Becoming A Tech Tycoon Begins With Regression novel Chapter 235

Ethan closed the case with a soft click. "A volunteer."

The room went still.

"A bold one," he added. "Someone currently infected, someone whose condition you can verify independently."

The French president scoffed. "You want one of us to gamble their life on your word?"

"Well, that would be too much to ask," Ethan shook his head, "so instead, why not gamble someone else's?"

Several leaders stiffened.

Before anyone could object, Ethan turned slightly, eyes settling on the aides and translators seated behind the leaders.

"Statistically speaking," he said evenly, "at least one of your immediate staff has already begun early-stage symptoms. Mild disorientation, fatigue, headaches?"

A bead of sweat rolled down the Swiss representative's temple.

The Chinese president turned quickly toward his translator, a man in his late fifties who had been with him for years.

The translator hesitated, remained frozen for a short while before shaking his head, informing that he wasn't sick.

"You," the Russian president said abruptly, pointing toward his own interpreter, an elderly man with thinning gray hair. "Step forward."

The man froze. "Sir?"

"You've been unwell since yesterday," the president said flatly. "You said it was nothing."

The translator swallowed. Slowly, he nodded.

"I felt dizzy this morning," he admitted. "And my hands… they wouldn't stop shaking."

Ethan looked at the man for a short while as Athena confirmed that he really was infected.

How?

Well, mostly based on the fact that Athena had already gotten feedback from the pathogens the moment everyone stepped into the room.

After all, the cause was basically just nanobots, but different and more watered down. Now he could spread the nanobots this way, but where was the fun in that?

They had to feel powerful first before he allowed reality to set in and for that, he needed them to willingly accept the nanobots.

"Perfect," he said softly.

Lillian's expression didn't change, but her fingers tightened briefly around the tablet she was holding.

Medical staff stationed discreetly at the edges of the room moved quickly, scanning the translator...though this was all just for show since Ethan already knew what the results would be.

Vital signs appeared on the screen behind Ethan showing that his neurological irregularity confirmed.

This was a sign of an early-stage match.

The German chancellor looked towards the man with a small frown on his face as he stated, "he's infected."

"Yes," Ethan agreed, "and if untreated, he has roughly three weeks."

The translator's face drained of color as he looked at the results presented to him, fear slowly creeping in as he realized just how little of a time he had.

Ethan didn't rush him. He let the silence work and work it did, as he watched fear finish what data had started.

Then he opened the case again.

The soft hiss of the seals disengaging sounded a bit too loud in the silent room.

Inside lay a single syringe with black liquid that seemed to be moving even though he hadn't touched it yet.

Several leaders instinctively leaned back.

"This," Ethan said calmly, lifting it between two fingers, "will neutralize the active vector in under a minute."

The French president's voice cut in sharply, "that's impossible."

"So was mapping a selective pathogen in days," Ethan replied without looking at him. "Yet here we are." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The Japanese prime minister leaned towards his translator who quickly relayed his words, "and if you're wrong?"

Ethan looked at the Russian translator, then at the other faces in the room before letting out a sigh.

"Then," he said slowly, "you lose a translator."

His words were so casual that one wouldn't suspect he was talking about someone losing their life.

The Russian president's jaw tightened. He stared at the man who had stood beside him for over a decade, translated his threats, softened his diplomacy, saved him from saying the wrong thing more times than he could count.

"You will be compensated," he said in Russian, gruffly, as if that made it better. "Your family as well."

The translator's hands trembled, of course he wasn't ready to die yet, he had a life with his family to live.

"Sir," he whispered, then stopped.

Then again, he couldn't exactly deny a command from the Vladimir himself could he?

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he stepped forward and a doctor ushered him up the platform where a slightly inclined bed was waiting.

Ethan approached him with the syringe in hand before passing it to the few medical personnel around before stepping back and letting the procedure commence.

"You'll feel a bit of pressure," the lead doctor said quietly, meeting the man's eyes, "which would be followed by heat, but do not panic."

The translator nodded and he lay on the bed, prepared for the worst. If he was sure of one thing, then it would be the fact that his family would be taken care of, if anything went wrong during this.

He winced a bit as he felt a sting to the side of his arm and he braced himself for pain but after a few seconds of nothing happening, he slowly opened his eyes.

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