"If this continues, I'm truly worried that holistic medicine might disappear one day," Winston remarked.In Salt City, holistic physicians still existed, but their numbers had significantly dwindled compared to many years ago.The entry threshold for this profession was high, leading to many dropping out during the learning process. Only a handful managed to reach the top. Even Winston, who had taught numerous apprentices, saw only a few succeed.His main concern stemmed from the apparent lack of success in holistic hospitals despite their presence in several cities. While some universities did offer holistic medicine programs, they tended to compartmentalize the discipline into different subjects, even isolating herbal medicine as a separate category, which he found somewhat misguided.The most challenging aspect was for physicians like Winston, who lacked any medical licenses. Operating without a license was like a noose around their necks, restricting their practice."Hol. John
Sylvia acted swiftly, convening the Innova executives the following morning."Are we really diving into the holistic medicine industry?"The executives, including Andy, were taken aback.The Innova Group was currently thriving in its sector, having seized control after the Visionary Group's bankruptcy.Despite their success, there was still room for growth. As such, they were puzzled about why they would enter a new arena when they hadn't fully secured their current position.Crucially, the Innova Group lacked knowledge and technical expertise in holistic medicine. There was concern that spreading themselves too thin could harm the company.Moreover, venturing into new industries required a significant capital investment. With almost three years under its belt and Sylvia in office for two, the initial plan of not paying dividends for the next five years had been mentioned.However, what would happen after five years?While some were willing to wait for dividends, the move into
"Although we haven't publicly disclosed the revenue situation, everyone should be aware of our company's financial state, including our annual R&D investment and plans."As Mr. Brown mentioned, our human resources expenses are significant. However, for two whole years, I haven't proposed cutting everyone's salaries."Not only did we refrain from cuts, but we also adjusted everyone's salary according to revenue. When I said no dividends for five years, in fact, a lot of money is included in everyone's annual income."Reviewing our company's salary and benefits, the so-called bonus is almost negligible. If we must distribute it, let's consider allocating 1 billion. Suppose I take only 1,000,000 dollars to distribute among you all and allocate the remaining 9,000,000 dollars in R&D. What are your thoughts on that?"The executives nodded in agreement.While Sylvia's words sounded assertive, everyone knew she was stating the truth. Ultimately, it was up to Sylvia to decide the allocati
Sylvia immersed herself in her studies. While she didn't need to become an expert, acquiring some basic knowledge was essential. After all, leading a group of experts without any understanding was out of the question.Meanwhile, Eric took charge of preparing dinner. Whether it was a habit from childhood or a preference for the intimacy of home-cooked meals, Sylvia enjoyed having dinner at home.Just as Sylvia was deeply engrossed, her phone rang.Seeing her mother's incoming call, Sylvia felt a headache coming on. She knew exactly why her mother would be calling—it must be to invite her and Eric for dinner or discuss some nourishing food. She couldn't stomach it.While Sylvia was reluctant to pick up and was about to inform Eric and concoct an excuse, the latter's phone rang.He promptly answered."Eric, where's Vee? Why didn't she answer my call?" Amelia asked."Mom, she's probably busy with her studies since the company has implemented new changes.""Oh, I see." Amelia sighed
"Why did you include me as well?" Brook mumbled.It seemed to him that Sylvia was trying to divert attention away from herself.Sylvia continued. "And Grandpa and Grandma, you're getting old. Don't worry too much about us. We'll be fine."Godrick and Laura chuckled."Dad, Mom, if there's nothing else, I'll go back to work now. I brought my laptop. Don't worry about us. I already had dinner at home. When you called, Eric had prepared dinner. You don't know, his cooking skills have improved a lot. The food was so delicious that I finished it all. Enjoy your meal. I'll go back to work."As she was about to get up, Henry shouted, "Sit down!"As the head of the Williams, even though he did not manage Williams Corp., he still had authority within the family.Sylvia sat back down.Henry set aside his utensils and said, "You haven't realized how serious your problem is! As your father, I'm really worried about you!"Sylvia pursed her lips. She had already realized what her parents and
Sylvia's eyes were slightly red. Their child might have already started learning to walk if not for Lucas. It was a pain that would haunt Sylvia throughout her life, even though Lucas was no longer alive.Witnessing his daughter's expressions, Amelia felt a pang in her heart."Henry, we've been too anxious. Let's not rush them and let things take their course," she said.All parents would always worry about their kids. They were older and understood the role a child played in a marriage. Many couples maintained their marriage for their children despite the marriage not working out because both felt obliged to provide their kids with a stable environment.While some couples chose a childless marriage, they were in the minority. Most couples still wanted children. Children might sometimes cause conflicts between couples, but more often, they served as catalysts.Henry didn't want to dwell on the topic any longer.Eric and Sylvia did want children—circumstances just didn't allow the
