negative news due to the advent of cold fusion reactor technology. After all, in this world, those who didn't use electricity were, in the end, a minority.

After intentionally remaining silent for a period to let everyone digest the news, Duncan continued with a smile: "Without the burden of energy concerns, certain people will no longer need to wage meaningless wars. Of course, Umbrella Corporation is a responsible company; we will assist those energy enterprises that have lost their revenue streams in completing their transitions, or acquire them at a fair price."

In the audience, several middle-aged white men could no longer keep their expressions in check. They were all giants in the energy sector; with the emergence of Duncan's cold fusion reactor technology, their companies might not collapse immediately, but their stock prices were certain to plummet.

Umbrella Corporation really didn't want to let them live!

They couldn't beat Umbrella Corporation through conventional business tactics, and their underhanded schemes had failed to kill Duncan. Now, the execution platform built by officials and businessmen alike had turned into a stage for Duncan alone!

They had failed completely, failed in the most thorough way possible. The only chance they had left to turn the tables was to directly seize the means of production from Umbrella Corporation.

No matter how much modern European aristocrats polished themselves to appear civilized, they could not hide the historical background of their rise through plunder.

These noble lords, who supposedly valued the spirit of contract, were ironically the ones who ignored the rules the most.

Surely no one actually believed they wouldn't resort to brute force, right? Surely not?

The same sort of people who swarmed in to burn, kill, and loot the moment they saw that robbing China could yield massive profits could hardly be a group of kind-hearted, contract-abiding entrepreneurs.

As for Duncan's talk of assisting energy companies with their transitions, these people didn't believe a single word!

Duncan might have the technology, but he certainly didn't have integrity!

Because the integrity of a capitalist is worthless in the face of profit, they didn't believe Duncan would truly be kind enough to help them transition. Even if he did, they would inevitably be fleeced for a fortune later on.

If they were the ones holding such powerful cold fusion reactor technology, they certainly wouldn't care about the survival of their peers; they would even kick them while they were down.

They began to actively contact their networks, preparing to find people to raid Umbrella for the technology, or to have a lunatic gunman take another shot at Duncan and continue with the breakup plan.

Watching those flustered capitalists, Duncan smiled faintly, picked up three small silver spheres from the floor, and dropped the final bombshell of the day's speech.

"To safeguard such wealth, does Mr. Gallo believe that one hundred thousand men are enough? The changes Umbrella can bring to this world will inevitably involve the interests of many. Do you truly believe these people can hold back the covetous gaze of a pack of wolves?"

General Gallo on the stage still looked at Duncan with a stern expression, not answering his question.

"They cannot, and neither can the military or the police. The only ones who can protect us are ourselves. Furthermore, our private armed forces are completely reasonable and legal; all approval documents are publicly available on our official website. Anyone harboring grievances against Umbrella Corporation is welcome to browse our site!"

Duncan smiled, chose not to continue putting General Gallo on the spot, and turned to wave at the Umbrella delegation.

The group of high-level company executives stood up with their heads held high, like victorious roosters, and followed their boss as he left.

The flashes of nearby reporters clicked incessantly, especially the Japanese reporters, whose cameras sounded like machine guns firing without pause.

Under the spotlight, the Umbrella team left the conference hall, and with that, the hearing concluded.