Chereads / Harry Potter: Using science to be IMMORTAL / Chapter 317 - Chapter 317: The Right Moment

Chapter 317 - Chapter 317: The Right Moment

After manipulating the situation with the investigators, Murphy succeeded in removing the British Ministry of Magic from the International Confederation of Wizards.

From then on, international wizards lost their jurisdiction to enforce laws across borders against Murphy. Any foreign wizard attempting to act against Murphy could be construed as an act of aggression towards the British Ministry of Magic.

This move also eliminated Dumbledore's potential to leverage his position as the president of the International Confederation of Wizards.

In any case, leaving the group was of no loss to Murphy — for a wizard, international affairs were as significant as the Quidditch World Cup, which was to say, not very significant to Murphy at all.

With one problem solved in the wizarding world, Murphy's next plan was unfolding in the Muggle society.

...

On the outskirts of London, a private villa was hosting a gathering of elite from various sectors. Compared to the lively main hall, a tea room on the other side of the villa was much quieter, hosting only six individuals, each of whom held more wealth than all the guests in the main hall combined.

The room's seventh chair was empty. The gentlemen were silent, some smoking, some sipping tea, and some meditating.

Soon, the door opened, and a familiar face entered. Everyone stood and shook hands with the newcomer.

"Michael," sighed an elder, "We shouldn't be meeting. If the people outside see us, it will bring trouble."

"But I had to come in person for this matter," said the current Prime Minister, Michael Hurd.

"What do you plan to do?" another asked.

"The last hearing with Major let them get away with it. It won't be easy to catch them out this time," someone commented.

"I don't know why Major went mad enough to offend the Americans. Didn't he always like to kowtow to them?"

"No matter, I'll get the parliament to pass an antitrust bill to investigate Umbrella," Michael leaned back on the sofa, "They won't escape this time."

"How can you be sure your bill will pass? Won't the Labour Party oppose it?" someone questioned, "Many of the lower class are supporters of Umbrella."

"To me, this company is utterly unreasonable!" someone exclaimed passionately, "Their tech is incredible, but their sales strategy is crap!"

"A life-saving surgery drug sold for just a few pounds!"

"Cancer medication, three thousand pounds a dose!"

"Absolutely insane! Sometimes I wonder if they're communists! What's with this egalitarianism?"

The mention of Umbrella's recent anti-aging medication sparked interest among the others. "Has anyone tried their new anti-aging treatment? They use volunteers from nursing homes, randomly selected, but I've bribed a few participants. The effects are indeed remarkable. Umbrella really has something special in their R&D."

"It's said they plan to release it in different tiers, the cheapest being five thousand pounds."

"That's outdated information," Michael interjected, "In fact, they're applying for a national strategy to price it based on individual income. They argue that the value of life differs from person to person, so the price should vary accordingly. This means, gentlemen, you'll be paying thousands to millions of times more for the same product than those less fortunate."

"Absurd!" someone shouted.

"Murphy must be a communist!"

"Such a ludicrous application will never pass!"

"Of course not, but if they make this application public, it might gain a lot of support," Michael noted.

"Then we take them down before that happens," another suggested.

"It seems we're in agreement. Now, let's discuss the specifics."

...

About an hour later, the meeting ended. But within minutes, the recording of their conversation was on Murphy's desk. Even though Michael Hurd was protected from mental magic, he didn't have the ability to detect magic around him constantly.

This gave Murphy the opportunity to track the meeting with a Foe-Glass or place something like a fairy coin to easily eavesdrop. Even without real secret meeting information, he could fabricate it. The tactic used previously to ruin pharmaceutical companies would work again, but real evidence was naturally better.

"Should we release this now?" Boris stood by Murphy after listening to the recording, "We've acquired Sky Broadcasting and London Weekend through shell companies. With this information, we can ruin them and prevent them from taking action against Umbrella."

"No rush," Murphy said, "The time isn't right yet. Attacking now won't make an impact; people need to feel discomfort first."

...

A month later, the British House of Commons passed the "New Antitrust Bill."

Simultaneously, the antitrust investigation into Umbrella Corporation officially began.

Umbrella initially resisted the investigation, citing normal business operations, but with MI5's involvement, most of Umbrella's operations were forced to halt.