Connor frequently visited shady places, making it highly likely that occurrences like that would transpire."Let's go check it out," Sylvester suggested. If the child truly belonged to Connor, it could severely tarnish the Williams' reputation.-The woman and the child were downstairs.The woman appeared well-dressed, and the young boy exuded charm.Sylvester approached and greeted her, "Hello, my assistant mentioned you're looking for Connor."Caressing the child's head, the woman replied, "Yes, I'm looking for him.""Do you have business with him?" Sylvester asked.The woman glanced at him and replied, "Who are you to Connor?"Dusting his clothes, Sylvester answered, "I'm his brother."The woman seemed visibly surprised. After a moment, she said, "I remember now. Connor mentioned he had two brothers. He didn't lie to me."Sylvester furrowed his brow. This woman appeared well-acquainted with his family, but what was her connection to Connor?"May I ask about your relation
Connor's face was dark. In his memory, Sylvester rarely got angry with them. When he saw Brook and the others, he entered the house silently. "Where's Sylvester?" Henry asked with concern etched on his face. "What happened? Why did he call you all back?""Ask Connor," Brook replied.Puzzled, Connor echoed, "How would I know? Sylvester suddenly called me home, insisting that he wouldn't let me off the hook unless I explained the situation clearly. I'm completely innocent!"Soon, Sylvester arrived, urgently shouting from outside, "I need some help here!"Eric and Brook rushed outside.Astonishment painted their faces as they observed Queenie exiting the car with a child.Brook took charge of the luggage and asked, "Sylvester, what's going on? Who are they? Is that... an illegitimate child?"Sylvester nodded, and Brook was taken aback."Oh my god!" he exclaimed, rushing inside with the suitcase. "Big news! Big news!""What's the matter?" Henry asked."Dad!" Brook exclaimed, bu
In terms of innate talent, Eric was unparalleled, having reached the pinnacle of martial arts. With a single punch, he sent the 'God' flying."Good!" Stealthbane shouted with excitement.The ultimate enemy had finally been defeated, bringing peace to the world. Eric sighed in relief.However, in the next moment, the 'God' stood up again. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he revealed a bloodthirsty smile. "You have successfully enraged me!"Everyone braced for a potential massacre, but instead, the enemy turned and fled.Could Eric let him escape?"Chase him!" Stealthbane commanded.Allowing this foe to escape would spell endless trouble.A group of people pursued the enemy, who soon reappeared clad in iron armor."Not seen this before, have you?" The 'God' seemed to have recovered somewhat. "Did you think I only research viruses? Wrong! I control global resources and global wealth!"This is our newly developed Doomforge Exosuit which amplifies a person's battle prowess tenfol
The sturdy floor lay in utter disarray.In desperation, Ruth shouted, "Eric, don't give him any more chances! Finish him off swiftly, or we'll face endless trouble!"Eric was well aware of this logic. As he fought, he said, "He's incredibly strong. Taking him down quickly isn't possible! We must fight to the death!"Eric had never feared battle. Besides, this might very well be his final fight.Their fists clashed fiercely.The 'God' also noticed that Eric was growing more formidable as the battle progressed."How do you have so much strength? Wouldn't it be better if we joined forces to control the world? We could have anything we desire!"All the world's wealth, women, and resources would be ours to enjoy. Why won't you listen to reason?" he roared.Eric's momentum didn't falter. "I don't share your grand ambitions. I just want a simple life with a job that pays 1,000 dollars a month and a warm home with my wife and kids. But you, you've disturbed my peace!"The 'God' was fu
The 'God' grew more courageous as the battle raged on, causing Stealthbane to worry incessantly.In another high-stakes clash, Eric and his opponent both retreated. Eric sensed his opponent's growing strength, finding it rather peculiar.The 'God' clenched his fist. "I must thank you! My techniques were slightly incomplete, but I've managed to fill the gaps through this battle!"Eric marveled at his opponent's genius. To mend something incomplete was indeed a rare talent.Despite Eric training with the complete manual, he could only match the 'God' blow for blow. This person was terrifying!The opponent's confidence soared. Although Eric had trained with the full manual, the 'God' felt his innate talent far surpassed Eric's. If he could match Eric with an incomplete manual, now that he had perfected it, wouldn't he be unbeatable?"I thought you had potential and considered inviting you to share this world with me," the 'God' said, his tone turning icy. "But now, I see it's unnece
Stealthbane even felt that Eric might not be a match for the "God."The power was overwhelming.The terrifying aura was enough to crush everything. To an ordinary person, this was a real deity—the strength possessed had already transcended human limits.Eric made his move with a burst of speed. The clash of their fists created a thunderous explosion, and the sound was so intense that Stealthbane felt his eardrums might shatter.This was a battle of the highest caliber, one that even a legend like Stealthbane could not hope to join.Seeing the two evenly matched, Stealthbane sighed in relief. At least there was a chance that the strongest combatants were neutralizing each other. The outcome was still uncertain.Eric shook his aching fist, his expression grave. The opponent's strength was as he had anticipated. If the ultimate boss of the Luminous did not possess such combat power, it would be absurd.Clearly, this "God" had also gauged Eric's strength.He extended a hand toward
Stealthbane knew that the figure facing them must be the ultimate leader of the Luminous.Suddenly, he no longer wanted to die. If he could hold on just a little longer, it would all be over."Mr. Johnson, these people don't seem ordinary. Could that leader be the ultimate figure of the Luminous? Are we about to complete the game?" he whispered.To him, this mission to the Ark felt like a game: defeat the final boss, and victory is achieved."If I'm not mistaken, it should be. This person gives me... a sense of danger," Eric said.Upon hearing this, Stealthbane felt reassured.Just a sense? That meant the problem wasn't too grave!The leader on the opposite side turned to Eric. "I didn't expect you to make it this far. I underestimated your strength, believing my Ark was impregnable, that no enemy could breach it. But why are you so persistent? Why such determination?"He suddenly screamed in a fit of hysteria, "I have so many people! Such a grand scheme! It has all succeeded!
