Re:life with Karmic Gacha (Modern Family)-Chapter 352: Heavy Breakfast.

[Edward POV]

It was raining again when I woke up this morning. Thunder roared and lightning flashed, making it a perfect morning to sleep in.

After brushing my teeth and taking a warm shower, I headed to the large kitchen to cook.

"I should bulk up again," I said as I took ingredients out of the fridge, which was fully stocked by the maids before I got home.

"Should I cook Italian, Korean, or Japanese-style breakfast?" I pondered as I checked the freshness of the ingredients. Then I decided to prepare all of them.

Grilled mackerel, potato paille, bibimbap, seafood fried rice, rolled eggs, miso soup, and some croissants for dessert.

Lightning flashed through the large kitchen window, and I noticed a plane landing vertically on the helipad in the distance.

As I set up the food on the kitchen table, the guest finally arrived.

"Robin-chan, I've prepared your portion too. Let's eat breakfast together," I said, smiling at the elegant woman in a business suit and gesturing for her to sit.

Robin accepted the invitation, resting her head on her palm as she gazed at me. "I don't need to eat to live, yet you keep cooking for me."

"It's pretty lonely to eat alone," I replied. "Vader's still sleeping, so you're all I've got."

Robin giggled. "Won't it feel weird to discuss overthrowing a country while enjoying a meal?"

"Why not? The Illuminati did it. Why couldn't we?"

We both chuckled, reminiscing slightly about the time we went against the secret organization. They were poorer than I had thought.

"Although I already know what I need to do, I'm going to throw out multiple ideas, and I need to hear your opinions on them," I said as I mixed my bibimbap with a spoon.

"Just eliminate all of the government members and start fresh."

"It'll be hard for the new power to gain legitimacy. Some may demand accountability for the horrific violence."

I furrowed my brows in dissatisfaction, muttering, "That will take less than an hour to finish. I still have to do a lot for this, huh?"

"You can opt out of interfering with another country's problems. Their suffering is not your responsibility," Robin replied callously. "But your well-being is mine."

She interlocked her fingers, resting her elbows on the table and leaning forward slightly. "If it affects your mental health, sir, then I suggest we table this matter."

Robin was equipped with an emotion sensor, a feature I had acquired during my trip to Greendale Community College. After upgrading the sensor, it could detect subtle changes in brainwaves, which later evolved to recognize emotions. Robin sensed my reluctance to undertake this work, so she suggested that I shouldn't push myself.

I rubbed my chin and said, "I've been interested in some kingdom-building novels recently, so I want to try it out on my own—just for six months. Then I'll wipe my hands of the country's matters."

"Highly unlikely, but sure," Robin teased.

"I will," I said decisively, but Robin wouldn't believe me.

As Robin ate her food, she asked, "What other ideas do you have for taking over the country?"

"Civil war and revolution. I'm picking the latter."

Vader jumped onto the table as he woke up. I broke off half of my grilled fish and hand-fed it to him.

"To restart the country, we need a third party to take over the government. I need a list of public figures in Cuba and influential community leaders. We also need a catalyst to start the revolution."

"It's essential for the revolution to be televised. I'm putting Mad Dog at the forefront," Robin added.

I nodded, saying, "I need to go there to handle a few things. We have to make the revolution as peaceful as possible. I'm going to take care of those in charge to ensure they don't wipe out all of the dissidents or commit any insane acts before they fall from power."

"You're going to visit Cuba by yourself?" Robin asked, slightly surprised and worried.

I ate the seafood fried rice and replied, "Yeah. I'm the only one who can do this." I activated my three tomoe sharingan, which made Vader jump in surprise.

Robin narrowed her eyes. "You're eating two portions of rice early in the morning?"

"You know my body needs around 10,000 calories per day just to maintain my muscle mass. Blame my Uzumaki Physique."

Robin giggled, and I finished my fried rice before continuing, "Let's see. The Illuminati has around $400 billion in assets and $200 billion in cash. Cuba's GDP is around $25 billion per year. I don't know what to do with the money anyway, so it'll serve as the initial kingdom-building fund."

We talked for a while, and Robin brought up another subject. "It seems that the agency will have a lot of guests this week."