To comply with safety re-evaluations, all Umbrella-produced medications were recalled and sales suspended.

Umbrella fought back desperately, but their defense appeared weak against the national power. Subsidiaries were forced to surrender financial and operational documents for scrutiny. Although Umbrella's core labs remained untouchable due to strict confidentiality agreements and preemptive measures, their downfall seemed inevitable to all.

As spring arrived, the investigation into Umbrella reached its final stage.

The investigative team submitted a proposal to parliament suggesting Umbrella be split into seven companies, overseen by parliamentary departments.

Due to Umbrella's operational halt, the world had been without Life Elixir and cancer medications for over five months.

The time was ripe.

...

"Please, doctor," a black man begged his primary physician, "My sister is just a child. If she loses her legs, her life is ruined. Please, perform the recovery surgery."

"I'm sorry, I understand your situation," the white female doctor sighed, "Your sister's case is very sympathetic, but her injuries are too severe. She's been bleeding continuously, and there's extensive damage to her blood vessels and nerves... there's no way to repair them now, at least not without amputation to save her life."

"But what about Life Elixir? My uncle was in an accident, and he was fine..."

"Sorry, we've run out of Life Elixir two months ago. The hospital's supply ran out," the doctor sighed, "We even collected low-concentration Life Elixir from pharmacies for bruises as a substitute, but that ran out a month ago too."

"Maybe the black market has some, but the prices have skyrocketed..." the doctor looked at him, "Gathering enough for surgery would cost a fortune..."

"Why?" the black man didn't understand, "Weren't they available everywhere before?"

"I wish I knew why," the doctor sighed, "Maybe our government can tell us what they're trying to do."

...

"The spokesperson for Parliament said in an interview that the Umbrella Corporation's divestment plan will pass parliamentary review by the end of the month. However, the process of breaking up Umbrella might continue until next September..."

"Bang!" A bottle smashed near the bar's TV.

"Damn the Parliament! Damn the capitalists!" a man suddenly cursed before being dragged out by security.

"They say his mother died of cancer yesterday. The doctors said she could have lived if they had Umbrella's cancer medication."

"Sigh, heard a bottle of Life Elixir spray's being sold for thousands of pounds now, and it's still hard to find," someone sighed, "Should've stocked up when we had the chance."

"Right, Life Elixir's worth more than gold now!"

At that moment, the TV host received a breaking news alert, "We're interrupting this program with breaking news, oh my, an insider has leaked that Prime Minister Michael Hurd has secretly authorized the Umbrella divestment plan, and his family's businesses will gain business sectors worth billions of pounds."

...

The revelation instantly sparked outrage across the nation. People who had been suffering from the absence of Umbrella's medications, and those who were already critical of the government's handling of the situation, found a new target for their frustration. The leak painted the Prime Minister and his associates not just as inept managers of a crisis, but as profiteers exploiting their positions for personal gain, worsening the public's distress for their benefit.

In pubs, living rooms, and online forums, the conversation shifted. The focus wasn't just on the lack of Life Elixir or the skyrocketing prices anymore. It was about corruption at the highest levels of government, about politicians who seemed more interested in lining their pockets than in the well-being of their citizens.

The outcry reached a fever pitch. Demonstrations began to form, initially small and scattered, but growing in size and frequency as the news spread. What started as online petitions and peaceful protests escalated into calls for Michael Hurd's resignation and for a full investigation into the dealings between the government and Umbrella Corporation.

Murphy watched the unfolding events with interest. His plan to expose the government's machinations was working better than he could have hoped. The public's anger provided the perfect backdrop for his next move.

As the protests grew, he prepared his counterstrike. The timing was critical; the public's attention was focused on the scandal, and their anger at their leaders was palpable. It was the perfect moment to reintroduce Umbrella Corporation not as the villain in this drama, but as the victim of a corrupt system that prioritized profit over people's lives.

Murphy's strategy was clear: to leverage the public's discontent, transforming it into a force for change that could not only restore Umbrella Corporation to its former status but also position him as a champion of the common people against a corrupt elite.

The stage was set for Murphy's next act, one that would not only rehabilitate Umbrella's image but also reshape the political landscape to his advantage. With the pieces in place, all that remained was for him to make his move, and the world would be watching.

___________________

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