Brent shouted desperately, "After you get on your knees, they'll kill you all, and we won't survive either! Kill them! Kill them all!"He understood the situation with stark clarity. Kneeling meant certain death. If they had to die anyway, fighting back would be their only chance of survival.Eric sighed. "Mr. Rogers, in the end, it was we who implicated you. But this place must be eradicated, and the Luminous must be destroyed as well! Everyone, attack!"As the battle commenced, the masked man immediately struck Brent with a punch.Eric charged in. "Die!"He knew that Brent was unlikely to survive. This punch was his way of avenging Brent.The masked man spun around, trying to block Eric's punch. But the speed of the blow was too much—the gust of wind from the punch arrived before the fist did.It was an instant kill.The masked man had no time to react before Eric's punch collided with his chest. The terrifying force shattered the mask on the man's face, revealing an unfamili
Stealthbane was blinded by rage. He was killing anyone in sight, his fury unrelenting. They had ventured deep into enemy territory, where every encounter seemed to be with an adversary.Eric and his team from the Combat Department showed no mercy.Yet even Stealthbane's resolve was wearing thin."I can't kill them all! It feels like every master in the world is concentrated here!" he shouted in frustration.He felt the number of people he had brought was insufficient. If he had brought a few thousand more, he might have been able to overrun the place.Stealthbane was overwhelmed by the sheer horror of their situation. Fortunately, they had arrived. If anyone else had come, they would have met their end here.The numbers of the masters seemed endless."Damn it!" Stealthbane cursed angrily. "There are too many of them, and they're all exceptionally powerful. What kind of game is this?"He was tempted to retreat, but where could he go?Eric sent an enemy flying, pushing forward
"I was opposed to coming in from the start, but as you all know, the Rogers family is extremely complex. If we hadn't entered, I might have ended up dead. At least if the virus isn't a threat, that's something!" Brent poured himself a cup of coffee and continued. "These people are ruthless! They want to kill everyone outside the Ark and establish a new order, managed by a select few. It's insane!"You don't need to tell me—I know you're here to kill them."He then pulled a small token from his pocket. "This is our Rogers family's privilege here. It allows us to move freely between different levels. With this, you can go anywhere!"Stealthbane grabbed it eagerly. "Why didn't you mention this earlier? Things will go much smoother with this!"Brent sighed. "Once you've handled everything, could you take me out with you? I really don't want to stay in this dreadful place any longer.""Sure!" Eric nodded. "We'll definitely call you when we leave. For now, we're heading out."Brent e
Everything was ready, but they couldn't just walk in.Ruth instructed the Combat Department to conduct a three-day intensive training for everyone, focusing on coordinated combat.-After three days, the forces led by Stealthbane moved out, first dismantling the outer defenses of the Ark. This was their specialty!A large group of several hundred arrived in front of the Ark's entrance. At first glance, it resembled a mountain.Jack scratched his head and said, "Is this the gate? I don't see any door."The Holy Templar's people arrived as well. St. Pius said, "Everyone, don't rush. Wait for two minutes. Once the gate opens, we need to get in quickly. I have other plans inside, but once we're in, it's going to be a life-or-death battle! No one should show any mercy!"Stealthbane flexed his fists and replied, "Do I look like a good guy to you? Just watch me deal with them!"No sooner had he spoken than there was a tremendous roar. The ground shook, and the door of the Ark swung