Dominating Evolution of the Cosmos

After hearing the amount, Vivien was feeling dizzy. After all, this sum of money was an astronomical amount to her!

Jim's face turned pale. He was not as concerned with the amount of compensation and reward. Instead, all that he heard were the terms of the punishment!

Specifically, the Black Tiger Store was prohibited from selling the Subatomic Serum in the future! Moreover, the Pharmacists Guild would be forced to stop supplying serums to the Black Tiger Store! This was an unimaginable blow!

Although the Black Tiger Store mainly sold inferior goods, their serum sales accounted for about 40% of their current stock. Among these serums, 10% were provided by pharmacists from the Babbitt Group, while 30% were provided by the Pharmacists Guild!

Although there were only 2.3 million people in the military base camp, all of the goods sold here were high-quality goods. Hence, 30% loss was equal to tens of millions within just one year!

As Jim was thinking of the devastation that would soon result from this decision, Ron confirmed the procedures with Vivien before he left. Jim looked very pale. He knew that this trouble was too big for him to handle, so he rushed back into the shop.

"Fool! You even dare to cheat a pharmacist!" A voice of fury came from inside the shop, followed by the sound of a clear, loud slap!

Shortly afterwards, a man came out of the shop. He was dressed in a suit that had a store manager's tag on its chest. His name was Michael.

Jim was following closely behind him, and it could clearly be seen that half of Jim's face was swollen!

When Michael saw Steve, he hurried over with a serious look and said, "Mr. Pharmacist, we are very sorry for the inferior serums that you bought here. We are more than willing to compensate you. If you are willing to withdraw the lawsuit, our shop will pay you five million in original gold as compensation!"

Five million original gold! Hearing this amount, Vivien's eyes opened wide. She had never even seen such a large sum in her life!

"Did you know that he sells inferior products? Maybe you actually in cahoots with him?" Steve spoke in a calm yet suspicious tone.

A cold sweat broke out on Michael's forehead, as he did not know how to respond. Of course, Michael knew about Jim's selling inferior products, as he was the one who had instructed Jim to do so! After all, the profits that such underhanded dealings earned were stunning!

The sale of just one bottle of serum could fetch up to five or six thousand in original gold! What's more, the enhanced Subatomic Serum was just one of the inferior serums that they sold!

When tempted by such high profits, both Michael and Jim were willing to take the risk of being caught, even though they knew that what they were doing was illegal. Moreover, they had been doing this scam for several years, and there had never been a problem with the Babbitt Group as a backer. But, now that they had crossed Steve, who was a certified pharmacist, they had been caught red-handed!

Steve looked at Michael's expression and immediately knew that he was involved in it. Otherwise, he would not be so silent and nervous.

"Since you guys sell inferior serums and break the laws, you should bear the consequences," Steve said calmly.

"Six million!" Michael gritted his teeth and upped his offer. "Your Excellency, although you are a pharmacist, six million in original gold is no small sum."

For an F-grade pharmacist, six million in original gold was indeed a huge sum. Steve, however, was not tempted by it. After all, his wealth was worth billions in original gold. As such, there was no need to trade his sense of justice for any amount of money.

"Seven million! Not a penny more!" Michael felt as if his heart was bleeding as he increased his offer. If he went on increasing the amount, he might go bankrupt!

He never dreamed that he would be faced with such a situation, as he never thought they would get caught! This was because they never thought that they would sell a fake serum to a pharmacist, who was actually also a soldier!

The status of a certified pharmacist was so honorable, no one could imagine that a pharmacist would join such a dangerous profession as becoming a soldier! Moreover, refining serums as a pharmacist could easily make a lot more money than a soldier salary. Thus, no one had ever heard of a pharmacist becoming a soldier before!

That was also the reason why their secret operation had gone so smoothly these recent years. Unfortunately, they met Steve, who was a recruit with a complex background!

"I don't lack money," Steve shook his head, refusing the bribe.

"Really? Okay, 7.5 million! Sir, this is all of my wealth! Please withdraw the lawsuit!" Michael pleaded, a pitiful look on his face.

If Steve and Vivien did not withdraw their charge, the Black Tiger Store would suffer a huge blow. Then, when everything came to light, the Babbitt Group would surely not let them off easily!

Seeing that Steve was not moved, Jim hastily said, "I've earned 2.5 million in recent years, and I'd like to add that to the compensation."

Ten million in original gold! Hearing this figure, Vivien was dumbfounded. As a civilian, she had to be thrifty and save before she could afford even a single bottle of serum. So, ten million in original gold was beyond her imagination!

"Firstly, committing a crime should not go unpunished." Steve looked serious at first, but finally laughed. "Secondly, I think that you're wrong. I'm not the one who is suing you. It's Ms. Vivien. I'm just the pharmacist she hired temporarily to verify her serum."

Michael looked at Steve and Vivien, a confused look on his face. After all, everyone could tell that Steve had the final say in the matter.

As for Vivien, she just stood there silently, looking timid. Thus, everyone naturally tried to bargain with Steve.

However, according to legal procedures, as Vivien was the purchaser of the drug, she was the official plaintiff in the lawsuit. As such, it was really none of Steve's business.

"Dear Ms. Vivien, we are really sorry!" Michael turned to Vivien and said respectfully. "As long as you are willing to withdraw the lawsuit and settle this matter in private, we are willing to pay you 10 million in original gold as compensation."

Vivien was stunned and stood motionless, as she had never fathomed such a huge amount.

"I... I... " Vivien stammered, as she did not know how to answer.

She grabbed Steve's arm and said, "Steve, I don't know how to respond. You decide. You can make the decision for me."