"You mean Britney?" I asked casually.

"One of them. There's also Johnny Depp, who's coming by today—"

"Why is he coming by?" I asked, confused.

Robin replied, "It's to put his name in the running for the new movie."

"Isn't he supposed to be working on Dark Shadows—"

As I said that, I remembered the movie's plotline was close to Draculein—my previous film, which had reached a billion dollars at the box office. I guessed the producer of Dark Shadows must have scrapped the movie because of it.

Even though he wasn't currently working, it still felt suspicious for him to throw his hat into a low-budget film with a $30 million budget. The lead was a drunk who was constantly drunk on rum—wait, I guess that made sense?

"Who leaked the information about the movie? It's still in the initial phase, and we don't even have a script yet."

"Who knows? It's Hollywood; they won't disclose their informants so easily," Robin replied before coldly asking, "Should I check who the spy is?"

"Forget about it. Just let Pepper handle Johnny. He's a very bankable actor but I don't want to blow up the movie's budget just to cast him."

"He's offering to take a pay cut to be in the movie," Robin interjected.

My face broke into a smile. "Then it's fine. He will be very welcome to join. Let Amy be the female lead—the daughter. She's waited long enough."

Robin nodded in agreement. Amy– my cousin with the Gold Quality acting talent started working as an actor a year ago. She worked on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Modern Family (Reimagined), getting the part of Alex. Amy also worked on a couple of indie movies, in which she received great compliments for her acting.

The movie was selected from a script sent to Entertain, and it was one of those stories that truly moved me. The plot centered around an amendment in which a father tried to reconnect with his daughter.

He believed his entire family had perished but was tricked by his sister-in-law after an accident that killed his wife. He was accused of something he didn't do and spent about twenty years in prison before the police found new evidence proving his innocence, leading the court to pay him compensation.

The story was based on a true event that had occurred a couple of years ago. (In this Universe)

"However, it will be a pressuring environment for the screenwriter if he wants to direct the movie himself. I should pair him up with a veteran director," I muttered.

Robin continued her earlier topic, "Miss Emma will also come by."

I furrowed my eyebrows, keeping my guard up, "Stone or Watson."

"Watson."

"Why is she coming by?" I asked, disdain apparent on my face. I loved working with Emma Stone. She was hella funny.

"Your series 'Psychopath Diaries' will be released this weekend, Eddy. Are you forgetting about that?" Robin chuckled, enjoying my reaction.

I shook my hand dismissively and said, "It's a Netflix series. The premiere isn't that important."

"You should bury the hatchet with her, Eddy. Isn't she your crush growing up?"

"She delayed the production by two months. Went behind my back to persuade the director and scriptwriter with her agents, but couldn't deliver on the emotional acting. I wanted to cast Juno Temple instead of her, but I had to relent because the director and the scriptwriter are her fans."

Not satisfied, I continued complaining, "She cut her hair into a pixie cut in the middle of production! We have to write them into the script! Then she flew to the US for 2 weeks while we were filming a crucial scene. I thought it was for something important, but articles started popping out from her time at some nightclubs."

Stabbing the rolled egg angrily with my fork, I gritted my teeth and said, "Yet, she still acts like she's innocent. Let us not meet anymore."

"You have to, at the premiere." Robin giggled.

I dropped my head down and cursed underneath my breath, "Fuck."

...

After we finished eating, Robin and I walked to the helipad together, sharing one umbrella.

"When you get there, Woo-Jin and Weed will escort you to the government building," Robin said as we walked through the back storage area of the jet. As I sat in the pilot's chair, I asked her excitedly, "How's the Quinjet performing?"

I had acquired the blueprint last year and had built ten of these jets since then. The stealth jet features a cloaking function, vertical takeoff and landing capability, and built-in weapons such as missiles, a Gatling gun, and even energy weapons.

Cloaking devices surround my hill, preventing drones or satellites from capturing images of my house. With Sage's sanctuary spell and the cloaking, I can truly rest easy while I'm here.

"It's great," Robin replied curtly. "Test it out, and you'll see for yourself."

She left the plane to start my blue Maserati in the garage, driving off to the company while I took off into the sky.

