"Mr. Matthew Lawrence, have you made up your mind?" The blonde lawyer's voice was magnetic, cutting through Matthew's thoughts. "If you don't sign this equity inheritance document, all your father's inheritance will be donated unconditionally to a foundation for African children."
Matthew, seated on the presidential suite's sofa, instinctively straightened before leaning back again.
"Lawyer Arthur, please give me five more minutes to think," he requested. "I'll give you a definite answer after five minutes. You've already been here for a day, so five more minutes won't make a difference."
His voice was calm, but his knuckles, white from gripping tightly, betrayed his inner turmoil.
The blonde lawyer checked his watch, noting the hour hand nearing midnight. Out of respect for his client, he finally nodded. "Very well, sir."
Cold moonlight pierced a gap in the curtains, highlighting Matthew's handsome, mixed-heritage face. His dark eyes fixed on the two documents on the coffee table: a 'Will and Testament' and a stack of 'Equity Inheritance Agreements.'
If it were an ordinary equity inheritance, Matthew wouldn't be so conflicted. The shares came from the infamous [Umbrella Corporation].
This was the global conglomerate from the 'Resident Evil' world, involved in pharmaceuticals, medical hardware, defense, and secret biological weapon research.
This made his decision far from easy. His gaze drifted through the curtain gap, out the window.
Stark Tower, in the heart of New York City, remained brightly lit. Diagonally opposite, another skyscraper rose majestically, its red and white umbrella-shaped logo glaring against the night sky.
'Don't ask why [Umbrella Corporation] appeared in the Marvel Universe,' Matthew thought. He didn't know why things had developed so strangely.
He wasn't in the mood to figure out how far the Marvel world had deviated. His most pressing concern was whether or not to sign the equity inheritance agreement.
If he didn't sign, his original body, having never received help from his 'cheap old man' since childhood, still owed a community gang twenty thousand dollars. Giving up the inheritance today meant he might be forced to transport "white sugar" tomorrow.
But if he did sign... as a shareholder of [Umbrella Corporation], he might die in some 'operational error' virus leak. His current situation was truly between a rock and a hard place.
The dazzling lights and bustling nightlife outside made him dizzy. The room filled with his chaotic thoughts. After long contemplation, the steel pen in his hand grew warm from his grip.
As the agreed-upon five minutes neared their end, Matthew, on the sofa, seemed to make a decision. He took a deep breath and sat up straight.
Without hesitation, he signed his name on the equity inheritance agreement: [Matthew Lawrence].
The moment his pen touched the paper, a transparent light screen suddenly lit up before his eyes. [Ding—'Benefit the People Panel' has finished loading!] [Please refer to the 'User Manual' for specific instructions.]
"System?!" Matthew's eyes widened the moment he saw the System Panel. He had just signed his name.
He felt like a scholar who had failed the imperial examination more than twenty times, now finally passing. 'Eureka! I passed! I passed!!'
"Mr. Lawrence, did you say something just now?" Arthur asked, puzzled by Matthew's inexplicable excitement. He suspected Matthew might have taken something illicit while lost in thought.
Realizing his expression was out of line, Matthew coughed twice and shook his head. "Lawyer Arthur, you must have misheard..."
"...Perhaps," Arthur said indifferently.
"In any case, since you've signed this agreement, let's discuss the remaining inheritance items." Arthur continued. "Your father left you thirty-five properties, a twelve percent stake in [Umbrella Corporation], four and a half billion US dollars after tax, and fifteen medium-sized enterprises..."
The inheritance listing was dry and tedious. About five minutes later, Arthur, with a parched throat, finished the inventory.
"In short, congratulations, Mr. Matthew Lawrence!" Arthur smiled, extending his hand. "Congratulations on becoming a rich man!"
"Thank you," Matthew said politely. He casually pulled a few green bills from his pocket, placing them in Arthur's hand. "Consider this five hundred dollars as payment for keeping me company today."
While Arthur listed the inheritance, Matthew had quickly browsed the 'System User Manual.' The System's basic functions were simple.
If he increased the 'happiness' of his subordinates and those around him, or prevented special disasters, achieving the effect of 'benefiting the people,' he would receive corresponding rewards.
'Increase happiness or prevent disasters, huh...' Matthew murmured to himself. 'There's a saying, "With great power comes great... *cough cough*... I misspoke. It's 'with great power comes great responsibility'..."'
As things stood, he didn't yet have the ability to prevent disasters. Besides, disasters didn't happen every day. For now, he could only start by increasing the happiness of those around him, making them feel 'benefited.'
Precisely because of this, he wanted to try if the simplest, most direct method of 'throwing money around' could benefit people and earn [System Points].
Smelling the familiar ink scent of the bills, Arthur's eyes lit up. He discreetly took the banknotes, tucking them into his pocket without showing too much joy.
['Arthur Bell' felt a little happy, System Points +1. Please increase your efforts to benefit the people~~]
'It really works, earning points by throwing money around...' Matthew raised an eyebrow.
Having concluded the business, Arthur, after receiving the money, began to quietly pack up the documents on the table.
After confirming that 'throwing money around' could earn [System Points], Matthew looked at the remaining four thousand five hundred dollars in his pocket. This money was originally for his predecessor to pay off debts.
Now that he had inherited such a massive fortune, he probably didn't need to worry about that anymore.
"Mr. Arthur, I've thought about it," Matthew began. "Five hundred dollars simply isn't enough to express the excitement I feel right now, especially given how dedicated you are as a lawyer. Here's another four thousand five hundred dollars, consider it your compensation for today."
Listening to Matthew's praise, Arthur looked at the stack of crisp new banknotes again. A hint of joy appeared on his face as he gladly accepted them. Now, the milk money for his three children wouldn't be a worry for a while.
[System Points +10. 'Arthur Bell' felt extremely satisfied.] [Accumulated System Points: ten. System Pass Reward—T-Virus Serum *1 (already stored in System Space).]
[The next stage reward is for accumulating thirty System Points. Please make good use of System rewards to benefit the people.]
One second, Matthew celebrated earning ten [System Points]. The next second, upon seeing the words 'T-Virus Serum,' the joy on his face instantly froze. "..."
'System, do you even read what you're saying...' Matthew thought. 'You want me to use the T-Virus to benefit the people? It would already be benefiting the people if I *didn't* accidentally break it, alright!'
Internally, he cursed the messed-up thing the System had given him, but his expression remained normal. After seeing Arthur off, Matthew was left alone in the spacious room.
With a thought, a sealed double-helix glass vial appeared in his palm. The deep blue liquid within looked exceptionally captivating under the light. Matthew, however, found this vial anything but beautiful.
In his eyes, this vial was Gabriel's Horn of Judgment, meant to destroy the world. If poured into a city's water system, that city, or even the entire planet, would face an unprecedented disaster.
Thinking of this, Matthew's grip on the T-Virus tightened. "Phew... I'd better put this away quickly! If it really shatters, I can't bear that responsibility."