Becoming A Tech Tycoon Begins With Regression

Chapter 234 234: A Summit

It felt strange, really.

In his past life, Ethan only met the president when Carter Corp was at least a decade old and it's use was undeniable.

Back then, he was in no place to negotiate, it was either he submitted or he lost everything.

And when he chose not to, he did indeed lose everything.

But right now, they needed him and he held the biggest advantage. The president summoning him meant he was desperate.

He wanted to deal with whatever was plaguing him before other countries caught wind of his current situation.

But if Ethan could, he'd tell the president not to worry, after all, they were all in a similar situation.

A week had passed after he first got the call from the Whitehouse and his secured line had been blowing up like crazy.

If it wasn't the Russians calling, then it was the US or some other super nation president.

Ethan hadn't targeted Africa because his trip to it had been a successful one, branches of OmniTech Corp had been successfully established in Ghana, Kenya, Egypt and South Africa.

Their presidents had also been the first test—erm, customers of his nanobots.

There was a bit of caution at first, until he demonstrated age regression, and that was all it took to convince them.

They all saw a promise of immortality and they immediately rushed towards it, only to realize too late that it was a chain disguised as a beautiful ribbon.

With control of countries in the East, West, North and South of the continent, he was basically done with it.

The other fifty would naturally fall in place.

Though he didn't actually need to take control of them for the system to count it towards his current ongoing quest.

All he needed to was expand OmniTech Corp into major sector of the world.

But since the opportunity presented itself, he couldn't not take it.

All he needed to do now was target one more continent and the mission would be completed.

One which he had a feeling would be completed soon enough, but for now, he had to get the world leaders in one room.

And their current desperation was exactly what would force them to comply.

Although, this move would be a major giveaway that he was the one behind the disease, but they wouldn't have any other choice either.

Athena had already sent a request for a private summit to each and Ethan was just waiting for their response.

A knock echoed softly through the room.

Lillian stepped in with a tablet in her hand and a controlled expression.

"They've agreed," she said. "All of them."

Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly. "That was fast."

"Not really," Lillian replied. "Once the Swiss, the Germans, and the Americans realized they were all hiding the same thing, it became pointless to keep pretending."

She paused for a moment before continuing. "Though they want assurances."

Ethan smiled faintly, "of course."

"Location?" he asked.

"Neutral ground," Lillian said, "they want neither the public nor anyone unrelated knowing. Officially, it's a medical coordination conference. Unofficially…" She trailed off.

"…it's a plea," Ethan finished for her.

He walked back to the table and placed his hand on the holographic globe, one of his projects when he got bored.

The projection froze instantly.

"Shall we take the final step?" He muttered to himself.

***

[Two days later, Vienna, Austria]

The leaders—Swiss, German, American, French, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Russian—sat around a circular table in the summit room.

None spoke first, each sizing the other up, wondering who among them had the upper hand.

Ethan allowed himself a small, deliberate pause before stepping forward. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began, his voice calm yet carrying a subtle undertone of command, "thank you for coming on such short notice."

"I am Ethan Carter," he introduced, "or as most of you know me, OmniTech."

The first reaction was shock from all except Obama, since he already had information on OmniTech's true identity.

All other world leaders were surprised to see how young the kid was, they hadn't even expected him to reveal his identity just yet, as they were sure this was a US scheme.

"Before we begin, I'd like to clear something up," Ethan said, almost as if he could read their thoughts, "my company might've started in the US, but I am affiliated to no country, so you don't have to be so suspicious of each other."

There was a collective, careful nod from the room as they glanced at each other while their various translators explained what Ethan just said.

Well that answers that.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about why we're here," Ethan's gaze swept across the room, lingering just long enough on each face to register their unease.

Fear looked different on world leaders. Some masked it with irritation, others with forced calm, but none of them were immune to it.

"You are all here," Ethan continued, "because your illusion of absolute invulnerability is gone and you're now desperate to gain it back."

The Russian president leaned back slightly. "We are here for solutions, not philosophy."

"And you'll get it," Ethan said with a smile as Lillian walked up to him and handed a case.

Ethan gently placed it on the podium before him before opening it and taking out a single syringe filled with black liquid.

"This is what you're all so desperate for," he said with a smile, "the cure to the vector plaguing you all."

"What is that?" The Indian prime minister asked with a frown.

Ethan glanced at the syringe once more before lifting his gaze back to the room.

"Like I said," he said calmly, "it is the cure you've all been searching for."

The Indian prime minister's frown deepened. "You expect us to believe you found a cure in less than two weeks when our best institutions are still arguing over classification?"

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the room.

The German chancellor folded her arms. "If this worked, you wouldn't need secrecy. You'd be standing in front of the world."

Ethan chuckled softly. "If I did that, you'd spend the next decade trying to dissect me instead of listening."

He placed the syringe back into the case, deliberately slow.

"I understand your skepticism," he continued. "In fact, I expected it. Which is why I won't ask you to trust me."

The Russian president raised an eyebrow.

"Then what are you asking?"

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

The room immediately went silent.