"Damn, Robin, I haven't even driven that yet," I grumbled as I flew away. However, my destination wasn't Cuba.

"Let's create some chaos first." A creepy smile spread across my face as I headed to Nevada. "Area 51... What's actually inside?"

Using the scanners, I tried to determine how deep the military base went. However, their advanced technology seemed capable of catching a glimpse of my plane.

I laughed as I deliberately kept the cloaking level low.

Quickly, I turned back and headed toward Washington, D.C. The military scrambled three F-16s to follow my trail.

"Heh-heh," I cackled as they began shooting at my jet. Their bullets couldn't penetrate my shield, so I went supersonic, leaving them behind in the dust.

Pilot One: "This thing is heading to Washington! Deploy all of our jets! We need to catch him before he does!"

Command Center: "Affirmative. Deploying all units right now."

The country was in chaos for a few hours as the government tried to figure out the imaginary enemy. Meanwhile, I had already landed in Cuba and started my infiltration.

Wearing a straw hat, I strolled around the streets, disguised as Iñaki Godoy using a transformation jutsu, complete with a red vest shirt and short jeans. The slippers completed the outfit.

"Time to do some sightseeing," I muttered cheerfully.

Around noon, I finally returned home. "There's no one who would give me all their food in exchange for destroying their government. What a wasted day."

However, I gained insight into what the media wouldn't cover about Cuba. I saw people living in oven-like houses with poor infrastructure and observed the low quality of food and the resentment in people's eyes.

Political dissidents faced truly horrifying consequences. I witnessed young girls being arrested and raped repeatedly by the secret police, and I freed as many prisoners as I could.

"I guess this is what my mom was fighting for, huh?" I muttered with derision, reluctant to give her any credit.

"Most of the young people resent the regime, but the older generation is the troublesome bunch; they have been thoroughly brainwashed. It will be hard for a revolution to happen naturally."

After jotting down some notes for my revolution plan, I headed to the artificial hot spring next to the sauna.

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As I glanced out the window, I muttered in confusion, "Why does it keep raining here? I thought California was experiencing a drought right now. It's been raining since I got back home."

The next day, I drove to the company in my Audi R8. The sky was still raining.

The meteorologists couldn't explain the situation. On the news, people were clamoring that the incident from yesterday proved the existence of extraterrestrial life, with many questioning why it originated from Area 51.

The government was working hard to cover it up, but internet sleuths, YouTubers, and social media influencers made the situation worse. A movement began to form—"Storm Area 51."

Memes had already circulated widely. The government was anxious, unsure if these people were joking.

Instead of heading to the entertainment company building, I drove straight to the laboratory.

A tall doctor with glasses and her hair tied up in a messy bun greeted me at the door.

"Dr. Hofstader," I said, giving her a perfunctory nod.

She checked her watch and remarked, "9 a.m. You're exactly on time."

Betty Hofstader—Leonard Hofstader's sister—was a medical researcher. Previously, she had been growing pancreases in adolescent gibbons to cure diabetes before she quit her job and joined my laboratory.

When I asked how she found out about my work, she said Leonard had told her about my stem cell research.

Betty resembled a younger version of her mother and inherited her cold, calculating personality.

"How's the patient's condition today?" I asked as I donned a lab coat over my gray suit.

"We've completed Phase 3. Everyone in the treatment group has been cured of their ailments after three months of treatment," Betty replied, pulling out a chart.

We walked to the testing area together while I reviewed the information.

To get approval for a stem cell treatment for diabetes in the U.S., the company must conduct clinical trials mandated by the FDA. These trials consist of several phases, beginning with safety tests on small groups and progressing to larger groups to assess the treatment's effectiveness and side effects.

The company needs to clearly describe the method of treatment during these trials, detailing how stem cells are collected, processed, and administered, ensuring compliance with safety and ethical standards.

To protect the treatment method from being duplicated, we have applied for a patent, granting us legal rights to the specific process. If certain elements cannot be patented, we keep them as trade secrets and utilize non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to share information only with trusted parties.

"Great. This concludes the clinical trial," I said with a smile.

