In the Marvel Universe of 2004, 400 milliliters of blood went for $100 on the international market.
Assuming blood density was roughly equal to water weight, $90 million translated to roughly 36 tons of blood.
And that was only the consumption from Blue Umbrella’s internal blood bank.
If one factored in the underground Hive’s reserves, Mark had consumed a staggering 72 tons of blood in just three days.
Seventy-two tons of blood—even using medium-heavy tanker trucks—would take three full loads to haul.
And this was blood, not water.
Inside Blue Umbrella’s Blood Bank Management Center, the balding supervisor listened to his subordinate’s report, sweat pouring down his face all over again.
When Mark and Selene moved into the underground luxury suite, Mark had informed the supervisor, which was how they managed to tap the main supply line directly from the apartment.
The supervisor had cleared this with Christine beforehand.
Wanting to show goodwill to Mark and Selene, Christine had naturally agreed.
What the supervisor had never expected was that after taking a brief three-day leave, the guests would burn through $90 million worth of blood.
It was like a VIP visiting a company: the CEO told them to enjoy whatever they wanted on the house, but if an employee actually brought a hundred-million-dollar bill directly to the CEO for reimbursement…
the supervisor didn’t even dare imagine the fallout.
Most importantly, the supervisor had no idea *how* they had consumed all that blood.
They had checked the piping outputs, drainage systems, and waste channels.
There was no leak.
At the very least, not a single drop of that $90 million worth of blood had flowed back out after entering the luxury suite.
It couldn’t be that dozens of tons of blood had simply vanished into thin air, right?
Half an hour later, carrying a heart prepared for the executioner’s block, the balding supervisor stepped into Christine’s office.
Listening to his report, Christine showed no trace of fury.
In fact, she remained remarkably calm.
Only after the supervisor finished speaking did she nod thoughtfully.
As the person managing nearly half of Umbrella Corporation’s financial purse strings during its peak, the money passing through Christine’s hands each year rivaled the GDP of small nations.
Even after the Raccoon City incident—when Umbrella was virtually dismembered—the daily cash flow managed by Blue Umbrella remained staggering.
A hundred million dollars or two was not something that kept Christine awake at night.
What truly astounded her was the colossal quantity of blood consumed—and even more shocking was that the source of the vanishing blood was Mark Ashford’s suite.
Selene was a vampire, and Christine had heard rumors that certain supernatural factions possessed spatial artifacts akin to storage rings.
But it was Mark Ashford.
Christine picked up a dossier detailing Mark’s background.
For ten full minutes, she pondered, unable to fathom what secret Mark was hiding.
Nevertheless, the data report handed over by the supervisor was enough to raise Mark’s importance in her mind by several orders of magnitude.
Combined with the mysterious technique Mark had used to briefly paralyze her during their previous meeting, Christine suddenly felt that perhaps she should place a larger bet on him.
In fact, if her family back home had not requested further observation—insisting on waiting until the vampires from the Golden Court Clan arrived before making a final move—Christine might have already placed a massive wager.
After a long silence, Christine set down the dossier and said, “Thomson, you can leave the file here.”
“When you get back, make sure the staff sign non-disclosure agreements.”
“Furthermore, do not restrict the blood supply to the luxury suite, and wipe all records of this consumption entirely.”
The balding supervisor felt an immense weight lift off his chest.
He nodded frantically and made his exit.
Once Thomson left, Christine paused in thought, then picked up her desk phone and dialed executive communications.
“Michelle, upgrade Mr.
Mark Ashford’s clearance level to Level 7 Director.”
“Also, when dinner arrives, visit Mr.
Mark on my behalf.”
“Yes—full clearance across all departments, including the underground Hive.
Level 7 Director.”
Having issued her orders, Christine finally felt at ease.
Blue Umbrella’s security hierarchy mirrored Umbrella Corporation’s original framework, ranging from Levels 1 through 9, topped by Founder Level.
Setting Founder Level aside, Level 9 was reserved for corporate executive directors—an extremely rare rank that had become virtually extinct within Umbrella after the Raccoon City incident.
Level 8 Directors were equivalent to branch CEOs or Red Queen level authority.
Level 7 Director was the absolute highest authority Christine herself could grant within Blue Umbrella.
Not to mention, this was Level 7 clearance across *all* departments. New chapters come out on g.com first.
It was no exaggeration to say that within Blue Umbrella, Mark’s authority now almost rivaled Christine’s own.
Her family’s caution did not stop Christine from laying her own personal stakes.
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, it was dinner time.
In the luxury suite on the 7th underground level, Mark took a rare break from his cultivation to dine with Selene.
To be precise, Mark ate a full meal while Selene elegantly sipped from a glass of “red wine.”
Standing to one side of the dining room was Michelle, the executive assistant, dressed sharply and holding herself with crisp professionalism.
At this moment, Michelle was respectfully and concisely introducing to Mark the various privileges and access rights he now possessed.
After a satisfying meal, Mark wiped his mouth with a napkin and casually glanced at Michelle.
Michelle’s presence, in a sense, represented Christine’s intentions.
Placing a bet, showing goodwill—perhaps even signaling a desire to align with him.
Various thoughts flashed through Mark’s mind.
Mark stood up naturally, walked over to Selene’s side, and offered his hand in invitation.
“Beautiful lady, would I have the honor of inviting you to tour my company with me?”
Calling Blue Umbrella “my company”—in a way, this was also a test by Mark.
From the corner of his eye, Mark noticed Michelle stiffen slightly upon hearing his words, but she made no move to correct him.
One had to remember that Michelle represented Christine’s will here.
Such a high level of tolerance was almost absurd.
A satisfied smile curved the corner of Mark’s mouth.
Christine, the CEO of Blue Umbrella, possessed far more capability, boldness, and political savvy than Mark had anticipated.
She was a truly valuable talent.
There was a good reason she had managed to hold the position of Blue Umbrella CEO for over a decade during Umbrella’s peak.
Meanwhile, although Selene did not know what Mark was planning, as an ally with a shared goal, she did not hesitate to place her soft, fair hand in Mark’s palm.
Mark felt a surge of ambition swell within his chest.
It had been just three and a half days since his awakening from the delusion of the womb.
His grand ambition was already bearing its first fruit.
The future was bright indeed.