Betty sighed and replied, "You're being naive, Eddy. The battle has just begun. There's a lot of public pressure for us to release the treatment method, which I'm sure is being manipulated by—"

"Shhhh!" I placed my finger on her lips, effectively silencing her. Taken aback, Betty widened her eyes in confusion.

"The battle is over. I'm the winner. There won't be any problems at all," I said with a mischievous grin.

"Just be there when the FDA official signs off on the documents," I told her with a tired groan.

Highly suspicious, Betty had many questions, but she knew it would be futile to ask them.

She said, "I checked the cost of the treatments. Are you sure you want to keep it as it is? The company wouldn't make any profits if you do that."

"But we will be able to help a lot of people," I interjected. Betty was speechless, looking at me with bewilderment. "Also, we're already making a lot of money." I added, making a money gesture with my fingers.

The lab was part of a pharmaceutical company, and we had already released numerous beauty products into the market.

With Hudgens, Gomez, Palvin, Daddario, and Scarlett Johansson as brand figures, we dominated 85% of the beauty market in the United States and 50% globally. The profits we had generated were astronomical.

"We can't reach the entire world by ourselves, so we're going to collaborate with hospitals in various countries. It will be hectic for you in the coming weeks. Good luck," I said, patting her shoulder before I dashed out of the lab.

"Hey! That's your job!" Betty finally realized it, but I was already on my way to the fourth floor, where the Ozempic clinical testing was being conducted.

"We've already solved the issues with bone mass and muscle mass loss. The strain on the internal organs is negligible. After we finish the clinical trials, the products will be available to the public," Dr. Rostenkowsi explained.

"Thank you, Dr. Rostenkowsi. How are you handling your husband being in space right now?" I asked as I poured over the files.

"Howie is having a tough time up there, and so am I," Bernadette replied, her high-pitched tone tinged with slight sadness.

The petite, yet curvy, blonde researcher had a PhD in microbiology and had married Howard Wolowitz after a year of dating (from The Big Bang Theory).

"Yeah, is he asking you to drop a pencil just because he misses gravity? I can imagine there's a worrying sexual factor that makes you concerned about his mental state," I asked casually.

Bernadette widened her eyes in surprise. "How did you know that? Did he call you too?"

"Nah, we're not that close. I'm just guessing," I replied, holding back my laugh.

She rolled her eyes but managed to smile slightly. "Oh, there's something I'm supposed to ask you on behalf of everyone."

"Shoot."

"What's next after this?"

"Next?"

"What's after solving obesity and diabetes?" Bernadette smirked cutely. "Are you going to get a Nobel Prize? Are we going to work on another cure? We're all curious to see what you'll do next."

"I'm going to take a year off to make movies," I replied with a quizzical look, causing her to inhale sharply and slump with disappointment.

Everyone on the team would still have their jobs, as there would be plenty to do even after the medicine hit the market, but the excitement of working on something that could change the world was addictive.

"Since you look so sad, I'll tell you a secret, but you have to keep it between us, okay?"

Bernadette perked up quickly and nodded furiously. I leaned in and whispered, "I recently made a breakthrough in studying a cure for HIV."

Bernadette's eyes widened, and she breathed heavily. I smirked and said, "Shh... Don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Okay!" she agreed easily.

...

In the afternoon, I went to the Entertain company building. We would be moving out in a year after completing the new campus in Silicon Valley, but the company building would not be disregarded; the game division would take over after everyone else left.

Pepper and Harvey were both out for lunch with some powerful figures in Hollywood.

Paige nearly cursed when she saw me. She was sitting amidst tall stacks of unstable script towers, her hair messy and dark bags under her eyes from her workload. "You're finally here, you—" she began, but before she could finish, she accidentally bumped one of the script towers, causing it to topple over her.

"Hey, are you alright?" I quickly entered her office and helped her remove the scripts that had fallen on her.

After I helped her, Paige grabbed my collar and threatened, "If you don't help me with Britney's script, I will quit!"

"I'm here to help you! So, please calm down first," I said, patting her hand to signal her to release me.

For the past two years, Paige had been my confidant and my harshest critic as we worked together to create multiple Netflix shows and movies.

As she complained about her workload, Paige began listing her responsibilities.

"Two movies, 'Now You See Me' and 'The Big Short,' and five ongoing series: 'Modern Family,' 'The Big Bang Theory,' 'Community,' 'Suits,' and 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.' I have to deal with everyone while you're off gallivanting around the world."

"You're only the main producer; I don't expect you to manage the series yourself," I replied in disbelief.

I maintained the mockumentary style of the Modern Family series, casting Ashley Tisdale as Haley, Amy as Alex, Aidan Gallagher as Luke, Kristen Wiig as Claire, Jason Sudeikis as Phil, Dan Levy as Cameron Tucker, Max Greenfield as Mitchell, Salma Hayek as Gloria, Craig T. Nelson as Jay, and Rico Rodriguez as Manny.

Of course, everyone's names were also changed in the series. When it premiered, I received a call from Claire, who suspected that the family in the show was based on hers, but I managed to change the subject. That was two years ago.

As the lives of the family members significantly changed due to my presence and intervention, I used the original storyline as the basis for the TV show. Claire's suspicion died down because of that.

The trouble arose with The Big Bang Theory. I had to change the format and plot substantially.

After filming three episodes with a live studio audience format, the reviews weren't very positive. I didn't give up and shot the show again, this time in the format of Young Sheldon, ditching the live audience laugh track and the set.

For Community, I hired Abed to direct the show. He transferred to a community college in Pasadena after I purchased the college. Annie followed him and moved to California, too, as did Troy. The three of them shared an apartment near where Sheldon lived.

Paige continued complaining about her meeting with Britney while I organized the scripts on her desk.

"She doesn't remember the beginning of her own story, so a lot of information is missing. I asked if we could make things up, but she wants the story to be authentic."

"Oh, I can fill in the gaps," I replied casually. Paige was taken aback, narrowing her eyes as she picked up a piece of paper. "The mysterious helper. Is it you?"

"Don't tell anyone, or I'll be in serious trouble," I chuckled. Paige sighed wearily and said, "Okay. At least we can solve one problem. The second one is genre. What will the story be categorized as since it starts with an action scene?"

"You mean the kidnapping?" I asked in disbelief. "She wants to include that?"

Paige nodded. "She also wants to add a hallucination scene she had while she was in treatment. It's all very scattered."

I mused for a moment and then said, "Horror? No. Sci-fi? Um, that doesn't fit either... We'll just keep it as a biopic with action sequences here and there. Let's not focus too much on the genre."

"Speaking of biopics, your movie — Night Witches, is premiering next month. Are you excited for it?"

It took a year and a half for her to finish the movie as it involved real aviation scenes. Initially, she wanted to release it on Netflix, but after reviewing the film's quality, I decided we should release it in theaters instead.

It was a fantastic movie with deep emotional scenes, although the production faced numerous challenges, starting with casting the Night Witches. Only Yuliya Snigir had notable recognition in the film; the others were all new actresses.

It was a risky move to release it in theaters now, considering that The Avengers was currently showing and The Amazing Spider-Man would be released a month after Night Witches hit theaters.

As a side note, both The Avengers and The Amazing Spider-Man involved my contributions.

"It's fine if it flops. It's only $50 million. I can recoup that in a week," I said with a cheeky smile.

Paige looked annoyed. "You've spent almost $2 billion on production costs in the last three years. Do you realize how insane that is?"

"It's either that or pay taxes. I'd rather support creatives who have no chance of getting their films made because no one is willing to take risks on them. Otherwise, in the next decade, we'll face a shortage of experienced filmmakers and producers. I can't let that happen," I replied firmly.

Paige regarded me with disdain and said, "Look at you, acting all philosophical. Just don't bite your tongue when the movie flops. I've already warned you."

"Believe in yourself more," I teased.

Paige shot back, "I believe in myself. I don't believe in you. Every single one of your box office predictions has missed the mark. How much do you expect this movie to make?"

I paused for a second before responding honestly, "Maybe around $20 million? It is a biopic, so I don't think it will attract a huge audience."

Paige dropped her head in disappointment, thinking I had already dismissed the movie as a tax write-off.

"But, given that my predictions have never come true, maybe it has a chance?" I chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood.